Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-02-27

D.
part with Us as we were to lose their sweet,
rich voices, so full of passion and pathos.
The Adouis OF the crew kissed MY moth
er's hand and begged her in Italian 70
recommend him.
Ii seemed short Dive from PrajaDo to
Sorrento. The old town is on a nigh pla-
teau which stretches into the sunny waters
# the Mediterranean; it is guarded on
every side by barrier of mountains,
which defepd it from bleak winds. Here
groves Of oranges and lemons fill the air
with their perfume, which blends with
that Of the roses and Jessamines; the fields
are starred with flowers, and the sea-
breezss buoy you up. One finds oneself
looking about for gentle Agnes and her
gallant lover, or for her poor old con
fessor, who loved her against his will, and
many of the old peasant women remind
one OF watchful old Elsie.
Mrs Stones charming story made us
al feel at home In Sorrento The cele-
brated poet Torquato Tasso was a native
Of Sorrento. phe house where he was
born and the rock on which it stood have
been swallowed up by the sea, but its ruins
may still oe seen. The town has 500 in
habitanta, but where they all tuck them
selves is impossible to tell There
are many tiny dove cots in the close en-
brace Of vines, flowers, and rocks, and
there are small houses which look
almost like vaults, but we puzzled our
brains in vain TO make room for 1850
people.
The narrow, crowded together, abruptly
ending and abruptly beginning streets,
silent, though paved with cObble-stones
and all the little shops, some where wood
Is carved and inlaid and sold. others whose
doors and windows are decorated with
Italian sashes and purses for sale, and still
others where little is done, remin led us of
old-fashioRed pictures. The interior of
our hotel, the Tramontaco, was unite
palatial and so large that lost myself
IN 1t more than once; there were
not many Americans there, but
many English people and newly mar
ried Germans, with their bright we'd
ding rings, and some Italian visitors. My
neighbOr at the table d'hote, a white
haired Italian woman who always appeared
to be overdressed, turned to me and sand.
Are you English 2" mo" | answered,
I'VE are Americans. "Ah, she said !;
from New York ?" mo" | answered
again, from Chicago. " "Ahl Shekago!'
| smiled and she continued. What nice
fat hair you have, and your sister, too. p"
tarned to repeat the compliment to my
sister, and she to tell her husband, hand
some old nobleman, that we were not Eng
llsh, bot from Shekago, etc. f"
QWith signs of regret at parting with
beautiful Old Sorrento. we descended TO the
steamer through long, damp winding,
4 al1 l,f "a
rock under the hotel, and embarked for
Capri. To our surprise we met acquaint-
ances on board, and, as is always the case
abroad, we were as delighted to meet as if
we had been old friends, and became bet.
ter acquaintance in half an hour than in
all the years we had lived within a few
blocks of each other
Before reaching the landing place Of
Capri we left the steamer and climbed into
small boats to enter the Blue Grotto. The
entrance, which appears to be a small hole
IN the side of mountain, is three feev in
height, and unless the wind is from the
right direction it is impossible to enter
The men warned US, and we all lay fat on
our backs In the bottom Of our boats and
entered the grott0 on the next wave. In
side we found the rocks above and all
around Us blue as The heavens when they
are bluest and parking like diamonds
The water also was blue and as brilliant
as the rocks GOove; the effect was dazzling
We looked at each other, and we were all
blue. The boatmen offered to dive for a
franc to show how blue they would look.
Our voices sounded hollow and far off, and
we felt as If we were i'll Aaddin's cave
The Blue Grotto is the most celebrated Of
the cayerns in the steep rocky shores of
Capri.
We left the cave, scrambled into the
steamer again, and went on TO the landing
place, Marina Grande. The younger mem
bers of our party mounted donkeys. There
Is gait peculiar to the donkey of Capri,
am sure. One man, although he was my
countryman, amused me particularly. The
day was damp and rainy, and mounted on
his little beast, high silk hat on his bead,
his oyercoat hanging over the donkey 8
back, his kodak jumping up and down as
the donkey trotted, ais trousers up to his
knees, his gray worsted stockings and a
suspicion of elastics and underhannel ex-
posed, he held the reins in one hand and
an umbrella over mis- head with the other.
We had just finished taking riding les.
sons and managed with difficulty to rise
In our stirrups, except now and then when
we met our poor beasts half way. Our
donkeys assembled some steep, narrow
steps and we managed with not a little
discomfort to renain in our saddles. Our
guides begged gus to buy coral as we
bobbea and jerked Up the steps.
Ii Is impossible 10 imagine streets more
picturesque than the narrow ones in Carri,
tropical foliage of all kinds growing on or
peeping over the high walls on either side.
the mysterious gateways aud the dark
eyed Italians, old and young, with baskets
of vegetables or jugs on their heads. wan
dering up and down. The view from the
town of Capri of the whole island with ITS
ancient ruins, the Gulf of Capri ard the
Peninsula of Sorrento, and 10 see the
Tarantella danced, is well worth long.
rough ride. Capri (Capreael, meaning
island of goats, has 4 800 inhabitants and
the people Of the two small towns. Capri
and Anarapri, make red and white swines
in abundance. The inhabitants support
themselves partly by the production Of oil
and wine and by fishing, but their largest
source Of revenue is from the strangers