Newspaper Page Text
A Broken
Contract
Being a Romance of Northern Italy
Half a Century Ago
By LUIGI CAPRON1
Copyright by American Press Asso
ciation, 1911.
This Is a true story. It occurred In
northern Italy during the spring of
18C1, when In America the southern
states, one after another, were leaving
the Union and wheeling Into Confed
erate line; when northern men were'
drilling for a great war and hurrying
forward to occupy those states that
were part loyal to the north and part
ready to Join the southern side.
In the land where the story was en
acted a crisis that was to result In
the formation of a nation was taking
place. Victor Emmanuel, Cavour, Gari
baldi, were endeavoring to draw to
gether the different parts of Italy and
unite them in a nation. Garibaldi had
brought In the islands of Sicily and Na
ples, attaching them to the kingdom
of Sardinia; Rome hung In the bal
ance; Venice was still under the domi
nation of Austria.
In Turin, the capital of Piedmont
and of so much of Italy as had been
thus far united, In the villa of one of
those aristocratic families whose titles
have come down from medieval times,
two elderly men, Count Bertlnettl and
Bar oh Mettiuci, sat In conference.
‘‘I think,” said the baron, “that I
can do better, for my daughter thnn to
marry her to your son, both In the way
of title and fortune. Nevertheless,
since we are old friends, I yield the-
point and give my consent.”
“I am delighted, baron, at the pros
pect of uniting our families,” repeat
ed the other. “I take it that we shall
have no trouble with the young people.
They have never seen each other, but
since they have both been brought up
to obedience In the choice of a mate I
am sure they will make no opposition.
My son might rebel if he had made an
attachment, but I have heard from
him recently, and he assures me that
he has no preferences and will accept
the bride I provide for him.”
“And I assure you, count, that my
daughter will obey me. Besides, she
has had no opportunity to form any at
tachment. She Is still in the Convent
of the Sacred Heart at Milan, where
she is finishing her education. I intend
to present her to society at the coming
Tote ball.”
The Tote ball, held every spring at
Turin, was given for this very purpose
of introducing debutantes of aristocrat
ic families. Fresh from their convents,
dressed becomingly, animated with
this their first view of the social world,
they formed a scene charming to look
upon. They were all, or nearly all,
soon provided with husbands (having
themselves nothing to do with the pro-
-vision), married immediately and might
thereafter receive all the attention they
liked from the hosts of admirers who
crowded about them.
“My son,” replied Count Bertinetti,
■“Is now traveling, but will arrive In
Turin tdr the ball. I suggest that the
first meeting between the two young
people take place on that occasion.
There will be a great advantage in
such an introduction. The music, the
array of beautifully dressed young
women and well groomed young men,
the adornment and perfume of flow
ers, the ripple of chat, mingled with
laughter, all will conspire to seduce
the senses, and that, you know, bardn,
when we were young men one always
found alluring in a matter of love.”
“I agree with you, count. My daugh
ter leaves the convent in a few days,
and I will give directions to her moth
er that she be kept like a bird in a
cage till she Is set free In the ball
room.”
This closed the interview, and the
two friends separated.
Within a few days after the meeting
in which was arranged one of those
marriages of convenience without love,
common among the aristocracy of Eu
rope, young Count Giuseppe Bertinetti
alighted from a post chaise at his fa
ther’s door nnd entered the house.
“Ah, my son,” exclaimed the older
man, kissing his offspring on both
cheeks, “I am delighted to see you
again.” ,
“I am glad to rejoin you, father,
though 1/admit that I have had a de
lightful trip.”
“The next will bo your wadding jour
ney, my boy. My negotiations with
my old friend, Baron Mettiuci, have
* resulted in the betrothal of yourself
' tp his daughter."
■ The young man’s brow darkened
ominously. His father saw the change
of expression nnd snld anxiously,
“Giuseppe, you appear to be disap
pointed."
Giuseppe made no reply.
“Did you not write me,” pursued the
father, "not a week ago that you -had
no preference ns to whom you should
marry and would leave the matter to
me?" .
