The Russellville Democrat., 1881-04-28


 usual; no one had missed him.
 The count began doubts on l.nigis honesty His friends spoke Of bandits for he had valuable package entrust- ed to his care--and,in her fathers, house Beatrice, after long it of weeping, fell into a strange swoon, and in 1t seemed to die.
 "The old man was in despair; the watchers sat in low room; the crucitix
 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 a
 road that seemed as lonely as though the world were deserted, when a sudden step. hastening into run, behind him, startled him, he turned and saw Piedro. 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.W HFor answer Piedro rushed toward him and plunged a dagger into his breast; arl- other stab. another and another followed, and then Piedro lifted the senseless body of Luigi in his arms and bore it to Ia deep precipice and cast it over. It fell with a 1 thud on tie bottom, and Piedro rushed away horror-stricken 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 10 himself He could not move, he could not see, and
 there was roaring in his ears. He felt that his life'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. It was 8
 figure delicate, transparent and clothed in white, with her face, her smile, her
 loving glance.
 "It stood for a moment above him on the edge of the chasm and then descend ed. In it's hands it held two yellow hasks that glittered in the light. It knelt beside him.
 "'I have come to save you; BMigi,' it said, and from the flasks soft and heal ing balm fell on Luigi's wounds, healing them like magic. Strength returned 10 him-he moved little; he was abe at length to rise. Leaning on bis elbow he
 addressed the lovely yis:on: Is it indeed my Beatrice, or an angel in her form? he asked. But as he spoke his senses were l luled in dreamy calm, his eyes closed and he slept. "When he awakened, greatly refreshed, he found yellow flask lying beside him. 1 He knew at once that 1t was the balm l which the old father of his Beatrice had 1 prepared from the weeds and vines that 1 grew in the hollows of the volcano, The
 balm of Nesuyius,' and he felt that he was saved.
 "At that moment the watchers about i the bier of the beautiful Beatrice started
 to 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 1 life; her eyes opened; her lips moved; 1 she spoke.
 "'My friends she cried, I am not dead, ] have only been absent from my body little while. have been with Luigi 1 Luigi, who also lives. Stabbed by sthe hand of the wicked Piedro, he lives at
 the bottom of deep chasm; but 1 have healed him. Unseen, bore from this place some fasks 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 mysf 10 meet i him.
 "Signors and Signoras, I cannot explain !, this mystery to you. can only tell you the plain, unvarnished truth. Beatrice and Luigi were united The count ful- ] filled his promise, and they prospered. Pursued by Luigi's kinfolk, Piedro hed from Naples forever. My grandmother ! lived to be very old woman, thanks to
 the Balm of Vesuvius, and dying, left me ! the receipt as legacy.
 i ''Signors, Signoras and Signorinas, l l have in this knapsack number of
 fasks of this precious balsam. It will
 heal wounds and bruises, cure rheuma-
 tism, and, taken inwardly, break fever,
 who will buy? Remember it has magical properties Remember the story of the way it was conveyed to my grandfather ! in yellow hasks, exactly resembling these. Who will buy the Balm of Ne- ! suvius?"
 ! A good many did. The yellow fasks came, one after the other, out of the im-
 provisatore's knapsack; but the Ameri- i can, who had been so anxious to listen, 1 thrust his hands into his trowsers' poek- i cts and walked away, uttering one Eng ! fish word-"Sold" He did not mean the Balm of Nesuvius.