Show by SEWARD V HOPKINS author of jack robbin of america in til chin sea two gentlemen t hawaii oa a pals charge etc 1895 by box CHAPTER III when we had started from the garden had directed the driver to a certain well known hotel much frequented by show people and I 1 knew where we were being taken but what Is this s hold on the signorina 7 I 1 asked where does he get his authority over hera nita shuddered and crouched closer to the stalwart frame of he Is my master by my fathers will she ea d in a voice that was touching in its plaintive sweetness and your father was a performer like yourself was he not I 1 said yes I 1 will tell you about his death when reach my rooms one thing was certain no matter how severe harsh or tyrannical malign might be he certainly was not niggardly in regard to corn tort number was but the first of a suite of four rooms one of which was a parlor one a cozy little dress ing room and the other two bed rooms one tor nita and one tor the old hag who served her she stepped rather wearily I 1 thought and sank into a chair between and me resting her head in her hands as it she felt pain in the temples I 1 had taken my card from my card ease and handed it to her Sig nonna I 1 said I 1 have become interested in the mystery that seems to surround you and beg you will allow me to assist you and in your efforts to unravel it that will tell you who I 1 am well signer wilberton she said twirling the card in her hand I 1 sin berely thank yon I 1 am greatly un nerved by what has occurred and can not understand it my life is in dan ger and alone I 1 am unable to combat my unknown enemy now see here I 1 said assuming the authority of a detective saw something tonight to night which will be of material interest and aid to in this matter but to get at it right I 1 must ehnow all about your life nita passed her hand over her brow and after a moment spent in thought began I 1 remember little about my mother she was as I 1 can see her now an ordinary woman of course an italian she died when I 1 was perhaps seven years of age then my father took me to madame de long s school and placed me there as a regular boarding scholar madame de longs school is in albany my life there was very pleasant I 1 took con sid erable interest in my lessons and advanced rapidly when I 1 was four teen I 1 was suddenly called from ma dame de longs to a hotel in utica I 1 remember it well it stood near the railroad and I 1 believe they called it baggs hotel barnum was in on that day and as you know my father was badum s princ pal trapeze performer on this day my father had grown dizzy and had fallen from his trapeze and had sustained injuries which the burgeon in attendance said must cause his death I 1 was taden at once to my father s room I 1 reached there just one hour before he died was with him when t arrived and my father signified a desire tor us to approach together my lather spoke to mallant in a tongue I 1 did not understand I 1 have beard the same language since but cannot recall enough of what was sal at that time to translate or to understand then my father put my hand in s and told me to our own language that he was going to die and henceforth I 1 was s maligna would take his place and would take care of me I 1 remember that I 1 sobbed a great deal and kissed my father and that a sur geon came and other men and then my father died maligna attended to everything and had my fathers body taken to italy tor burial he took me there also I 1 never went back to madame de long s informed me that under the terms of the con tract by which he took me I 1 was to fill the place of my father and become an actress on the trapeze oh the shame of it nearly killed me I 1 wept and pleaded with him but all to no purpose he was not to be moved by my tears or my prayers and in the house at which we lived he had one room fitted up as a training room here I 1 was compelled to go through the severest kind of physical training to perfect myself tor the trapeze at first I 1 refused to wear the tights and was severely flogged Is a cruel man and would kill rather than be thwarted well you do not need to be told the details of my hard life suffice to say that after nearly four years of severe training I 1 am before the public in a role that I 1 hate and despise but what can I 1 do Is my absolute master if I 1 ran away from him he would capture me and bring me back to my degrading life what can I 1 do nita paused here as if she was weary I 1 had taken a small notebook note book from my pocket and was jotting down all the Import nat points of her astory still there was nothing in it that shed the slightest ray of light on the mys tery in hand now signorina I 1 said let me ask you a question your trapeze Is al ways in the care of the bame person s it not not one but two she replied the two attendants are called san cho and bambo describe them I 1 said bambo has curly hair his eyes are small like a snakes and gleam and glitter all the time his hair is not ong but hia mustache la very long and has straight waxed ends ha I 1 said bambo Is the we want he Is the fellow who bet fire to the ropes bambo nita murmured 1 I can hardly believe it did you see him do it signer wilberton 1 I saw him fire the second rope utter which he disappeared la the crowd and I 1 could not catch him we will see to mr dainko later alenor ina BOW hard for a few minutes I 1 am going to ask you i stange st ange ques tion she looked at me with a patient smile on her weary countenance counie nance you may ask it she said has anything that ou can recall in your life any incident any word any look any act seemed to indicate that you were not barlots s dauab ter signer she gasped the cry was like that of a frightened child and drew nearer to her and placed one of his giant arms around her you understand I 1 continued that I 1 don t suggest this as being true but simply ask the question you have none of the characteristic fea tures of the italian race I 1 should judge you to be either english or american now can you think of any incident at the bedside of your father stay she cried let me think at my father s bedside