The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-08-15

She laid her hand in mine
old man, and l feared that she would
refuse me, but she ended by giving me
a heavenly smile and laid her small,
cool, bejeweled hand in mine. Much
observed by all, you may imagine led
her through the concourse. and we took
our places among the dancers. 1t was
a slow and stately and voluptuous
saraband which we first danced that
antediluvian ancestor of the minuet
and the gavot. l have always been
master of the terpsichorean art. and
have reason to think that | performed
the saraband on that night better than
the man who invented it. After the
music ceased l led her into small al
covelike apartment at one side, where
they served such things, and there she
sat herself and partook of an ice while
l stood beside her and feasted my vi
sion upon her loveiness and gave ut
terance to many foolish and besotted
words knowing not what | was say
ing
We strolled along the hallway of the
palace and entered Castruccio's library.
1t was wide and spacious apartment.
filled with shelves on every side upon
Which thousands of volumes, printed
and written, were arranged in most
perfect order. All about the room upon
pedestals or tables there were statues
of bronze and marble, some of them
showing Florentine art of the fifteenth
century, while others, and they We're
for the most part defaced or wanting
heads and limbs, belonged to the an
tiquities of Rome and Athens. There
was something about the dim and sof-
tened light of the chamber the ghostly
appearance of the marbles, the grimy
vellum backs of those ancient tones
and the pleasing silence of the place,
broken now and then by the sounds Of
revelry from the festive banquet hall,
that subdued our thoughts and made
them more reverent and filled us with
romance and sentiment, so that we
fingered there side by side in delightful
companionship and spoke of books and
chivalry and love.
She had read the simple and homely
poetry of old Antonio PUGET, Villains
Table; she dotted on Petrarch and his
Laura and went into ecstasies over
Boiardo's Innamorata. Finally we be-
gan to speak of Dante, and / was much
astonished to find that she held him not
Of all in that esteem with which he is
now regarded by all the world.
But the 'Divina Commedia, said l,
lis it not the most grand and noble
and beautiful poem in the language"
MARRY, that can not say" she re-
piled. THE reason of which is that
there be many parts of it which un,
derstand not"
''Thou art not alone in this matter
madonna. In sooth, l do think that ii
hath some verses which the poet him
self meant little by and the meaning of
which hath never since been discov-
cred. Nathless, for every such verse or
line there have arisen twenty erudite
and solemn commentators to explain it.
no two of whom have ever agreed as to
its definition"
A female attendant now came into
the library and whispered to Ippolita
who at once prepared to leave me.
"Prithee, fair countess" said
'leave me not after this cold and alb
rupt fashion, or else tell me that l may
see thee later. as would fain have
more of thy converse and companion
ship
"And if l return within the hall
hour" she replied, with roguish look
land step with thee a measure of the
courante wilt thou promise to do that
which shall ask of theeT
Thou canst ask me nothing which
will not do" said l.
The dukes daughter left me, and as
she went she gave me over her shout
der, like a Parthian shot, smile OF
mysterious meaning and glance that
was almost tender from the depths OF
her great dark eyes.
Thereupon 1 rejoined Brother Am
brose. Twice or thrice in the move
ment of the saraband l had passed
him as he stood in converse, and eacf
time, it seemed to me, had heard hin
utter the name of Prince Timoteo.