| Show UNA by SEWARD W HOPKINS author of jack robbins of america la in the th chin china sea two gentlemen of 0 hawaii on 1 a k pal C charee harge E etc tr copyright 1895 by I 1 bo CHAPTER VI continued the time had come for pie to tal e into my confidence I 1 ex mined the door making sure that it was closed and that any person pass tog ing in the hall could not overhear our conversation Mut who sat near tear a window smoking a cigarette looked at me in surprise I 1 am going to tell you something Mut I 1 said smiling at bis his sur look and I 1 want to make sure that no one can hear bear me but you you need not fear he replied i do not stunk signer signor that there Is another person la in the hotel who speaks english very good now to begin mui mat I 1 must tell you that I 1 have pot not come to sardinia to hunt in n fact I 1 don t care a sardine whether there are any here or not Mut opened his eyes wide and puffed harder on his cigarette it Is a lady signer signor he said an affairs it is a lady I 1 replied and a good deal of an affair aff air now listen there Is somewhere in the island of sardinia a man whom I 1 must find I 1 have rea son to believe that he has lived here some years you may have heard of him file ills name Is 1 maligno maligna nl nil exclaimed Mut leaping to his feet the profetto pre fetto you came here to find malignly ma he is the profetto pre fetto the gov arnor of the province of cagliari Cagl larl I 1 the most powerful of the sardinian judges the head of the order of our lady the strongest order in italy ct of the catholic church you came to cagliari Caglia rl to find him he owns ons you while you are in cagliari Caglia rl this was startling gazed at me as it if I 1 was a maniac he ile certainly looked like one there may be other M aliganis I 1 bald said the name Is not an uncommon one la is it ita there is but one family dl DI ma liani he replied belr estate Is about ten miles from here on the northern boulevard it Is the finest country seat in sardinia it belongs to the profetto pre tetto fetto who although he has his legal residence in the castle and Is there every day spends most of his time with his family in his conn couri try villa there were two brothers dl maligno and the profetto pre fetto Is the elder the other Is in america he Is not rich like the profetto pre fetto that 8 the man I 1 am after I 1 said pacho maliani showman he was in america but I 1 have reason to be have that he is now in sardinia he has in his possession a young woman about whom there Is a great mystery to solve this mystery I 1 have pursued him here to enable me to attain my object it is essential that I 1 ob tain tala possession of a certain red box bo that was given to pacho Mall gril by this Is girls girl a father on his deathbed I 1 believe that in that box were papers or other things throwing some light upon the birth of the girl the man was as an italian but she Is not and that Is to the mystery I 1 want to get at Mut shrugged his shoulders you are in love with the young lady signers he said no I 1 replied I 1 am not though she Is lovely enough for any man to fall in love with her but I 1 am al ready in love with a young lady of new york but I 1 cannot marry her until the mystery of the red box Is solved but what about this young sig norina he asked you will not at tempt to take her broin pacha malag she must be rescued from the clutches of this maligno at all haz ards I 1 replied emphatically I 1 have sworn by the memory of one who loved her and whom she loved now dead although she does not know it to rescue her and it if my suspicion Is correct restore her to that position in life to which she belongs and the name of the 9 asked nita barlotti Mut smpad an entire cigar ette before he answered I 1 sat and an d looked out of the window giving him all the time he wanted to sturdy the matter finally Mut shook himself bad find heaved il t a great sigh well I 1 said what do you think of ot it it Is dangerous heald he said slowly of course it Is dangerous in fact it Is more dangerous than even you imagine this malignly has an enemy unknown to me who has made one attempt on his life and may make another malegni will of course be constantly on guard even though he may fancy himself secure in his brothers brother a house yes it Is danger ous but tut how will you begin signers asked I 1 shall begin by leaving the details of the beginning to you I 1 replied you understand these italian houses and you can bribe the servants I 1 don dont t care how much money you use it if you only succeed you must ar range tor for me to meet nita barlotti Ba alone at her window or in her room or yr any place where I 1 may speak to her without interruption then you must arrange for me to see pacho in his private apartments without his seeing me or knowing that I 1 am there I 1 want to study the situation and try to obtain the box its contents and the girl at the same time it is difficult difficulties may be surmounted the greatest difficulties in our way will be prying servants A little gold well used will do much bat lat how much money are you will ila to have me use asked mutter allf you say you don t care how much I 1 use but I 1 don dont t know what you really mean it might require ten thousand lire I 1 figured tor for a moment A lira Is about twenty cents in our money I 1 ulso also studied Mutter elU I 1 knew taie w that he could be depend d upon it if the price were sufficiently high and I 1 was war determined to succeed at any cost alf I 1 if lell tell ou what i will do mut terella ll I 1 said you have heard what I 1 want done now it if you bring all those things to pass successfully I 1 will pay you twenty five thousand lire you may use what portion of it you like in bringing the plans to a successful termination and keep the rest twenty five thousand lire he gasped signer signor it is a fortune in italy it will be yours the day you enable me to do whit I 1 have said signor it shall be done said mut lighting another cigarette a pleased smile playing over his tea fea tures I 1 one can do much in sardinia with twenty five thousand lire thinking that I 1 had already made a good beginning in securing the services of so valuable a man as mut and in getting jetting him enlisted in my service against malign I 1 followed him to the dinin dining groom room where a smiling and sycophantic host made ma de things very comfortable and like all his class throughout gnout