“I did. But a single evening has
ehahged all that. I came by wny of
Lake Mngglorl. The moon was full
and uuclouded. On one side the peaks
were bathed In Its soft light, on the
other they wore black. I sat on deck
with a young girl I had just met whoso
beauty, whoso"—
“Fool!" interrupted the father. “How
long did the moonlight last? No later
than dawn. And how long must you
live with a wife? Till you are parted
by death, for in our church, as you
know, there is no divorce. Fdr this
dissolving moonlight, for this face of
a young girl, doubtless softened by it
and which will soon belong either.to a
fat or a skinny old woman, you will
throw away a splendid opportunity.”
The interview ended, ns all such in
terviews are bound to end, in n quar
rel. But Giuseppe stood firm ns a rock.
His attachment to the girl who in a
few hours had won his heart was too
strong for the father who had begot
ten him nnd brought him up. The boy
declined to accede to the marriage
that had been arranged for him.
The Tote ball was coming on, and it
was necessary for Count Bertinetti to
announce to his friend that Giuseppe
repudiated the contract. The count
went to the baron’s villa and told the
story.
“Do you mean, count,” asked the
baron, “that I am to suffer, through
my daughter, this insult from you, my
old friend?”
“What can I do?”
The baron drew down the corners of
his mouth, closed his lips tight togeth
er and finally spoke:
“Be it so. The contract is broken.” ’
It was only the next evening that
the Tote ball took plnce. There was
to be no introduction between Giu
seppe and Bianca Mettiuci. Indeed,
the girl’s fnther, had he been present
at the ball, would' have considered a
request for an introduction an addi
tional insult. Giuseppe hud no thought
as to the girl being present nnd if he
had would have naturally kept out of
her way. 1-Ie found many a rosebud
to flirt nnd dance with, but refrained.
He was thinking of her he had met on
Lake Maggiori.
Suddenly his eye lighted. There on
the floor, waltzing with a young lieu
tenant, was the object of his thoughts.
He followed her with his eyes and as
soon as she censed to dance ap
proached and spoke to her. She re
ceived him with a smile of delight
and, nodding a dismissal to the lieu
tenant, walked away with Giuseppe.
During their promenade the young
count said to her:
“Do you know that at this ball I was
to have been presented to a girl to
whom I had been contracted in mar
riage?”
“And I was to have met a young
man whom my father had accepted as
a husband for me. My betrothed de
clined the match.”
“Are you glad he did so?” asked
Giuseppe in a low voice, pressing the
hand that rested on his arm.
"Yes,” she said in a still softer voice.
Giuseppe was thrilled with delight.
“Who was to have been your
fiance?” he asked presently.
“A son of Count Bertinetti.”
"What!” exclaimed Giuseppe, turn
ing his eyes upon her in wonder and
in horror.
She repeated the name.
“And you are Bianca Mettiuci?”
“I am.”
“Heavens! What have I done?”
“What do you menn? Explain."
"I have refused to marry you.”
It was the girl’s turn to, look sur
prised, but she said nothing. Indeed,
there was nothing to Say. Her young
heart had gone out to the first man
she had met after leaving the con
vent under the influence of the scenery
of the beautiful Italian lake bathed in
moonlight. But, slight as may be the
spark that kindles love, it may lead to
the bursting of a flame. And so it was
with both these young people.
“I will-go to your father at once,”
said Giuseppe. “I will withdraw my
refusal. I will”—
“No, no, not now. Pnpa is terribly
angry. I fear he will never get over
the insult that he considers hns been
offered him. As he feels at present he
would be only too glnd to refuse a re
newal of the contract, and I doubt if
he ever will consent to one now.”
“Then I will go to my father. Ho
and the baron are old friends. My
father will apologize for me. He will
get on his knees”—
The girl smiled.
"No; he will say that I am ready to
get on my knees before him, beg his
pardon, offer to do any penance he
may name.”
“Let us enjoy the evening together
while it lasts; we may never have such
another.”
