Evening journal., 1909-12-17
LEGEND OF THE
ORIGIN OF LACE
Venice : Always Suggests
Something DeIiCateIy
Artistic
BY F. A. mitchell.

kCopyright, 1908. by American Press ABso-
ciauon.l
A mention of the word Venice al
ways suggests something delcateIy
artistic. Perhaps the beauty OF a city
arising out Of the sea Is the runda-
mental cause OF this. Its founders,
driven in the fifth century from the
mainland by Attila the Hun, took ref
uge among the lagoons and built the
only city in the world similarly situ-
ated- Eight hundred years later Ven
fee became mistress Of all seas.
1t was-at this time Of her supremacy
that one afternoon girl sat at a win
dow engaged in fine needlework. Now
and again she would glance out Of the |
window over the Adriatic spread be- |
fore her. At one Of these glances she |
saw the sun gild the sails of an incom- |
ing vessel. She dropped her work. ran !
down and out on to the dock. There |
she watched the vessel approach and |
at last cast anchor. when q boat was |
lowered and pulled to the shore. AS |
soon as 1t touched the dock a young
sailor jumped out. ran TO the girl. and
they were locked in a lovers embrace.
The lovers did not long remain
where they were. but hurried to the
girls home, where they asked and an
swered quick questions as TO what had
transpired during their separation.
Then the young man produced
bunch of delicate coralline ana handed
It to her.
Il have brought this for you. Fran
cesca, as a gift most fitted TO please
one who is so fond OF minute work
manship. II is lace made by mermaids
In the coral cayerns under the waters
OF the seas Of India"
Francesca took the corailine and ex-
amined II. admiring its beautiful tex
ture.
1T is indeed beautiful. Giovanni but
pretty as it is l will make something
prettier."
How asked the lover, surprised.
with my needle"
THAT is impossible. / know how
expert you are in such work. but you
can never equal this. At any rate. l.
who have visited every country, have
never seen anything like it."
THAT may be. Nevertheless l will
do as I sag. When the day for our
wedding comes you shall see what
have made. It shall be a bridal veil of
mermaid's lace"
Shortly after this the young man
sailed away again. From her window
Francesca watched the white wings
that bore him from her till they faded
Into mist on the horizon: then she
began her work. She had hunted the
city for a finer thread than she had
ever had before-such a thread as the
mermaids had used-and. failing to
hnd it, had induced a spinner TO make
some for her. Ii was almost as ane
as a spiders web. This thread she
now began to weave into the delicate
figures made by the mermaids Dag
by day she worked with her needle.
forming little white knots and tiny
stars, uniting them by delicate
brides"
A month passed, and she had pro
duced as much in length as she could
span with her thumb and little finger
She was delighted with 1t. Month aft
er month she worked on. barely giving
her eyes the rest they needed. till al
last she had produced a long bridal
veil that would reach from her head to
the floor. When waved slowly in the
air it resembled a white cloud floating
IN the heavens. but when the vision
was permitted TO rest upon its texture
It was found to be marvelously beau
tiful.
One Of Francesca's friends told about
kHn rrrDYdarftrI a. hoe
being created for bridal veil. and its
fame was soon spread abroad. One OF
the highborn Venetian danes heard
OF it and went TO Francesca's home to
see It. Francesca showed it to her.
and she went away to tell her friends
that 1t was a new creation in feminine
apparel. Then others saw it. and as
each pronounced upon 1t its fame grew
till all the aristocratic women in the
city were talking. wondering. envying.
Francesca was completing her work.
sitting by her window, watching, as
before, for the return Of her lover.
when his ship came in. This time she
waited for him to come to her. As he
entered the room she held the white
cloud aloft.
'See." she said. what / have done.
Compare 1t with your gift and see
which is the more beautiful"
When the wedding day arrived
crowd was waiting at her gondola
that was TO bear her TO the church
AS the bridal party was poled alonp
the canal the windows were crowded
with women waiting to catch
glimpse OF the wonderful veil. The.
could only see what looked like a mis-
arising from Francesca's head an
floating about her shoulders. Whe'
they reached the church many ladle
were waiting near the altar. Thes
crowded about the locality Of th
bride. aud the sOlemnity Of the cerc
mony was married by the attention
given the veil and the exclamations
wonder at it's marvellous beauty.
More than six centuries have passed
since the caves under the Indian sea
gave up the work of the coral insect OF
which to base pattern for mermai6
lace. Many hnsers have been employ
ed. many eyes have been dimmed. II
its manufacture. The thread that ha.
since been used has been made so fin
that It will snap in frosty weather
But 1t is no longer called mermai
A.Nm-