The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-06
Doeosoeoooeoeeoeoooooooool
. The Chimes Of Limerick. !
A Beautiful Story Of How the Bells
Found Their Way to the Banks I
of the Shannon.

eminent, there lived in the city of
Genoa a young man called Giuseppe
Giovanni. For many centuries the fam
lily of Giovanni had been makers of
bells and chimes.
Giuseppe's father had made some of
the most famous chimes that rang in
Italy, but had never succeeded in ac-
complishing his idea. 1t had been his
great ambition to make set of chimes
that the whole world would come to
hear, bells of heavenly tone. The elder
Giovanni was hot headed man,
stanch democrat and rather too free
of speech. A few ill chosen sentences
derogatory to the reigning powers
proved his downfall, and one day as
Giuseppe was hard at work on an odd
bell for the cathedrals chimes a litter
bearing the form of his father, with
deadly stab wound in his back, was
brought into the dingy little shop and
set down before the son.
Giuseppe" said the dying man.
keep out of politics and live only in
your work. Strive only for your ideal,
and in the end you may succeed where
your father failed. Aim for the very
highest. and may God grant that you
accomplish it."
A year after his fathers death found
the young artisan hard at work in his
shop. When his father died, he had
/ made a VOW to accomplish the ideal
that his father had vainly struggled
for. The bench at which he was work
ing was rough hewn, long and broad
and Uttered with a confusion of tools.
1 bits of metal and unfinished bells. On
1 one corner Of the bench was collec
| ton of tuning forks of various sizes
4 and metals. At one side of the tuning
forks lay dusty old violin and slen-
of the shop We're a small furnace, a
/ half dozen holds and heap of scrap
metal covered with dirt and rust. The
ceiling of the shop consisted of several
| heavy beams covered with rough
i boards to which hundreds of spiders
had fastened their webs. From one
beam hung suspended an enormous
bell fitted with long, slender clapper
capped on the end with large brass
knob. This bell was inscribed with
strange characters, q relic of the last
! crusade.
/ Giuseppe was polishing away with a
sanded cloth at the surface of bell
that already shone lustrously in the
dim light that struggled through the
little windows in the front of the shop
His fingers fairly flew as he turned,
twisted and rubbed the shiny bowl OF
metal. A rough cloth succeeded the
one of soft texture. Then the bell
was hung on little metal frame some
what like gallows in construction
A drawer was opened and a bundle OF
cloth produced from it's recess and
swiftly unrolled to reveal highly pol
ished and properly wrought little clap
per, which the young mechanic deftly
fitted in the inverted bowl of the bell
/ A piece of Irvine was attached to 6
little knob on the bulb of the clapper
A gentle pull and subdued silvery
tone filled the narrow confines of thu
shop. The tone swelled until it fairly
rang. reverberating from wall to wall
from rafter to rafter seeking out every
, nook and Granny of the shop. dyin.
away at last in little shudder of de
light. The young Genoan had claspet
his hands together and listened with al
agony of intensity, straining his ear
for a scintilla of flaw in the tones
4 and when the silvery Naturalization
had died away he leaned back with
sigh of ecstatic relief
Day after day and long into til,
: nights Giuseppe toiled with a fervo
. and energy almost fanatical. He at,
= but little and slept only when natura
fatigue compelled him. He became THU
q and emaciated. and his eyes shone witt
a feversh luster, but not for singh
day did he give up his work One b,
one his bells grew into the size an,
form he desired, and he gave to eacl
it's proper tone. To him they wer
things animate. He talked to them
!, caressed, petted and scolded, and eacl
: night when he ceased his labor he pu
) them away in their allotted place
with paternal care and solictude.
One beautiful August day Giusepp
! sat at his bench giving the finishing
a Nearly two years had passed since h
: began his work: two years. but
great change had taken place in til
appearance of the young man. Hi
face was pale and wan, and his hig
v cheek bones and sunken cheeks CAV
him deathly look.
s Finally he hung the last bell on tn
u little metal stand, fitted in his claI
per and gave it "A gentle swing. Th
tone that followed began like the sig
of man. worn and wearied by lif
Of hopeless disappointment. 1t gre,
e in deep crescendo until it became
l. knell, plant for the dead, then die
away in broken sob. The Genoa
l. followed the tone from it's inceptio
IS until it's last vibration ceased with a
Y earnestness that made the veins in hi
u forehead stand out and drew ever