europe devoted his entire attention for the time to worming some good money from my pocket into his CHAPTER VII vil that evening Mut was miss ing he ile had quietly informed me that he would be gone all night and intimated that he might have some thing to tell me in the morning I 1 did not like the new aspect of affairs since I 1 had learned that malign s brother was the profetto pre fetto but I 1 was not daunted I 1 had come so tar far and nothing would deter me from pushing my plans to a successful termination or utter defeat with this determination I 1 went to bed in the morning I 1 had my breakfast at and strolling out on the broad piazza met Mut coming up the steps ah ali signer signor good morning he said smiling good morning Mut I 1 returned did you enjoy a pleasant evening 7 9 he ile looked at me in a significant way and led me to a tar far corner of the piazza where in the seclusion at af forded by huge pillars and matted vines we could talk without moles tation I 1 spent a very pleasant evening signer signor he said his voice low and full of meaning I 1 have learned something and what have you learn learned 7 I 1 asked eager for news of any kind pacho Mali maligna gill Is now in his broth 0 ers a house the guest of the profetto pret pre fetto efto nita barlotti Barlo is there also and is to a great extent kept a prisoner of course I 1 could have told you that I 1 answered he would not give her a chance to escape and preparations are being made at the villa tor for a great event signer signor said ah ali what Is if it to morrow the wedding of nita Barlo barlotti and pacho malegni is to take place to morrow to tomorrow morrow the closeness cIos enest of the time Is evident in the great pleasure to be seen in malegni a face and the great sorrow to be seen in nita bar lotti a she does not love him sig nor love him no she loathes hates and fears him but this wedding must not be allowed to take place Mut my guide shrugged his shoulders how will you prevent it signers it Is in the profetto pre fetto s house profetto Pre fetto or no profetto pre tetto fetto that wed ding shall never take place I 1 must see nita today tonight to night I 1 have arranged you know the ground could it be made possible tor for nita to escape and to accompany us away from the grounds yes signer signor accompany you while you are talking to the signo rina I 1 will not be seen by you I 1 will not be Mut your guide then you understand signor you will visit the villa in disguise and carry ou your plans and mine under malegni a own roof 9 that is it signer signor J grasped his histand hand you are a true friend Mut I 1 said it is gratifying to find a man so ready to assist who Is willing to face the danger and also able to plan the affair I 1 thank you laughed you have yourself lr named the price signer signor he said Is there anything to be done to gaya ua I 1 asked I 1 ought perhaps to take a look at the place and get my bearings in daylight true signer signor I 1 have arranged we will start at noon after dinner we stepped out on the piazza A closed carriage drawn by two small but sturdy spanish horses stood at the curb come eald Mut it Is 13 ours he spoke a few words to the driver and opened the door for me to enter I 1 stepped inside he slammed the door taking a seat beside me and the carriage rattled away after an hour of smooth rolling on a sardinian stone road we came to a halt before a small white inn almost concealed among the trees come signer signor said stepping from the carriage I 1 followed him into the inn and he led me up a flight of stairs to a room in the rear taking a key from his pocket he unlocked the door inside was a collection of garments part of hunting garbs uniforms grotesque jackets trousers leggings two guns stood against the wall nall what the deuce is all this mutter ellic I 1 asked in surprise it Is part of our plan signer signor you wish to view the country near ma bignis s country villa it if you went there as you are now you would at tract attention on the road past malegni s many hunters pass we are now hunters do you understand signor I 1 begin to I 1 said Mut smiled and began at once to change his clothing for some of the picturesque bardl sardinian nian garments that he had provided I 1 followed suit when I 1 had finished I 1 was clad from my feet to my thighs in leather leg ginga A red and black velvet jacket fitted over my i shoulders and waret watt A more or bis less faded and dirty iia sash sh went around my laist backet A three cornered hat aith with a small plume in it replaced my own corn com tor for table tourist cap Mut waa was attired in a Mut took up the two guns and handed one to me but where Is the ammunition I 1 al ed we don dont t need any ammunition replied Mut these guns are only for show to make us look like other pr people ople who wll pass come our horses are i a ting at the door we me found two horses saddled and Mut mounted one leaving the better looking one ot of the two for me leaving the inn we ne rode out into the smooth road and started toward the north in a shork short time we came to a fine villa surrounded by a high wall of rock the gate of which was wa a a splendid work mork of massive masonry there were signs of activity about the place workmen curried here and there two priests clad in somber garments that completely enveloped them walked slowly from the house toward coward the gate their shaved heads under their broad hats bobbing and nodding as they conversed Mut gave me a few minutes in which to drink in the beauties of sardinian nature that is Mall maligna gril a villa signer signor he said pointing to the fine estate I 1 had noticed ah ahl I 1 replied then that Is where the showman has nita bar lotti in concealment 9 that is the place signer let us move on a little lest those priests see us and remember our faces I 1 am not a sardinian signer signor there are priests in sardinia who are good and holy men there are others he said this with a shrug of his shoulders that was very expressive anis is a fine estate in the val ley I 1 said pointing to a villa and spacious grounds not very tar far from us but it looks neglected it Is a sin to let a place like that go to ruin Mut fi owned and muttered something that sounded like a curse that place is the villa dl ihor lano he said it is a fit example of the peculiar condition of sardinian politics an italian nobleman in disgrace 7 9 asked to be continued a |
