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THE STORY :*mT_ CHAPTER L—His U>k of pattlBf town Inaubordloation amon* tb« c»p- UJm of hit noreonajrlM, and th« onuhtn* of p«warful rlrala, b«l>( Hn- tshod with tho ruthUsanaaa which eharoctarliad him, Casara Borrla, duka •f Valantlnola, la unaaajr ovar tha aacmpa of cna of hla apamlaa, Uattao OralnL It la haliaTad Mattao la In hid ing with hla racluaa klnaman. Almcrlco. at Plarano. Caaara dlapatcbaa ona of hla folloWara, PanUlaona dasll Ubartl. with a amall troop, to Plarano to apy oat tho altaatloa, and. If Oralal U foand, to eaptnra him. CHAPTER IL—In tha ebaraotar of a woaadad anamy of Valantlnola flealn* from hla yanraanca Pantalaana hla followara conoaalad, aalns antranoa Into Plarano and la tnada walcoma by Almarlco and bla dauchtar, Madonna Pulrla, Mattao’a afflancad wlfo. They lira practically alona Pantalaona la oonrlncad at onca that Mattao la la tha rlclnlty If not In tha eaatla. Mario, paatallan o^ Plarano, rtvea Pantalaona Radical attention, and tba apy la car lo bad. CHAPTER IIL—Prpm a aarmlona younc pace. RafTaale, Pantalaona laarna enough to make him aura ha la on tha right track. Tha ktndnaaa of hla aged boat and the beautiful Ma donna hare no effect In turning him from hla arrand of treachery Tha girl becomea hla companion, and from bar tha apy learna of the existence of • lazar-house (place of Isolation for amallpox victims) In *tha eaatla grounds. Thera are no victims of tha past, so dr'ade^ In tha Middle ages. In It now, aha Informs him, but ha Is cer tain ‘the building Is Mattao’a hiding place. CHAPTER IV.—Determined to wait antll be la sura of Matteo’a where abouts. Pantalaona continues hla work of spying. Prom a hiding place ha aaas Maflo taka food to tha lasar- houaa, and all doubt la ended. Panta- laone determines to collect hla follow ers nest day and demand Mattao. CHAPTER V.—With hla followers at hand Pantalaona confronts Almarlco and Madonna with tha demand that Mattao be produced at onca for con- reyance to Valantlnola; threatening to drag him from tha lasar-bousa If ha doaa not appear. To their reproaches be la Indifferent. Madonna pleads with him for a short delay, hinting the proffering of a bribe. Pantaleone's cu pidity aroused, he grants the request. Madonna makes the spy an offer. She has a dowry of 10,000 ducats, and she promlsea to marry him and maka over the dowry to him If ha will conceal Mattao'a presence. Almost unable to believe hla good fortune, Pantalaona accepts tba offer. It Is arranged that they ride to tha town of Caste) della Plara next day. where tha marriage ceremony will taka place, while Mattao escapes. CHAPTER VI Perplexed, yet true to hla adrentnrer’s character, determined to follow hla fortunes and accept such chances as acre might be, Pantaleone took bla passures against possible treachery, ted hla men for the night so as to make quite certain that hla prey did nbt escape until Madonna Fulrla and himself should be on their way to the nuptials, and that done went to bed to dream of a roseate future ennobled by ten thousand ducats. Whilst he dreamt hla aureate dreams. Madonna Fulrla below stairs was planning his destruction and an other’s. She Indited a note, calcu- latedly enigmatic and ^brlef that It might provoke curiosity and through this the response which she desired. She couched It In an odd mixture of curlal Latin and the common lan guage of the people. '‘Magnificent (Magnlflce VIr)—You are betrayed by one whom you hired to a betrayal. Before the Duomo of Castel della Pleve punctually at high noon tomorrow I will afford you proof of It If your Illustrious magnificence is pleased to be there to receive It “Your servant (Servitrix vestra) • ; “FULVIA ORSINI." ."From the Rocca of IMevanb this 20th day of January, 1503.” * And under her signature she added the two words "Manu propria,” Which her self-respect seemed to demand of her. Then came the superscription: "To the Illustrious Prince, the Duke of Valentlnols these 'Quickly •Quickly • . “Quickly” Aa she she shook the pounce over the wet Ink, she called Raffaele, who lay prone upon an eastern rug before the fire, kicking his heels In the air. « vtantly he leapt to her summons. 