Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-08-20
The Daughter Of St. Mark.

| "'OHS Oy asking WHNt was tuc price Vi Salt.
The Daughter of st. Mark.
Nearly three centuries ago, there stool in
one OF the -narrow- streets of Ncnice the Elo-
rcntinc Bank Of Salviata. 10 this wealthy
institution young men Of good birth were Of.
ten attached ms Clerks and the numbcr of
gentlemen. and even noble assistants employ
cd here, was all evidence that those Of re-.
duccd means did not diStain this mode Of
mcndng their fallen fortunes.
| Among the numerous clerks who held re-
| Sponsiblc situations in the bank, with no loss
"I se'l-reSpcct Or popular favor, was Pcro
'ounavcnturi, young gentleman Of hand
some person and attractive manners. Ills
constant presence at the bank during all hours
ct the day, would Srcn 10 imply that he had
some extraordinary interest in its operations,
and hc was frequently addressed by those
! who Camc to do business as if he were one of
the partners Of the institution
Put the secret Of his constant stay, even
when the other clerks had departed, and the
bankinG-rOOm itself was closed for the day,
was easily accounted 70: by the opportunities
which he possessed Of seeing the young and
beautiful girl who lived opposite the bank,
| and from the narrOwncSS Of the street. was
accessible to signs and even words, from her
handsome ncighbor.
The Residence of tho young girl was none
other than the palace of iart0lommco Capcl.
10, one of the most ilustrous of the Venetian
nobility; and she herself was his only tlaugh.
ter, reared in all the luxury and maguiliccnce
of Venice at that time. Young, beautiful and
fascinating, with face that expressed every
feeling Of her heart, and figure whose grace
was perfectly imlcScribablc, she Ind already
wcarlcd "i ilattcry aud Of the tircSolne at
tcntions Of her fathers guests, aud was glad
to exchange it for the more timid, yet well
c'mc admiration, so quietly expressed by the
handsome cOuntcnancc opposite.
y few months passed, in which the love be-
tween the two thoughtlcSS young creatures
progressed; and in compliance with Picro'S
urgent solicitations, Blanca Capcllo consented
to become the bride of the handsome clerk
No one new aught of the matter save Bianca'S
old nurse. Yielding to the prayers and tears
of her darling, she promised her assistance in
the allair, and the whole of the ensuing sum.
nIcr saw the husband and wife altcrnatlv Wis.
iting each other, whenever Catharine could
manage meeting apart from the eyes of 9th.
rrS, and keeping the vigil which their dcvo.
tion to each other sometimes rendered too
long for her old eyes to resist the temptation
Of closing. All this time Blanca firmly be.
licvrd that her husband was one of the prin-
ciI'al partners in the bank and that il the
marriage WAS discovered by her faith r, his
IN iignation would neither be strong or lasting;
and Picro, surprising that she knew his Situa-
lon, made no reference TO it whatever.
y warm summer evening had succeed
most beautiful day, through which Blanca
had been impaticntly longing To visit Picro.
Already her father had retired, worn out with
the heat, and Cutharinc, unnble to overcome
the approach Of sleep, had yielded herself TO
its influence, and lay. with the freedom Of
privileged attendant, on a couch in her young
mistress room.
"Wakc, Catharinc,' said Blanca, who had
been watching the last lingering footsteps as
it left the bank, and saw Piero's ingenious
signal for her coming. wake now, lazy one,
and watch for me when come "
go, holy virgin!' muttcred Catharinc in
her sleep, the darling will not think Of going
out tonight"
Blanca playfully shook her, and succeeded
in making her sit holt upright-brought her
n quantity Of fruit and cake, which she insist.
cd would keep her awake, and tripped lightly
of to her trysting place, leaving the door
who came for family orders left the house.
and as hc went out, he closed the door. Cath.
crime had already lain back upon the couch,
and she was again in the land Of dreams
When the young wife returned to her faith
PcNrc'l, she found herself shut out She
could not wake her nurse, and as detection
must now necessarily follow, she went back to
Picro, who hastily collected all that he pos
ScSScd, and long bcf)rc the sun was up, they
were on the bosom of the .ldriatic, bound to
Florence.
Nothing could have been more astounding,
or in fact more unpleasant to the father of
Picro, than the advent Of such an inmate to
his poverty stricken mansion, from which lux
ury, and almost necessity had long been OK.
clulcd. His wife, the victim of sickness and
hclplcssncSs, had required servant, and this
charge had swallowed up almost the whole
income which the small salary Of Picro had
enabled him to hcSIow upon his parents This
servant they were now compelled to part
with; and the delicate and refined Blanca, to
whom life had hitherto seemed like fairy
tale, was absolutely obliged to perform the
lowest and most nunial services for the house
hold.
Meantime all Venice was shocked and in
dignant. The Capclli were grand in their
terrible Indignation, aud all Italy were loud
i'll Sympathy-partly with the young couple,
and partly with the noble family, whose pride
had received an irrccovcrablc blow from this
unfortunate event. a price of two thousand
ducats was set upon tho head Of Picro. His
fathers brother was arrested, thrown into a
Venetian prison and died there.
Still, through all, the young husband and
his wife remained close prisoners, chccrfully
submitting to all the privations and tcrrors of
their situation for the sake of each other.
And SO might 1t still have bccn-thc old but
ever renewing tale of poverty, swcetcncd by
lovc-had not the beautiful wife attracted the
notice Of Francisco, Grand Duke Of Tuscany.
Tho Duke was then unmarried. lie had
heard the story Of the marriage, and was GU.
riOus to see the bride. Chance favored him
as he was driving across the Place of Saint
Mark. Looking up at the windows Of the
Bounavcntura mansion, now fast going to ruin
and desoatiOn, he saw form at the window,
which from its beauty and grace, he could not
doubt was that Of the much talked of daugh-
ter Of tho Capellf. From that timc the pow
crty ceased; but il was with the loss Of honor