The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-10-26

the iirst place, not to die of starvation
He picked up his nets, and loosened the
cable by which tho bark was tied to the shore,
while Jeanne aided Isabella and Pedrilla to
take their places in the little craft
They seated themselves at one end of it,
and the fisherman took up his station at the
other He unfurled his triangular sail, seized
the rudder, and the light bark, skimming the
waters surface like sea NEW, Immediately
bore away toward Procida.
Isabella, as may be imagined, had been
struck by certain remarks which fell from
Jeanne in the course of the conversation she
had with her brother before quitting the
shore She was DESTROYS of knowing why
the soldiers of her father had, the night be-
fore, wounded man in whom the fisherman
and his sister seemed to take SO great an in
terest. Isabella hesitated long while, for
the brothers countenance was overcast, and
the sister appeared pensive; neither seemed
disposed to enter into conversation. At last,
however, Isabella ventured to break the
silence
"If you will tell me your name," said she
to the young man. 81 shall be happy to send
you those of my friends who may DO DESTROYS
Of sailing about the bay"
''My name is Thomas Anicllo, senora," said
the fisherman, "out my companions call me
Masaniello."
"Why do you call me senora" asked Isa-
bella.
because you have Spanish accent. Be-
sides, heard you just now address few
words in Castilian to the person who is with
you"
"Oh" said Isabella, much confused; "you
understand Castilian, then!"
"Yes," replied Masaniello; "the slave ought
ever to know how to speak the language of
his masters. 1t is q means Of being the bet
ter able to serve them, when they are kind
hearted, and of more easily demanding JUS
tice when they are tyrannicaL"
A deep carnation covered the cheeks of the
young girl, for while Masaniello and his sis
ter We're talking of their own affairs, she
recollected having said to her nurse: "What
pity it is that handsome young man like
this should wear the wooden cap and tho ugly
canvas jacket of a common sailor! A more
accomplished cavalier could not be found at
court"
Her embarrassment was, therefore, ex-
IRENE, when she learned that Masaniello
had understood this phrase; but as the young
man, who continued to look grave, seemed
to pay little attention to the strangers opin-
ion of his person, Isabella soon gained cour-
age to so on with the conversation.
"You are right" said she, 81 am Spanish,
and my father is an officer in the viceroy's
guards. / was therefore much grieved just
now to hear that some soldiers, who are
perhaps commanded by my father, had
wounded person who seems dear to you
Let me know the place where the attack was
made. as well as the corps to which these
soldiers belong, and l give you my word of
honor that they shall be punished"
"These soldiers only obeyed their orders,
senora," replied the fisherman "it Is not
they, therefore, who are guilty. They are
but passive instruments in the hands of
tyranny, and it is with this tyranny itself
that we must cope hand to hand"
"With the viceroyl" exclaimed the young
girl, in a voice full Of emotion.
ayes, sonora; with the viceroy"
"What do you reproach him with, theng'
81 reproach him with making the people
groan beneath the weight of the taxes heaped
upon them"
"But he acts in the name of Spain; it is
not he whom you ought to accuse"
"'Tis he alone that accuse And it is too
| much the interest Of Spain to preserve her
conquest, for her not to disavow his malad-
ministration and his vile, unbearable despot-
ism, which, il continued, will some day force
the people Of Naples to revolt"
"Cireat heaven can this be trueg'
"Senora, you will be of my opinion, when
you have heard how Pietro has been treated"
"Speakp said Isabella, trembling with
emotion.
"Pietro," began the fisherman, "has been
my friend since childhood We are both
from Amalh, and he came last year to Ma
al l,o h., IL
himself from want But at Naples labor
produces nothing, and only leads to ruin"
"How sol" asked Isabella.
"You shall hear" replied the fisherman.
"Pietro had an aged father to support. He
first of all turned laborer, so that he might
scrape together enough money to buy boat
with. By dfnt of hard work and privations
he succeeded, and then he came and built a
hut next to mine. The viceroy issued two
edicts, one after the other, about this time.
The first OF them announced that every fish
erman possessing a boat should pay an an
nual tax Of sixty silver reals, and, by the
second, all the cabins built along tho shore
were subjected to a duty Of from twenty to
thirty ducats, according to their size. Thus
Pietro and had, each of us, to pay annually
to the fisc about two hundred reals, that Is,
much more than we make by our trade"
"Merciful powersl But did you mako no
representations to the viceroyT'
"The viceroy turns deaf eur to all COM
plants, and only thinks Of enriching himself
with our spoils His yearly allowance is
hundred thousand ducats, and he sends an
nually to Spain thirty ships, each loaded
with three millions Of piasters. Reflect on
the largeness of the sunni For it is out of
the people OF Naples that all this gold is
sweated"
Isabella turned pale, but kept silent
"When called upon TO pay /, heaven be
thanked, was ready; for Jeanne is an angel,
and courageously gets up every morning at
o'clock to go and sell her fruit at tho mar
ket of Naples. No tax has as yet been put
on this calling. Fruit forms almost the sole
food Of the people; and the government
merely hesitates, because it is afraid to at
tack them in their very existence. Obi il
our tyrants were ever mad enough TO do
thatl"
Jeanne raised her fine and melancholy
head, and, looking at her brother, said:
"The tax on fruit will be decreed this week:
it was said SO at the market yesterday"
"Great Heaveni IL is impossiblel" ex-
claimed tho daughter Of the viccroy.