3he set her hands upon his sboul- rs, and looked steadily Into h!s lovely face. V “Will you do a man’s work for me, Raffaele? I have need of a man, and there Is none here whom I dm spare. Will you ride tonight,to Cesare Bor gia’s camp at Oastel della Pleve with ttls letter r r . that be all that Is needed to prove myself a man, account It provdb,” said he. / ] “Good lad! Dear lad! Now, listen. There may be spies about the gate, and so it were best you went forth on foot from- here. If you can slip out unseen, It will be better still. Then ip down Into the borgo to the house of VUland 11. Bid him lend you a horse for my service, but say no Word even to him of whither you ride. Be circumspect and swift." "Trust me, Madonna," said the lad, slipping the letter Into the breast of hts doublet. “I do, else I should not charge you with this message. God watch over youl Send Mario to me as you go." He went forthwith, and soon came Mario In answer to her summons. “How Is It with Glubertl tonight?" she asked the seneschal as he entered. He shrugged despondently. 1 doubt If the poor fellow will be alive by morning,” he answered “A mir acle might save him. Nothing less. But miracles do not happen now.” She paced slowly to the hearth, her face thoughtfp); her eyes bent upon the ground." Thus she stood for a long moment, Mario waiting. ‘‘Mario,” she said at last, speaking very quietly, “there Is a service 1 re quire of you this night—of you and Colomba.” “We are yours to command. Ma donna," he replied^— Yet when she had told him what the service was she saw him recoil, aghast, horror stamped upon that face which the ravages of disease had made so horrible. At that she fell to pleading with him, and with a burning eloquence she t^seek what sleep she could, and In that sleep the strength to perform the task that lay before her. - The morning found her pale but .calm when she same to confront her bridegroom In the hail. The lord of Pievano kept his cham ber. Not all his stoicism was equal to the ordeal of sitting down to meat again with such a thing as Pantaleone, or witnessing the humiliation to which 'his daughter was to subject herself. However much he might esteem the en<j in view—since he was an Orstnl before being a philosopher—he ab horred the means, and took the course of refusing them his countenance, and remaining passive. Yet—In Justice to him be It said—of a certainty he would not have remained "so had hie known her full Intent o-A part of It only had she revealed to him. Pantaleone was tortured between elation at the extraordinary good for tune that had so unexpectedly been flnng Into hla la/ and an Irrepressible misgiving, an incredulity a doubt as to Its genuineness. Something of this was reflected In his glance aa be came' now Into her presence. It had lost much of Its habitual arrogant confi dence ; It seemed even a little strained. They sat down to table to break their fast, with >none to wait upon them but. the silent, sphinx-like Mario. Even Raffaele was absent, and Pan taleone had missed the pert lad’s min istratlons on that morning of morn ings. „ • : He commented .upon this, as much to ease the*increasing strain of their silence as because he desired to know what bad become of the page. Ma donna excused the boy, saying that he was none so well and kept his bed. The truth was that he had but sought Text of New Water- MJ^Gnu^Uw Perhaps few growers of water- mhlona in Barnwell County know that a grading law was passed during the last session of tha General Assembly and was duly approved by the gover nor. It is to be noted, howevervthai the grading of melons is optional with the shipper. and for the benefit of growers and ahippers the full text of the law is published, as follows: An act providing for grading of watermelons for shipment in car lots, requiring shippers to certify aa to grades, regulating issuance of bills of lading for shipments and providing penalties for violations thereof. Section 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of the state of South Carolina: That the shippers of watermelons in car lots from any point within this state, bsfore apply ing to any railroad, railway, common carrier, <_t agent thereof, fqr a bill of lading for any ^Such shipment shall first certify whether or not said water melons contained in any shipment have (been graded according to the standard of grades hereinafter pro vided, which certtfkate shall be made in writing ^ on approprate paper or cardboard, signed by the shipper in the presence of two disinterested wit