The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-08-12

der were gcsat when beheld the name
and date, Leonardo da Vinci, 1477.
''Talk of your Cellini vases and your
Palsy pottery" thought L. Here is a
treasure which surpasses all of them
together"
Jacopo had now found the key, and
Guilty. 1t contained a large number of
precious stones of one kind and an
other and a very goodly quantity of
golden forms. Most of the latter bore
the face of Cosmo de- Medici and dates
ranging from 1440 to 1460. They were
all rather light in weight, which bore
out the theory l had always had of old
Cosmo and his system of banking. l
determined to touch none of this money
for my own use but l gave over to
Clan Jacopo a handful, with orders to
lay it out in what might be necessary
to give to the old gentleman a sendoff
proportionate to his rank.
The trusty old domestic having de-
parted upon his errand and left me
with the remains of my distinguished
forbear, set myself to musing upon
the almost miraculous experiences
which had that day encountered.
The explanation of the puzzle was
nearer at hand than imagined. Upon
marble writing leggio which stood
near the head Of the bed lay a very
voluminous manuscript engrossed in a
small but distinct handwriting. Pos
sessing myself of it, l found that it
was entitled '"The Chronicles of Firen-
zalino. From the Year 1892 Until the
Present Time, Set Down and Com
mented Upon Briefly by Signor Arnol-
70 de- Pazzi." If | was anxious for
anything, it was to know something
about the strange land into which
had so strangely been introduced, and
in this manuscript l beheld the author
ity which best would enlighten me.
therefore sat down and perused it with
avidity and in an hour or thereabout
had mastered it's contents. / do not
say that read more than tenth part
Of the whole matter which it contained
To do so would have been impossible
in so short time, but by reading the
heads of chapters and CHANGING hur-
riedly over the less important details
managed to make myself reasonably
conversant with the history and ap-
pearance of the country and with the
customs peculiarities and occupations
of its people.
Upon the-arrival of Father Sylvester
| withdrew with Clan Jacopo into the
garden, taking the casker with me, ant
there, under the shade of a gigantic
olive tree, l put to the trusty bench
man such questions as might enlighteT
me further upon the subject of this
mysterious mountain and this ancient
and valiant race Of men, taking care
at the same time to clothe my inquiries
in such garb as to awaken no suspicion
in his mind that l was not the rea
simon pure Timoteo.
l will here set down as plainly an(
as briefly as possible the results of my
examination of the chronicles and OF
my conference with Clan JacOpo, thu
same being the story of Firenzalin'
and its people, or as much of it as it i
necessary for you to know.
From the middle of the thirteenth t.
the end of the fifteenth century man.
people were eXiled from the grea
and glorious city of Florence-some 70
crimes and the most of them for diff
ferent political reasons. Among thes,
were the great family of Pazzi, eXileC
for completely in the murder of Giuli
ano de- Medici, and another great fam
iIy the Albizzi, eXiled by their enem.
Cosmo when he got the upper hand o
them.
Well, in time. perhaps along towart
the middle of the fifteenth century,
great number of these eXiles and de
scendants of eXiles, after wanderin;
about Italy for many years and trying
without avail to get back into thei
beloved city, took up their abode upOl
barren island in the midst of a lake
which lay some thirty or forty miles t.
the north of Florence in the very hear
of the Apennines. Upon this wild ant
dQ@olate spot, which nevertheless wa
/! almost within sight of their nativ