Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-11-04

looking his best. | readily admitted
his charm of manner; had | not my
self been subjugated and fascinated
by it in the old happy foolish days?
He was enthusiastically greeted and
welcomed back to Naples by all the
gentlemen assembled, many of whom
were his own particular friends,
They embraced him in the impression
able style common to Italinas, with the
exception on the stately Duca di
Marina, who merely bowed courte-
ously, and inquired if certain families
of distinction whom he named had yet
arrived Ill Rome for the winter season.
Ferrari was engaged in replying to
these questions with his usual grace
and ease and influence, when a note
was brought to me marked I'm
mediate 1t contained a p~rofuce and
elegantly worded apology from Carlo
Respetti, who regretted deeply that an
unforeseen matter of business would
prevent himself and his brother from
having the inestimable honor and de-
light of dining with me that evening.
| thereupon rang my bell as a sign
that the dinner need no longer be de-
layed and, turning to those assembled,
I announced TO them the unavoidable
absence of two of the party.
"A pity Francesca could not have
come" said Captain Freccia, twirling
the ends of his long mustachios. He
! 1Nyr1r GOOD NINA ntl hnttar Gtil QnnH
company"
Caro- Capitano.' broke in the must
cal voice of the Marchese Gualdro,
you know that our francesca goes
nowhere without his beloved Carlo.
Carlo cannot Come-altro, Francesca
will not. Would hat all men were
such brothers,
If they were,' laughed Luciano
Salustri, rising from the Yiano where
he had been playing softly to him
self, half the world would be thrown
out of employment. You, for instance,
turning to the Marquis D~'Avencourt,
would scarce know what to do with
your time"
The marquis smiled and waved his
hand, which was remarkably small
and d~elicately formed-it looked
almost fragile. YET the strength and
suppleness of D'Avencourt's wrist was
reputed to be prodigious by those who
had seen him handle the sword,
whether in play or grim earnest,
1T is an impossible dream" he said,
in reply to the remarks of Gualdro
and Salustri, that idea of all men
fraternizing together in one common
pig-sty of equality. Look at the diff
ferences of caste, Birth, breeding and
education make of man that high
nettled, sensitive animal known as
gentleman, and not all the socialistic
theories in the world can force him
down on the same level with the
rough boor, whose fiat nose and coarse
features announce him as plebeian
even before n hears the tone of
his voice. We cannot help these
things. I do not think we would help
them even if we could
you are quite right" said Ferrari.
You cannot put ~race-horses to draw
the pillow. | have always imagined
that the first quarrel-the Cain and
Abel affair-must have occurred
through some difference of caste as
well as iealousy-for instance, per-
haps Abel was a negro and Cain a
white man, or vice versa; which would
account for the a~ntipathy existing be-
tween the races to this day"
The Duke di Marina coughed a
stately cough, and shrugged his Shout
ders.
''That first quarrel" he said, "as re-
lated in the Bible, was exceedingly
vulgar. 1t must have been a kind of
prize-fght. Con- ettai pas fin"
Gualdro laughed delightedly.
so like you, Marina!" he exclaimed,
Ito say that, / sympathize with your
sentiments, Fancy the butcher Abel
lpiling up his reeking carcasses and
setting them on fire, while on tne
4 other side stood Cain the green-grocer
frizzling his c~abbages, turnips, carrots,
and other vegetable matteri What a
spectacle, The gods of Olympus would
have sickened at IT. However, the jew
ish Deity, or rather, the well-fed priest
who represented him, showed his good
taste in the matter; | myself prefer
the smell of roast meat to the rather
disagreeable odor of scorching yege-
.tablesi'
we laughed-and at that moment
the door was thrown open, and the
Ihead-waiter announced In solemn
tones BETTING his dignity
lie diner de Monsieur le Comte
est servii'
/ at once led the way to the ban
ouetlng-room-my guests followed
gayly. talking and jesting among
themselves. They were all in high
good humor. none Of them had as yet
noticed the fatal blank caused by the
absence of the brothers Respetti. j
had-for the number Of my guests
was o thirteen instead Of fifteen
Thirteen at table! | wondered II any