Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-10
Dark Night in Venice.

1t was dark that night in Venice.
In American cities one does not know
what darkness can be. Always there
is a CLEAN of light showing from some
shattered window, or All arc sputtering
in the distance, or a motor headlight
sparkling down the street In Venice
every light goes out at o'clock. From
that hour one does what one must by
candlelight. Every window, whether
upon a court or fronting on the mole,
is covered by wooden shutters, which
must be padlocked by the one RESPONSE
BILE for the house. Behind these shut
tiers curtains of some thick, lightproof
stuff must be drawn. Doors are shield
ed by double curtains. so that one fights
ones way in and out through sitting
folds of dusty drapery. / stood upon
the mole in front of the Hotel DaiDeli
at 10 O'Clock and could not even see
it's battlementS outlined against the
dark sky. Behind me black waves chat
tered against the piling of the pier.
There were voices in the night. Peo-
pie passed to and fro upon this most
popular promenade of Venice. A girl
sang some pretty Italian air. Her
escort joined her in a light tenor. At
little distance l heard the clink of sill
yer and crystal. Cigar ends glowing
led me to an unseen throng seated in
front of the Cafe Oriental. Somehow
1 stumbled my way to an iron chair
by the side of an iron table. Somehow
a cat-eyed waiter found me. He filled
my order perfectly, although l could
see only his white shirt bosom when
my Italian cigar was in most active
eruption. His was all the profit. l
could not find my chocolate ice upon
the dark table and abandoned it.
Somewhere behind curtains a good
orchestra was playing operate airs.
The music came to us dimly through
the intervening folds. There was a
short, snarling quarrel between two
y,,ay COZ DNx-h ar in n y L ND
us. The sky was overcast with black
clouds. Not a CLEAN from star or moon
lightened it. The splashing OF the
waves unseen at ten yards, made an
eerie undertone to the music and the
light laughter and the pleasant clink
of silver and glass. Only now and then
a searchlight operator turned his thin
arrow of light into the skies in the
distance, on the watch for hostile aero
planes. With an absolute fatal GER
tainty that beam invariably lighted
upon the Campanile-it glowed like a
lance of whitley incandescent stone in
the rays-or upon the custom house or
the Doges' Palace. or some one of the
other superb heritages from the past.
Elsewhere they have recovered from
this searchlight folly. But Italy is still
. new al war.
Frightened at Aeroplanes.
No one seemed nervous or i'll at ease.
These northern Italians are a different
breed from the more excitable folk Of
the south. They laughed and talked
and f1irted in the night, quite as though
no threat of Remembering death might
not even then be winging overhead.
One involuntarily spoke in undertones.
The night had muftling effect. But
the airy pleasantries went on-until
suddenly every voice was stilled. l
could hear my invisible neighbors at
either side gasp in the midnight Some
where out on the mole girl screamed.
The darkness seemed tense, electric.
There was the absolute silence of a
listening, frightened crowd.
After all. il was only the futter of
n distant motor boat making it's way
from one gunboa: TO another 1t
was not tt"- .zJrIesna ke-like Whirrin z
of an aeroplane propeller. Silver and