The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1920-01-29
A NIGHT OF
STRANGE ADVENTURE
Translated from the Iialsan Of Anton
Giulie Bsrriii by 7. y. Comba.

18th Of January. 1851. and such wind
blew through Via Assarotti, in Geneva
a. Is won't % blow in that wide street
Shen Eolgs lets loose one Of his sub
jects on the queen OF Tirreno.
Iaita Norther7 siroceo or south
west windy II comes no one knows
xkence. and strikes you from al sides.
Woe to the municipal seribbler who al
lows himself 10 be caught with eyes
open, for he Is In danger Of going 10
the Tursi palace with those eyes full
Of dust, unable 10 sec his desk, and
obliged 70 ask for q twenty-four hours
leave Of absence which the Office man.
ager Is not always disposed to grant
Woe TO the lady who is not careful to
gather her dress about her, for the
sind l. very inquisitive, and what -
worse. tia -aysrfoad. OF 4'ivuIging
ssecrctS TO passers-by.
But why am talking 20 you about
the wind The story am telling you
did not happen in the middle Of the
street, but in sn elegant little apart
ment on the third floor Of the second
palace on the left.
The hero Of my tale dwells up there,
that is to say. was living there in 1857,
a man about thirty-four, law gradu-
ate, a bachelor, neither ugly nor re-
pulsiye, and with an income Of twenty
thousand francs.
Thirty-four years are perhaps too
many; a law diploma is nothing; but
10 be a bachelor neither ugly nor re-
pulsiye and TO have an income Of TWEEN
ty thousand francs, Is already much
toward happiness, il ones desires be
reasonable.
Yet. Roberto Fenoglio was not hap
py; he was bored from morning TIL
night and from night till morning. He
had good and jovial friends, TO whom
ne often loaned money, and who some
times paid il back; an old housekeeper
tnat gave him no trouble; cook who
did not rob him; a horse that had be-
come proverbial for his easy gait; an
orchestra chair at the theatre without
any troublesome neighbors; and yet he
was not only not happy, but was hor-
ribly bored.
He had tried TO do something, TO
occupy himself, but no occupation suit
ed him, and after a little while he had
grown tired Of il. But these things
my fair readers you shall hear from
his own mouth, for | present him tol
YOU in the iirst drawing-room Of his
little apartment, at three o'clock after
midnight. dressed as n Chinaman, in
the act of dismissing swarm OF
young men and lively, masked women
Why dressed as a Chinaman? Why
these masksg
That evening, Roberto Fenoglio had
= .thered in his house all his friends,
that they might kill time together.
They had played, danced and supped
with the greatest freedom and gaiety.
The ladies were neither severe nor re-
served. The very respectable ballet
corps Of the theatre Carlo Feliee, had
contributed its best to this feast; the
dear mothers well satisfied and con-
tented; the sylphs, content but not sat
isfed. were clamoring for another
revel like the one Roberto Fenoglio
had Just afforded them, with the great
splendor Of bored manCarin.
The mirthful masks were going,
accompanied by their faithful escorts,
well wrapped up in their cloaks, to
protect them against the wind that
was bowling without; they went down
the staircases, laughing and chatter
ing like a fight Of sparrows or ehieka-
dees, and arousing the whole neigh
borhocd.
A quiet cotton night cap arose e&
citedly from under the covers Of the
connubial couch to ask:
What is this jolly noise? All n
understand; there is a ball at lawyer
Fcnoglio's.
And an ill-reprcssed sigh ended the
sentence. II
Thereupon Il 5rilled cap arose IN
turn, 10 add:
But how does lawyer Fenogio man
age 10 give balls, when he is not mar
ricd9 What kind q ladies' must they
be who % 70 his houseG
To this question the cotton cap did
not vauehsafe a reply, but turned on
ne other side, pulling the sheet Way
iYer his nose IL
The friIed cap IN the meantime was
thinking, what WAS i
Perhaps that a cotton cap
sas not The most beautiful thing in /,
.he world And the cotton cap on its
.ide. was composing a series a varia- /
ions upon this theme: ~lucky Fenog- 4
IS. ~ his hit upon il. surely! =
Let Us leave these two melancholy !
lis1iplcs e Hyuicn q think, give reins
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