The Portland daily press., 1894-07-16
A MOUNTAIN ROSE.

Oh one OF the Italian mountains Which dl-
vide that glorious land of sunshine and
flowers from the more rugged but equally
beautiful Switzerland, we remarked the
form of a woman rapidly ascending the
steep mountain path, her figure tall, erect
and graceful, standing boldly out from the
background of dark rocks which surround
ed her. On her left arm hung basket,
while her right hand firmly grasped a
staff, which she used as an alpenstock to
assist her in the more difficult parts of the
ascent. The dangerous path could be
traced for some distance and then became
lost in the woods which crowned the lof
ty peaks of the mountain. "That is the
mad woman carrying food to her lover
remarked the driver, crossing himself in
Difference to the current superstition that
misfortune follows him whose eye lights
on luna6ic ascending one of these heights.
He added that, owing to the prevalence of
this belief, poor Rosa enjoys perfect free
dom to go and come as she pleases, I'M
questioned and unmatched. Peasants,
charcoal burners, shepherds, smugglers
and even the custom house officers flee
from her as from a pestilence. She there
fore goes wherever she thinks fit, being
perfectly certain that none will dare track
her footsteps nor interfere with her &C
tions, whatever curiosity they may feel on
the subject of her mysterious wanderings.
But, for all this, everybody knew, or
thought they knew, that twice every week
Rosa carried supply of food to the hid
ing place of her outlawed lover, the MUIR
derer Constantine Valsassina. At the
time of his trial, and for considerable
period afterward, the authorities made
every effort to capture the notorious
smuggler, but without success, and the
fact of his having SO long eluded his pur-
suers was regarded as another demonstra-
ton of the truth of the mountain proverb,
Large shoes and fine brains. - Valsassi-
ma was condemned indeed to 10 years i'm
prisonment, but the sentence, owing. to
his cleverness in eluding the officers of
Justice, was never carried into execution.
Two years after the condemnation, how
ever, the custom house officers either in
vented the story or perhaps actually be-
lieved that death had delivered the outlaw
forever from the hands of JUSTICE. The re-
port ran that he had fallen oser preci-
pice during a well remembered winter
tempest, and, the mantle of the unfortu-
nate man having been found during the
ensuing spring at the bottom of this preci-
pice near an enormous mass of rock which
had fallen during the storm, they came to
the conclusion that his body must be lying
crushed to atoms beneath this immense
inass of fallen rock. After that time, there
fore, all search for Valsassina was aban-
doned as useless, but the form of Rosa
Manila was still seen with pathetic con-
stancy ascending the rugged mountain
path with her basket of provisions.
From time to time she mysteriously dis
appeared for a season, and on returning to
her usual haunts, although smile of I'M
usual happiness Illuminated her beautiful
features and light of ecstasy beamed III
her eyes, she was ever silent as the sepul-
cher with regard to the cause of her mys-
FERROUS absence.
In vain the women interrogated and
the priest insisted. She would open her
heart to neither, and either did not or
would not understand the questions ad-
dressed to her, replying only by monosyl-
tables or nonsense.
The following history of Rosa Manila
we CLEANED from the driver and from 9TH
ers who had known the village beauty
from her infancy:
Five years before she had been the most
lovely girl of Dosoliro and the surround
ing countryside, and the young men of
Gravedona spoke with enthusiasm of her
matchless beauty. They named her "The
Mountain Rose, y and even the dreaded
custom house officers fell one and all a
prey to the charms of the peerless daugh-
ter of Manila, the smuggler. But the lat
ter guarded her with the most savage fe-
rocity, giving her this brief COUNSEL
"Amuse yourself as much as you please
with these young fools, but beware of Sc
riously encouraging any one of them, more
especially one of my own Calling for
should you ever become the fancee of q
smuggler the lives Of both of you shall pay
the forfeit.
All knew from the determined and des-
perate character of the man that he would
keep his word.
AS yet Rosa had felt no temptation to
disobey the imperious mandate of her
father, for the young men of the neighbor
hood had each and all failed to awaken
the passions of the dark eyed beauty
''I care for Zone of them, " she said, with
proud Indifference, not unmingled with
contempt "But if ever 1 meet with one
whom 1 can truly love the case will be
different. Ishall take my destiny in my
own nandS.
About this time Constantine Valsassi-
ma, daring smuggler and famous hunter
of the mountains, whose name was well
known as Desperate in all the country
round, appeared on the scene. He was
strong, courageous and handsome The
hitherto cold and ilnpassive heart of the
village beauty was stirred to it's depths
and she determined that, come what might
she would wed no other than this one
hero, this Napoleon of the forests. What
did the bold and young smuggler care for
| the threats and menaces of Manila? He
resolved that he would win the splendid
Rose of the Mountains, and he kept his
word.
She was just 20 years of age and per-
haps had tired of the lonely life she had
hithesto been compelled to lead, or it may
be that her affections, like some marvel
GUS mountain plants, were late in flower
ing, for never before had Rosa Manilla's
heart been stirred by that mysterious pas
sion which men call love- The first time
she met the hunter she only blushed deep
| ly and then turned pale. He noted the
sigh and then ventured one evening at
sunset, on returning from the forest, to
place BOUQUET of mountain flowers on