Show tl mo- mo tl I c o r or CDO CZ c cl n o r ro r I II o 4 Ij LOVE or DEATH I 6 a I 1 a B BY Y r I J 6 i j Rafael 1 Sabatini j y yo o oe I I r oc r r c n THE STORY CHAPTER I In I.-In In the town of Urbino Italy when It was wan under the control of Cesare Borgia famous military commander commander commander com com- mander as well as great statesman a certain Messer Corvinus arrant rogue Is flourishing nourishing as a fortune fortune for for- tune lune teller caster of of spells spills and dispenser er of poisons to those who can afford to lo pay for them To him comes In great preat secrecy the Lady Blanca de' de FloravantI Fioravanti beautiful daughter of the rich and powerful lord of the tho Castle of San l Leo eo which Is holding out against the power of even Cesaro Borgia Bor Bor- Borgia gia In the act of entering the girl girlIs Is astounded by the appearance of what she takes for fOl an apparition but w who o turns ou to to b be human as herself f and ells 18 1 nb lI r- r cerer corer for an elixir which will compel love and mentions the name of the man she desires to conquer Lorenzo Castrocaro Castrocaro Castro- Castro caro serving under Cesare Borgia Corvinus for p. p a. a t large sum of 1 coney lv her h. a on notion MUrin tion with I lions and the girl departs 2 magic and mine Magnificent Magnificent Magnificent Mag Mag- there Is some difference he said with Hh sly suggestion I should not be here else elRe replied the duke and abruptly he proceeded to the matter that had brought him It is said you have found an elixir that restores the dead to to life It Is rightly said my lord replied the wizard with assurance lie was becoming master of himself again You have ha tested It Cesare In In l I three years ago I Ire Ire- re restored restored re- re stored life to a man malt who had been dead dem two days lie He Is still living ll and will testify Your word suttees suffices me said the thc duke and the Irony was so sly that Corvinus Cor was left left wondering whether irony there had been At need no doubt you jou ou would make proof of It upon yourself Corvinus Cor turned cold from head to toI I 1 l t tr i r i f Corvinus Turned Cold From Head to Foot foot yet let answered boldly of very ery necessity ne ne- At need I wo would ld sighed as one who Is content an and anil 1 CorvInus took heart again You Yo have this elixir at hand T Enough to restore life Ufe to one one man Just Just that and no more It is a rare and very precious liquor and very costly as as you you ou may perceive l cent t. t Derived ed no doubt from the brain of some rare bird of Africa 7 the r rBy duke mocked him By y not so much as a flicker of e eyelid did Corvinus Cor acknowledge the hit Not so 50 Magnificent he replied Im Im- It Is derived from from from- No matter 1 I said the duke Let me have ha It I The Tte magician rose turned to his Ills s 5 and sought there awhile Presently he came back bacic with a phial phal containing a red blood blood liquid It is here he said sold and he held hellI the slender vessel to the light so that It glowed like a ruby Force apart the teeth of the deal dead man and pour this draft down his throat Within an hour he will r re revive vive Ive provided the body has first been warmed before a fire took the phial slowly In ills his gloved fingers lie fie considered It it his countenance very ery thoughtful I It c cannot fall fall to to act 7 he ques- ques I It cannot fall fail Magnificent rev re- d the mageNo mageNo mage No N matter matte how the man may ay have died No matter how provided that that no vital Ita 1 organ shall shaH have been heen destroyed It cnn can conquer death by poison polson 1 It will dissolve e land anel dissipate the poison no matter what Its nature as vinegar wIll wll melt a u pearl Excellent I said the duke a and d he smiled cJ his cold Inscrutable smile OI And now no another r Tt-lf Tt o I Mage Mace He lIe thiu thoughtfully h nl k ra-hs ra his tawny heard beard There Is a n rumor afoot aroot I In Italy spread no doubt by hy yourself to further the thieving charlatans charlatan's trade you ou drive e that the lire Sultan Diem was poisoned by the Holy Hol- Father and that lint tl U. U po poison poison poison-a on-n on a poison polson so subtle and miraculous that It la lay Inert nert In the Turk lurle for a n month before It slew him him him- was supplied to his holiness b by you The duke paused as If for a reply und anti shivered again In fear so coldly sinister had been the tone That Is not true Magnificent Ia I have ha had no dealings with the Holy Father and I have ha supplied him with no poisons 1 I know not how Messer lesser Diem may have died nor have ha I ever said I did How flow then comes this tills story current current current cur cur- rent and your our name in It I Corvinus hastened to explain Explanations Explanations Ex Ex- were a merchandise with which he was well stocked It may he thus thins Of such such a n poison polson I possess the secret and some there have been who have sought It from me Hence no doubt knowing that I have It md conceiving that it was used the vulgar have drawn conclusions conclusions as ns the vulgar vulgar- will unwarrantably ably Cesare smiled very ery subtle And he nodded gravely And you ou say lint t you rO have tIa such a poison polson What Whitt pray pra may be Its nature nature That Magnificent Is secret was Vas the answer I care not I desire to know lenow and andI I ha have ve asked you ou There was no heat In the rejoinder It was quite cold cold deadly deadly cold But ut it had more power to compel than an any anger Corvinus fenced no more he made haste to answer It consists chiefly of the juice of and the powdered yolk of an aneg eg egg but Its preparation Is not easy You have It at hand Here Magnificent 1 replied revIled the mn mage e. e And from rota the same bronze coffer colter whence he had taken taleen the love philter the the golden folden elixir he elixir he drew now a atin tin tiny cedar box opened It and placed it before the duke It contained a afine fin fine yellow powder One of that will kill kUl thirty days elass after It has hns been heen administered two drachms In half the time Ume Cesare sniffed It and eyed ed the mage sardonically I Oil desire to make experiment said sale he How much Is here Two drachms highness The duke dule held out the box Lox to Cor Cor- vnus vinus n 8 it tj h h ti hn ha js him nl DJ o t s Th The The- mage drew back r In iii an ai alarm rm that almost argued faith falth In his hs own statement My lord I he be cried aghast Swallow It Cesare repeated repented without raising his voice olce Corvinus blinked and gulped Would you on have me tae die my lord Die Do you yon then thon confess yourself yourself your your- our self mortal Mage you tinge you the great Cor who whose e knowledge Is wide wille and deep as al tIuI thel the tho thoan l I nt q n. n rr- rr o st tit n an fir so o little i sensible sIb i to the he ills a and and d d deco decay j. j of flesh that already you have ha lived two thousand years Is the potency of ot this powder such that it can cnn slay even the Immortals And now at nt last he began m to apprehend the real scope of Cesares Cesare's visit It was true that he hail had set It about that Sultan Diem had hind been poisoned poisoned poi pol and that he had llad boasted that he himself elf had supplied the Borgias with the fabulous secret Iru that at such a distance of ot time had hod killed the Grand Turks Turk's brother and rand ns os a consequence he had I made Ie great nt profit by the sale of what he rl was the same poison a poison a subtle veneno a termine as he lie called cI It It sn so convenient convenient conven conven- lent for wives who were anxious for tor fora tora a change e of husbands so serviceable seT to husbands grown weary of their 1 e- e Continued Next Week |