Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-06-13

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triarch. A smart boy of tho village
will take your orders for what clothes
you require and bring them from the
nearest town. The village lies safely
closed in by high mountains. just
west of it, hid in the rocks, is our cave.
which is large and pleasant, and there
the performance will take place"
The countess still hesitated. She
had u cold refusal on her tongue and
her left hand played mechanically with
gold chain which she wore about her
neck. No one knew that small but
sharp-pointed dagger was at the end of
it. But then her eye fell upon Adn.il.
Ia, who had read tho thoughts of tie
countess in her features. The poor
girl was about to fall at his feet, and
cried out in German:
"Oh, save us, dear countess! Do
what they ask of you, for Gods sake. !"
Well, consent" said the former
celebrated danseuse. "Let us 90 on. I"
It was wonderful to see how soon the
wagon was made ready TO proceed. A
new horse was furnished, and ono of
the band took his place at the postil
lions side. Another stepped into the
diligence and sat down by Giovanni.
Then the vehicle was driven rapidly
down the descending road.
III.
The village was reached in couple
of hours. Marie's eye fell upon a few
miserable shanties. So beautiful as
was the surrounding scenery, the in
habitants did not seem to live in harm
ony with it. A woman stood before the
doors,r and dirty children played among
the olive and laurel trees.
The so.called patriarch of the robber
village-old Mattini-sat quietly before
his door, smoking his cigarette. He
raised himself when the wagon stopped
with the air of o man who had long
known what was to happen, and greet
ed the newcomers with a low bow
The Countess and her companion were
shown into neat little room, whose
windows looked out into the garden, then
into the mountains, and O variegated
scene of great beauty. Giovanni, and
the postillion we're taken back into a
small, dark room, near the sitting room.
The Countess sat at the window lost
in thought. The fatigue of the Jour-
ney, the peculiar situation in which she.
found herself, the thought of the mis-
construction that might be placed upon
her adventure in her family and the
outside world, when it should become
known, brought tears to her eyes. Even
Adnilla's ready gossip could not dis
tract her. She was interrupted by old
Matthias entrance to say that her sup.
per was served; but she gave him to
understand that she was not hungry,
and that she wished to be disturbed no
more for the day.
"Guiseppo is going to the town."
said Mattini, quietly, and perhaps
the Countess will be good enough to
give an order for what she wants."
Marie tore leaf from her note book
and quickly wrote down a list of the
materials which were necessary for her
dancing costume. Admilla soon after
received the stuff, began her work at
once, and was still working late in the
night while her mistress lay asleep.
Punctually at the hour fixed upon, the
wagon drew up before the house on the
following day. Marie resignedly step
passed through the village. It halted
at last before a small hole in the rocks,
and Marie was asked to step out.
Gigantic Titani, clothed like o Neapoli-
tan RENTER. awaited her, and gallantly
offered his arm. They went through a
long, narrow, deep passage, and then
down o few steps, when a loud buzzing
noise fell upon their ears. Now it be-
came brighter and brighter until the
immense cave, lighted by hundreds of
torches, lay before her in all it's brilli-
ancy.
The floor was tolerably level except
low place about the middle. Toward
the farther end the wall seemed to wild.
en- out. There sort of stage had
been erected, with one heavy Candida
bra and several torches casting pic
turesque light over it. The bandits
sat on wooden benches smoking their
cigarettes and conversing in a suppress
ed tone of voice. Not one Of them
wore his usual fantastic bandit dress.
All had clothed themselves in black
clothes in honor of the d0nseuse. So
far as the respect for her art and per-
son was concerned, the Countess de
Voisins ,aec Marie Taglioni, had no
reason to complain.
She was led along the side to the
stage, which was reached by ascending
q few steps. A few moments after, she
was on the boards trying their strength
and smoothness with her toes. All her
anxiety was soon satisfied by finding
that the arrangements had been with
the greatest care and safety. But when
her glance fell upon the orchestra of
ten persons, she could scarcely restrain
her laughter. OF these, four Of the in
struments were the so-called 2oi6srori,
which are seen 40 often in Rome and
Campagna. The other instruments
consisted of two violins, a guitar, q
trombone, q, trumpet, and a kettle-drum
with.cymbals. All these Virtuosi SEEM
ed to belong to the usual order of vii
lage musicians. ~
And now the improvised orchestra
began their work with m energy that
only made their discord more frightful.
The overture consisted of the famous
drinking song from "Lucrezia Bor-
gia." The piferari puffed with full
bellows; the trumpet shrieked; the
guitar went "schrum schrum;" the
trombone beloved; the drummer
hammered away; the cymbals changed,
and there was conglomeration of
discordant sounds that might have
walked the dead.
After the Introductory music, the PAN
tomime began in accordance with lit
tie programme which the danseuse had
written off the evening before, and cop
les of which had been circulated among
the audience. It was about as follows:
A young girl takes leave of her lover,
who goes out into the world and over
the sea to start in life and prepare the
way for marrying his sweetheart. He
attains his object. Then the bride
learns from letter, which one of her
rejected lovers writes to her, that AL
bert has become unfaithful. Thereupon
gricf, dispair, attempt at suicide and
finally the desire for revenge and for
putting the rival out of the world. The
scene ends, however, by tho bride
groom coming back as rich as a nabob;
he proves his innocence and claims his
bride.
All the details of this simple move
ment were worked out by Marie will,
the greatest art she possessed, and Ad-
milla figured in male garments as the
lover. The beautiful spared not an
iota of her interest, tenderness and fac
ination. If she had really intended to
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