Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-07-13

empty; only the little bunch OF resedas With
the flaming flower lay therein. A little in
significant thing to come up by chance out of
the great wealth of flowers. Upon her brace
let hung a costly jewel, a heart shaped
precious stone. She tore it off, fastened 1t toI
the bouquet of resedas and threw 1t with true
aim at the passing Bertino.
The daughter of Gabbadio is out again &C.
tive among her flowers. The Getto del fore
Is over, yet new fiesta like that Of yester-
day, recalling the Floralia and Rosalia OF the
old. Romans, is appointed for to-day. Upon
the Piazza del Popolo the SO called battle Of
roses is to take place, and for this there is
fresh necessity for heaping up the fragrant
artillery. The battle Of the roses Is a COM
bat between the young maidens of rank and
the noble youths Of the city. Upon the
piazza is erected Of silken bales an art CASTLE
the walls of which are coated with costly
carpets. The maidens defend the fortress,
while the youths are to invest it. From the
castle there is a fire Of almonds, apples and
nutmegs, while the return fire must be
made with flowers only. Full many a!
youth has in this conflict won his
bride. Bertino and the count are fast
friends. They have talked over the occur
rences Of yesterdays Corso and discovered
that they are just as wise as before. One
possesses the ring and the other the heart set
with rubies and emeralds. Who Is the
chosena They have represented the matter
frankly to the old Lamberto, and he has in
his fashion decided that the one who brings
his Glletta out of the castle shall be his SON.
in-law without fail. Now comes the neces-
sity for providing himself with ammunition.
Bertino knows where the best Is to be found
outside the Porto SAHARA, at the pretty Re-
seda's, who, In truth, Is lovelier than all the
finely dressed balcony beauties, though by
fortune only gardeners daughter. The
maiden utters a cry as Bertino enters her
flower workshop. Bertino wears the little
reseda bouquet with the flaming flower in
his coat, upon the left side close to the heart.
Thus have the flowers found her husband
Certainly not Reseda's hand was it that
winged them to him. With quick interest
Bertino inquired the reason Of her sudden
alarm. It is nothing; she has only pricked
her finger with the wire. But how the
agitation becomes her and adds to
her char1nsl Her cheeks color, her
bosom heaves, and all her destinations
are doubled. Bertino cannot drink
in enough of the beautiful picture. His
thoughts are in whirl. The colors mount
to his head. The blossoms buzz and hum
around him. "Bertino, stupid Bertino, canst
waste thy love upon marble statue, cold,
soulless, and hast no eyes for our beautiful
queen, where alone true love dwells? Her
heart is not made Of rubies and emeralds, but
is well spring of warm, living, fragrant,
breathing Lowell" With difficulty can the
young man make known his errand. He
wants 200 little bouquets for the flower battle.
"Are they to be of resedas2' asks the maiden,
''reseda with red blossom, like that Of yours
which made yesterday" "What, you
made it," cried Bertino. and he murmured
something about making 1900, and as he con-
tinued talking with the girl the more hugely
swelled the order. AS he prepared to leave
he was near the fifteenth thousand. "What
a spendthriftl" cried the old flower veteran,
who had been listening to the conversation.
"Quite early, papal" answered the little Re
soda, quite as absent minded. And then
through the flowers goes strange Kissing
and tittering; they shake their cups and tiny
heads and whisper from ca1yx to calyx.
"Ha! quite ready, indeed, but the great thing
yet remains to be done, and that is our affair"
The missiles whiz from above and below.
The gentle maidens have some force in their
gentle arms, and many youth gets bis eye
closed and his ear tingling when a well d.
rected apple lands upon the side of his head
but he revenges himself as he hurls bouquet
after bouquet in the combat. The scene is
almost obscured by the flying veil Of roses,
carnations, lilies and narcissus. Steadily
nearer moves the army Of besiegers. The
garrison defends itself desperately, and has
armed itself with enormous syringes, and re-
ceives the stormers with whole salvos of
rosewater Ali in vain. The ladders are
placed against the walls, and now up, in
the teeth of storm Of apples nutmegs and
scented waters. Suddenly above the tumult
is heard a terrible cry, "She is dying, she is
dyingl Reseda, Resedap The beautiful
maiden was well known to all, beautiful
apparition. She had been called to take
post at the castle, behind heap OF earth, to
collect in a mass the flowers thrown in
Here in damp, dingy place, enveloped in
dense, sitting cloud of odors, she had lost
consciousness. One of the first to hear the
cry for help Is Bertino. With few leaps he
is over the wall, down in the flower case
ment, back again with her into the open,
fresh air. He sprinkles the sleeper with
water, speaks some loving words into her
ear, breathes his own breath between her
pale lips. At last she revives. A carriage
is at hand. Carefully and anxiously, as if
he were watching over his own life, he bears
her home.
Giletta is standing upon the wall, and has
witnessed the whole scene. She has become
thoughtful, her pride is touched, unbends,
and she reflects that when we find our obsti-
nate purpose costing us a painful struggle we
may not very wisely perhaps be striving
against destiny. From the battle, which has
meanwhile been resumed, she has gained
scarcely anything. Suddenly garland OF
L. hood boa 4,r-o
strong arms seize her, a kiss burns upon her
lips Count Moronti has caught her captive.
She must by force or favor surrender to him.
On the wedding day Bertino Brandani sent
her magnificent bouquet Of camellias. Hid
den beneath the flowers was found heart Of
rubies and emeralds.
A few years later-he had meanwhile gone
to live in Florence-he also married. His
bride was maiden who game from Vienna,
where she had been excellently educated in
one of the seminaries of the Emperor Joseph
II. AS to education, the highest ladies could
scarcely measure themselves with the Signora
Brandani; in beauty and grace she surpassed
them all. Evil tongues whispered that she
was once flower girl. An inquisitive female
friend once questioned her about 1t. She led
her into her gardens and showed her the rich
Conservatives, and finally her reseda BEDS
'How weak I should be-" she said, as she
plucked some blossoms, ''were to deny my
origin. I have to thank the flowers for the
happiness of my life.s And from thousand
little calices and bells murmured and
whispered, Eyes, thou art right; had we not
made thee to swoon, who knows how long the
good Bertino would have taken to find the
road to his true lovei He loves Reseda, our
beautiful queeni"-From the German.
=
A Spontaneous Tribute.
Mr.. Dougherty's speech in the conven-
ton was skillfully adapted to the pur-
nose. It's simplicity was its strength.