The Dillon tribune., 1883-08-11
Fallen Grandeur.

l.dv in italy. who has any pretensions to
lnino sucn. will turn out on occasions
however dilapidated her home attire.
Two Young ladies' belonging to an ola,
but utterly ruined family, whose parent,
we're too poor to keep servant, "ou ,,s
dress themselves for their evening Walk
in the M ,st fashionable OF hats and cos
tunes. with their fans, smelling bottles
lace handkerchiefs, and gloves, q! COM
plete.. In ord.r to obtain these dresses
the young ladies' had to condescend 80
far as to work for tue peasants, who paid
them for the manufacture OF the smart
STAYS and chemisettes they wear on feast
DAYS. The attempts to being highly
fashionable, combined with an entire ~
norance of the ways Of the fashionable
world. produce sometimes the stlangtss
incongruities. TIE lace veil u now
almost confined to the class called lar,
fists that is, shopkeepers and skilled
workpeople; but . few OF the old'iasn-
ioned ladies' still keep to 1t. Curious
specimens Of decayed nobility, are to be
found in these remote villAges-people
bearing grand names, and retaining con-
siderable pride in their ancient lineage,
whom generations Of idleness and I'M
thriftilless have reduced to extreme pow
erty. They are not educated for any pro-
fession, aud when starvation stares them
in the face, they have no resource but to
earn their bread by mutual labor. Ono
noble count Of my acquaintance II .
carpenter; another bricklayer. lhave
seen the granddaughter Of . countess
working in the fields. With their for.
tunes their manners deteriorate, until
nothing but remnant Of pride remains
to distinguish them from the peasants
between whose class and theirs, 20 great
gulf was once fixed. I remember
nothing more melancholy, than the -.
semblage Of these poverty-stricken mo-
bles once met, ct the house Of the rich
man Of village. We were at supper /;
and - one ragged and dirty old man after
another came stumbling in, each in turn
was, to my great surprise, introduced -
family, but fallen" caduto," added my
host, with . gesture Of compassion. The
old man would then bow his head in mel
ancholy acquiescence, and, casting rue.
full glance at his shabby cloak with the
faded green lining, would sink into q
chair, at the far end Of the table. One
Of these fallen mobiles, who had taken to
house-painting, we thought II only
charitable to employ for the decora-
ton Of our ceiling. I was pre-
pared to feel quite a romantic in.
terest in this unfortunate nobleman.
and to be enchanted with his artistic
genius, but he was 90 uncommonly dirty.
aud his manners were 90 little removed
from those of peasant; that my illusions
were dispelled at once. Neither did his
style Of decoration exactly come up to my
ideal, although it was ambitious enough.
A basket of flowers soon adorned each
corner Of our ceiling, and in the center.
from amid clouds aud wreaths OF roses.
q rather shapeless Cupid began to be de-
lneated. In the middle Of the work.
the artist, whose temper was short, and
whose feelings were sensitive, took
offense-as we suppose-at some unin-
tentioned slight on 'our part. Without
the slightest explanation, he departed
one day, leaving the Cupid minus one
leg and one arm, and returned no more.
Poor Cupid Being in such . sadly mu.
tilated condition, we thought best to do
away with him altogether, and nv hus.
band, mounting ladder, swept coat Of
whitewash over Cupid, clouds, baskets
OF flowers and all. This operation was
rep ated several times, but the Cupid
would keep reappearing In . ghastly
manifestation Cus'nhiu Ma0QSine.