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The Exeter Advocate, 1892-1-21, Page 2Lines, to Carrie. There's a maiden that T know, and ill the know- lag fin() a pleasure That is higher, broader, deeper that; the world's extromost measure ; And this little maiden twirls my heart upon her dainty fingers, As: airily as doth the bush the latest leaf; that lingers. When the summer time is spent. Her heart! Mamma believe she had ono; Aud I should know, for after it, sty chase has boon a sad one; Bub when the slightest thing that calls for sympathy appears, There's something -it must bo her hoartl-that fills her eyes with tears. Her hair is like the golden plenty of the sun- light falling Her voices music like the echo of a song bird calling Intender ways she spends her days, and seeks the. Rood that's highest; But if I told youhalfsho is, you'd say: "Pshaw, ho' beiss,,d! ". nor name I will not tell to you ! What's that you say. you know it? You think the words that head these verses, ` Lines to Carrie," show it; Well, then, you're wrong, though 1 confess, You've made a clever start;. There lines to carry in your head, as she is in my heart. Stuart Livingston, in Toronto Week A BARITONE'S DEVOTION 011, A TALE OF SUNNY ITALY. CHAP IV. A CLOUDLESS BETROTIIAL. "'Let my voice be heard that asketb Not for fame and not for glory ; Give us all our lite'sdear story, Give us love and give us peace !" -Jean Ingelow. Villa. Bruno was a smaller )louse than Casa Bolla. It was lacking, too, in the air of cozy English comfort which the Bi loons had managed to impart to their rooms, and the furniture was scanty, though handsome of its kind. Carlo walked through the veranda and entered by the open window of the salotto, treading lightly as he saw that his mother lay asleep on her couch. He stole up to her, and stood in silence, watching the beautiful, but worn face of the invalid. He thought how great a happi- ness was in store for her, and smiled. He imagined Francesca, bringing that English air of home into this room, and thought how sweet it would be, when he rode home each evening, to picture those two together waiting for him. Looking on into the sunny future, he forgot the present ; his mother had opened her eyes, and had watched him for some moments before he saw that she was awake. Atlast he looked down;at her, and met her eyes shining into his with perfect com- prehension. " Carlin, you bring me good news 1" she exclaimed, drawing his face down to hers, and kissing the smooth, ruddy -brown cheek. " The best news, mother -the best !" he replied, returning the embrace. " Oh, mother !' I'm the happiest man in Italy." " Francesca—" began the signora. " Francesca is mine -is mine !" he broke in. " She is coming -you will see her soon, madre'mics." " And her father ?" " Was kindness itself. He will bring her in this evening to see you. No one could have been more friendly. I saw him first, and then -then he told me 1 might speak to her -that I should find her in the garden. Afterward, her first thought was for •you. Oh, mother, she will be to you the daughter you have so much needed." The tears started to the mother's eyes. " Insomnia !'. Now . I have grieved you, and made you think of poor Nita ; happi- ness made me forget all else. Forgive me, little mother ; I did not mean to make you think of the past." • "Ah ! ", sobbed the Signoar Donati. " How can I help thinking of it, Carlin, when the contrast is so sharp -you coming to me thus with your joy, as a son should, and Nita bringing me only shame and grief and disgrace -not even sending me one lino of 'love or regret all these years?" "She will come back, little mother -she will come back," he said, soothingly, " Some day she will feel her need of you. Don't cry to -night, of all nights in the year. I shall take it as a bad omen." Years had raised no barrier between these two; Oslo was as frank and open with his mother as when he had been a child ; she had shared all his hopes and fears dur- ing his long time of probation, and now she shared his joy, and was soon coaxed back to cheerfulness, as he told her more of what had passed at Casa Bella. She was quite herself again as she went into dinner upon his arm ; her grief was forgotten, she laughed merrily at his account of Enrico's philosophical counsels, and felt a glow of pride and happiness as she looked across the table at her son, who lad been all in all to her for so many years. Carlo was too happy to be hungry, but he pledged his mother over a bottle of Orvieto; and they drank Francesca's health, and clinked glasses, and made merry. The tete-a-tete dinner at the Casa Bella was quieter, but happy, too, in its way. The old captain beamed silently from behind the sirloin. Francesca looked radiant. They talked fitfully of the weather, of the mange crop, of the silk -worms, of the last letter from England -of everything, in fact, except the one subject that was nearest their hearts ; but then old Dino was waiting, and it behooved them to keep up appear- ances. Their tongues were unloosed by the appearance of Sibyl and the dessert, and the disappearance of the servant. " Sibyl," said the captain, taking the little girl on his knee, " what would you think if we were to have a wedding here ?" " A wedding, father ?" Sibyl clapped her bands with delight. "Oh, may I be the )'ride ? Father I may I be the bride 1" " No," said the father, laughing, " that character is bespoken. You will have to be any Little housekeeper. Francesca is to be l<iride. There, you must drink her health : Long life and happiness to the future Sig - nova Donati." Sibyl obediently repeated the words, but lsiade a wry face over the claret. " What horrid stuff, daddy. Do give isle a bit of your orange, quick." Than, with her mouth very full, " But Fran can't lie Signora Donati." " Oh, yes, ahe can when she marries Carlo,".ti aid the captain. " Marries Carlo.?" echoed Sibyl, in aston- ishment. Dear mo, will Carlo be married ? What a bother 1 I suppose he'll never play games and be jolly any more ? "Why not ?" said Francesca, laughing. " Oh, he won't," said Sibyl, looking wise aad elderly, " I know he won't. I asked nurse the other day' what it meant to be married, and she said it was when people grew steady and settled down." The two elders laughed heartily. " But he will be your brother, youknow, Ribyl, and brothers always play," said B`rancesca. Yl Carlomy brother ?" " Your brother -its -law." Oh, yes, T know