Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-06-03

| 10 his enormous possessions sole head
Of his powerful house there were
! .aany candid friends who, with their
Iusual kindness prophesied the worst
/ things Of my future. Nay, there were
/ even some who looked forward to my
/ physical and mental destruction with
"A certain degree of malignant eXpec-
tation-and they we're estimable per-
sons too. They we're respectfully con-
/ 1ected-ther words carried weight
and for a time / was the object OF
! their maliciously pious fears. | was
destined, according to their calcula-
tions, to be gambler, a spendthrift,
la drunkard, an incurable roue, OF the
most abandoned character. Yet,
strange to say, ! became none of these
/ things. Though a Neapolitan, with
all the fiery passions and hot blood of
my race | had an innate sccrn for the
contemplate vices and low desires
of the unthinking vulgar. Gambling
seemed to me a delirious folly-drink,
a destroyer of health and reason
and lcentious extravaganza an out
rage on the poor. ! chose my own way
( Of lifo-a middle course between sim
Iulicity and luxury judicious ming
ling Of nJme-like peace vita The gayety
OF sympathetic social intercourse-an
even tenor of intelligent existence
which neither exhausted the mind nor
. injured the body.
| dwelt in my fathers villa-a min
iJtuge palace of white marble, situated
on a wooded height overlooking the
Bay Of Naples My pleasure grounds
we're fringed with fragrant groves Of
orange and myrtle where hundreds Of
0ull-yoiced nghtiugales warbled their
/ love. melodies TO the golden moon.
Sparkling fountains rose and fell In
huge stone basins carved with many
a quaint design, and 4heir cool muir
muIous splash refreshed the burning
silence of the hottest summer air. In
this retreat | lived at peace for some
happy years, surrounded by books and
pictures and visited frequently by
1 fIiendsyoung men whose tastes were
mere or less like my own, and who
were capable of equally approaching
the merits Of an antique volume, or
the flavor of Il rare vintage.
or women | saw little or nothing,
Truth to tell, ! instinctiyely avoided
them. Parents with manageable
daughters invited me frequently to
their house, but these invitations
generally refused My best books
warned me against feminine society
and | believed and accepted the warn
/ Ing This tendency of mine exposed
me tc the ridlcule Of those among my
4 companions whe were amorously in
clined, but their gay jests at what they
termed my weakness" never affected
me. ! trusted in friendship rather
+ than love, and | had friend one
for wlCm at that time would gladly
have laid down my life-one who in
spied me with the most profound at
tachuen t. He, Guido Ferrari. also
Joined occasionally with others in the
gccd-natured mockery | brought down
I8lol yself by my shrinking dislike
of women
Fly on thee. Fabol' he would cry.
~ hcu wilt not taste life till thou hast
b. llc, the nectar from a pair of rose
It'G llps thou shalt not guess the rid
Gle OF the stars til, thou hast gazNd
deep down into the fathomless glory
of maiden's eyes-thou canst not
know delight till thou hast clasped
eager arms round a coy waist and
heard the beating of passionate
heart against thine own! A truce TO
thy musty volumesl Believe It, those
ancient and sorrowful philosophers
had no mankind in them-their blood
was water-and their ISLANDERS against
women were but the pettish uttcrauces
Of their own deserved disappoint-
ments Those who miss the chief prize
of life would fain persuade others
that il Is not worth having What
mani Thou, with a ready wit, a glanc-
ing eve a KAY smile % supple forui
thou wilt not enter The lists of love?
What says Noltaire Of the blind god?
Qui que tn sois VOLTA ton maltre.
II full est-ou II doit etre!"
Whom my friend spoke thus smiled.
but answered nothing. His argu-
meUts failed to convince me. Yet
loved to hear him talk his voice was
mellow as the note of a thrush and
his eyes had an eloquence greater than
all speech. | loved him-God knows!
unsel6shly, sincerely with that rare
tenderness sometimes felt by school
boys for one another. but seldom ex-
rariruged by grown men was happy
in his society, as he, indeed appeared
20 be IN mine. We passed most OF
out time together, he, like myself, hay
ina been hgrcaved of his parents I'm
cWlN youth ana therefore left 10
shape out his own course of HE ms
suited his particular fancy He chose
am us profession and. though a
fairly successful painter. Was as poor
~ WAS rieh remelisd .his uee'arf
Fortune for him In various WAYS
"tte dne torethought ana delitary
nd gave him as MANY commissions as
1 possibly could without ra,,gf,.. ht