The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-04

DO Ia by the hands Of the young women of
the house and gay group Of girls who
came over from the hotels You drew
numbers and got absurd prizes. The
young women laughed, romped and
danced, always under the eye of their
elders, and made the fete go in the pleas
ATTEST fashion.
They used to dance. too. in vacant din
ing-room of the hotel and play another
game of toustotd, and also Nercante al
Feria, which is nothing but our game of
auction pitch. 1t was half like being in
America again, only in America the ac-
commodations would have been very diff
ferent. We were at TinaZzTs. Tinazzi
was character, and If he were the only
character there was would describe him
for you, but it is not wo-th II hlle. He put
in a bill of the kind that takes your breath
away. Finding that the protest / made
was determined, he at once wheeled round
on my side. He called Mrs. Tinazz;, who
had made out the bill herself under his
direction.
There are airi prez.i-other prices"
mixed up. There are other prices. Do
you understand"
He turned even upon me an indignant
glance Great heavens" he seemed to
say, you don't suppose l ever meant you
to pay any such prices as these, do youl"
One would have thought some interioper
had got in and mysterionsly made out the
it scornfuily. and had not more than a
third of the amount 10 pay.
The bells used TO ring with simply in
fernal din--half an hour at stretch and
many times a day. There seemed to be a
fete, or always church service going on
The natives delighted in the din just as
savages delight i'll the beating of their tom
toms. 1t could be heard for miles away
in the secluded valleys, and the people
there at least might know that something
was going on in the village.
1t had just one redeeming feature, but
that very great one. The lovely young
countess used to come to some of the SER
vices. Perhaps.it was slight distraction
in the absence of many others. She used
to pass with an unduiating, goddess-like
tread, "boddiced like lily" tasteful and
fresh in her toilet as a flower after rain.
Sometimes she would walk wi; h her father,
again with group of younger men, some
clad in remarkable plaids, and one in Ty-
rolean feathers and leggings, but all a
thousand miles away from her in distinc-
ton. You could hardly help weaving ro-
mances about her. What will be the fate
of this beautiful girl? Should she marry
into even royal station it would seem no
more than OF right, and she will find but
few rivals there.
Perhaps the most charming glimpse of
her of all was that on the morning of our
departure. The cool, delightful drive
down the pass among the chestnut groves
had begun, and We met her walking on
the road, an extremely CONNIE IL fdut car
rage following close behind her. A sort
of warm name-colored gown she wore
bloomed in union with the rich flush of
her color. A beauty. yes, veritable
beauty, n goddess-iike person. and no
doubt about it. She bowed very gently
and sweetly-the graciousness of a young
chatelaine of the district who extends her
courtesy even to strangers from far
country. That flower-Iike vision alone,
set in the greenery of the mountains, is
enough to glorify them in memory
Down near Verona, later on. at another
of their villas. the young countess played
in private theatricals with u spirit and
talent equal to her beauty. The piece was
of her fathers composing, and he himself
took part in it with 9, younger deputy.
They led pleasant, rational sort of life,
like people of refinement elsewhere.
Don't you like to hear about natural, UNI
operate Italians for one? 1t is astonish.
ing how rarely they even get into books.
The other young girls, the dancing Jolly
ones. of the hotel. had not the same agree
able prospect before them on returning to
Verona. They complained that it was all
over, and firm, serious life was to begin.
The sort of things they had done was
winked at, as it were, in the country, but,
once back in town mild walking up and
down in couples to listen to the military
music IN the piazza constituted the su-
preme form of gaiety. In the city of Juliet
and merry old CapClet, who cried What
no, more lights bid the musicians play I"
though it is a city of 10000 people, with q
large brilliantly -uniformed garrison, no.
body entertalns. The natural result is q
good deal of dull conventionalism and
want of vivacity among the women. and
nearly the same description will apply to
all but the very largest Italian towns. The
women are more easily adaptable to new
conditions than those OF Spain, for
instance. but they have a large degree of
the same sort of rigidity to overcome.
The Italian woman is domestic,
humdrum, contented with little-perhaps
contented with too little. l have already
shown, | trust, that do not include every
body, but | speak of the mass, the rank
and file. Still less do speak of limited.
dashing, ultra-fsshionable few who have
acquired cosmopolitanism as it prevails in
their peculiar set No man can be quite
as cosmopolitan as woman of that sort.
There are Italian women who adopt all
the vagaries of anglomania, sail in their
yachts, or their friends yachts, smoke,
h'iS tibS at Monte
Carlo, and follow on from one to another
OF large list of European resorts in regu-
lar series. But few such individuals rep
resent no nationality at all take away the
difference of language and you could not
tell the Italian woman from the French
woman. the Russian, the English woman
or the American
In al that is best in the Italian femi-
nine character l am convinced that the
queen A1rphprtfa nf S1ynv -
influence. She probably counted for some
thing in the fair maiden l have described
above, and ii was a reflection of her gra-
cious royal smile that ! saw among the
green hills of the Tyrol. 1t is not neces-
sary to have passed by the splendid, mann
moth cuirassiers who guard the door of
the Quirinai palace at Rome aud pene-
trated 10 the court ceremonies TO undergo
this influence. No lesson is so efficient as
that set forth by pattern actually before
our eyes; and SO fashion. regal prestige,
PATRIOTISM and hearty personal esteem
and liking all combine TO make Italian
women Initiate their queen. She is a
woman who talks 10 scientists, men
oil letters, musicians and painters
IN their own languages, if they
are foreigners: she gives sympathy
TO all worthy objects in her k;ngdom; and
she bears herself with an amlable dignity
Tree from either affectation or weakness,
II one were going TO be a sovereign il
would seem as if this were exactly the
ideal way 10 act. | have seen lately some
OF the unpublished manuscripts of Marie
bashklrtsett and find that fierce critic of
beauty and distinction speaks OF Queen
MaFgher.ta with full appreciation: after
which testimony there is little room for
anything to be said TO the contrary. Yet
iancy stli hear the cianor of a discus
SION mat broke ont between 'Glacinta"
and "Aelania." who did Us the honor to
h..t ~ ALL l. 49,