Connecticut western news., 1875-10-15
A MATCH FOR HIM.
The Venetian Version of the Story of ssBlu >-s-.A .4. BeaPd.,3 ..rlH ss..' -..B. .f:--

A MATCH FOR HIM. i The Venetian Version of the Story of "Blue s4z.. .-. BeaFd.' .-flt va.' -.si .':s-'.
 The Venetian story tellers have anal gamated "Blue Beard :" with one of Grimm's ss sHausemarchen, and changed it's cerulean hue to that of the foul fend himself. The story is entitled ssEl Dia- volo. " ''
 ei' Once upon time there was husband and wife, and they had three daughters, all grown up, and they took in washing. As it happened gentleman passed by their house one day and fell in love with the eldest girl. He went to her parents and asked if they would give her to him for his wife. They saw that he was a handsome gentleman, and they said yes. and he took her to the finest palace that eyes could see. When they got there he gave her the keys of all the rooms, but he said .~ .s r.y-, F s.'
 "Go wherever you like, except into that room there. If you go into it, it will be the worse for you" ,... 2. ...
 And he gave her beautiful fresh rose to put in her hair, and then he up and went away. This woman was curious to know what was in that chamber that he said she was not to go into, so she went and opened the door, and she saw that there was many souls inside, all on fire, and knew that 1t was hell.
 "Ohi" she cried, "what have I done, what have done9 For certain he'llput me in there, too." .vs .5.
 Then she looked at the rose in her hair, and saw that it was quite faded. By-and-bye back comes the husband, and says.he: "Good morning." He no- ticed that the rose was faded, and he knew well enough that she had been into the room, so he said --s
 "Did you go into that room where I told you not to go 9'
 And she answered him: "Not I, in- deed. Once you told menot to go that was enough. a-.,F.-
 to see it.'' -..a. ....- .5,...-
 With that he opened the chamber and pushed her into it. Then. he locked the door and what did he do but set>off to, her mother, and he told her that her daughter had been so i'll until at last she was dead, and now that he should like to have the second daughter. And the mother gave her to him. ....... -
 The same story is of course repeated with the second daughter, and after she is disposed of in the same manner as her sister, the devil-who is represented as an eminently domestic character-not being able to do without wife, he re- turns third time to the house of the washerwoman, and demands her last re- maining daughter in marriage. He ob- tains her from her confding parents, takes her home, gives her the keys and the fresh blown rose, and absents him. self as before. But this third young lady is $ match for her husband. Sheis not whit less curious than her sisters but she takes the precaution of remov- ing the rose from her hair before peep ing into the forbidden chamber. Of course, she sees what her sisters saw, and sees them into the bargain. They cry to her to hasten away, for otherwise her husband will throw her in there too. But, nothing daunted, she answers: t' Wait bit. Don't be afraid. Only leave it to me-" The master of the house on his return finds his wife with the flower in her hair still fresh and blooming. He accepts her. assurance that she has obeyed him, and professes an unbounded affection for her.
 "Well, now hark ye, old man," said she i; "we must think of sending few things to the wash, for all the house linen is dirty. Tomorrow morning I will put it all into chest and you must carry it to my mothers and she'll wash it for us. {" .s# ..s#.g-
 She waited till her husband went out, and then she put afew soiled things into the chest and went and fetched her eldest sister and put her into the chest too, and some money besides, and she said to her:
 Remember, when you are on the way, if you feelhim sitting down to peep into it you must cry out: Mind, I'm looking at you"
 And she shut up the chest and left it until he came back. By-and-bye home he came, and she said to him
 'Now, there's good fellow; take this chest and carry it to my mothers. But, mind you, don't peep into it. dye hear2 Becauseif you do peep I shallsee you."
 With that he took up the chest on his shoulders. "Oh," cried he, "what 8 weight it isl"
 "Well, just think" answered his wife, .'itis such long time since we had wash that everything was dirty"
 When he was on the road he began to think {: "What weight this chest is l should like to know what's inside it !''
 He was just beginning to set it down, when he heard voice crying " Mind. I'm looking at youl"
 "Oh," says he, "she can see me. No, no, l won't touch it.
 The chest with it's contents is safely carried to the washerwoman's and left there, the husband answering his wife's inquiries on his return home with the as- surance that he had not peeped into it. The same thing happened again when the second sister is put into the chest, like Falstaf into the buck basket, and carried to her mothers house. In order to effect her own escape the cunning third sister feigns illness. She desires to be left undisturbed because she wants