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

"If there is anything you want. Mar
do said Sandro, perhaps you will men,
ton it. II you don't want anything per-
haps you will go away and let me finish
my wine in peace. Nobody invited you to
come here, and it was just a little imper-
tlnent for you to thrust yourself among a
dinner party of honest folk. But you al
ways were impertinent. That was the
reason. if you remember, why I was
obliged to spoil my knife against your
ribs
The stranger gazed steadily into San
dros eyes. but he made no sound Just
then the door opened for the breadth of
a hand, and the scared face of Antonio
was visible through the opening. He had
ventured back to see if Sandro was still
alive, and if so. whether he was as badly,
frightened as the rest of the gondoliers
mad been. Sandro saw and read the;
meaning of Antonio's face. and seized the
opportunity to show his utter fearless
ness of ghosts. -
See here. Nardo," he exclaimed. II will
do anything that a man can do to please
you tonight. What would you like to.
have me do? Say the word, and l am at
your service" a.
The stranger rose up. and moving
toward the door, from which the terrified
Antonio had already vanished, beckoned
slowly to Sandro to follow him. - #
"Certainly.' said Sandro. Perhaps
you have forgotten that it is still, rain
ing dogs. but no matter. A little rain
will not hurt us. Lead the way, and J.
Will folloW-that is, if my legs will let,
me; for the wine has loosened the joints
of them, till they are like the legs of the
beggar Of the Campo SAINT Angelo. who,
we all know, has no legs whatever"
There is no doubt that Sandro had
drunk too much wine, and that his brain
as Wen as his legs, was affected by it.
Still. his courage was undiminished, and
he was ready to follow the ghost to pur-
gatory or anywhere else. AS the two
passed into the Gale, and turned to the
left, directing their steps to where a
gohdola was moored, Sandr saw a
group of his late dinner companions
gathered at a corner, at what they sup
posed to be a safe distance from the
ghost. He called to them: "Goodby till
we meet again! / am going to dine in
~purgatory with the good Nardo. | will
tell you all about it when / return."
When the gondola was reached, the
ghost motioned to Sandro to enter and
seat himself under the felze. This is
really too kind saiu Sandro. "Nardo!
thou art a good devil, after all. Take me
to my house, and my wife will pay thee
in case l am too drunk to find my pocket.
Thou art q most excellent devil, and
ask thy pardon for that stab I gave thee
Sandro dropped with his head on the
cushioned seat of the gondola and fell in
stantly asleep. The ghost took up the oar
and the gondola fioated down the mar
row canal. until the Canalazzo was
reached. This was rapidly crossed, and
the gondola took the shortest way across
the city toward the Ponte del Mendicanti.
SandrOs late companions, after crossing
the traghetto. followed swiftly on foot.
They were in time to see the gondola gain
the open lagoon. In spite of the storm,
the ghostly gondolier rowed steadily to-
ward the cemetery, and in a few minutes
was lost to view in the driving rain.
Heaven have mercy or poor Sandro's
see him again."
And they never die. What was be-
lieved by many to be his body was found
in the lagoon a fortnight later, but it was
never satisfactorily identified. That he
was carried off by the ghost of his victim,
who escorted him straight to purgatory
was firmly believed by all who knew the
unfortunate Sandro. Certain skeptica'
policemen maintained that the ghost was
in reality Nardo's brother. who had lureC
Sandro into his boat, and murdered hin
when out of sight of any witnesses
Doubtless Nardo had a brother, for i
was notorious that he had once been i'm
prisoned for robbing his brother of a new
!, suit of clothes; but nobody in Venice hat
ever seen the brother, who was variousl,
alleged to be a gondolier at Burano,
cab driver at Treviso, and a fisherman o
Chioggia. The only certainly is tina
! Sandro was never seen alive after he en-
e tered the strangers gOndola, and nobod!
! but an infidel can doubt that his bolt
: and ~blasphemous language at the Dime
= table was fifty punished by the ghost 0
,, the dead Nardo.-(W. L. Alden, in Blacl
. and White.