Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1905-06-15

day when he showed up there were ten
beggars where there was one the day
before. and they followed him every
where. and all the loafers In the
plazas laughed and acted as n they
would catch the cripples when dad got
out of sight and rob the beggars. Dad
thinks the way the, people live Is by
dividing with beggars. A man who has
deformity. or sore that you can see
half q block away, seems to be con-
sidered rich here. like man In Amer
lean who owns stock In great corpora
tions. These beggars pay more taxes
than the dukes and things who live In
style.
suppose dad never studied geogra-
ply. so he didn't know how Venice was
situated, so he told me to 60 out and
order hack the first morning We were
here. and We would 60 and see the
town. When told dad there were no
hacks. no horses and no roads In
Venice, he said was crazy in my head
and wanted me to take some medicine
and stay in bed for few days. but l
convinced him, when we got out
DOORS that everything run by water,
and when I showed him the canal and
the gondolas. he remembered all about
Venice, and picked out gondolier that
looked like one dad saw at the worlds
fair, and we hired him because he
talked English. All the English the
gondolier could use were the words
you bet your life." and you're dam
right" but dad took him because 1t
seemed so homelike. and we have been
riding In gondolas every day.
On the water you can get away from
the beggars. This Is an ideal exist
ence. You just get in the gondola, I'M
der a canopy. and the gondolier does
the work, and you glide along between
buildings ard wonder who lives there,
and when they wake up. as all day
long the blinds are closed. and every
body seems to be dead. But at night.
when the canals are lighted. and the
moon shines. the people put on their
dress clothes and sit on verandas, or
eat and drink. and talk Eyetalian, and
ride in gondolas, and play guitars. and
smoke cigarettes, and talk love. 1t
is SO warm you can wear your sum-
merpants, and the water smells of clans
that died long ago. 1t is just as
though Chicago was flooded by the
bursting of the sewers, and people had
to 60 around State street, and all the
cross streets. and Michigan avenue, in
fishing boats. with three feet of water
on top of the pavements. Imagine
the people Of Chicago taking gondolas
and riding along the streets, landing
at the stores and hotels, just as they
do now from carriages.
We had been riding In gondolas for
two days. getting aground in the mud
when the tide was out, and going to
sleep and waiting for the tide to come
in, when It seemed to me that dad
needed some excitement. anu last night
I gave 1t to him.
We were out In our gondola, and the
moon was shining. and the electric
lights made the canal near the Rialto
bridge as light as day. The Rialto
bridge crosses the Grand canal, and
has been the meeting place for lovers
for thousands Of years. 1t is a grand
structure. of carved marble, but 1t
wouldn't hold up a threshing machine
engine half rs we'll as an Iron bridge.
Well. the canal was filled with thou
sands of gondolas, loaded with the
flower of Venetian society. and the
music just made you want to fall in
love. Dad said IL he didn't fall in love.
or something. before morning. he
would quit the place. made up my
mind he should fall into something, so
I began by telling dad 1t seemed
strange to me that nobody but Eye
Italians could run gondola. Dad said
he could run a gondola as well as any
foreigner. and l told him he couldn't
run a gondola for shucks. and he said