The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-03-25

the starlight and lamplght as the gon-
dola which brought Andreis and his
companion to her palace paused below
at the water-stairs She threy her cloak
on a couch as she spoke; she was
dressed in black, but the gauze sleeves
Of the gown showed her fair arms. and
- th= bodice was slightly, open on her
bosom; her face was b1ght like a rose
above the deep shadJ of the gown:
her hair had been a Ntle ruffled by the
wind of the evening" as she had stood
on the balcony.
Madam" sal 4Damer, as he bowed
to her with Grange and unweIcome
sense Of EN- mrassment, Prince An
drels shoui. hot have told you that I
had such Uod fortune. l am no fit
squire Of fines; he is"
She dUnot catch his meaning. She
turne from him a little impatiently,
- I'Spoke of music. Andreis was ac-
hplished in that art; there was a
indolin lying on the grand piano; he
BOX it up and sang to it a Sicilian
love song; she took it from him and
sang Venetian barcarolie and star
nelli; then they sang together, and
their clear, youthful voices blent har-
moniously. People passing on the
canal stopped their gondolas under the
l balcony TO listen; some Venetian pro-
fessional musicians ina boat applauded.
Damer sat in the shadow and listened,
and looked at them. Music said little
or nothing to him; he had scarcely any
comprehension of it; but something in
the sound of those blended voices
Ii.
him feel vaguely sad, restlcssiy de-
sirous, foolishly irritated. The light
fell on the handsome head of Andreis,
on the carnations at the ladys throat,
on the rings on their hands which
touched as they took the mandolin one
from the other behind them was the
open easement, the balcony with its
white spiraea; the lighted frontage of n
palace on the opposite side of the
canal. AS they ceased to sing the peo-
pie below on the water applauded
again. and cried: "Brava! brava.
bravan'
"Prnce Andreis Is a poet" said Da-
= mer, with a harsh tone in his voice.
WHO never wrote u verse" said An
dreis, as he handed a cup of coffee to
his hostess.
sounds of a chorus sung by the strollng
singers below came family and mufIled
into the room; the lamplight shone on
the white spray Of the spiraea, which
locked like crystal OF snow.
''If I had found the opals I should
have been inspired by them" he
added. "As it is, am dumb and un-
happy"
Veronica Laranigra smiled.
IF you are dumb, so was Orpheus"
And If you are unhappy" added
Damer, you are only so out of wanton-
ness because the gods have given you
too many gifts"
"Or because he has stolen a piece of
spiraea," said Veronica.
81 may keep my theft?" asked An
dreis
Yes. For you brought back the
opals, though you did not find them"
Soon after they took their leave of
her and went down to the waiting gon-
dola. The boatload of musicians had
drifted upward toward Rialto, the
colors of their paper lanthorns glowing
through the dark. There was no
moon. They did not speak to each
other in the few minutes which
carried them to their hotel. When they
reached it they parted with brief
good night. Neither asked the other
what his Impressions of the evening
had been.
When the young Siciian prince,
Lionello Andreis, head of an ancient
Hispano Italian family had met with a
hunting accident and the tusks of. an
old boar had brought him near to death,
an English surgeon, by name Frederic
Damer, who was then in Palmermo did
Tor him what none of the italian sur