Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-11-04
Welcome the festaI houri

! Welcome the festal houri
Pour the red wine into cups of gold!
Health to the men who are strong and
| bold!
Welcome the festal hour
| Waken the echoes with riot0us mirth-
Cease to remember the sorrows Of
| earth
In the joys of the festal hour,
Wine is the monarch of laughter and
light,
Death himself shall be merry tonight!
Hail to the festal hour"
An enthusiastic of clapping OF hands
rewarded this effort on the part Of
the unseen vocalists, and the music
having ceased, conversation became
general.
by Heaven," exclaimed Ferrari, IF
this Olympian carouse is meant as
welcome to me, AMIGO, all l can say is
that I do not deserve it. Why, it IS
more fit for the welcome Of one king
to his neighbor sovereign"
"Ebbene!" l said. Are there any
better kings than honest men? Let
US hope we are thus far worthy of each
| others esteem"
He flashed a bright look of graft
tude upon me and was silent, listen
ing to the choice and complimentary
phrases uttered by the Duke di Marina
concerning the exquisite taste dis
played in the arrangemnt of the table
You have nc doubt Travelled much
in the East, conte," said the noble
man. Your banquet reminds me of an
! Oriental romance l once read. called
'Vathek.'
''Exactly:,' exclaimed Guido. q
| think Olivia must be Vathek himself!'
Scarcely" 1 said, smiling coldly
Il lay no claim to supernatural ez-
1, ciences. The realities of life are
sufficiently wonderful for me-
Antonio Biscardi the painter, a re-
| fined, gentle-featured man, looked to-
wards us and said modestIy:
Il think you are right, conte. The
beauties of nature and of humanity
are SO varied and profound that were
it not for the inextinguishable longing
after immortality which has been
placed in every one of US, l think we
should be perfectly satisfied with this
world as it is
You speak like an artist and a man
o. even temperament" broke in the
Marchese Gualdro, who had finished
his soup quickly in order to be able
to talk-talaing being his chief de-
light. For me, | am never contented
[ never have enough of anything. That
is my nature. When l see lovely flow
ers, I wish more of them-when | be-
hold fine sunset, I desire many more
such sunsets-When [ look upon a
lovely woman"
You would have lovely women ad
inf1nitumi" laughed the French Capt.
taine de Hamal. EN- verite, Gualdro
you should have been a Turk!'
And why not?" demanded Gualdro
"The Turks are very sensible people
they know how to make coffee better
than we do. And what more fascinat-
ing than a harem? 1t must be like a
fragrant dollhouse, where one is free
to wander every day, sometimes gath
ering a gorgeous lily, sometimes a
simple viOlet-sometimes
"A thorn?" suggested Salustri
We'll, perhaps!" laughed the Mar
cheese. yet one would run the risk
of that for the sake of a perfect rose
Chevalier Mancini, who wore in his
button-hole the decoration of the
Legion dHonneur, looked up-he was
a thin man with keen eyes and a
shrewd face which, though at a first
glance appeared stern, could at the
least provocation break up into a
thousand little wrinkles of laughter.
There is undoubtedly somethin
entrainant about the idea" he OBJ
served, in his methodical way Il
have always fancied that marriage
as we arrange it is a great mistake"
"And that is why you have never
tried it," queried Ferrari, looking
amused.
"Certissimamente," and the chevaI-
ier's grim countenance began to work
with satirical humor. 81 have resolved
that [ will never be bound over by the
law to kiss only one woman. AS mat
tiers stand, I can kiss them all if j
like
A shout Of merriment and cries of
ooh! OH" greeted this remark, which
Ferrari, however, did not seem in
clined to take in good part.
"All?" he said, with a dubious air.
you mean all except the married
ones?"
The chevalier put on his spectacles,
and surveyed him with a sort Of
comic severity.
when I said all, meant ALL he,
returned-"the married ones in par
ticular. They, poor things, need such
attentions-an often invite them
why not? Their husbands have most
likely ceased to be amorous after the
first months Of marriage"
I burst out laughing. 'YOu are right
Mancini,' l said: ''and even if the
husbands are fools enough to con-
tinue their gallantries they deserve tcI
be duped-and they generally are!
Come, amico!" l added, turning tc
Ferrai, chose are your own senti-
ments-you have often declared them
to me-
He smiled uncomfortably, and his
brows contracted. l could easily per-
ceive that he was annoyed. To
change the tone of the conversation,
cro1-o n cio,oI fo1. tho music IN ro-