Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-16
NARDO'S GHOST.

When Lissandro had the misfortune to
kill NardO. there was scarcely a gondo-
1ierinNenice who did not sympathiZe with
him. Lissandro was a good tempered, Jo-
via young fellow, without a single 1ault'
unless it was that he was freethinker. Or
course, it is very bad to be a freethinker,
though. after all, it is a matter when
does not greatly concern any one except
the freethinker himself: and then he can
always change his opinions when he
comes to die, and can confess and be ab-
solve like any other Christian, unless he
has the i'll luck to be drowned where
there is no priest at han Sandro was
always ready to help a friend in distress,
and he nearly always had money in his
pocket: for he was so frank and honest
in his ways with the foreigners whom he
rowed that he could nearly always charge
them at least double the tariff fare and
collect it without making them suspl-
cious. That so good a fellow and clever
a gOndolier should have been compelled
to stab a man was certainly a great pity,
and the day that Sandro went to prison
more than one friendly gOndolier shed
tears and cursed the meddling of the
police in the strongest possible ~nguag
Sandro did not stay in prison longer
than four months. Although everybody
knew that he had stabbed Nardo and
thrown his body into the basin at the fur
Their end of the Riva degli Schiavoni, the
body was never found, and so the magls-
trate said that there was no sufficient
proof that Nardo was dead. and ina
Sandro must be released with a solemn
warning never to stab another man.
While the people were glad that Sandro
was released, there was a general feeling
that The magistrate had no right to as
pute Sandro's word. Had he not said
dozens of times that he had been obllged
to kill Nardo because the latter openly
asserted that Sandro's grandfather dld
not win the regatta in 1893, whereas the
Very flag that the grandfather won IS
still hanging in Sandro's house? 1t was
certainly not polite in the magistrate TO
pay no attention to what Sandro salu,
and to decide hat there was no proof OF
Nardo's death. But magistrates nave no
regard for other peoples feelings, ana
that is the reason why they are masls-
trates and send poor men to prison Tor
next to nothing. When Lissandro came
out of Jail, eleven gondoliers belonging to
his traghetto gave him a dinner at the
Csteria della Pace, in the Gale Lunga >.
Barnabo. II was a capital dinner, con-
sisting of fried fish and polenta and all
the wine that any one cared to call Tor.
Thu fish were beautifully cooked, the po-
lenta was of the very best. golden in col
or. and as light as a feather; two slices
OF it were all that a man wanted to eat,
So generously thick did the landlord
serve it. AS for the wine, it was last
years Verona, reasonably pure, and good
and strong. When the Dime was finished
the guests lit the genuine Tuscan cigars
that the landlord furnished without
charge, and each man began to drink in
earnest.
LissandrO had borne his Imprisonment
well. He was a tritle thinner than form
erly, but he was in excellent health and
spirits. He told once more the familiar
story of his dispute with Nardo, intro
ducing several entirely variations, which
tended to show his great forbearance
when the quarrel began, and the ire
mendous strength and activity which he
exercised when the fatal struggle cul-
minated. His comrades
agreed that he could not have acted more
nobly thar he had acted, and that there
We're no terms strong enough to chaf'
acterize the conduct of the police in ar
resting him for a matter which was none
of their business. Suddenly a grave ole
gondolier. who was regarded as the
father of the ira ghetto and who had beer
absorbing his Wine in comparative 81
Hence. asked Sandro if he did not fear tha
the ghost of Nardo would appear to him
Thou knowest," said the old gondolier
"that when a man has not had Christian
JpIii lSi iI' - 'ip'1 49, y - y y 49,
trying to find some one who viii give hin
q comfortable grave. Now Dardo must
have been carried out to sea, and 1T Is
my opinion that some night he will com,
back and haunt YOU
Go away =Bartolo.' cried Sandro
"Thpre are no such things as ghosts
When a man dies either that is an end o
him or else he goes so far away that h
can never find his way back. Besides,
should not be in the least afraid of {
ghost, even if there was one who came K
see me. If am not afraid of live mel
/ need not be afraid of dead ones
when you say there are no ghosts,
replied Bartolo. you forget the picture II
the Academy, which proves that thu
blessed SITS. Mark and Nicholas ant
George appeared to a fisherman, ant
made him row them over to S. Andrea
If there are ghosts of saints there mus
be ghosts of sinners
Not at ALL" said Sandro THE saints
and | don't deny that there may b.
saints, though l have never seen one, can
of course, work miracles, and conse
Quently they can make ghosts of them
selves if they want to. But Nardo wa
not a saint, as every one Will agree. -
whatever st. Mark and his comrades ma.
have done has nothing to do with wha
Nardo can or cannot do. Besides, l an
not SO sure about that story of the saint
and the fisherman. True. there is the pic
ture, but any one could have painted ii
What | want to know is where is tn,
ring that the ghost of ST. Mark CAV t,
the fisherman. Show me that ring, am
perhaps l may believe the story"
Just then a loud clap of thunder shooi
the wall of the Osteria, and two of tn
younger gondOliers crossed themselves
"You see, Sandro," said the old gondoliel
solemnly, sit don do to say blasphemou:
thing about St. Mark. There is going t.
be a storm. and who knows that it is no
SEM TO rebuke thee? There was a MAJ