Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-16

1t Is no ghost, comrades, - repeated
the hravest of the three, 'only drowned
man: let us take hum in tow.
''What if he take US in tow?' said the
first of the Chiozotti.
"Truly, what then?'' exclaimed the
helmsman. "Look at him! Dead, do
you say? Yes, a dead-alive; be sWims +,
don you see it, first on his breast, then
on his side, and thirdly on his back. Do
drowned men swim like that?''
ITS the acton of the waves. - said
the second fisherman, taking another
drink.
"Strange action!" said the first.
"Yes, grant you, - SAID the second;
"but are we towards? Have we been
out in all weathers, and seen strange
sights by night and day, and are We
going to be afraid now that the sun is
rising and Venezia begins to look across
the water to the Lido?''
''No, - said the first spokesman.
'What sbsll we do, good comrades?
''Lower the boat and take the drowned
man in tow, said the other, handing
the bottle to the steersman, who emptied
1t and found himself more courageous by
two wine glasses full.
"But see, - he said, nevertheless it
is coming along of its own accord. 1t
needs no assistance
''There will be a reward - said the
second sailor. 81 see gold lace; it is
the body of an officer in uniform. -
''Don It romance" replied the first
fisherman; cit is the CLINT of the sun on
the water.
By this time the sun was really getting
up in the heavens. The sky was begin
ming to turn blue. Distant mountains
came nearer.
"Lower the boat, boys said the
bravest of the three men. 81 will fasten
line to the ghost!'
The helmsman crossed himself as he
lent hand to his mates, and presently
the boat was slipping to the stern,
where the second man dropped into her
and began to pull towards the strange
figure, which seemed to be literally play
ing with the waves.
1t was an ebb tide, and the water, as
Mr.. Symonds tells US in his "Italian
Sketches at such time, runs past the
mulberry gardens of this pleasant ham
let like river. TIE fishing boat, with
its CHASTITY figure at the stern, swung into
this rapid stream aided by fresnening
breeze, and from the other side OF the
Riva no doubt looked pretty object, as
indeed if was if you took no note of its
kalf submerged cargo-the dead passen-
ger, with its great white hands and
equally white face, like soft, half tanned
leather.
On went the boat and its silent witness
past the grove of acacia trees which rise
out of its tall green grasses, where the
first butterflies of summer were disport-
ing themselves for their brief hour or
two of gay and radiant life.
eyes, - said the Chioggia fisherman
as he approached it, "gold lace sure
enough, but what a face! and, mercy
on US, how dead alive it looks with its
hands waving up aud down. Alloy,
mate, heave to- ," with which exclama-
ton of personal encouragement he
flung thin rope across the body and so
it that in q minute or two
ha had fastened a stronger one to it,
to the tug OF the boat which the fisher
man began TO pull for the smack.
The vessel hove to, and the adven-
turer having fastened his boat to the |
line flung out by the helmsman,
scrambled aboard. The ghost floated |
in companionship with the vessels boat |
which dropped quietly astern. The |
ChiozzIa smack now hoisted her painted |
sails AMI steered for the channel by the |
Lido.
Presently the vessels course was
changed for the custom house, and |
now she went gliding along with no
swelling motion, except such as the
Roolng wind gave her.
The sun was up. Venice was alive.
A little crowd of early workmen had
gathered round the Victor Emmanuel
tatue. The last remnants of the dec
,rations were being removed. The
pigeons in the Grand square of st.
Mark s were fiuttering over their first
neal of the day. The two royal stan
lards opposite the famous church were
lying in the morning breeze.
A cluster of gondolas were lying by the
teps in the shadow of the lion of st.
Mark $. Picturesque groups Of men and
women were standing near. The gor-
.eous palaces were CHASING themselves
n the Grand Canal with blurred effects
f form and color made by the ripping
Eater. Round the corner of the Pizarro
aIace where the Countess Stravenskv
ad looked down from the window of her
'oudoir, however, the water was still
nd showed every line of architecture,
very lichen on the ancient walls, every
it of ooze and green slime that clung to
he lower stones on the waters edge,
ut there was no trace of tragedy OF the
ecent festival any more than there was
( those others which had preceded it in
ygone days Nor had the wavelets in
ront of the palace anything to show or
0 say of the magnificent reception, the
az and festaI music of which had been
be dirge which vengeance had prepared
or the Russian general who had presided
yer the outraRes of CZaronva.
All the world looked so happy on this
as if the bright sun, the soft
reeze, the clear sky, the perfume of
overs drought from the mainland by
assinE boat) had been given as COM
for the closing OF the royal
sstival; or as if the spirit of Venice had
sen up TO let her worshippers feel that
he city in the sea naeded nothing of fes-
val or music or royal guests or flags and
anners and painted boats to make her
but that she was loveliest
ithout anght else but her own beauty.
And yet trailing along her dreamy city
as that bleaohed and CHASTITY thing that
little way off looked like strong
WINNER at his ease, his extending arms
nd legs rising and falling with the mo-
on of the vessel in company with which 6
3 was enjoying the bright gay morning.
ut what CHASTITY mookery it turned
80, T,A Chs1zv;a | D.,