Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-09-27
FLORENCE, MAY, 1913.

y
extract the following thrilling sketch;
FLORENCE, May, 1913.
The day entered this city was one Of
the festival days Of the church. Leaving
Arezzo the previous afternoon later than we
onght we were compelled to stop for the
night at a country inn entirely removed
from any settlement, and with no houses in
sight of it, | retired to my bed, but not
to sleep the busy brain and buster heart
drove slumber away At length there grew
sense Of pleasure in my bosom, and rose
and opened the window and leaned out in-
to the cool air for relief All was quiet, with
in and without. AS stood looking off on
the sparkling light and deep shadows of the
uneven surface before me, suddenly from
out a grotto of trees, whose tops alone the
moonbeams could find, came the clear voice
Of nightingale II was like the voice Of a
spirit to me-so strange and mysterious -
Unconscious OF any listener, it looked out
from its thick curtain of leaves and sang on
to the moon Its wild MARBLE was like the
murmur in ones dreams. and the music
seemed half repressed in its troublesome
throat. listened as it rose and died away
and rose again, till felt that the sweet bird
was singing in its happy dreams. How long
| listened know not, and what the strange
fancies that spell-bound me were, cannot
tell.
The morning came, and we started for
Florence While the driver was Harvesting
his team, set off on foot and walked on
for miles, while the quetness around was
disturbed only by the mournful cry of the
cuckoo. We at length entered upon the
Val d'Arno and wound along its beautiful
banks. In the distance, on the right, was
the Valambrosa, immortalfzed by Milton
and the convent in which he dwet. The
scenery changed with every turn of the riy
er, yet it was ever from beautiful to beaut
, full.
At length we entered the little town o
San GIOVANNI, (St. John,) and after strollns
, over the Cathedral, sent for the woman WIKI
keeps the key of the door that shuts oye
the withered form of a man cased in The
church wall of San Lorenzo. As the doc
I swung open, | recoiled step in horror, fol
, there stood upright human skeleton, per
! feet in all its parts, staring upon me with it
dead eye-sockets no coffin enclosed it, M
mason-wofk surrounded it, but among thu
: naked, jagged stones, it stood erect and mo
: tionless.
The church had been built centuries ago
g and had remained untouched ill few year
since, when in making some repairs tn,
a workmen had occasion to pierce the wall
D and struck upon this skeleton. They un
: covered it, and the priests have let il stan'
| unmolested A narrow door has been mad
. to swing over it, to protect it from injur
: and shield it from the eyes of those VIII
0 worship in the church The frame ind
Gates powerful man, and though it is but
e skeleton, the whole attitude and aspect Civ
q one the impression of death of agony
The arms are folded across the breast il
| forced resignation, the head is slightly bow
ed, and the shoulders elevated, as if in tn
effort to breathe, while the very face-be
G ref of muscles as il is--seemed full of sui
y fering An English physician was with me
d and Injured to skeletons as he was, his cour
tenance changed as he gazed on it. Hi
$ eyes seemed rivited on it, and he made N
!, reply to the repeated questions put to hin
u but kept gazing, as If in atrance, II wa