The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-12

large as the largest lion FidellO har
ever seen at the duca1 shows, he could
only stare in wonder at the mechanism,
and his wonder was increased when he
saw Andrello, the fisher boy, drop
from the mouth and stand for a mo-
ment on the mosaic floor of the cham
Der.
Andrello had stepped from the lions
head. and the moment he touched the
floor the mouth closed, shutting off the
light which had dazzled the doge's
page.
Then he heard the footsteps of the
fisher boy in the dark as he quilted the
place, and with steps as stealthy he
followed him.
Andrello went back to the boys
sleeping apartments and threw him
self upon the couch which he had left
some time before.
THE boy is a spy against my mas
ter, the doge,'' thought the little page.
He may be fisher, but he knows as
much about the ducal palace as he
does about mending nets. Shall 1
rouse my master? Tomorrow 1 will
see that Andrello no longer betrays my
hospitality. He belongs to the con-
spirators against the doge. know he
does"
He slipped to the bed and lay down
beside Andrello. In a short time he
was asleep, and when he awoke the
sun was Frightening the walls of the
palaces of Venice and Andrello was
stretching himself for the day.
CONSPIRATORS.
All at once the noise of feet smote
the ears of the two boys
Fidello, who never heard such sounds
at that hour in the ducal palace,
sprang up and ran to the door.
1t was burst in as he touched the
knob, and half a dozen soldiers in ar
NOR and armed with swords drawn, en-
tered the room.
Down with the doge!" they cried as
the terrified boys fell back. "Falieri is
a traitor to the reDublic! Death to
him and his retinue!"
The swords flashed in the faces of
the two boys, and the foremost soldiers
rushed their blades against Fidello's
bosom, when the hand of Andrello
pushed them back, and the fisher boy
planted himself between the page and
the weapons.
You shall not!" said he, as he reso-
lutely faced the armed men: "I stand
between you and Fidello. You shall
not kill the boy because he is the
doge's page.
The swords were lowered and the
men caught hold of the boys, who were
borne across the halls and thence down
flight of steps to a dungeon.
I've will send for you when you are
wanted cried the soldiers, as they
turned away, and the next moment a
key grated in a lock and the boys knew
that they were prisoners in one of the
stored dungeons of the old palace.
For a little while they stood in the
dark, and then the hand of Fidello,
stealing out, fell upon the arm of his
companion. The fisher boy drew close
and put his arms around the pages
neck, letting his own rough face fall
gently upon the silken collar,
The doge has been discovered" said
Andrelio. You heard the soldiers say
that he is a traitor to Venice?''
II heard them" said the boy page
plot and counterpart. The old doge has
enemies and he must face Them
HE is guilty. He has conspired
against the republic"
Fidello with sudden impulse pushed
his companion away.
And you are a spy for the doge's en-
enies!" he exclaimed you came out
of the lions head last night. You had
seen the inside of the palace before
last night?"
Andreilo seemed to laugh at the end
of the boy pages sentence.
Last night was not the first time. I
lay on the grand staircase waiting for
my master when you came down and
found me. l thought it would be a
good joke to enter with you and act as
if had never seen the great halls and
the galleries before"
But it compromised me- exclaimed
Fidello -
so it did. but 1 never thought of
that at the time
The little rage slipped from the arm
| that encircled his neck and drew Off
ANDRELLO'S FIDELITY.
In another moment there came a
pounding on the door, and as the boys
listened they heard the boisterous
words of the excited soldiers.
The palace was in the hands of the
doge's enemies, and as the great iron
door swung back some one called. can
drello," and the lantern aIt the thresh-
old showered its light upon the little
prisoners.
In an instant Andrello caught Fidel-
los arm and dragged him toward the
light, when one of the men shouted:
I'VE don't want the page. We are
here for you, Andrello, the faithful"
I'VE go out together" was the quick
retort. "Andrello Gargani will not de-
sert Fidello, whom he has betrayed"
Bring away both, then" said a voice
at the other end of the corridor, and as
the boys stepped out they were sur
rounded by a lot of halberds and were
marched to the great audience chamber
in the center of the palace.
Everywhere they saw evidences that
the doge was a. prisoner of the men he
had lately ruled.
The whole palace was under guard,
a lhprdinrc CT cta ~,
every corridor.
AS the door of TIE great chamber was
thrown open Fidello caught a glimpse
of the people assembled therein, and
saw the old doge in chains standing at
the foot of the ducal throne.
All at once the voice of a man who
stood on the ducal throne rang out
above the whispering going on when
the boys were led into the room.
Lead Ffdello, the page, forward"
One of the soldiers disengaged An
drello's arm from the boy pages waist
and led him toward the throne
What sayest chou about thy mas
ter's friends?" asked the man on the
ducal throne. Thou hast seen them in
the palace at the dead of night. Who
| were they boy?'
Little Fidello thus called upon to be-
tray the doge, turned pale and spake
not.
FIDELLo REFUSES TO SPEAK.
He had seen strange things within
the walls of the grand palace. He had
| seen men enter it at the hour of mid
night, coming in at the secre& gate
with a password which savored of
treason to the republic. He had seen
dark shadows pass toward the doge's
private apartments, had watched the
door till it opened to let them out