nesses and stating the vanety, grade and number of melons contained in said car, the date said melons were picked, and^the date loaded, or if not It a half-hour ago, upon his return jg ra ^ e< j f shall so state, which certifi- from his ride to Castel-della Pleve “WIU You Oo a Man’s Work for Mo, RafTaolor set forth the wrongs her House nad suffered, spoke of the Orslnl blood that had been shed to gratify Rorglan ambition aud to satiate Borgian ven geance, and so In the end won him to her will. “Be It so, than, Madonna, since you desire It," he said, but he shuddered even as he spoke. "Have-you the let ter written?” "Not yet. Come to me again soon, and It shall be ready." la alienee he departed, and she re turned to the wrtting-pulptt. For a while she could not write, such was tbe v tremor of her hand as a conse quence of the agitation her interview .with Mario had produced In her. Pres ently, however, she recovered her self- control, and thereafter for a spell there was no sound In the qhamber, save the occasional splutter and crackle of the burning toga and the scratch of her busy quill. Mario returned before she had fin ished, and stood waiting patiently un til, rising, she flung dqwn her pen, and proffered him the accomplished docu ment. "You understand?” she said. “I understand. Madonna. God knows It la simple—terribly simple." And he looked at her with eyes of sorrow, conveying by his glance that what he found so terrible was thpt one so young and lovely should have con ceived a notion so diabolical as this in which she had besought his aid. “And you will instruct Colomba carefully so that there Is no mistake.” “There- will be none," he promised. “I. have the cane, and I myself will prepare It A thorn Is easily pro cured.” “Let me have It, then, at daybreak. Bring it to -ray chamber. Yo^ will vjlnd me risen, an^ ready for a Journey." At that he was gripped by a fresh alarm. “You Are not yourself to be the bearer of It?” he cried out “Whom else?" ’ she asked him. “Could I demand such a service of any other?” “Gesu!” he walled. “Does my lord know of this?” “Something of it Enough of It Not a word more now, Mario. Away with you, and see It done.” “Ah, but consider, Madonna, what you risk! Conaider, Madonna, I be seech you." "I have considered.^ I am an Orslnl. Orstnl have been strangled at Assist others are gaoled In Rome. Matteo’a life la aought by thia Insatiable mon ster of revenge. I go there both to save and to avenge. I ahall not fait" "Ah, but Madonna—" he began. Us voice quavering, tears of intercession gathering In hla eyes. "No more, aa you love me, Mario. Do my wilt You cannot alter it" And so Mario,, heavy-hearted, went hla ways to <lo as aho commanded, whilst ahe followed |poo thereafter and the safe delivery of his letter. They set out soon after, and took the road by the marsh toward Castel della Pleve. With them went Panta- leone’s ten knaves, and Mario as Ma donna’s equerry by her Insistence. As they cantered briskly forward In the bright sunshine of that Janu ary morning, and the miles were flnng behind them, Pantaleone's spirits rose, and conquered Ids last misgiving. Of treachery he had now no shadow of fear. Had she not delivered herself op to him? Were they not surround ed by men of his own? And must not 'the ducats and the rest follow sain evitably as the rising of tomorrow’s sun? In this assurance he attempted to play the gallant, as befits a bride groom; hut he found her cold and haughty and reserved, and when he remonstrated, pointing out that she did not use him at all like one who was to be her husband by noontide, she retorted with a reminder that be tween them was naught but a bargain that had been struck. This chilled him, and for a while he rode amain sulkily, with bent head and-furrowed brows. But that soon passed. Hla abiding humor was too bnoyant to snffer any permanent over clouding. Let her he ns cold ns Ice at present. Anon he would know how to kindle her Into living woman. He had so kindled a many in his day, and he was confident of his natural gifts In that direction. Not that It would greatly matter If she were to remain proof against hla ardor. There were her ducats for ample consolation, and with her ducats he might procure else where an abundance of the tenderness that she denied him. Noon was striking from the Duomo as they rode under the deep archway of the Porta