“Enjoy it! I am half crazed at what
I have done." ji
Not only does\ youth live for the
present moment, but is full of hope.
These two would not have been young
had not the delight of being together
and their entrancing surroundings en
abled them to throw off the cloud that
hung over them. If the moonlit lake
hadt first drawn them togethey, this
ballroom, voluptuous, yet above which
hung for them a cloud, strengthened
the bond that nnited their hearts. Per-
niiniij
Can be Supplied by
Grady County Furniture
Cairo, Ga. Next Door to Citizens Bank.
O.
Your home can be furnished complete from
PARLOR TO KITCHEN
. ‘ ' ,, ] u ‘”' ‘ ^
U mil /., u- i il. :.(•■!
Kash or Kredit.
iiliJWiiiLHij
haps the cloud—the terrible mistake
that was now likely to separate them—
did more to cement them than either
of the other causes.
As soon as Giuseppe reached home
he aroused his fnther from slumber,
told him of the mistake that had been,
made and begged him to get out of
bed, go at once to the baron and en
deavor to effect a renewal of the con
tract. Naturally the father was op
posed to .going on such an errand at
2 o’clock in the morning nnd told his
son to go to bed, promising to see the
baron as early^the next day as it
would be proper for him to call.
Giuseppe walkefcthe floor till dawn.
His father kepV ms promise and by
10 o’clock called on the baron. Giuseppe
went with him, but on reaching n point
some distance from the villa stopped
to watch his father’s entry and to
wait for his exit.
Two hours passed—they seemed like
two days to Giuseppe—and still the
count failed to reappear. The lover,
considering the time occupied, feared
the worst. He was in despair when
he saw his father coming and ran to
meet him.
“I’ve won,” said the count.
Giuseppe fell into his father’s arms.
BEFORE YOU BUY
A TYPEWRITER—Call around to tho
Progress office and examine the
L. C. Smith & Bros.
We ere in.fie habit of “printing
with a tone.” Give us your next order.
1911.
as they may associate with them, their
successors and assigns,desire to he ineor*. GEORGIA—Grady County,
porated under.the name and style of T T *' ,,r xT T
Clever Dwarfs.
Richard Gibson and his wife, who
flourished in the seventeeth century,
were / a remarkable pair of dwarfs,
quite apart from their inches, which
combined barely made up seven feet.
Both were clever painters of minia
tures, and Gibson was(drawlng master
to the daughters oit James II. At their
wedding, which was arranged by
Henrietta Maria, Charles 1. gave the
bride away, the queen placed a valu
able diamond ring on her finger, and
Edmund Waller, the court poet wrote
a poem in honor of the occasion. Gib
son was seventy-four when he passed
away, while bis widow died at the
advanced age of eighty-nine years.
THE SOUTH GEORGIA SYRUP CO.
for a period of twenty (20) years, with
the privilege of renewal at'tho expiration
of that time; with authority to sue nnd
bo sued; to have and use,a corporate seal;
to make by-laws and rules for conduct of
its business; to point agents and officers
for the management of its affairs and to
exercise all the rights nnd privileges in
cident to such corporation.
2. That the principal office of said cor
poration to be in Grady countv, Georgia,
with the right to establish other places of
business, either in or out of the state.
The object of this corporation is pecuniary
gain to its stockholders, and the principal
business shall be the packing of syrup,
the canning of fruits, vegetables, etc., and
to carry on sucli other business, whether
manufacturing or otherwise, as may seem
advisable to the company, to be carried
on, calculated directly or indirectly, to
promote the company’s interest or en
hance its holdings. To establish factories,
to buy, sell,.lease convey,mortgage,bond
and hold such real estate or other proper
ty in use such as may seem expendient.
3. The capital stock shall consist of
1,000 shares of preferred stock, the par
' •)lli fiji ' '
Madagascar’s Two Climates.
The Island of Madagascar has two
distinct climates, two classes of na
tives and two classes of fauna and
flora. The island is about the size of- stock, the par value of both coinmon^and
France. Along the coast it is tropical
and malarious, and the natives are
darker than in the Interior. The in
terior Is a high tableland and moun
tainous. There the climate is cooler
and the natives smaller and lighter In
color than on the const But In the
Interior they are more Intelligent, and
they rule the Island.
