Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-14
sTRIESGLY P1CTUREsouE.

If dirt is "matter out of place, -
Chioggia is not dirty, because the dirt
there is not out Of place, but is rather
the natural element of the city. without
| which it is impossible to conceive of
Chioggia. 1t has its grand canal like
Venice, but not nearly so many tributary
canals, and it has instead some wide
streets with heavily arcaded sidewalks.
The women with their white aprons over
their heads are very picturesque as you
see them through the long, low
vista of arches. They are handsome
women too, with fine, sensitive
features, and beautiful dark eyes. This
apron affair they wear is quite unique;
they wear two aprons, one in front aud
one behind, and when they do not wish
the back one over their heads, they let it
drop, aud it takes care of itself. What
could be more pie or convenient?
The loose white drapery over the dark
hair is very becoming too. But what to
do with oneself for three hours in Chi
oggia? l tried three church doors, and
was informed each time, by someone
standing near, that
THE CHURCH WAS CLOSED
till o clock. The third time it occurred
TO me it was the same man who had ap-
peared at each church and given the in
formation. He then stepped up and said
chateau? bnteau?' motioning toward
the sea.
Oh, the surprising cleyerness of these
Italians That man knew we would not
take sail until we had seen the town,
so he followed us around. Let us try the
church doors and thoroughly convince
ourselves there was nothing to see or to
do; and then Just as we were
our time, he suggested q boat.
He knew about as much French as We
knew of Italian; nevertheless we carried
on an extensive conversation. Ny
mother remarked the other day that in
France nobody understood her French,
but the Italians understood her per-
fectly. The truth is that if you open
your mouth and move your hands, and
give an Italian ten minutes. ha will
know what you want if you talk Choc-
tsw. This Chioggian was one of the
quickest in comprehension that we have
met. Was his boat row boat or sail
boat? He took hold of an imaginary
rope and pulled up an imaginary sail,
his eyes
SPARKLING WITH EAGERNEss.
The idea of a sail under painted canvas
inspired us, and in ten minutes we were
off, our beautiful red sail set for the old
sea alls and our clever, humbugging
sailor beaming and shining and glowing
with content. One would think he had
not had q chance of earning few francs
IN years. He was so full of delight he
had to talk and laugh and move around
exciredly, and SO vivid we're his gestures
one could not help understanding
him. "Nice boatl good boat!'' pat
ting the rough boards. ''Strong-
est boat on the Adriatic. You would
like to go clear to Venice in this boat;
much stronger than the steamboat.
There fell few drops of rain. Nothing
but an old one,'' he said, glanoing con-
temptuously at the cloud above and then
laughing as we laughed, for the idea of
an old, worn-out cloud, too feeble to
ram more than few drops, struck US
AS ExQUIsITELY FUNNY.
The sea walls were built In the last
period of the republic TO strengthen the
yielding sand of the Lido. The longest |
portion is above Chioggia, but the one
near Chioggis that we visited was built |
only q hundred and fifty years ago. We
crossed over q few yards of dirty and |
desoiate island where q few ,wretched |
people live in huts. and walked up some |