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

agree to offer him a bottle of wine, to
share it with him.
For Heavens sake, Sandro!' cried a
Young gondolier-Antonio the Foolish
.don't speak such wild and wicked words.
| Who can tell who is listening? Above all.
| don't talk in that way while there is a
thunderstorm growing. 1t is as black as
midnight outside. l myself don't al
ways believe in everything when the sun
shines, but when it is dark as this ana
the thunder may strike at any minute :
believe everything"
A fresh thunderclap hat seemed to
rush from one side of the heavens over
Venice to the other and back again, as
if it was in search of some one, mpei
the company to keep silence. When quiet
returned SandrO once more with I'M
abashed spirits resumed his skeptlcal
comments. on ghosts.
you are wretchedly superstitious-aA
of you," he said. II don't so much mind
your ideas about religion, for unless you
waste too much money in masses ana
other"
Another crash, that sounded as if the
Osteria itself had been struck or smashed
into a million of pieces. Interrupted san
dro. and when he was able to continue ms
remarks he did not take the trouble 10
mend his broken sentence.
I was saying" he continued, II
] don't find fault with you for believing IN
! religion. and saints, and all such things,
for if you want to be children you nave a
right to suit yourselves. But that you
should believe in ghosts, and be afraid OF
them, is trying to my temper. CONSIDER
a little. How can a ghost hurt you: He
never carries a knife; no man ever yet
pretended to have seen a ghost with a
knife. He can't hit you for he is as thin
as so much smoke, and you might as well
expect a Whit of TOMS cigar to hurt you
which is strong enough in all con-
, science to hit you between the eyes and
knock you down.. If there are ghosts they
are as harmless as so many girls, and for
} my part l should as soon think of being
afraid OF a two-months-old girl baby
"Wait till you see a ghost" said old
Bartolo: you will sing a different SONG
then. If a ghost were to appear to you
tonight-and it is an excellent night for
ghosts-I believe that you would be the
worst frightened man in Venice"
"You think 1 would be frightened!'
cried Sandro, angrily. You are an old
man, and l am a Deaceable one, or l
should have something to say to you on
that question of being afraid. But 1 will
tell you what I should do if 1 We're to see
a ghost. 1 should welcome him as If he
We're my oldest friend. 1 hould say to
him: Come and have q bottle with me,
and tell me all about the place where you
| live Then I would put my arm in his.
and sing him something to raise his spir-
t it's, and unless he was as solemn as Bar
tolo, we should have as jolly an evening
as can be had in Venice"
t The door opened and a stranger en-
tered. He was evidently a gondolier, and
l a very wet one. 1t was quite natural that
+ he should be wet, since it had been rain
ing torrents for the last half hour, but he
l had apparently had an unexpected bath
, in the canal, for bits of seaweed We're
- v:- -, -,-1 1T. --.l 49,
2 thick blue mud of the lagoon was every
where plastered over his clothes.
Come in" shouted Sandro. "Come and
e drink a glass with us, though to be sure
e what you need is a little brandy, for !
can see that you have been overboard.'
: The stranger did not speak, but he
e bowed a polite acquiescence in Sandro's
/ invitation, and, tossing his hat into the
2 corner. sat down opposite Sandro, where
A the other guests made room for him.. As
: they looked at his face, now that it was
t no longer obscured by his hat, they one
:. and all crossed themselves, with the soli-
:, tary exception of Sandro. For the neW-
a conner was no other than Nardo, the dead
!, man. There could not be a shadow OF
4 doubt as to his identity. The face and
t figure were Enthusiastically those Of Mar
S do: besides, there was a stain on the left
e breast which might possibly have beer
mud. but which every one believed to be
}. blood. And it was precisely in the left
!, breast that Sandro had been obliged te
f stab NardO.
e Not a word was said either by the
[ stranger or by any one of the guests
Il They sat in profound silence, except fol
o the chattering of the teeth of Antonio
II who, had it been possible for his brOnzet
face to change color, would undoubtedly
= have been as pale as marble. Presently
n old BartOlo rose uD and walked silently
n md f,1 frN,,, t1n nnc v-n vyinr q
farewell to Sandro that was full of de.
spairing pity. The other gondoliers LOS
no time in following him; indeed, they
It crowded through the door as if a fire hac
broken out in the Osteria, and they were
in imminent danger of a horrible death
e Sandro and the tranger We're left alone
each apparently waiting for the other tt
speak. =
Very we'll, Nardo,'' exclaimed Sandro
S when he saw that the stranger was OBJ
o stinately silent; 80 you've come back tt
Venice again. What was the matter II
t purgartory? Did they turn you out be
n cause you We're not sympathetic-ant
S you know, Nardo, that you were never {
sympathetic person-or did you breal
out, the same as you did when you were
e locked up in the prison at Treviso FOL
o stealing from your brother"
d This allusion to a form Of theft re
garded among all gondoliers as nothing
X less han dishonorable, was we'll cal
g culated to draw an angry reply from
Nardo: but he still remained silent.
Il never believed in ghosts" resumed
s Sandro, but now that l see a very dirty
o ghost sitting before me, and refusing t
t drink good wine, I know that there arr
n ghosts, and that they are not good com.
e rades. Drink your wine, Nardo. ant
speak up like a man. I'm not afraid O.
you now that you are dead any more