The weekly ledger., 1857-09-12
The Street of the Dead.

u
Florentine, in the middle rank of life, fell
passionately in love with Geneyra Arneri,
beautiful young woman Of the same station.
The lover could not by any entreaties or con-
cessons, obtain her from her father, who
chose rather to give her to Francisco Ango-
lanti, youth of distinguished and noble
family. 1t would be vain to attempt to de-
scribe the agony of the real lover on receiv-
ing this intelligence; nor was Geneva the
less afflicted her heart being wholly devoted
to Rondineli Now whether it arose from
the struggles Of disappointed affection, or
from any physical cause, the effect was that
four years after this unhappy union, she fell
ILL., Remaining without pulse, and finally
giving no external signs of life, she was con-
sidered dead; and accordingly was deposited
in the family vault under the Duomo, and
close to the Campanile. The tomb is still
shown in our time. 1t is narrated, by Leo
pold del Meylione, that when the fossus was
repaired and its vault passed into the family
OF the Riaoci, the letters G.. and A., the ini-
tials Of Geneva Arneri were engraved upon
| it, being a confirmation of the truth Of the
story. The death of Genevra was not real
but one Of those protracted swoons, which
night following her incarceration, the unhap-
4 py Gencvra, on regaining her senses, became
aware of her situation. Recovering by de-
grees, little strength, increased by her de-
spair and horror, she succeeded in breaking
the cords which bound her hands and feet
Lighted by ray Of the moon which CLEAN.
ed through the door Of the vault, she crept
towards it, and pushing it open with her
head, feebly aScended the stairs, and gained
the outer air. Taking the shortest paths,
/ she passed through the street then called the
Msericordia, but ever afterwards. from the
circumstance the Via del Morte Knocking
at the door of her husbands house, she
claimed admittance; but he, scared by her
sepulchral costume, and hollow, yet faint
voice, believing her also to be the ghost OF
/ his wife, refused entrance to her, while hasti-
/ ly closing his easement. Thus repulsed, she
continued to crawl along to the house of her
father adjoining, Bernardo Arneri, from
whom she encountered the same cruel repulse
as also from an uncle in the Mercato Vecch-
10. Abandoned thus to her unhappy fate,
she resolved ere lying down to die, to essay
the affections Of her former lover, from whom
she had received so many remembered pledges
L
first and only love, after his horror was over
come, he comlorted, assisted, restored to
health and married her. The chronicle fur
ther says that this marriage being deemed in
valid by the former husband and family the
cause was tried by the magistrates OF Flor
ence, who, strange enough. gave in favor Of
the second husband ;and not on plea Of Gene
yra's having been Inferred but because all
her family had refused to admit her To
make more clear her release from the tomb,
we should state the CUSTOM that people in
those days were not buried in collins, but in
sacks, tied up at the neck and feet.
VIXEN WIvEs.-Ever since the time of
Xantippe, the scodng wife of Socrates vix-
en- wives have been the subject Of wittcisms
aud funny epitaphs. Here are two lines
which we think ought to have walked up even
the dead
"liere lies my wife Polly terrible shrew;
If | said was sorry, then should lie tools
About as good is the following said to be on
tombstone somewhere in Connecticut, but
only recently published
"Here lies my wife, Adeli Ann,
The woman that made A. Mann;
She lied alive, and now lies dead
To prove the truth Of what she said"
FARMERS IN 1776
Men to the pow,
Wife to the COW,
Girl to the yarn,
Boy to the barn,
And all dues settled.
FARMERS In 1880
Men mere show,
: Girls, piano,
Wife, silk and satin,
Boys. Greek and Latin,
And all hands gazetted.
FARMERS IN 1857.
Men all In debt
Wives in pet,
Boys, tobacco squirts,
Girls dragging skirts,
And everybody cheated.
Wit at Pinch.
country girl one morning went,
To market with pig;
The little curltail not content,
Began to squeal jig.
A dandy who was riding by
Who wished to pass joke
"My DEAR how comes your child to cry,
When wrapped up in cloak!'
The country girl thus quick replies
$50 bad a breeding had he,
That, ever and anon he cries
When'er he sees his daddy"
The obscurity of Lord Tenterden's birtI
is well known; but be had too much goot
! sense to feel any shame on that account.
$ is related of him, that when, in an early pc
G riod of his professional career a brother bar
: rister, with whom he happened to have
- 4. Al l..1 \