Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1896-03-05
LEGEND OF A LAKE.
1t Tells How. . PRINCESS Was Lost with
IS Her Humble Lover.

* 81, Her Humblo Lover.
For some past q series Of explora-
tions has been carried on at the bot
tom of Lake Nemi, an extinct crater in
the A'oan hills, about IS miles from
Rome. The place is most picturesque,
and a little village, with a tall
medieval tower and red and yellow
roofs, regards itsrefection in the limpid.
waters of the lake far below.
The dwei!ers along the banks Of the
little lake, the nymphs and satyrs of
the chestnut alleys" have thrown the
poetry of their vivid ;maginations
around the story of a lost ship and have
woven around it a strangely pic
turesquc legend.
This legend in it's brieiest form re-
lates that once upon time in the misty
ages of the past a king lived here with,
his one only child, the fair Princess
Diana She was a noted huntress and
went daily to the chase, attended by a
group of girls, spirits kindred to her,
own. -..... :
One day the fortunes of the chase!
separated her from her companions
and after wandering about, tired and
hungry, she saw in the distance a
youth engaged in whistling, initiating
the birds of the forest, especially the
nightingale, whose ripping notes he
had caught exactly. lie was as hand
some as dream and was strawberry
gatherer. He gave the princess a
basket filed with strawberries and
pretty bunch of cyclamens, which
abound in these woods. 1t may be
noted here that Nemi is celebrated for
the flavor of it's wild strawberries.
Next day the princess separated
again from her companions of the
:hase, but now it was by design and not
by accident. She again met the peasant
youth with the Strawberries and the
cyclamens. The wandering away of
the princess from her companions be-
came as much a habit with her as meet
ing with the handsome young man
who whist!ed like nightingale. These
two became fond lovers. The king was
informed OF the matter and the hunt
ing was stoEped and the princess was
relcgated to n sort of mild imprison-
,nent.
She wandered about in wooded
garden, open on the lake side, but ire-
closed with great walls on the land
side.
n great barge or boat was moored
near the land, and when the days were
warm she sought the GOODNESS of this
retreat. The barge, according ID the
legend, was an enchanted island, united
to the shore by a well-guarded draw
hri1On rofrnot met cl1itn1 FOR
lovers and had n sort of resemblance to
that dreamed of by Claude Melnotte as
fitting residence for his bride Pauline.
Love laughs at locksmiths and over
passes great obstacles. On wide, low
spreading plane-tree that hung over the
water, the strawberry youth with the
nightingale notes walked along the
spreading branch and dropped down
INTO the barge. He saw Diana and he
was happy.
One evening every one was overcome
with the hot sirocco wind. A storm
arose. The princess and the straw.
berry lad were on the barge. The huge
ship broke from her moorings. She
sprung leak and began gradually to
settle down in the water. The storm
ragged and the terrible darkness was
only broken by the flashes of vivid light
ming which illuminated the scene for G
brief moment. When the morning
broke the lake was smooth and tran
quill, but no boat broke the shine Of
its surface. The barge, with Princess
Diana and her lover with the nightin
gale notes had perishcd, and no more
| &c 1n 1nY
baltimore Sun.