The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1903-11-20

Caterina stood up straight and tall
in the midst of her maidens. The Jew
eled robe fell close to the round, young
limbs, heavy with its weight Of pearls.
Pearls and rubies were twined In the
golden curls, and the fair, round arms
We're banded with glowing gems Of the
orient. Across the childish breast,
above the folds Of cloth Of gold, q
baldrlc of emeralds rose and fell with
every frightened breath, and the wild
rose color was gone from check and
quiverng lip.
Straight and tall in her young majes.
ty, but over the blare of the trumpet,
the fash of the Jewels, deeper than the
voice OF Venice In loud acclaim, came
the low note of lutte that was stilled
forever. There was strangeness in
her throat, blackness before her eyes.
Awed at her silence, the flock Of
maidens fell little away from where
she STOOD and then there came an old
woman, bowed and weary, through the
velvet portals.
When the attendants would have
barred the way Caterina held out her
hand. AS the old woman bowed be-
fore her she opened the palms of her
brown hands an instant, so quickly
that none saw but Caterina, who drew
quick breath and turned to the wait
ing throng with new authority.
Leave us. l would have speech with
the dame alone"
Wondering, they left her. and as the
door changed to the old woman slipped
the iron bar into place and then stood
up, the gray wig thrown off, the wom-
an trappings cast aside, Andrea Moro
SIM.
One step toward Caterina, and he
held out his arms. With q low, glad
cry she nestled into them, and for one
long moment Of heaven his lips lay on
hers, while below the Grand canal pull
sated with the music and triumph Of a
queens bridal
The seconds licked away. There was
no past. no future. Then st. Marks
called to the outermost mole, and the
sound of feet came along the stone
corridor, pausing Mt the barred door.
Caterina started and paled. Her father,
the Cornaro! The steps died away.
Then noise behind them startled
them. Not ten PAGES Guido Cornaro
leaned on his great sword, and their
frightened ewes were met with q look
SO stern that for a time they were
speechless. He had entered through Il
door of which Caterina had no knowl-
euge, DuiIt by some Jealous Cornaro or
long ago, who had caused this place of
espial to he made that he might the
better prove his fears. Indeed they
might all have been carven stone.
There was no motion in the room but
the waving of the arras in the evening
breeze that blew through the easement
the slender youth in his cavalier garb
of dark velvet, the stern mailed old
patrician and between them, like some
tropic flower blown athwart strange
gray glooms CATERING in her bridal
robes Of cloth of gold, the coronal Of ru-
bies blazing above her brow.
Andrea bowed low before the ancient
foe Of the house and, with one last lin.
gering look at Caterina, awaited the
Cornaro's pleasure. He had dared the
strictest law of the republic. He knew
the penalty.
Cornaro hesitated. There were wrath,
love and mighty sorrow in his stormy
eyes as they went from one young face
to the other. A Morosini, the child of
his deadliest foe! But he saw through
the mist Of long, lonely years a little
rosy face pressed against a childish
breast, little head that lay within
the curve of n round, white arm, 80
like, so like, and Guilia, who had died,
spoke across the night Of her unlived
motherhood to the heart of her hus-
band. The wrath died. He was pow
erless. He could not brook the might
Of the republic that claimed his child
upon the altar of its ambition, but he
could save her needless pain.
Already the surge of feet was COM
ing up the long passage. The fanfare
of trumpets and the voice of Venice,
that was many voices, clamored for
their princess. Below the gilded barge
Of the doge awaited her. Nevernore
his child, but always the daughter of
Venice.
There was an instant when the gold.
en- head lay against the steel corselet,
enother when Guido Cornaro saw his
child give her lips to the Morosini, and
then he flung wide the door to the Sc
cret passage and motioned to Andrea.
And so without n word he passed
from her sight and her life, while her
father led her down the rose garlanded
stairway to the bitterness Of the gilded
mockery that awaited.
There was battle next day, a mere
skirmish between Venetian war gal
ley and one of Genoa. At its close
they found him lying where the thick
Of the fight had passed, a smile on his
lips, crushed white rose above his
heart. In Venice the people laughed
and sang, and there was joy day and
night FOR. fha 1xraol1 lc,arx l,,.idal ca IL,