Omaha daily bee., 1874-05-28

good for a poor fool like Clan! l
know my betters. VIII II Duco
send Antonio this way?" 55z
With a nod, Can Grande sent the
attendant to Clan. "Dogs have
their day, and SC have fools. Be
waited on while thou mayst, Messer
Clan; it NAV not be for long,"
al would only send these dainty
morsels to their owner" Clan re-
turned, as he gathered up all the
scraps and bones near him, and
whispered to Antonio. The latter
made half the circuit of the table,
paused where Dante sat, looking far
Withdrawn from the noisy merri-
ment of the rest, and emptied the
salver at the poets feet. A shout
of laughter made the room ring,
and it was some moments before the
master of the feast found breath to
ask, Good Messer Dante, how like
you your providing" --G
The dependant exile looked at
the heap of rubbish at his feet.
Every word of his reply had bitter
emphasis as he spoke: "Were
Dante Canes there had not been
50 many bones.
The blood famed i'm Can Grande's
cheeks at the time; but, even, as he
spoke, the uncourtly F1orentineh had
quilted the room. Through the hall
where grave attendants gave him
decorous salute, from the piazza
where the ladies of the ducal court
were sitting, throwing idle words of
banter to fall on needless ears, he
passed into the garden-alley, where
the shade lay deepest, and the
silence was only broken by the
fountains playing. There he found
Blanca, who had come to the shady
corner to cry out her trouble.
"Oh! Messer Dante" was the
child's cry, as she put her arms out
in welcome, "did you know how
much / wanted yOu?"
"NO, cdrissimd." The set fea-
lures relaxed at the child's caress;
the voice, so harsh and grating a
moment before, softened into clear,
sweet tones: ~ only found how
little thy elders wanted me
She looked up, half-comprehend-
ing, and the old trouble returned.
at is not true; no one believes what
Filippo heard in the Plaza! Tell
them, and tell Filippo, Messer
Dante, that it Is all foOlishness :"
'9There is much fOolishness i'm the
world, little Bianca," returned the
poet; "and it may not always be
banished by the showing of it for
such. But what troubleth thee, my
little one? "See, the SUI is setting;
thou and / will watch it here; thou
wilt tell me what the trouble is, and
then-there may be storytelling
who knows?"
Blanca gave a low laugh as she
felt the kind arm about her, and
pillowed her head on the eXile's
dark serge vest, where her golden
locks shOne more brightly than
ever. "Tell me thy trouble, little
one" said Dante, looking down in
to the fair, young face. "Filippo
hath vexed thee? Somebody hath
said somewhat-was it not that ?"
The child tOyed with the chain
about her friends neck. "Canst
not tell me the trouble?" he asked
again. "Hath Filippo been un-
kind? / fear his boys ways are all
too rough for thee, my little spring
fower.n
"No, no! Fiiippo Is good! 1t
vast was about thee!" Blanca
answered, with a sob.
"About me?" The darkling
look of the banqueting-room came
over Alighieri's face again. "Then,
Bianohetta, l am very sure it is not
worth tears; albeit l am glad that
Dante Alighieri has n friend at
Della Scala's court"
"But-but you must tell them all
that it is not true!H passionately
cried the child, sitting bolt upright.
"Oh, Messer Dante, bid them be
silent"
why, little one. little one, tell
me what it is hat troubleth thee 1?
What doth Filippo say?"
"He saith-that Norma GiOvan-
ma saith-that the women ia the
Plaza say-say-"
"Say what, Blanca mia"
lTO BE Continued
"A play on the word "dog"