no I 1 was so confused and fri and sorrow tul that I 1 scarcely saw no there could be nothing my father gave me to maligna and the box box I 1 said interrupting her you said nothing about a box before it was a red tin box she said locked with a little brass padlock my father gave it to maligna and said something in the tongue I 1 have since learned was sardinian asked mall gal once what the box contained and he said it contained the contract be tween him and my father I 1 would give much to gain posses sion of that box I 1 said do you know where maligna keeps it no I 1 have never seen it since the day my father died just then there was a great tramp ing of feet in the hall which stopped at the door opposite I 1 opened the door ot nita s room and peeped out there were three men there malign with his tabe all hidden in bandages my old friend doctor dinsmore and major simmons the doctor and the major went with maligna but remained only a few minutes when I 1 heard them come out I 1 said Sig nonna you have already had too much excitement to night and you need reaf the first thing to be done la to find bambo which I 1 shall set about as soon as I 1 have my burned hands attended to oh you are too generous and kind she said are suffering on my account it is too bad it lat nothing I 1 said now we will see the doctor and have our bums dressed come he followed me out and I 1 hurried after my fiends I 1 caught them at the door of the hotel ah wilberton exclaimed major simmons when I 1 hailed him and doc tor dinsmore I 1 have been loosing tor you how Is the girla nita Is all right I 1 replied howls maligna nl maligna Is more frightened than hurt said doctor dinsmore the bullet was evidently intended for his brain but missed its will be well in a few days here I 1 presented tle lion tamer to my two friends you are not through your work tor tonight to night doctor I 1 said daubl kecks hands are badly burned and mine in less degree they must be attended to we got into the carriage that man bibeck had used to bring us to the hotel and doctor dinsmore at laubi keck s request gave the coachman the address of his office we were soon there being more severely burned than I 1 was of course first taken care of by the physicians while they were busy I 1 sat down near the major well he said in a low voice that could not hear what do you think of it all anyway I 1 am more than ever convinced that our original suspicions were cor I 1 replied it appears that just before baciotti Ba died he gave the girl to malign and also gave him a red tin box which was locked with a brass padlock at the same time he spoke to in the sardinian dialect which nita did not understand and maligna was apparently very much ex cited and surprised at what he said later nita asked maligna what was in the box and he told her it con bained the contract under which her father had worked then I 1 explained the system under which the trapeze acrobat had worked and repeated story lor the jor s benefit I 1 agree with you he said that the contents of that red box are important but how to get it our conversation was interrupted at this point the major and I 1 walked to my hotel where he left me it was two clock in the morning when I 1 reached my room weariness soon overcame me and I 1 retired it seemed to me that I 1 had scarcely slept at all anen I 1 was startled from my slumber by a terrific banging at mv door who is there I 1 shouted it Is I 1 was the reply and the voice in which it was uttered was so full of excitement that unmindful of my scant attire I 1 sprang to the door to admit my visitor his face was working with passion and with a stride he was in my room they ve gone he roared gone gone I 1 echoed chos gone signorina baciotti Ba maligna the old woman bambo and all the rest he said panting with excitement I 1 went to their hotel a while ago and the clerk told me that maligna and bis people that meant nita and the hag left before daylight and left no in formation as to where they were going gone gone that devil maligna has taken her away her my love my anital As he ejaculated these words the lion tamer strode back and forth in my room there was a pathos in his grief and rage that touched me even more than my own disappointment did but I 1 said reassuringly they cannot escape us we will go to byrnes superintendent of police and he will catch them tor us maligna cannot leave new york without being detected malegni can replied malign could wriggle ot hell and satan himself could not prevent him I 1 hastily dressed and and I 1 made ow way as quickly as pos sible to police headquarters and told our story superintendent byrnes at once sent out orders to his men to make a thorough search bior the party leaving the superintendent a sud den thought rushed upon me a decol lection of what the major told me about the druggist I 1 hastily told something of this to and knowing about where the store was located we hurried there we found it easily and rushed in A woman stood behind the counter I 1 want to see the druggist at once I 1 said imperatively he Is gone away she said in broken english he is gone to eu rope when did he goa I 1 asked in am az ement yesterday he sailed was the reply believing this to be a lie t turned to and eaid it Is thicker than we supposed there are many engaged in the abair from s drag store we went to the hotel where malign and nita bad been stopping there they told me just what they had told have you any objections to open ing the I 1 asked the clerk smiled no he replied here Is the key to and this to you may go up it you want to we mounted the stairs and entered number it was bare ot every thing save the hotel furniture just as we were leaving I 1 happened to see a bit of folded paper on the floor I 1 picked it up reading it I 1 handed it to As he read it hia face grew pale and he uttered a clerca curse under his breath this is what waa written on the paper in a pretty feminine hand he ia taking me away I 1 do not know where he Is in a frightful temper I 1 must obey or he will kill me follow us find me and rescue me from ma liani ligni I 1 love you and only you NITA to be continued |