The Storyteller.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2366, 5 December 1908, Page 11 (Supplement)

The Storyteller.

(By Ludwig Hiina.)

THE FIRST KISS.

An unusually pretty young lady entered the office of the Police - Commissioner in Rome and asked to have a talk with him. The Commissioner, Dr. Selvaticci, received her in his most polite way, and asked her to sit down in the most comfortable chair in his office. “I nm Lucia Garold, widow of the druggist Carolli of Perugia, who died two years ago,” she began, and looked at the Commissioner to see what effect her words had. It was with a ceitain satisfaction that she saw Dr Selvaticci bow politely and settle back in a chair awaiting further explanations.

“Will you kindly listen to my story without interrupting me?” she asked with a bewitching smile. “I shall not say a word until you ask me to, signora.” “I have been in Rome for four days to look after some business matters and do some shopping, and during these four days I haven’t had one moment’s peace. Four days ago I arrived here, and os I left the car a gentleman standing near the gate looked at me sharply. I passed by him ; he looked straight into my eyes. J did not turn my head, and, taking a. cab. went to the Hotel Marini. When I opened the door of the cab whom do I see? Behind me, from auotlier cab, comes this gentleman. He looks at me again in a very peculiar manner and with a very strange expression in his rather sad eyes. I conic lint© my room, look out of the, window, and below the man is standing looking straight at me, and there he remained for one, two. three hours. I don’t dare leave the hotel. "At last he disappears, and I come down into the street, only to meet him at the first corner, 'and once more he looks at me. I come to the Gallery Borghese, and behind me the man stands staring at me, instead of looking at the paintings. I return to my hotel, he follows me, takes up his position in the street, .and stays there until midnight. I pass a miserable night. In the morning I open the window, and below- the man is still standing, staring -at me again. That is the way it has during the whole time. When I have been eating a plate of ice-cream he site opposite me, and his eyes are so hot that it seems to me that my ice-cream is melting. If I’m seated on the balcony ho stands underneath and looks at my feet. I buy a seat in the theatre, and two rows in front of me this man is sitting, looking not at the stage, but turning his back to that and staring at me, - thereby causing the whole audience to stare at me. 1 leave the theatre after the second act, and he follows me. The next morning he follows me to the Oipitol, to the Literan, to Genzano, and now I am sure the man will follow me home to Perugia. It is terrible.” iShe jumps to her feet and rushes to the window. “Look there; lie’s standing below your window now-.”

Dr Selvaticci looked down and saw indeed a man standing on the sidewalk. An elegantly dressed gentleman, evidently about 40. He stood like a statue, his head thrown a little backward and his chin raised. His eyes did not move an inch from the window where the two are now standing. “You don’t know the gentleman at all?” <‘l never saw him in my life until I came to Rome,” the signora cried; “now I am sorry to say I know ihim well enough.” “I beg your pardon, but perhaps the gentleman has fallen in love with you.” An expression of anger came into her face. “Oh, and if that were so do you think that his behavior as the proper way to win the affections of >a woman?” A uniformed policeman entered. “Go downstairs and fell that gentleman standing at the lamp post that I want to see him.” The policeman saluted and left The signora stopped up to the mirror and straightened up her hat and veil to be able to look her best at the entrance of her strange acquain-

tance. The door opened and the gentleman entered looking exceedingly solemn and sober. He didn’t seem to notice the presence of the Commissioner at all but stared straight at the beautiful Signora Garel’ii. “For four days you have annoyed this lady, following her everywhere and staring at her,” Dr Selvaticci began. “Will you please tell me now' why you behave in this extraordinary manner? What do you want from • this signora?” “A kiss,” the gentleman groaned, still storing at the young lady, who was furious and seemed ready to rush at him. “You must be crazy,” she cried. “Your impudence surpasses anything I ever heard of,” the Commissioner roared. “If you would declare all men crazy who wish to get ix kiss 'from a beautiful woman there would be very few sensible men left in this world, al- j though I admit that most of them are pot brave enough to it known '

w-h'at they want. They are all longing for it, but I say just wfcut I think. lam braver or perhaps more impudent than the rest.”

“I cannot find words to express my astonishment.” the Commissioner blustered out.

“I beg your pardon, Commissioner, and I should consider it a favor if you and this Judy would listen to mo without interrupting me. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than a beautiful woman. This remark is not original, but it is true, and now listen.

