The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-03-22
Not juliet and Romou.

In the year 1400, Ginevra de Amiera,
a Florentine beauty. married, under
parental pressure, a man who had failed
to win her heart, that she had given to
Antonio Rondinelli. Soon afterward
the plague broke out in Florence:
Ginevra fell i'll, apparently suocumbed
to the malady, and, being pronounced
dead, was the Same day conveyed to
the family tomb. Some one, however,
had blundered in the matter, for in the
middle of the night the entombed bride
woke out of her trance, and, badly as
her living relatives had behaved found
her dead ones still less to her liking.
and lost no time in quitting the silent
company upon whose quietude she had
unwillingly intruded. Speeding through
the sleep-wrapped streets as swiftly as
her elinging cerements allowed, Cine
vra sought the home from which she
had 50 lately been borne. Reused
from his slum 5ers by knocking at the
door, the disconsolate widower of q
day cautiously opened an upper win
dow, and seeing shrouded figure
waiting below, in whose upturned face.
he recognized the lineameuts of the
dear departed, he cried: go in peace,
blessed spirit" and shut the window
precipitately.. With sinking heart and
slaokened step the repulsed wife made
her way to her fathers door to receive
the like benson from her dismayed
parent. Then she crawled to an uncle's,
where the door was indeed opened, but
only to be slammed in her face by
the frightened man, who, in his hurry,
forgot even to bless his ghostly caller.
The cool night air penetrated the un-
dress of the hatless wanderer, made her
tremble and shiver, rs she thought she
had walked to life only to die again in
the cluel streets. "Ah!" she sighed,
"Antonio would not have proved so
unkind." This thought naturally sug-
gested it was her duty to test his love
and courage; it would be time enough
to die if he proved like the rest. The
way was long, but hope renerved her
limbs, and soon Ginevra was knocking
timidly at Rodinelli's door. He opened
it himself, and although startled by the
CHASTITY vision, calmly inquired what
the spirit wanted with him. Throwing
S,>,. .-".-y ..~.A-
exclaimed, "I am no spirit, Antonio; I
am that Glnevra you once loved, who
was buried yesterbay.-buried alivel"
and fell senseless into the welcoming
arms of her astonished and delighted
lover, whose cries for help soon brought
down his sympathizing family to hear
the wondrous story and bear its heroine
to bed, to be tenderly nursed until she
had recovered from the shock, and was
as beautiful as ever again. Then came
the difficulty. Was Ginevrn to return
to the man who had buried her, and
shut his door against her, or give her.
self to the man who had saved her
from a second death? With such
powerful special pleaders as love and
gratitude on his side, of course Rondi-
nelli won the day, and a private mar
riage made the lovers amends for pre-
vious disappointment. They, however,
had no intention of keeping in hiding,
but the very first Sunday after they
became man and wife, appeared in pub
lilo together at the cathedral, to the
confusion and wonder of Ginevra's
friends. An explanation ensued, which
satisfied everybody except the lady's
first husband, who insisted that nothing
but her dying in genuine earnest could
dissolve the crigina! matrimonial bond.
The case was referred to the bishop. who,
having no precedent to curb his dcci-
sion, rose superior to technicalities,
and declared that the first shusband
had forfeited oil right to Ginevra, and
must pay over to Rondinell1 the dowry
he had received with he1--a decree at
which we may be sure all true lovers
in Florence heartily rejoiced.