San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-10

LIE MOD VI DEilu.
The year 1921 was called the "evil year"
that year in which the Eternal City lay
bleeding under the pixies of brutal for
eign soldiery, the pope sat imprisoned in
the castle of SAINT Angelo, and the plague
moved down countless victims through
out the whole of Italy. The people Of
Florence alone retained a CLEAN of nope,
for without spilling drop of blood they
had set the two nephews of the pope with
out their gates and again established their
independence. At the pious thanksgiving
feast, however, which was to celebrate
their bloodles victory, the slumbering
enemy, the plague, raised its head afresh,
and feeding on the crowds gathered to at
tend the celebration, took hold again with
the force of a Contlagration raging through
dry wood
The well-to-do portion of the community
fled to the country or the neighboring
villas; those who were forced to remain in
the city through poverty or business OF
state locked themselves in their houses and
saw neither friends nor relatives. Others
sought oblivion in drunken orgies. The
most thickly settled streets and squares
were deserted, the neglected palaces be-
came the dens of thieves, bands of danger
Gus characters roamed the streets during
the night and plundered the unguarded
houses, while the authorities, unable to
prevent this robbery, preferred to lend a
hand and share the booty.
1t was near the beginning of August
that the plague reached its worst stage,
and the daily number of victims within
the walls was as high 500. No one left
his house before evening, and then COM
pletely mufIled, holding in his hand n ball
of spices or a sponge soaked in strong
essences, which he held pressed to his face,
''to strengthen the BRAIN" as the people
had called it since Boccaccio's time, but in
reality to prevent drawing the pestilent air
into the lungs. When a friend met friend
or q brother a brother they would pass
quickly on, as far apart as possible, or
hurry by with a short nod of the head.
Most of the shops were closed; only the
fruit and food dealers, the bakers and the
butchers, carried on business, and they
had surrounded their shops with iron
ratings, so that the buyers were forced to
receive their goods in the street. So great
was the fear of infection that they feared
to handle money, and the merchant would
pass out to his customers small wooden
placed and then thrown into vessel Ofwater
instead of into the money box. There were
soon but few houses which did not have
white cloth at the door, notifying the peo-
pie that some one lay plague stricken with
in. Notaries, with their clerks, could be
seen on the streets before the houses, or on
the roof, making out wills, while priests
received confessions in the public squares,
so eager was each citizen, of whatever age
or condition, to prepare for death.
On a sultry August evening, while the
heated earth was still steaming from a
short and therefore not refreshing rain, a
Young man sauntered slowly from the
Arco de Pecori across the Piazza San Clio
vanni He was of medium size, and his
face, his careless department and his eff
Terminate though supple form showed him
to be a man of the world. His light hair
was not cOmbed smoothly over the fore
head in the FlOrentine style, but waved
short and free about his temples. Dressed
in costly Spanish clothing he strOlled
along as cOOliy as if the scenes of misery
and destruction at every corner had not
the slightest interest for him. He carried
neither spices nor essences in his hand,
only large white gardenia, which he
pressed to his lips from time to time with
an absent smile, as if he carried the flower,
not for protection, but because its odor
conjUred up pleasant pictures before him.
Those whom he passed gazed wonderingly
at him, but rank and riches had not yet
so completely lost their charm that one
could pass by the only son of the rich Mar
co Nettori without greeting him with,
Good evening, Ser Filippo."
AS he was about to turn the corner of
the BigGllo band of mufIled Brothers Of
the Misericordia carrying an empty coffin
met him: he moved ?s;Go, ''"t i"s;'H3 Of
saluring them 10y N.,iGs his hat, as was
the custom, be turned from them with re
pugnance. While passing on, his face
turned away lie came in contact with an
other person dressed in a dark travelling
cloak, who was hurrieGly turning the cor
rer; they struck violently together, and
each sprang back. startled.
you here Alcssaudro' cried the first,
after looking into the ether urOnzad face,
which was half covered by his travelling