Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-09-07

| hushed tones. What is it? A bird,
human voice, an angel, demon?''
ga VIOLIN" was the ready response,
Frightened, Lotta?. You dear, foolish,
unreasoning imaginative child; and
he patted her cheek teasingly. cares
singly. y;
But where, how? l believe it is
witchcraft," and there was a traito-
rous tremble in her soft voice
so be it them" with laughing good
nature. Italy is the land of romance
and unreality, and by good chance we
have stumbled upon one of its mys-
teries. Still, I'd give a good round
sum to meet this famous fiddler who
plays O. nights when the moon is high,
and exercises the skill of the NEGRO
mancer over poor superstitious NOR
tails
ooh, you may laugh, Harold she
pouted. Its a mans privilege, a sign
of his superiority, l suppose. But
there is something creepy and uncan-
ny about the whole thing, say what
you will. Ask Beppo what he thinks. :"
''Beppo, indeed" and he laughed.
"An Italian-one knows what to ex-
pect there. -
The music ceased with that last wild
trail of laughter and only the low,
murmuring sound of the tide, tapping
the marble steps of the deserted pail
ace, broke the charmed silence of the
! hour. 1t was midnight as they fioated
back to the hotel in the flooding moon
light, and while the girl leaned dream
lily back in her cushions, the man
chatted with Beppo in his own tongue
and won frank confession of his be-
liefs, fears and convictions regarding
the matter in hand
"Signor. the spot is haunted"; he
maintained. "All Venice knows it. 1t
is half century since any one lived
there; they tell strang tales of the
Palazzo Clement, at night" and he
| shuddered at the recollection. Some
foolish fellows went prowling about
the place many years ago, but they
only tried it once" he glanced hastily
at his listener; then treasured by his
| gravity, continued his condolences with
growing .vehemence.
1t seemed an old romance chung to
the lonely palace, once the scene of
pomp and splendor, of many a gorge
Gus fete in the palmy days of the
| pleasure loving Venetians. Blanca
Clement, the daughter of the house,
sought throughout Italy by wealthy
mobiles, for her rare beauty and ancient
name, by some freak of fancy bestowed
her love on one so far beneath her
that for time it passed unnoted
The beauty of Venice and a simple
gondolier, such was Fate They met
at night by stealth, in the old garden,
on the lagoon, as they could; but when
the discovery came, as come it must
the hapless lover was slain by one of
her kinsmen, and the girl saw the
dread deed from her balcony over
hanging the rose garden
= From that hour evil befell the great
house of Clement; the girl died of a
broken heart. In few years the beau
tiful palace was deserted and left to its
ruin. but at night, it was said, strange
music sounded through the lofty halls
and corridors. phantom shapes fitted
about the old garden, a ghostly gon-
Idola slipped to the water gate, and the,
lovers met as of old in these shadowy
golitudes, where they plighted their
troth so many years ago.
II tell the tale as it was told to me,
Signor; make OF it what you will. !"
Thus Beppo. at the conclusion, light
hearted. careless clild of nature that