News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-04-26

~ NJ Ii anOCleT aFUlSG,
young American as poor as himself, jus
behind the Curch of San Martino, in ont
of the oldest houses of old Naples. 81
poor were they that they could hardly
ever afford model, so they used to takt
it in turns to sit to each other. Ceci
Dacre and his friend Orlando P. Jones
were both rival artists, but Dacre haC
an additional talent-he was q .fitrce,tI
of the first water. He hadn't been si1
months in Naples before he attended
before the committee of Monte di Miseri
cordia and suggested that they should
pay his debts. 81 am poor" he said
81 am persevering, and am deeply il
debt-so deeply that can get no more
credit. Pay my debts, give me little
cash to go on with, and you, gentlemen,
will be doing your duty. That is your
raiSon d'etre"
But the committee laughed and bowed
Mr.. Dacre out, declining to accede to
this very modest proposition. On an
other occasion Dacre, becoming indig-
nant at the pertinacious way in which
his movements We're watched by one of
his neighbors, who was accustomed to
stare at him from his balcony opposite,
drove up to his door late one evening in
his box, and female figure wrapped in
q cloak was carried carefully into the
house by the artist and the cabman; the
two men reappeared in the street, the
artist mysteriously placed his fingers to
his lips, paid the cab-driver, and the
man drove off The little drama was
well lighted by the solitary gas lamp
hot eRNol f,.O,,4 g Io
ings. The inquisitive neighbor was at
his post and carefully noted all the de-
tails of the mysterious affair.
At noon the next day four officers, ac-
companied by the neighbor, presented
themselves at Dacre's room door and
knocked loudly for admission in the
name of the law.
Only at the third and very impera-
tive summons was the door opened by
Orlando P. Jones. The supposed Grim
inal was discovered seated at his little
table, on which lay a blood stained
dagger his face was buried in his
hands.
"Signor Dacre, said the chief of po-
lice, 81 call upon you to surrender, and
l demand to search your apartments
This gentleman, said he, pointing to
the informer, detected you last night
conveying the body of dead or insensi-
bic female into this house.
'"The informer, being an italian, i'm
struck an attitude
81 YIELD" said Dacre in a broken
voice; the proofs of my crime you will
find in the next ROOM"
Two of the agents advanced and
seized the supposed murderer by the
arms.
II should recognize her at once, !"
cried the informer. "The poor creature
wore dress of bright blue color; / saw
the edge of it from under the cloak in
which she was enveloped."
The bedroom door was flung open by
the leader of the little party. In the
center of the room was a .ay figure in
bright blue dress; it was standing on its
head.
The police instantly released their
prisoner.
"Let this be lesson to you, sir" said
Dacre to his too curious victim in a
voice of thunder. "when you dare to in
trude upon the privacy of gentlemen and
men of honor"
And then Messrs. Dacre and Jones
executed very ferocious pas de tri-
omphe.
A less sublime but equally ridiculous
oke was Perpetrated by Dacre upon an
Unfortunate old lady who had the mis-
fortune to dwell upon the second floor
If the great house of which the comrades
the sky parlors.
She was a devotee, her one harm
ess amusement being the keeping of
,wo immense gold fish in big glass
globe on her balcony. With diabolical
Dacre, by means of piece of
string, bent pin and small piece of
neat, angled for the two finny monsters
who formed the Joy of the oil lady's life,
,aught them, fried them in egg and
bread crumbs, and then restored them
% their once happy and transparent
nome.
In the Cafe Verdi, Cecil Dacre once
,almly declared, after rather hilarious
that be would cause twenty
citizens of Naples to be arr est
ID within the hour The Cafe Verdi is,
Is We know, situated in the Piazza del
Martiri. Dacre went out and purchased
! large ball of string; he made a loop in
he end of it, and then he took a mean
ldvantage of the urbane Doliteness of
he Italians Producing q huge note
,ook, he courteously raised his hat to
he first respectable bystander.
"Signor," said he, twill you greatly
'blige me by holding this piece of string
While take few measurements? Thank
'ou so much" And then with strides
lie commenced to pace the piazza. OF
curse little crowd collected at once.
)acre selected another victim with the
anne result.
Keep it quite taut, if you please"
nd he bowed politely. Within five
minutes thirty individuals were holding
he tightly stretched string, an immense
rowd had assembled, Dacre had finished |
is pacings, his string and the careful
otes he had appeared to be making.
"Be patient, gentlemen, he said, 81
hall not detain you long" Then he
only to re-enter the Cafe !
'erdi by the back door to watch the re-
1lt. He had chosen his time with
L l. l.