The record-union., 1894-02-24

countless lovers on that very balcony
had crooned and lisped before.
'Mirandy, it's kinder soothin' t git
things Strengthened out, 'casionally, amt
1t, Allrandy, dear?"
And Mrs. Stipples nestled closer to his
hard and hardy side and answered him
tenderly back again with,
saltwater Supples, you're one in
a thousand as Pve always claimed and
neId"
Mr.. Saltwater Stipples, being a man of
affairs, having once disposed OF a matter
never gave it the second thought, and his
entire mental and physical forces were
therefore always ready marshaled for
sternest use, for enjoyment or for rest.
Having also laid down the lines on which
the Stipples family should now move
forward in Venice. he gave it, in its di-
visible parts and in concrete, none OF
that nagging sort Of concern often COM
mon to the heads OF families, and
troubled himself about nothing weightier
than the payment of his weighty bills
In other words, the Stipples family gave
themselves up to hearty enjoyment, APP
portioned nicely to each separate Stlpples
intellect and inclination.
Master Burr Saltwater Sdpples' mourn
full enjoyment largely consisted in a
scowllng and impressive silence in the
presence of his family, to whose occa-
sional hilarity he Geigned no intrusion OF
gesture or speech; in morbid contempla-
tions OF the dread piombi and pozzi of the
Venetian Inquisition, which he would
pace by the hour, requesting each sepa-
rate cell to provide him with additional
celestial fire with which to burn the
| thankless oil of his future calling; in
pouring over the Petrarch manuscripts
in the library in the great hall of the
Grand Council of the Doges, which he
i i i
water Stlpples; or in standing upon st.
Marks campanile and announcing in
tones lOud enough to still the huttering
doves around him: ''Here l stand where
once Galileo stoodp' But these were not
altogether vicious occupations. They
employed the young mans time fully.
And they gave the yeasty, college be-
fuddled gray matter OF one member of
the Stipples family in Venice certain
grade of activity far better than none at
all.
Miss Venetia Stipples-V enetia, she
had rechristened herself long ago within
the dim cloisters OF Nassar-was, for a
time. as a crushed lily, clutcbed and
sWirled by the pitilesS eddies Of a spring
time, freshet of Unappreciatiye IgnOr-
ance. To be deprived the tyranny OF
raving about Art and MedIevalism and
Mold to enchained sufferers around one,
robs dilettanteism of its supremest zest.
Bitter, if tiny and trickling and few,
were the tears she shed, as with guide
book in one hand, Ruskin's 'Stones of
Venice in another. and a delicate lace
handkerchief between, she sat before her
shrines bathing her rapt soul III Venetian
shafts of Byzantine light. In time she
regained her spirits, for there is martyr
like eXultatiOn which may come to all
esthetic spirits from self-consciousneSs Of
silent communion with the gods, trans
cending far those thrills of triumph from
the temporary badgering of mankind
with the bulls and bans of books. So, to
Nenetia Stipples, the crumbling tount-
aims whispered their secrets; every de-
faced gargoyle, satyr or faun Ieered pagan
lore; the dazzling mosaics OF st. Marks
had to her more precious setting than
their own beaten ground Of gold, while
the color tiamings of Paul Veronese. the
gorgeous composites of Tintoretto, or the
stupendous canvases and frescoes of
Titan were her painting tancy's mount
ing wings to her own Venetian heaven.
Olive Stipples-common, coarse, bar
barian, hoyden. gurgling, giggIng, sun
shine bringing Olive Stipples setting
all Venetian precedent at sacrilegious de-
fiance, the loggia in disorder, the Condo
liers at war, the laZzarOni in laughter,
the kitchen in a WhirlWind and grin
ming Elena into housekeeping irenzies
of importance and delight, never, never
had so Jolly time in all merry life.
1t began the very day, indeed, the very
hour, when Saltwater Stipples had fin
ished Strengthening things out" and
Dennis McCann laying aside his robes of
imperial guidance of the Stipples family,
had been rushed by Olive and Rose to
the shadowy kitchen depths, and there
Poor Dennised" and Dear Dennised"
until hilariously proud of his fallen
state.
1t began, too, with onspiracy-conspi-
racy as deft and deep against the doing
MIR. Stipples in.the balcony above as ever
was hatched in Venice against a doing
Doge; a conspiracy inclusive of brazen
bribery, of ridiculous protests, OF horri-
fed ejaculation, of peals of laughter, of
chattering gondolierS, Of the easily-pur-
chased conscience of Elena, drawing into
it's subtle folds the pOverinI from outly
ing campos, urchins from the traghetti,
pawnbrokers' agents from the Rialto,
grinning bOotmakers from the Squeri of
SAINT RovaSo, old women with stains like
henna paste, until the kitchen of Casa
Patrice swarmed with going and coming
conspiratorS, each entering with tremen-
dous gravity, all leaving as though filled
with the side-shakIng elixir OF mirth,
and Olive Stipples, arch conspirator and
queen of misrule, uperlntending its
ecstatic importance, that she now never
left off giggling and gurgling by day and
hardly by night.
SO grave was its nature that Saltwater
Stipples began to feel its secret hand. 1t
set him to quarrellng with the Condo
lers. 1t haunted him with their half
threatening appeals for increased hire
and added gratuities. 1t stopped his gon-
dola, silent in the stream, at Gxasperatlng
moments of haste. 1t embroiled condo
lers in QuarrelS over his own and his
good wife's head. Ii pitched the voice OF
his boatmen to unearthly key In endless
and irritating songs. 1t took him to
wrong landings. 1t provoked collisions.
1t bespattered him with brine, and be-
fouled him with vegetables and bark and
fish and lime. It finally nearly upset
him at his own traghettO, when his pa
tience ceased entirely, and, removing his
coat, he invited the hull Internal crew
of Vennus gondolers" to that precise spot
to get licked" instead of which they
foated tauntingly and grimacing away,
whereupon blue-eyed Rose, big-eyed
Elena and laughing eyed Olive soothingly
lured him to the restful balcony, and
there told him OF a gondOlier they had
found; gentle, careful, kindly Condo
lier: one who could read and hear the
English tongue, but who, more wonder
ful and blessed than all else to the eX-
hausted MIR. Stipplgs and his patient
wife-was dumb!
And with such a strange resem blance
to Dennis. too; so stalwart, agile. fine;
more curious than all, his name was
DEMO, and La Rosa his fairy, feathery
| Venetian craft.
| So Denio and La Rosa came to their
new paron with the morn the one grave
faced and mute, with as black and curly
beard ana hair, blue eyes and glistening
teeth as ever graced a Galway poacher's S
head; with brown, bare arms and neck
and chest and feet; with the red cap and
with prov and ferri shining like bur-
nished silver; with the prettiest and
snuggest felze in Venice, bright with gay