Pla and entered the town. (CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.) Nail Used in Homes ^ of Prehistoric Man When you drive a nail Into your wall to hang a picture op, <^> you ever pause to think th'at you are using something with a history almost as old aa that of humanity Itself? A nail, over two end a half pounda Id weight, and thick lb proportion, was found In the ruina of Troy, Aud sim ilar enormous {mils have been recov ered from the remains of lake dwell ings and other places where prehis toric man made his home. All nails were originally made at home. Then, when the smith became a specialist craftsman, be made the □alls of the community, until a spe cial uall-smlth started in business. In the Fifteenth century there was a guild of uail-smiths iu Augsburg. The first uall-making machine was 'Invented In Britain at the end of the Eighteenth century, and a little later the first nail factories were at work In Birmingham. cate sdiall be securely nailed to the in side of said car near the door. And & duplicate of said ceitificate shall be furnished to carrier’s agent; that the agent of the railroad, railway or other common carrier shall incorpor ate in its bill of lading the fact that said duplicate certificate had been de livered to him by the shipper ce^tify- ing that said car contains melons of no grade, according t * representation made in n'oretaid •certificate Section 2. That all watermelons shipped in car lots from any point within this state as “graded melons” shall be graded according to the fol lowing standard, that is to say: ’ Grade 1 shall weigh\not less than 44 pounds with car average of not less than 46 pounds. Grade 2 shall weigh not less than 40 pounds with car average of not less than 42 pounds. Grade 3 shall weigh not less than 36 pounds with car average of not less than 38 pounds. Grade 4 shall weigh not less than 32 pounds with car average of not less than 34 pounds. Grade 5 shall weigh noi less than j 28 pounds with car average of not i less than 30 pounds. Grade 6 shall weigh not less than' 24 pounds with car average of not less than 26 pounds. Grade 7 shall weigh not less than 20 pounds with car average qf not less than 22 pounds. Provided, that said, melons of what ever grade ahall have been picked from live vines of a merchantable quality, shall be ripe, free from rot ten ends, free from necks and blis ters > Provided, further, that the grad ing of watermelons, as aforesaid, shall be optional with the shippers. Section 3. Tttat any person or per sons who shall ship, or undertake to ship, watermelons in car lots from any point within this -state in viola tion of the provisions of this act, or who shall sign or cause to be signed, any false certificate as to the grads and kind of melons shipped, as afore- sair, shall be deemed guilty of a mis demeanor and upon convicion shall be punished by fine or imprisonment, or both fine and punishment, in the discretion of the court. Section 4. This aot shall take ef fect immediately upon, its approval by the governor. Approved April 22nd, 1927, Bad Peddler Made Good The yarns about faukee clock ped- ilers are legion. Perhaps the most tmusipg Is the one about tbq peddler 5 who always sold a clock on the under standing that he would return In a few weeks, and. If the clock did not run satisfactorily, would replace It with toother. It was also bis rule to sell ill the clocks In hts stock but one. When he reached the end of his route tm turned back with his one remain ing clock. At the first house the clock ae had sold did not rub, so he replaced 1 It with the one that remained. At the second boose be replaced the unsatis factory clock with the one he had tak- sn from the first house. -And so on he went, selling and replacing clocks that never would work, and waxing fat on the proceeds!—From "Hawkers tad Walkers," by Richardson Wright There are no really hard times for the efficient—nor good times for the inefficient MONEY TO LOAN Loans made tame day application received. No Red Tape HARLEY & BLATTi Attomeys-at-Law BamwelL S. C. V V Fully accredited, LiberaDy endowered, Appeals to students with char acter, ability and ambitiofli. Courses leading to the B. A. and B. S. Degrees. Diplomas in Piano, Public School Music, Violin and Voice. Applications for admission should be made now. 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