PIETRO'S REVENGE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 44, 1 March 1895, Page 11

PIETRO'S REVENGE.

(By B. Babs, in the» Weekly Freeman.)^ ( Osncluded.~) It was late in the season and the weather was slightly uncertain, but they had a lovely Italian forenoon for going up the wonderful sig-Efcg road on the Western side of the pass. At the top there was a slight sprinkling of snow, and clouds hung over the lofty Ortler group of peske. As they got lower down a steady, persistent rain ■et in, and they were glad to get to the shelter and warmth of the oblong stone inn at Franzenehone, where a good dinner awaited them, After dinner the weather cleared somewhat, bnt the clouds still obscured the tops of the mountains, and the roads were slippery. Standiah regretted this, for he wanted to show his bride the splendid scenery of the next five miles, where the road eig-zags down to Trefoi, each elbow of the dizzy thoroughfare overhanging the most awful precipioes. It was a dangerous bit of road, and even with two horses requires a cool and courageous driver with a steady hand. They were the only guests at the inn, and it needed no practised eye to ccc that they were a newly-married couple. The news spread abroad, and every lounger about the place watched them get into thtir carnage and drive away, one hind wheel of the carriage sliding on its fikid, and all brakes on. At the first turn Standish started, for the carria c went around it with dangerous speed, The whip cracked, too, like a succession of pistol shots, which was unusual going down the mountain. He Baid nothing to alarm bis bride, bnt thought that the driver had taken on more wine than was good for him at the inn. At the second turn tha wheel actually slid against and bumped the stone post that was the Bole guard for the fearful precipice below. The sound and shock aent a cold chill up the back of Standish, for he knew the road well and there were worse places to come. His arm was around bis wife, and h« withdrew it gently so as not to alarm her. As he did so she looked up and shrieked. Following her glance to the window of the closed carriage where the back of he driver is usually to be seen, he «aw pressed against the glass tha distorted face of a demon. The driver was kneeling on bis seat instead of sitting on it, and wa< peering in at them, the reins drawn over his shoulder and his back to the horses, It seemed to Standish that the light, of insanity gleamtd from bis eyes, but Tina saw in them the revengeful glance of the vendetta, the rage of the disappointed lover. "My God, that's not our driver I " cried Standish. He did not Tecogniee him as the man who had endeavoured to kill him. He sprang up and tried to open the front window, out the driver yelled out : — "Open that window if you dare, and I'll drive you over here before you get half way down. Sit still and I'll take you as far as Weisse Knott. There you'll have a drop of milk," (un miglio). " Turn to your horses, you scoundrel," shouted Standiih, " or I'll break every bone in your body i " " Th« horses know the way, Signor Ingleae, all our bones are going to be broken, yours and your sweet bride' d as well aa mine." The driver took the whip aad fired off the fusillade of cracks over head, beside them, and under them, The horses daßhed madly down the slope almost sending the carriage over at the next turn. Standish looked at his wife. She bad apparently fainted, but in reality had merely closed her eyes to shut oat the horrible sight of Pietro's face. Standish threw his arm out of the open window, unfastened the door, and at the risk of his neck jumped out. Tina •hrieked when she opened her eyes and found herself alone, Pietro now pushed in the frame of the froat window and droppei it out of sight, leaving him face to face with her, with no glass between them • "Now that your fine Inglese is gone Tina, we are going to b* married ; you promised it you know." "You coward I" ehe hissed. "I'd rather die his wife than live yours." "You're plucky, little Tina, you always were ; but be left you — I wouldn't have left you. We'll be married at the chapel of the Three Holy Springs, a mile beyond the Waisse Knott ; we'll fly through the air to it, Tina, and our bed will be at the foot of the Madatsch glacier. We will go over together near where the man threw his wife down. Tboy have marked the spot with a marble slab, but they will put up a bigger one for vi, Tina, for there's two of us." Tiua crouched in the corner of the carriage and watched the face of the Italian as if she were fasci Dated. She wanted to jump out as her husband had done, but Bhe w*s afraid to move, feeling certain that if she attempted to escape Pietro would pounce down upon her. He looked like some wild beast crouching for a spring. All of a sudden ehe saw something drop from the sky on the footboard of the carriage. Then she heard her husband's voicj ring out — "Here, you young fool, we've had enough of this nonsense." The next moment Pietro fell to the road, propelled by a vigorous kick. His position lent itself to a treatment of that kind, The carriage gave a bnmp as it passed over Pietro'a leg, and then Tina thinks that she fainted in earnest, for the next thing she knew the carriage was standing still, and Standieh calling her pleasant names. She smiled wanly at him.

" How in the world did yon catch up to the carriage and it going ao fast!" she asked, a woman'! cariosity prompting her first words. <' Oh, the villain forget about the short cats. As I warned hing, ht ought to have paid more attention to what was going oa outside. I'm going back now to have a talk with him. He's lying on the road at the upper end of this slope." Tina was instantly herself again, "No, dearest," she said carelessly ; " you mustn't go back. H« probably hae a knife.' ' "I'm not afraid." " No, bat I am, and you musn't leave me." " I would like to tie him up in a hard knot, and take him down to civilisation bumping behind the carriage as luggage. I think he's the fellow who knifed me, and I want to find out what his game is." Here Tina unfortunately began to faint again. She asked for wine in a far-off voice, and Standisb at once forgot all about the demon driver. He mounted the box and took the reins himself. He got wine at the little cabin of Weisse Eaott, a mile or two further down. Tina, who had revived amazingly, probably on account of the motion of the carriage, shuddared as sho looked into the awful gulf and saw five tiny to; houses in the gloom nearly a mile below. I At Trefoi they found their own driver awaiting them. " What tha devil are you doing here and how did you get here? ' hotly inqnired Standtsh. "By the short cuts," replied the bewildered man. "Pietro, one of master's old drivers, wanted, I don't know why, to drive you an far as Trefoi. Where is he, sir ?" " I don't know," said Standish. "We saw nothing of him. He must have been pushed off the box by the madman. Here, jump up and let us get on." Tina breathed again. That crisis was over. They live very happily together, for Tina is a very tactful little woman.