The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

| Bardo de Bardl OF the great Florentlne
family that had been among the rulers
of the city for generations. This living
representative was no longer a man of
arms. He had forgotten politics and in
| trigue. Blind and helpless, he passed his
| old age in one consuming passlon-the
passion for revising the learning of the
past and leaving a library full of cor
rect emendations and commentary by
| himself to teach the world the truth
| of the ancient literatures.
Into that task Bardo brought all the
| fervor and concentration that his an
cestors had used to attain power ana
wealth. 1t was an age when men 1ought
flercely over a Greek definition or a Latlh
hexameter and hesitated not to charge
opponents with every crime, from poor
grammar to forgery and theft.
In the beginning he had son to stand
by his side and help him in his inter-
7 minable wrangles over the turning OF
| sentence or the origin of an obscure refer-
ence But the cold heather mythology
| of the Bardi house repealed the young
man. He was as fiery and passionate as
all the Bardis, and the fierce gospel OF
the Monks, which began to flame through
Italy, soon filed him with fanatic zeal
| that drove him forth TO roam the world
| as a pilgrim in a friars cowl.
F., From that moment he became as one
dead to his father. who esteemed him a
| traitor, and turned to his daughter Ro-
| nola to help him. With the unconscious
| sel1shness of those obsessed by one domi-
| mating idea he made her his slave-a clave
! so willing that she carried immense folios
\ for him till she tainted, and searched for
| quotations and citations through the
| mighty library from dawn till dusk,
| laboring desperately to satisfy the blind
scholars unceaslng demand for more re-
| search.
| xx-to., 1-fto 1,-as a5r,fttad into his an
cient house he saw before him tall gil
of 49, whose hair. shining like red gold.
| lay in wave-like ripples over a brow Ike
that OF a queen, while a patriefan nose
and mouth told not only of hsEghty blood
! but OF proud tenacity AID unBavering
| f1rmness.
The blind sage was 50 interested by
| Titos travels that he quite forgot the
| possible consequences OF throwing the
| fascinatingfyoun man into daily COM
| panionshnp with his daughter. Romola's
| gedfather, Bernardo del Nero, one of the
kruling men of Florence, was not equally
i oblivious to the danger, and he warned
Bardo; but the scholar could think only
| of the Greeks knowledge.
| Bernardo's dstrust was not shared by
any one else, except perhaps the painter
Cosima- The rest of Florence was
| charmed by the wit and nimbleness of
, temperament that made Tito learn quick
| ~ what praise would please Florentines
| best Soon the authorities gave him the
Greek chair in their university and he
was hidden 10 feasts in the greatest
houses might after night.
He had succeeded in freeing his light
| mind almost entirely of the memory of
| his foster-father, when he was accosted
| on the street one day by a Dominican
friar. who placed into his hand sealed
bit of parchment. Inside were the words:
IT am sold for a slave. l think they are
going to take me to Antioch. The gems
alone will serve to ransom me-
IT am Fra Luca," said the friar. THE
| man who gave me this was a pilgrim,
who had 1t from the man who wrote II.
With these words he disappeared, leaV-
| ing Tito stunned with the fear that his
| duplicity would be disclosed. Then he
| bethought himself that the document had
! been sealed Perhaps the friar did not
| know its contents Again. ne remember
| ed how pale and suffering the monk mad
| scanned He looked like one dying. IN
| consciously his step grew lighter as his
| elastic mind cast the burden of present
| decision away and postponed 1t.
| So thoroughly was his mind at ease
| again almost Immediately that ne
| courted Romola with all the ardor of
| one who had no other thought to oc-
| cupy his brain; and the girl, SO long
| Immersed In the gloom of old man
/
susceptible to his presence that came
TO her like the living glory of the
roses and wine of the shining Greece
Of which she had read so long for her
blind father.
| Soon all Florence was delighted to
hear that their young Greek professor
was to marry the beautiful daughter
| of one of their Oldest and noblest
houses. Bardo saw no reason why 1T
should not be, and even the great and
wise Bernardo was half won by Tito's
| worldly success.
For two months Tito lived in a who'll
ly complete rapture without blemisll
| Then suddenly there came a black cloud
that overwhelmed him in a moment.
A secret message came to Romola while
he was with her, telling her that her
brother was dying and adjuring her to
come to him to receive warning.
"Ah Tito" said she. Il cannot re-
fuse, though hold him guilty. I loved
him so before he forsook my father. 1t
| would cost you less to be forgiving
| though IL you had seen your father
| forsaken when his need was greatest.
oven you, Tito, would find 1t hard to
forgive"
Tito WINGED and cast down his eyes
before the brave, clear, faithful, honest
eyes of Romola. The next moment his
| shame was overpowered by terror, for
| Romola said: He was christened Bar
| nardino, after our godfather. but now
he is called Fra Luca."
Where or how long Tito walked after
| Romola left him he did not know. He
| knew only that he could invent no falsity
| to ward off the consequences of his
| treachery IL the friar told Romola what
| he knew. and no doubt he intended to
| do so. He was like drunken man. With
| evervthing wrecked around him he plung-
| ed into the crowd, which had assembled
| 10 see another festival-that OF the noun
| tain peasants who had come into Flor
| ence to hold a fair
| His mind strove so hard to throw off
| the fear of exposure that he looked eager
| " for distraction. He was at one of the
/ lawless moments that come to men who
| have done wrong and know that their
sin is about to find them out. So, when
| he suddenly came on little peasant girl
| with rosy baby-like face, out or when
| glorious blue eyes looked with utterly
| touching simplicity, he went to her gladly
snd whispered: Dear little Tessa, come
/ with me-. "A
| The girls face became radiant with joy.
She looked at Tito as IL he were an arch
| angel. He had seen her many times and
had made love to her in his careless way.
She followed him as happily as child
| while he bought her sweets and took ner
| from booth to booth. All at once they
| came unexpectedly on a public jester VINO
| had attired himself in a white gown and
wore a huge mitre like a bishop. Candles
| burned on the table In front OF him and
he was engaged in celebrating mock mar
| riages.