The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1899-04-19

was the OhEulNh Wooh NBaih Iuo
mad disappearing week of revelry
and deviltry. The streets were
rainbow with motley wear and thunder
GUS with the roar and laughter of the
crowd, recruited by a vast inhbw Ct
strangers; from the windows and roofs,
black with heads, frolicsome hands
threw hon.y, dirty water, rotten eggs,
and even boiling oil upon the pedestrisrs
and cavaliers below. Bloody Iumults
broke ont, sacrilegious masqueTaders in
vaded the churches. They lampooned
all things human and divine the whip
and the gallows literally applied availed
naught to check the popular license.
Every prohibitory edict became dead
letter. In such a season the Jews might
well tremtl' made over the facetious
Christian slways excellent whet-stones
for wit, they afforded peculiar diversion
in Carnival times.
The morning dawned blue and cold !;
but soon the clouds gathered aud jostliDg
jewellers scented with JOY the prospect of
rain. At the Arch of San Lorena in
Lucina, in the long, narrow street of the
Via Corso, where doorways and case
mpnts and roofs and iootways we're agrin
with faces, half dozen Jews or 30 we're
assembled pell-mell. They had jnst
been given hearty meal, but they did
not look grateful. Almost naked, save
for white cloak of the mesgerest di-
mansions, comically indecent, covered
with tinsel aud decorated with laurels,
they stood shivering, awaiting the COM
mand to "Go!" to run the gauntlet of al
this sinister crowd, over-welling with
loEg.repretsed venom, seething with
taunts and lewdness. At last mounted
officer gave the word, and, amid coloe-
al shout of gee from the mob, the half
naked, grotesoue figures, with their
strange Oriental faces of sorrow, started
al a wild run down the Corso. The goal
was the Castle of st. Angelo. Originally
the rsce-course ended with the CorsO,
but it had been considerably heightened
to crafty recent Pope who wished to
have the finish under his windows as he
sat in his semi-secret Castle chamber
amid the frescoed nudes of Giulio
Romano. Fast, fast flew the racers, for
the sooner the goal was reached the
sooner would they find respite from this
hail of sarcasm mixed with weightier
stones, and these frequent proddings
from the lively sticks of the bystanders,
or Of the fine folk obstructing the course
in coaches in defiance of edict And to
accelerate their pace still further, the
mounted officer, with squad Of soldiers
armed "capa.pie," galloped at their
heels, ever threatening to ride them
down. They ran, ran, putting, painting,
sweating, apoplectic for to the end that
they might nigh burst with stitches in
the side had brilliant organizer of the
fete stuffed them full with preliminary
meat. Oh, drOll oh, delicious oh, rare
for Antony And now a young man,
noticeable by his emaCiated face and his
premature badness, was. drawing to the
front amid iropic cheers. When the
grotesque racers had passed by, noble
cavaliers displayed their dexterity at
the quintain, and beautiful ladies at the
balconies-not masked, as in France,
but radiantly evealed-changed their
broad smiles to the subtler smiles of
dalliance. And then suddenly the storm
broke-happy ally OF the fete-jocostly
drenching the semi. nude runners. On,
on they sped, breathless, blind, gasping,
befouled by mud, and bruised by
missiles, with the horses hoois greziDg
their heels; on, on, along the thousand
yards of the endless course; on, on,
sodden and dripping and stumbling.
They were nearing the goal. They had
alrt adv passed San Marco, the old goal.
The young Jew still leading, but fat
old Jew pressed him close. The excite
ment of tEo crowd doubled. A thou
sand mocking voices encouraged the
rivals. They were on the bridge. The
Castle of St. Angelo, whose bastiops
were named after the Apostles, was in
sight. The fat old Jew drew cl 'se~,
anxious. now that he was come 80 far to
secure the thirty-six crowns that the
prize might be sold for. But the favorite
made a mighty squirt. He passed the
Pape's window, and the day was his
The armament rang with laughter as
the other candidates painted up. A
great yell greeted the fell of the fat old
mao in the roadway, where he lay pros
frate.
An official rendered the winner the
"pallia," which was the puz "a piece
OF red Venetian cloth. The young Jew
took it, surveying it with a strange, I'M
fathomable gszs, but the judge inter
posed.
'The captain of the soldiers tells me
they did not start fair at the Arch. They
must run again tomorrow. This was a
favorite device for prolor ging the fun.
But the winners eyes blazed ominously.
"NsyI but we started as balls shot
from a ialconet."
"Psscs, peace, return him the pal
lio,'" whispered a racer behind him,
tugging spprehensively at his own gar
ment "They always adjudge II again
10 the first winner" But the young