The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-21
NeaDolitan Morality

The total absence of this virtue in the pro.
vince OF Naples places it as much as two cen
turtles behind the rest of the country, and this
backward state of things was amusingly H.
Illustrated the other day. A Neapolitan no
6leman to his intense annoyance, found him
sell obliged to refund large property which
his grandfather had, mot to put too fine q
point upon it," stolen. The old gentleman,
being Governor of the province, was made
the repository, keeper, of numerous title.
deeds, and very simply he altered the name
on those OF the property which he most de.
sired to have, and quietly kept the ill-gotten
gains. REDRESS was impossible in the old po
litical order of things, but now al last the
grandson OF the aristoCratic old robbcr has
had to resign his false claim. The real own.
er, friend of mine, told me il was positive
misfortune to possess any landed interest in
the "Napolitauo." The natives have the
most complete disregard for truth, and hold
a promise as mere empty form, not to be
kept unless, by breaking it, you incur the
risk OF coHellat1 knltethrust why
should l keep my word" said Neapolitan
to me; am not afraid of anyone!' u =
The preliminaries for u marriage had been
gone through by young friend of others the
other day; the actors were all Southern Ital-
ians. or course the "sposo' had not yet seen
the "sposa,' for that useful person, the in
te7medtdrio," had managed the business so
far. SO the young man went to Teramo to
see the young lady, but was much disap-
pointed with the damsel, and exclaimed at
the absence of attraction in the city of Terra
mo compared with his own. His indefatig-
able intermediari0 was obliged to return to
the young lady with the proposal, if she did
not object too much, to marry the brother of
her affianced lover, as the latter had some
l. hi "a
the lady; not at all. Why, it's all the same
to me!' Her relatives were struck with ad-
miratlUn at the feminine pliability of this an.
swer. The brother was now asked what he
thought Of the arrangement, and he was
charmed, expressed his pleasure, adding:
The affair Is also convenient, for nothing
need be changed in the settlements, only my
name substituted for my brothers" a month
after the marriage q tragi-comic event took
place, which for its uniqueness deserves men,
ton. The bridegroom lay smoking cigar
in the summer-house, and, falling asleep,
slipped off the seat down a steep preclpice
which at that point closes the garden.
Though stunned by the fall, he was not seri-
ously the worse for 1t, and was carried to the
house only rather bruised. His mother now
went to the spot and expressed wonder at his
awkwardness, and lying down on the same
bench, said she would just try how such
strange thing could happen. The words had
scarcely left her lips, when, losing her equl-
librlum before the bystanders could spring
forward, she rolled over and was picked up
at the foot OF the steep descent-dead. The
horror OF this event has cast a deep gloom
over the young couple though the Southern
expanslveness of character will help them
through their sorrow. Repeating the tale to
every newcomer wears away the sharp point
of grief at last-Cor. Philadelphia Ielegroph.