,! 1 -am 40 years of age and I have not vet kissed a single woman. To be able to kiss a woman it is necessary to flatter her in a thousand ways, to tell her a thousand untruths, to speak to her of love, and to promise to love her forever. And what is worse still, to keep the promise. If a man doesn’t want to marry the woman he wants to kiss he must at least make believe that he loves h eland that he cannot live without her, as if she were the only beautiful woman in the world. Now, ever since 2 was fourteen years old it has been my one principle never to tell a lie. But ever since I was fourteen years old I have had the burning desire to kiss the dips of a -beautiful' worn at without being forced 1 to tulk to her about a. love which I dtdn’t feel and accordingly couldn’t give. Besides, I am lanky, and my beard does not quite conceal my rather ugly features; my nose is too long, almost twice us ilong as it- ought to be, and my hair, I am told, looks like the fur of a hedgehog. My whole appearance is awkward and has no attraction for women. Besides, I’m not quite sure whether my nose would actually allow me to touch the lips of a woman, and this uncertainty has been a torture to me for many years. Yen will understand how it has at last become necessity for me to find out. I have completely lost my head and my friend, Luigi Armadola, who is the veritable Don Jujin, is really the one who is most to blame for tins. Four days ago he celebrated tbe breaking off of his twentieth engagement and I couldn’t even tell that I had ever kissed a woman, nor even brag of having made- ns much as a date with a woman. We were walking up and down tbe platform in the depot and my blood was boiling with fury. Beautiful Roman ladies passed by us, smiled -and flirted with my friend until I already saw his twenty. firsfc fiancee caught. In a moment- of desperation I said to my friend: ‘Luigi, I'm going to ask a. kiss from the iirst pretty woiiikin who leaves -a train and I’m not going to refit until I have got it.’ ” “ 'You want to do that?’ he- said laughing. •• ‘Do you want to bet?’ ‘Yes, I’ll take the bet-.’

“ And I will say this, that if I fail to get the kiss before the end of a week I will shoot myself.” “We shook hands, and you, senora, carao out of the car. I followed you with my eyes and I followed you everywhere, always hoping to get an opportunity to get a kiss from you in the presence of witnesses. My fate and yours :is sealed.” Ho stopped and looked at Lucia, who could not help smiling.. The commissioner was pacing up and down the floor and didn’t seem to know whether he should have the man arrested or not.

“So you expect m© to become the plaything of your impulses?” Lucia cried.

“It is no longer an impulse,” tbe stranger said calmly, and produced a revolver from his pocket. “I leave my fate in your hands.”

“For God’s sake what (are you going to do?” “Keep my word one way or the other. Either you give mo a kiss in the presence of the commissioner or I will shoot myself on the spot.” The signora was confused and lookedl first at th© commissioner and then at the stranger, but didn’t seem to know what to ary.

“Now I ask you in full earnest, signora : Do you think you can take the responsibility upon yourself to cause a man to commit suicide ? Are you really so heartless that you think more of u kiss which means nothing to you than of the life of ;a human being? I admit that my demand is unusual, but- as soon as you see me dead in front of you you will admit that you have not treated me, exact? ly right, either. For me this means only a kiss, for you a life. Ido not pretend to love you. I never thought of loving you, and your husband wilt have no reason to complain.” “I have no husband; I am tv widow.”

“That is too had. I would rather have had yon have a- husband to proto the unselfishness of my demand, but as long as you have no husband this only makes it easiier for you to decide.”

Lucia Garelli grew more and more confused, and played nervously with her boa. Then she said quite softly: “And then you promise not to run after me any longer?” “Never, never shall I annoy you any more.” She turned blushingly to the commissioner: “Will you kindly look the other wnj'P” *'•

“With pleasure, madam; but .1 must -at least hc/i-r it, or I cannot account as' a witness,” the commissioner said, and turned his back. “ You niav be quite sure you wall lie.r it,” the. stranger said, and looked at Lucia. The young woman came up to him, looked at him with her big blue eyes, vfith just a suspicion of a smile in them, and offered her lips to him. Tlio stranger softly laid his arms around her neck, gob hie nose out of the way as far ns possible, and pointed his lips'; then cam© the sound which enabled the commissioner to testify.

“This is fill© happiest moment in my life,” the stranger exclaimed. “I thank , you, signora, for your unselfishness and kindness. You arc truly a good woman. I will no longer annoy you. I also thank 'you, Commissioner, because you are willing to testify be-foro my friend. Good-bye signora, it is an unspeakable relief to have found out that the three-cor-nered projection in 1113' face does not prevent me from kissing.” Me stepped up to the desk and counted up ten lires. “Here, Commissioner, is the fine which I should pay for carrying concealed weapons. You seem to have forgotten all -about that; -but I am always very careful in-what I do.” The next moment he was gone. Lucia Ga-relli stood blushing and thoughtful in the office. Then she walk'd slowly to- the window and looked down. After -a while she shook her head and said: “If I only were sure thu-ti he did not mako fun of me. After all, he is a good and exceeding'v modest fellow. Too bad that lie didn’t tell mo his name.” Them she grew angry. “Ho doesn’t even look back once, and to think that I have saved his life. The monster 1”

“That is the way women are,” the commissioner thought to himself 1 . “First she wants him to go to the devil, and then—oh, women!”