The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-11-26
THE DOUBLE SIGN

BY oTTILIA PFEfFFER.
Copyright. 1918. Western Newspaper Union.J

II was not a within. a caprice. At
the moment I knew not why / did II.
Call II impulse and you probably have
II. In a crowded cosmopolitan res
taurant thronged with a varied group.
/ raised my hand at the beck and
will Of a dark-eyed. earnest-faced man
of about thirty I had never een be
fore, and gave "the double sign"
What the double sign was. mind you,
I did not know. I only felt to a
surety that II was a double sign. Thus,
I extended one palm, half straight
from my chin. half a sign. / formed a
cuplike cavity Of the palm and allowed
my hand to sink inert, the double sign
completed. Why I had made this
sign to the man in question, how I
came to know how TO form that du-
plicate gesture, I must explain.
Our house. Burdick & Co, Is
one Of the largest In the United States
In the importation Of olive oil.
Several times I had gone to Italy
on business. It was during a carnival
at the town Of vecchio when that
double sign came into my lie. vecchio
had a double element and was a hot.
bed of sedition, always at variance
with the authorities. A great fete
was on. The Princess Colomna. n
great favorite with the patriot insur
rectionist group, passed through the
town, the idol Of the p~opulace. I fol-
lowed the great procession out Of Gu
rlosity to see her largesse distributed
10 crowding, adoring thousands. II
on that occasion that / noticed
an ordinarily dressed, but keen-visaged
man fix his eyes imploringly upon her.
He wore a little triangular button on
one side of his cap. He made that
sign. The princess recognized II. She
tore from her wrist a glittering brace
LET, tossed 1t to the man. who flashed
back heartfelt gratitude. and then he
disappeared.
And now. because I had noticed a
fashing-eyed Italian-faced man with
the same peculiar button In his cap.
the same probing. expectant expression
IN his face, as though seeking In des-
peration recognition. friendship, as
sistance, I must perform the sign
that had caused q royal princess to
broadcast her tewelsi Quite
romantic. truly But the cosmopolitan
glare Of the great mixed restaurant,
holding Bohemians from every cline,
had something to do with IL.
In q fash that wild, somewhat
fierce. yet markedly intelligent face.
full Of haggard, anxious woe and hope
lessness, frightened. Those piercing
eyes seemed to invade the very secret
Of my soul. Then there
crossed those features that glow that
only a sinking, despairing castaway
could express finding a saving hand
suddenly extended.
"The Foscari." he uttered. in q low.
intense tone. gazing ~guardedly all
about him. "You know the buttonf
II is life or death. Can we be aloneT'
! shook my head obviously at the
word "Foscari." to me impenetrable.
but I said: LEAD where you WILL"
and followed him down a dark side
street and into a poor foreign wine
shop.
"For twelve hours" he said. pass
ing to its deserted rear Lis
ten, almost the salvation OF the order
Is involved. I must have five hun
d'ed dollars within the hour. To be
returned at noon tomorrow. Your card.
or a designated rendezvous. and then
forget. for the good of the brethren"
Would you believe 1t. will you credit
me but as a sentimentalist / placed
my hand In my pocket And. too. as
n business man. I read In this mans
eyes the guarantee of a strict integrity.
as I had with many q Levantine trader
whose word was as good as his bond.
In other words, Identifying him only
es a man with a peculiar button In
his cap, tracing some affiliation OF
great power and influence, I took out
the money. gave II to him with my
card. and he vanished and I stood the
victim of an impulse / could not an
alyze.
/ was nettled, uneasy after that for
q while. I was by no can at pow
erty's door: my business was not In
the best condition In the world. For
years our foreign agent had been a
shrewd. energetic Italian named Do
natl. Within a year. anticipating war
troubles in Europe. he had sold us
out. That Is. he had taken advantage
of his close connection with US to I'M
derhandedly transfer contracts to RI
walls so that we had lost fully so per
cent. Of future business.
We had summarily dismissed the
knave, but the mischief was done. and
on the eve Of marriage to my hearts
choice I had called a postponement
until my tangled business affairs were
Etraightened out.
At noon the next day In walked my
pensioner. He returned the money
with a brief word Of thanks. About
to go his face darkened as his eyes
fell upon an old photograph CT Do
natl.
sMav I aak ahouf that man9s no In.