The Osceola times., 1881-05-14

I not.
"Piedro walked about the city rs
usual, no one had missed him.
The count began doubts on luici's
| honesty His friends spoke Of bandits
/ for he had valuable package entrust-
ed TO his care-and,in her fathers, house
| Beatrice, after long fit of weeping. fell
| into strange swoOn, and in il seemed
/ TO die.
The old man was in despair; the
/ watchers sat in a low room; the crucilix
/ lay on her breast, and the candles burnt
beside her bier. On the morrow she
would be buried
Meanwhile, Luigi had performed his
task and was returning by night over
road that seemed as lonely as though
the world were deserted, when Il sudden
step, fastening into run, behind him,
startled him, he turned and saw Pedro.
No thought of his purpose occurred TO
Luigi. He smiled and held out his
hand.
Welcome, he said Whence did you
drop? From the MOON"
For answer Pedro rushed toward him
and plunged dagger into bis breast; an
other stab, another and another followed,
and then Pedro lifted the senseless body
of Luigi in his arms and bore it to deep
preclpice and cast it over. 1t fell with
thud ON the bottom, and Pedro rushed
away horrorstricken at his own deed
He alone of all Naples knew that Luigi
lay in the depths of the dark chasm;
and even he did not know that Luigi
was not dead.
Down in the dark hollows between
the rocks Luigi came to himself He
could not move, he could not see, and
there was a roaring in his ears. He felt
that his lile's blood was oozing away, and
tried to say prayer to heaven for his
soul. As he prayed his brain grew
clearer; he thought of Beatrice and her
grief when the news Of his death should
reach her; and suddenly he seemed to
see her or something like her. 1t was
figure delicate, transparent and clothed
in white, with her face, her smile, her
loving glance.
at stood for a moment above him on
the edge of the chasm and then descend
ed. In its hands it held two yellow
TASKS that glittered in the light. Itknelt
beside him.
81 have come to save you; Luigi it
said, and from the TASKS a soft and heal
ing balm fell on Luigi's wounds, healing
them like magic. Strength returned to
him-he moved a little; he was able at
length to rise. Leaning on his elbow he
addressed the lovely vision Is 1t indeed
my Beatrice, or an angel in her form?' he
asked But as he spoke his senses were
lulled in dreamy calm, his eyes closed
and he slept.
"Wheu he awakened, greatly refreshed,
he found a yellow flask lying beside him
lie knew at once that it was the balm
which the old father Of his Beatrice had
prepared from the weeds and vines that
grew in the hollows of the volcano, The
balm Of Nesuyius,' and he felt that he
was saved.
AT that moment the watchers about
the bier of the beautiful Beatrice started
10 their feet, staring at each other and
calling upon all holy names, for the
girls face was slowly changing from its
dead whiteness to the brilliant hues of
life; her eyes opened; her lips moved;
she spoke.
"My friends she cried Il am not dead,
| have only been absent from my body
a little while. | have been with Luigi
Luigi, who also lives. Stabbed by the
hand OF the wicked Pedro, he lives at
the bottom Of deep chasm; but / have
healed him. Unseen, | bore from this
place some TASKS of the balm my father
makes so well. He is saved; he will be
here ere long. Lift me from this bier,
and help me to attire mys If to meet
him.
"Signors and Signoras. | cannot explain
this mystery to you. ] can only tell you
the plain, unvarnished truth. Beatrice
and Luigi were united. The count full
filed his promise. and they prospered. |
Pursued by Luigi's kinfolk, Pedro fled
from Naples forever. My grandmother
lived to be a very old woman, thanks to
The Balm of Nesuvius, and dying, left me
the receipt as a legacy.
"Signors, Signoras and Signorinas, |
have in this knapsack a number of
lasgs OF this precious balsam. 1t will |.
heal wounds and bruises, cure rheuma- |
tism, and, taken inwardly, break a fever, |.
who will buy Remember it has magical |
properties, Remember the story Of the |
way it was conveyed to my grandfather, |
in yellow TASKS, exactly resembling |
these. Who will buy the Balm Of We |
suvius?'
A good many did. The yellow TASKS
came, one after the other, out of the i'm. |
proyisatore's knapsack; but the Ameri- |
can, who had been so anxious to listen, /.
thrust his hands into his trowsers' pock- |
cts and walked away. uttcring one Eng |
lish word-"SOld." lie did not mean the /
Balm Of Nesuyius.
The beautiful Gates