The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-20
From the Atlantic for July.
THE ALARM-BELL or ATRT
BY HENRY w. IoNGFEILow.


BY HENRY w. LoNGFEL Low.
At Atri, in Abruzzo, a small town
OF ancient Roman date, but scant renown,
One of those little places that have run
Half up the hill, beneath q blazing sun,
And then sat down to rest, as If to say,
Il climb no further upward, come what may,
The Re Giovanni, now unknown to fame,
So many monarchs since have borne the name,
Had great bell hung in the market-place
Beneath O roof, projecting some small space,
BY way of shelter from the sun and rain.
Then rode he through the streets with all his
train,
And, with the blast of trumpets loud and
long,
Made proclamation, that whenever wrong
Was done to any man, he should but ring
The great bell in the square, and he, the
king,
Would cause the Syndic to decide thereon.
Such was the proclamation of King John.
How happily the days in Atri sped,
What wrongs we're righted need not here be
said.
Suffice it that, as all things must decay,
The hempen rope at length was worn away.
Unravelled at the end, and strand by strand,
Loosened and wasted in the ringers hand,
Till one, who noted this in passing by,
Mended the rope with braids of briony,
SO that the leaves and tendrils of the vine
Hung like a votive garland at shrine.
By chance it happened that in Atri dwelt
A knight, with spur on heel and sword in
Who loved to hunt the wild-boar in the woods,
Who loved his falcons with their crimson
hoods
Who loved his hounds and horses, and all
sports
And prodiealities of camps and courts:
hoI fba,, IL
old,
His only passion was the love of gold.
He sold his horses, sold his hawks and hounds,
Rented his vineyards and his garden grounds,
Kept but one eed, his favorite steed of all,
To starve and shiver in q naked stall,
And, day by day, sat brooding in his chair,
Devising plans how best to hoard and spare.
At length he said:-''What is the use or need
To keep at my own cost this lazy steed
Eating his head off in my stables here,
When rents are low and provender is dear?
Let him 60 feed upon the public ways;
I want him only for the holidays"
So the old steed was turned into the beat
OF the long, lonely, silent, shadowless street;
And wandered in suburban lanes forlorn,
Barked at by dogs, and torn by brier and
thorn.
One afternoon as in that sultry cline
1t is the custom in the Summertime,
With bolted doors, and window-shutters
closed,
The inhabitants of Atri slept or dozed;
When suddenly upon their senses fell
The loud alarum of the accusing bell
The Syndlc started from his sweet repoSe,
Turned on his couch and listened, and then
And donned his robes, and with reluctant
pace,
Went painting forth into the market-place,
Where the great bell upon its cross-beam
swuLg,
Reiterating with its persistent tongue,
In half f-articulate jargon, the old song
s'Some one hath done a wrong, hath done a
wrong
But ere he reached the belfrys light arcade,
He saw, OF thought he saw, beneath its shade,
No shape of human form, of woman born,
But poor steed detected and forlorn,
Who with uplifted head and eager eye
Was tugging at the vines of briony.
e 'Domeneddio!" cried the Syndic straight,
'"This is the Knight of Atri's steed of state
He calls for justice, being sore distressed,
And pleads his cause as loudly as the best"
Meanwhile from street and lane noisy
Had roiisG iSSTd together, Ike summer cloud,
And told the story of the wretched beast
In fve-and-twenty different ways at least,
With much gesticulation and appeal
To heathen gods, in their excessive zeal.
The Knight was called and questioned: in
reply
Did not confess the fact. did not deny;
Treated the matter as pleasant Jest,
And set at naught the Syndic and the rest,
Maintaining, in an angry undertone,
That he should do what pleased him with
his own.
And thereupon the Syndic gravely read
The proclamation of the King; then said:
''Pride goeth forth on horseback grand and
gay,
But cometh back on foot, and begs its way
Fame is the perfume of heroic deeds
OF flowers of chivalry and not of weeds
These are familiar proverbs; but l fear
They never yet have reached your knight,
ear.
What fair renown, what honors, what reput
Can come to you from starving this poo
brute
He who serves well and speaks not merit
more
Than they who clamor loudest at the door.
Therefore the law decrees that as this stee
Served you in youth, henceforth you shal
take heed
To comfort his old age, and to provide
Shelter in stall, and food and field beside.
The Knight withdrew abashed; the people al
Led home the steed in triumph to his stall.
The King heard and approved, and laughe
in glee,
And cried aloud, ''Right well it pleaseth me
Church bells at best but ring us to the door;
But go not in to mass; my bell doth more;
1t cometh into court and pleads the cause
Eot