The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-28
NICOLO'S REMORSE.

NicoIo, swart, dark, indolent, lying up
on his back and looking up into the sky;
the sky, cloudless, brazen, and the muddy,
yellow river all aglint with reflections Of
the sun; the stiffness of a semitropical
afternoon, with nothing to hear but the
ripple of the water and its splash against
the boat; the monotony of semitropical
marsh, with nothing to see but the parched
grasses, the swirling eddies of the river
and the cloudless heavens. And Nicolo,
with one arm resting lazily across the till
er, keeps the vessel in nlidstream, drift
ing toward the gulf, and watches the
wreaths from his cigarette as they mist
themselves away into nothing.
Nicolo's face wears look of triumph,
and his eyes sparkle with the pleasure OF
his thoughts. 1t is true that shadow
crosses it now and again, but he losses his
head, and the shadow fades away. And
Nicolo, in his lugger, drifts toward the
gulf, seemingly happy. The dull brown
waste of marshland seems interminable,
such unbroken, dreary levels. Once in
awhile frightened bird darts from the
water edge to wheel and circle out OF
sight. The whisper of the solitude seems
to creep across the surface of the earth.
But Nicolo heeds neither bird nor solitude
nor anything except the passing of his
reverie, which is sweet to him.
The glare of the day fades into the azure
of the evening. Along the edge of the
horizon blue and purple and red and gold
en- clouds begin to stretch themselves away
across the sky. Solitary knots of trees
grow black against the flush and glow of
the evening heavens, and over everything
the shadow of the coming night creeps on
apace.
Nicolo, bestirring himself to set his
lights, watches the gathering blackness of
the heavens. His smile is gone now. The
coming of tho darkness seems to overcast
his spirits. He glances furtively about
him as he busies himself with the boat.
Although alone, he seems to look around
for some one whom he will not welcome.
Thus his boat arrives at the place where
the waters of the river are lost and forgot
ten in the waters of the sea, and passing
out from the combining shores rides with
long, sweeping motions upon the swell of
the mightier deep.
The night shuts out the earth, the heav
ems and the waters. There is a terror in
the coming of a tempest which conquers
the mightiest of minds. The kissing of
the raindrops as they strike upon the wa
ters has venom of its own. The heavy
believing of the clouds as they discharge
their passions of lightning, the voice of
the rushing storm winds and the lashing
of the sea subdue and overawe the most
powerful nature of man.
Nicolo, crouching by is tiller, watches
the increasing anger of the night in terror.
To him the high waves are peOpled with
thousand mysterious beings, and he wit
nesses the gathering tempest with super
stitious awe as he guides the way of his
vessel over the rising and foaming waves.
The pause of nature before she strikes
the first fierce blow in anger touches his
superstitious nature and makes him trem-
bic as he covers in his boat. But the deaf
ening crash of the elements follows quick
", and the boat darts forward into cal
dron of seething foam into fiery circle
of light, and into mighty chaos of dis
cordant sound. Now it is in the valley of
the waters, and around it the leaping
mountains of waves dance and dart up
ward to what seem towering heights.
Phosphorus glimmers from their sides and
peaks like eyes of untold spirits of the
storm. Now the vessel pauseS upon the
highest of the pillows, and from all of the
surrounding waters Nico1o sees a myriad
of CHASTITY faces.
The anger of fear seizes upon him, and
he curses them, while his hand clutches
the tiIler desperately, and he guides his
fraiI craft by instinct: The ever increas-
ing wind drives it along with frightful
velocity, and it plunges again into the
trough of the sea, but before him, around
him, above and below him, that ghostly
cleaning face seems to stare upon him
and keep before his eyes persistently.
''Mother of God!'' he mutters and shuts
his eyes. But he can feel the unrelenting
gaze always fastened upon him.
"Listenp' he cries, beating his hands
upon the night. Listen, madre mial It
has followed me, that face, through every
storm, until it is driving me mad. 1t
was all on account of Nanita. Madre
mia, all on account of Nanita that love!
-ir hehn ifa mn
have loved her, and she was mine until
Beppo oame-Beppo, with his black beard
and great chest. How could stand, see
ing her give her smiles to him, when I
would have died for one of those same
smiles?
"And SO, madre mia, on night like this,
when the wind and the sea were warning
and Beppo and I were sailing alone, I
pushed him into the sea. 1t is his face
which follows me and steals away at
nighttime the happiness which comes to
me of days when 1 think that Nanita is
mine, all mine again, and Beppo cannot
come between. Oh, madre mia, for the
love of Christ, take away that faceP'
The ungoverned boat sweeps onward
through tho tempest and the night. The
waves are tossing it about at will. Nicolo,
kneeling at his prayer for a moment,
throws his hands out wildly. He feels
and hears the rush of waters as they close
about him. He shrieks aloud in terror,
and the flash of the lightning discloses an
overturned boat driven along before the
tempest.
In smiling summer sunshine the white
sands glea1n like crmine. The sea washes
up its secret treasures and it's spoils, al
eloquent of the ravages of the storm. Fan
out at sea an upturned boat drifts help
lessly. Upon the sand the body of 6
drowned man lies with upturned face and
wide open, staring eyes. There is looE
of horror upon the face and the hands
have torn away the garment from his
n oman 1ocl-at bapoyc from iii