The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-01-25
From Every Saturday.
Captain Angelo Bertani.
TCONCLUDED.l


and fourteen years old, and Rosai of
fered to undertake the expense of my
education, and to provide for my es
adjustment in life, on the condition
that he should be permitted to exer-.
else supreme and unlimited authority
over me; and that | should be separ-
ated from my mother, who was only
to visit me at stated periods. Our cir
cumstances were too desperate to per-
nit my mother to hesitate. | was
transferred from the gloomy silent
dwelling in which my poor father
had died to the wealthy and
luxurious home of Pasquale Rosai
I believe this man intended and
tried to do his duty by me. But his
character was naturally stern and
cold, and his narrow intellect warped
by the harshest bigotry. ] was ex-
pected unhesitatingly to accept his
dictum upon every subject; and was
compelled to listen to the severest
condemnation Of principles which |
had been hitherto taught to hold
sacred, You see / had BEEN graded
and brought up in the midst of a cir
Gle of people the chief article of
whose creed was hatred of the Aus
trian. Incredible as it may seem to
you, after what | have said, the man
/ / have loved best on this earth be-
longed to- the nation of our detested
rulers
He was an Austrian?"
Yes; and ! loved him. All, MIC
Dio, loved him! In my guardians
house, though my body was pampered,
my heart was starved. My poor
mother died within twelvemonth of
my father, and then | was desolate.
| Under these circumstances, is it sur
prising that when my cousin one day
| Il was little more than sixteen years
old) announced his intention of send
| ing me to the university at Vienna.
| hailed the prospect as an escape
from the dreary round of my daily
life. | did not fully understand why
he should send me to Germany. But
[ now conjecture that it may have
been with hope of matchmaking
me as much as possible. For he de-
signed me for the law, and it was my
ambition to become a soldier in my
country's glorious cause. Well, |
went to Vienna, and warmth and
| light were shed into my loveless life
by the friendship of Gustav Won Hill
desheim, a fellow7student. He was
to me friend, companion, brother.
The truest, noblest, dearest!"
Bertani paused and covered his
eyes with his hand. [ sat silent, not
venturing to break in upon that sa-
cred grief, even by a word. . Presently
he resumed, having thanked me for
my silent sympathy by holding out his
hand with gesture full Of grace and
sympathy ASIA
aft [ could describe to you what
Gustav wasl" he said. at was
not merely my boyish love and admi-
ration which invested him with heroic
qualities. He was beloved by all who
knew him. My elder by four years,
the relations between US were, on his
side, tender, protecting friendship; on
mine, gratitude and devotion almost
amounting to idolatry. He shone in
all studies and accomplishments, sur
mounting difficulties with an ease
which appeared marvellous to my
duller brain. And he was ever ready
to help me over rough places that [
could never have surmounted without
his aid. Gustav Won Hildeshim be-
longed to a high and influential fami-
ly, holding the most orthodox opin-
ions in politics and religion. But the
Able Waldorf, my priestly Mentor at
the University, would have been
aghast, could he have heard the
theories held by this scion of
a noble Catholic house. Gustav
had caught the infection of lib
eralism, which was then rife among
the youth of Germany, and he had an
especial sympathy and admiration for
Italy. We used to sit and talk for
hours of the future of my beloved
Venice, and he confirmed and en-
couraged all the patriotic hopes and
aspirations bequeathed to me by nv
father. Notice this especially: he
had peculiar habit of passing his
fingers through my hair, so as to raise
up the thick Acurls from my forehead.
as he listened to my stories of nv
fathers career, and of our life at
home
But we talked also of other and
higher things. Gustav had tendency
to mysticism, and a national love for
the marvellous. used to listen. awe
struck, to his strange, dreamy specu-
latlons about a future state, and
whether the spirits of the dead were
permitted to hold communion with
those they had loved while living.
Nearly three years passed without
my once revlslting Italy. | took
counsel with Gustav, and, with his
concurrence, [ wrote explicitly to
Rosai, confessing my dislike of, and
unftness for, the profession for
which he had destined me, and beg
ging him to permit me to follow that
to which all my inolinations pointed.
] W. n.un:4l,l l.: - -