The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-11-01

"When you say there are no ghosts"
replied Bartolo. you forget the picture
in the academy which proves that the
blessed Saints Mark and Nicholas and
George appeared to q fisherman and
made him row them over to s.. Andrea.
II there are ghosts Of saints, there
must be ghosts Of sinners"
| "Not Mt ALL" said Sandro. 1.-The
saints-and I don't deny that there
may be saints, though / never have
seen one-can, of course, work miracles
and consequently they can make
| ghosts OF themselves II they want to.
But Nardo was not saint, as every
one will agree. So whatever st. Mark
and his comrades may have done has
nothing to do with what Nardo can or
cannot do. Besides, l am not SO sure
about that story of the saints and the
fisherman. True. there is the picture.
but any one could have painted 1t.
What l want to know Is where Is the
ring that the ghost Of st. Mark gave
to the fisherman. Show me that ring
and perhaps may believe the story"
Just then loud clap Of thunder
shook the wall Of the Osteria, and two
Of the younger gondoliers crossed
themselves. You see, Sandro," said
the old gondolIer solemnly, ''it does not
do to say blasphemous things about st.
Mark. There Is going to be q Storm.
and who knows that 1t is not sent to
| rebuke thee? There was man whom
I knew. rlan much Of thy age and
appearance. He, too, was an unbeliev
er, and lie said one night ut the ira
| ghetto of S. Toma, in the presence Of
| four or five Of us, that he didn't con-
| slider St. Mark fit to be n patron saint
| because he did not send German trav-
| elers to Venice except In the spring.
Ten days later that man played eight
soldi in the lottery, putting two soldl
| on each Of four numbers. What hap
| pened? Why every one OF those num-
| bers won, and the man was fit TO kill
himself because he had not played on
| the Quaterno. Instead Of winning q
! few lire h9 might have won fortune.
That shows that it is dangerous to
speak lightly Of the blessed saints"
II have nothing to say against the
saints" returned Sandro, who did not
| seem very much impressed by the
and expect them to let me alone. But
S1OSl6 0IS IL uIASISuL So NOW i
| don't care q centesimo for all the
| ghosts in purgatory. III the first place,
there isn't any purgatory; in the Sec
ond place, there are no ghosts, and, in
the third place, II Nardo has q ghost
looking for NE, shall be glad to see
him here or anywhere else and will
agree to offer him bottle Of wine and
to share it with him."
"For heavens sake, SandrO" cried q
| young ondolier-Antonio, the foolish
"don't speak such wild ard wicked
| words. Who can tell who Is listening?
| Above all, don't talk in that way while
| there Is q thunderstorm growing. It
| Is as black rs midnight outside. I my
self don't always believe In everything
| when the sun shines, but when it Is as
dark as this and the thunder may
| strike ut any minute. believe every
thing"
| A fresh thunderclap that 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, COM
| PEELED the company to keep silence
| When quiet returned, Sandro once
| more, with unabashed spirits, resumed
| his skeptical comments on ghosts.
"You are wretchedly superstltious-
| ell OF you." he said. 81 don't SO much
mind your ideas about religion, for un-
less you waste too much money In
masses and ether
Another crash that sounded If the
Osterin itself had been struck or
smashed into a million Of pieces, inter-
rupted Snndro, and when he was able
IN III f1 I'll 1,ol n toll
| the trouble to mend his broken SEN
tence.
"As l was saying" he continued, II
don't fiEd fault with you for believing
In religion and saints and all such
things, for IL you want to be children
you have a right to suit yourselves.
But that you should believe in ghosts
| and be afraid Of them, is trying to my
temper. Consider q little. How can O
ghost hurt you? He never carries a
knife; no man ever yet pretended to
have seen ghost with knife. He
can't hit you. for he Is as thin as SO
much smoke. aid you 1sighG as we'll
expect Whit Of Toni's cigar to hurt
you-which is strong enough in all con-
science to hit you between the eyes and
knock you down. Il there are ghosts,
they are as harmless as so many girls,
and for my part I should as soon think
of being afraid OF a 2-months-old CIR.
baby. .
"Wait till you see a ghost" said old
Bartolo. ''You will sing q different
song then. II a ghost were to appear
to you tonight-and 1t is On excellent
night for gbosts-I believe that you
would be the worst frightened man In
Venice"
"You think would be frightened:"
cried Snndrc :rsT;:y. .'Tou are an old
man, and am a peaceable one. or
should have something to say to you
on that question OF being afraid. But
I will tell you what should do If l
were to see ghost. should welcome
him as If he was my Oldest friend.