Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-10-23

hen the old voluptuary Of Sorrento
Jared forth so swiftly with a guest he
had not invited. The new marquis
was scarcely warm IN his bare house
and the old one cold in his before the
! procession Of boats, each with It's com
Portable priest, came to the stone steps
and bore away the Virgin Of the Noun
tain to her semi-annual worshiping.
An American tourist chose that
morning to ascend Vesuvius. Passing
through Tore del Greco, he was met
by the procession Of the Virgin, and
his driver was ordered by the priests
TO pull up by the roadside until the
holy ceremony was ended The tour
ist standing up on his carriage seat,
observed that the procession was not
likely to pass within any reasonable
time, and as the ceremony WIS in no
wise holy to him. fact which he
stated clearly enough In his own Ian
! guage, he ordered his driver to go on.
| The driver declined, having, like the
| old marquis, an eye to the welfare
| OF his soul, whereupon the tourist. not
caring a whit for his soul. caught up
the lines and drove into the process
sion.
A crswd Of women with their hair
streaming down their backs were
passing at that moment. These prompt
~ seized the horses. cut the traces OF
the harness, pulled the linch-pins out
Of the axles. and trundled the carriage
into the gutter. They then, in q va
riety OF ways. explained to the tourist
the esteem In which they held him.
He. likewise. gave his views no less
| pictLTcsqnely, finally declaring that
he would buy the COMPOUNDED Virgin
as soon as he got down from Vesu-
vius. and hang her up in a Carnegie
iibrary--a threat at that momen. lost
on the un-snglished peasants OF Tore
| del Greco. but otherwise an expression
fated. like an oracle. II was not lost,
however. on the guide who sat beside
him, but accurately remembered and
accurately repeated In reply to innu-
Gorable queries
One does not know what hand the
| loug-bafIied mountain took in the bust
]
morning the American called on the
new marquis and asked him to name
a price for his picture The young man
declined. The Amer .aa offered a
thousand Ira. thon ten, finally twenty
| The marquis still declined. and the
mcrican in disgust returned to Ma
pies. The young marquis locked up
| his house and went to the Inn at Sor-
rento for his dinner. This hosiery
| is maintained by the pleasantest thief
in Italy. over his wine the marquis
had the incident Of the procession re-
lated with endless comment: so many
gesticulaung witnesses came forward
TO be heard that the marquis was com
peil3d 10 remain the night under the
| roof OF this pleasantest thief. When
! he returned at sunrise and opened the
door OF the villa with it's iron key. he
fouud the Virgin Of the Mountain van
ished; the canvas had been cut out
OF the frame.
The man. overwhelmed with this
| tremendous disaster. sat down on a
bench IN his hall. covered his face
With bis hands and abandoned himself
TO despair. forgetful of the open door
and the sun now shining through it,
| He was aroused by a voice Offering
him the salutatlon Of the morning and
| the benediction of God He looked up
to see the padre of Sorrento standing
in the door The old man had come
early, tramplng down the mountain
| through the wet lemon groves. TO
warn the young marquis against that
| DEVILS threat OF the American and to
bring peace to his house.
| The young marquis took one Of his
hands from over his face and pointed
to the empty frame hanging on the
wall The padre, following his finger,
| gruaned like one struck with a mortal
agony and backed slowly out Of the
door Then, liyid. Quivering. his
/ teeth rafting like castanets. he cursed
the new Marquis Mazaccra with hide
Gus. excoriating curses.
Thou who hast sold, like Judas, not
/ Christ. but the Mother OF Christi"
The boy leaped up like one prodded
with hot spit.
NO, no. padre!" ne cried, Il have
not sold It, 1t was stolen. See. It was
cut from the frame. have not sold
| I'll"
The old man pointed 2 long. shak-
| ing finger over the threshold.
Thou art liar" he said. like thy
master, who is the father OF liars"
Then he gathered his skirts closely
about his legs, shook the dust from
his feet and went swiftly down the
steps.
The boy instantly saw the hell
storm that would descend on him
when the padre got back to his people
with the news
He gathered quickly what he could
/ carry tied up in cloth and fed to
Naples. A steamer was just going out
of the harbor for America. He went
abroad, took his place in the steerage
with the emigrants and came TO New
York Here he repaired directly to
those In authority over the phantom
kingdom OF Italy and laid the entire
matter before them. In this new king
dom. as I'm the old one. he was the
Marquis Nazaccra and person Of pc
cuhar distinction. Moreover. here his
story was believed
The new kingdom OF Italy decided
for the marquis and went inla secret
counsel on his case. The young man
had a plan Of his own. He knew the
face OF the American who had come
to buy the Virgin OF the Mountain
and he had. also the finest voice an