The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-09-03
A VENDETTA,

Paolo Saverinis widow lived alone
with her son in a miserable little house
on the ramparts of Bonifacio. The
city, built upon a projection of the
mountain, and even hanging directly
above the sea in some places, COM
mands, across the strait that bristles
with rocks, a good vicw of the lowest
portion of the Sandman coast. At its
feet, on the other side, but almost
thanking it entirely, an opening in the
cliff shaped like gigantic corridor
serves it for port. enabling the little
Italian or Sandman fishing smacks to
advance to the first line of houses, af-
ter long circuit between two abrupt
walls. And every fifteen days comes
the old wheeZy steamboat which plies
between the town and Ajaccio.
Upon the white mountain the mass
of houses make a still whittier stain.
They seem like nests of wild birds at
tached to the rock, and overlooking
the terrible passage into which vessels
never venture. Without repose the
wind labors the sea, labors the naked
coast, which it gnaws forever, and
which has scarcely a covering of green
it rushes into the narrow detroit,
ravaging either shore. The long trails
of white foam, clinging to the points OF
the countless rocks which pierce the
water everywhere, have the aspect of
tatters of clothes floating and quiver-
ing on the surface.
The house of the widow Saverini,
perched upon the very edge of the cliff,
rs if soldercd there, opened its three
windows to the wild and desolate hori-
zon.
She lived there all alone with her son
and their dog Allegro--a great, gaunt
beast with long, bristling hair, of Sheep
dog breed. The dog aided the young
man in hunting.
One evening, after a quarrel, Antonio
Saverini was treacherously killed
with single knife-thrust--by Nicolo
Ravolati, who, the same night, fled to
Sardinia.
When the old mother received the
corpse of her child, that some passers-
by had found and carried to her, she
did not weep at all, but remained for
a long time motionless, staring at the
body; then, stretching out her wrink-
led hand over the body. she proclaim
ed vendetta. She would not allow
anyone to remain with her, and she
shut herself up alone with the dog,
which howled. The brute howled con-
tinuously, standing up with his fore
his head toward his masters face, and
keeping his tail between his legs.
There he remained, motionless as the
mother, who now, bending above the
corpse, contemplated it with fixed
(, l., 4
down her cheeks.
Lying on his back at full length, still
wearing his great, coarse jacket, torn
and pierced at the breast, the youth
seemed to sleep; but his blood was.ev.
erywhere--on the shirt, that had been
torn open when the first attempt at aid
was made, on his vest, on his trousers,
on his face, on his hands. Clots Of
blood had thickened in his beard anC
hair.
The old mother began to speak to
him. At the sound of her voice the
dog ceased to howl.
"Never mind, never mind! Thou
wilt be avenged. my little one, my own
boy, my poor dear child. Sleep! sleep
Thou wilt be avenged; dost hear? Ii
is mother who promises this to thee
and she always keeps her word, mother
does!'
And she bent down slowly over him,
pressing her lips upon the cold, dead
lips. ,
Then Allegro again began to howl
He uttered long, monotOnous plant
piercing. horrible.
The two remained there until morn
al, ho
Antonio Saverini was buried mex
morning; and folks soon ceased te
speak of him in Bonifacio.
He had left no brother, nor even any
near cousins. There was no man tt
pursue the vendetta. The old woman
only thought of it-the old mother.
From morning till night she watched
a white speck cleaning across the
strait-on the low shore beyond. Il
was the little Sandman village, Longo
| Sardo, whittier Corsican bandits still
fly for refuge when too closely pursued
They alone constitute almost the entir
population of the hamlet, fronting the
coast of their own fatherland; and the,
wait there for the chance to return tC
| the mountain thickets. She knew
was in that village that Nicolo Ravolat
was hiding.
All day long, while sitting alone a
her window, she looked across the wa
ter, pondering vengeance. But wha
| was she to do without any man TO ali
"a weak old woman, with one foot il
the graveP Nevertheless she ha'
promised-she had sworn upon tn
corpse. She could not forget-sh sh
could not wait. What was she to do
She could not sleep ut night for think
ing of it-she could neither rest no
find peace of mind; she thought, an
planned, and devised necessarily, oil
stinately. The dog, which slept at he
feet, occasionally lifted his head with
staEt and howled at the empty all
Since his master had been killed til
dog often howled like that, as ii his in
consolable animal-soul was also haunt
ed by memory which nothing coul
efface.
Now, one night while Allegro W;
bowling sudden idea came 10 h
mother-an idea worthy of vindicliN
and ferocious savage. She thought o
er it until morning, and, rising at tt
first gleam of dawn, she hurried to II
church. There, PROSTATE upon Il
pavement, casting herself down befo
God, she prayed Him to aid her,
sustain her, to give her poor old boo
strength enough to enable her to aVen:
her son.
Then she went home. She had q
old barrel in her yard, which she use
to collect the rain-water in. This 81
emptied, laid on its side, fixed firm
to the ground by means of stakes al
slaves. Then she chained Allegro
this extemporized kennel and went in
the house.
= She began to walk backward and fo
/ ward in her room, without ever restil
= -glancing from time to time at t
Sandman coast. He was there-t
murderer!
All that day and all the night folio