/nine of ten dollars ($10) per share, with
the privilege of increasing to any amount
not exceeding 5,000 shares by a vote of
a majority of the common stock, and
common stock to any amount not ex
ceeding twice the amount of the preferred
preferred stock shall lie ten (10) dollars
per share. Your petitioners desire that
the management of the company be vested
solely in the holders of the common
stock, and that the preferred stock draw
eight (8) per cent, per annum dividend,
and that no dividend be paid on the
common stock till the preferred stock shall
have been paid dividends for all the time
that it has been in existence, and further
Obliging.
Excited Author (rushing behind the
scenes!—Why are you cutting out the
second and third acts of my play?
Manager—l inn not cutting anything
out. I’m merely varying the order of
the acts. Several Influential persons
In the audience bnve asked me if It
would not be possible to have the hero
die in the next act.—Chicago Tribune.
Petition For Charter
GEORGIA—Grady County:,
To the Superior Court of said
- - irmi
The petition of E. H;. Taylor, T. A. J.
eorgia,
,, , yi .
Majors, of Gradv countv, Georgia, and
M. M; Taylor, E. B. Taylor, of Fulton
county, Georgia, respectfully shows:
1. That they and such other persons
should the company sell out or liquidate
its assets that the same be appled first to
the payment of the preferred stock at
par, with all interest aermng at 8 per
cent per anuum, but that the preferred
stock no further participate in the assets
of the company, but the. remaining as
sets be pro rated among the holders of
the common stock. . . ,, ,
Wherefore, your petitioners pray that
this court may pass an order incorpora
ting your petitioners with ail the powers,
privileges and immunities allowed now
or hereafter to such corporations under
the laws of Georgia, and that tlus petition
and such order shall constitute the char
ter of said corporation.
This the 18th day of May, 1911.
E. II., Taylor,
T. A. J. Majors,
M- M. Tayi-or,
E. B. Taylor.
Petitioners.
Filed in office this 18th day of May,
I, J. M. AfcNair, Jr., deputy clerk of
the Superior Court of said county do
hereby certify that the foregoing is a
true and correct copy of the application
for charter of “The South Georgia Syrup
Company, as same appears on file in this
office
Witness my official signature and tho
seal said court, this the' 18th day of
May, 1911. J. M. McNair,
Deputy Clerk Superior Court.
To all my friends I wish to say
that I am prepared to do first
class work at my shop and would
appreciate your calling around
and having your whiskers trim
med. All my barbers are first
class men with experience and
can give satisfaction.
W. H. P. O'Neal.
P. C. ANDREWS.
Attorney-at-law.
CAIRO, GA
Office in Richter & Rusliin Bnilding.
Money to loan on city and farm
property. Easy terms. _
J. S. WEATHERS
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
General Practice. Collections a Specialt
Office in Court House
CAIRO - - GEORGIA.
PELHAM & HAVANA R. 11. CO
Time Table No. 2
Effective Saturday, October 1st, 1910,12:01, A. M
Between CAIRO ANp CALVARY
South Bound
1st Class
PassenKer
2 clss
Mixd
5
1
3
Sun;
Only
Daily
Exc
Sun.
PM
AM
P M
3 00
7 00
2 15
3 12
7 12
2 27
3 27
7 27
2 41
3 34
7 34
2 41
3 44
7 44
2 51
3 50
7 49
3 0!
3 00
8 0C
3 1
STATIONS
Lv Cairo Ar
Gradyville
Cranford
F Booth
Reno
fM ax well
ir Calvary Lv
North Bound
AM
9 50
9 38
9 21
9 13
8 06
3 56
3 50
1st Class
Passenger
PM
5 15
5 03
4 48
4 38
4 31
4 21
4 15
F Trains stop on signal.
Sun
Only
PM
5 15
5 08
4 48
4 36
4 31
4 21
4 15