about that -that's What he had put on his cards," said Sibyl, triumphantly; so he must have known he war going to be my brother before he came ■ere; Dino said that long word was in - Then, before Captain Britton had done pp u hie _• Sibyl convulsed her companionsI sic* l aeohorite. When Carlo en- ire." iia g i y the glass to her lips tered the room that morning he " Yee, yes,"said Eerieo, with a sarcastic b s, and repeating g a i i , citi again, and repaatfaig In the gravest way found the old molt poring over the more of smile. That is your kind way, of putting imaginable, "Long life and many games to my future brother-in,law. )Francesca was eager to goo in quickly till see Signora Donati, bub she had to wait ll Sibyl was tucked up in bed and her father had finished his after-dinner nap. Then she threw a white woolly shawl about her head and shoulders, slipped her arm into the captain's and crossed over to the Villa Bruno. The signora was alone ; she came forward to meet them with the prettiest little greeting imaginable. Francesca loved her dearly, and returned her embraces with all possible warmth ; but above the soft and tender assurances of the signoras de- light in the news which Carlo had brought her, site was conscious of her lover's voice singing out in the garden. The joyous ring about the old Neapolitan song, the un- mistakable rapture of the singer, filled her some opera, his shaggy gray hair tossed back from his broad forehead, and the shabbiness of hie many -colored dressing - gown fully revealed by the sunshine which streamed in through the half•open jalousies, He looked up as Carlo entered, giving him a sharp, searohing glance, as though to dis- cover how the world went with him that morning. Convinced by the radiant happi- ness of his pupil's face that at present the sky was cloudless, ho grunted out a rather surly " Bum g orno," and olosed his book with an air of roluotance. "I want your congratulations, maestro," said. Carlo, coming quickly forward. " Nothing but the most filial obedience and respect to yourself brought me away from. my paradise this morning. You must mingle with praise your good wishes for our health and happiness." n< heart with happiness. The sweet, familiar " Rein !" exclaimed the old man, pre - air always brought back to hor memory that 1 tending not to catch his meaning. You first evening at the Villa Bruno. are an avvocato, I understand ; young "He has done nothing but sing since he Ritter told the as much as that. Corpo cls came back from you," said the signora, as Bacco ! don't come to me for congratula- the singer drew nearer, every word dis- tions. You've mistaken your profession. tinotly heard in that clear atmosphere 0 doles Napoli, 0 snol beato Dove sorridere Voile it create, Tu sei l'impero Dell' armonia, Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia 1 The last note still eohoed n the air as Carlo stepped into the dimly lighted room You aro. wasting -yes, wasting; the noblest gift of God." " But, maestro, reflect ; how is it possible for me to use my voice as you would have me ? Would you wish me to leave my mother ? And then, moreover.; there are other considerations -I am about to be married." " Married 1" The maestro turned away through the open window, bearing in his with a groan. " Ah, then I wash my hand a bunch of red roses and myrtle- hands of you ! You are lost to art -lost to blossom. It was the picture he had so often imagined which met his gaze, for Francesca stood beside his mother, the lamplight shedding a soft glow over her sweet, fair face. She was dressed in some kind of soft white dress which made him think of a baby's robe, her wavy brown hair was a little ruffled by the white shawl which she had thrown aside; in her sweet, pure hap- piness she was exquisite. " I did not know you had come," he ex - claimed, hastening towards her ; how was it I never heard you 7" " We came without ceremony ; there was no ringing of bells," said Francesca. " And Carlo was singing at the top of his voice," said the mother laughingly. " I foresee, Francesca, that he will now be like my canary, who is so happy that he sings all day long, and I have sometimes to ex- tinguish him." We have been wondering what Signor Piale will say," replied Francesca, smilingly ; " you know he looks upon love as the supreme obstacle in the way of art." "'Then he should not compose music to such words as these," said Carlo, taking up a song from the open piano. " Is that his last ? I have not heard it," said Francesca. " Ah, he has dedicated it to me as he promised." " Go and sing it, Carlo ; it suits you well," said his mother. " I am not well acquainted with your Tennyson," she continued, turning to Cap- tain Britton, " but it seems to mo that these words are melodious and well adapted for music." The captain was not poetical, but he at once launched into an account of how he had once met the Laureate at Lord Blom - ton's, while Carlo and Francesca wandered off to the piano, Francesca glancing through the accompaniment to see if she could. manage it. Even in that land of beautiful voices Carlo Donati's voice was most remarkable. But Piale was the only person who quite knew what it was worth, and he hadissued strict orders that his pupil was .to sing nowhere save at home and at his lessons. He knew well enough that if Carlo once sang at a Neapolitan party he would be allowed no peace, but would become the spoiled and overworked amateur, and fail altogether to do justice to the severe but excellent training which he had now almost completed. The voice was a baritore of unusual power and sweetness. Piale's music suited the pathetic words admirably : " Love is come with a songand a smile, Welcome Love with a smile and a song ; Love can stay but a little while, Why cannot he stay ? They call him away : Ye do him wrong, ye do him wrong ; Love will stay for a whole lifelong.' ' The song ended, Francesca eat dreamily playing over the refrain which her lover had declaimed so passionately ; he stood close to her, deftly arranging the flowers he had brought from the garden in her hair and dress. 'Then,_ after the thanks and praises of the listeners had been spoken, Captain Britton once more enlarged upon his meet- ing with the Laureate, and Carlo, foreseeing that the topic would last some time, looked longingly out into the dusky garden, then down at Francesca. " The paths are quite dry ; it is star- light," he said ; " will you not come out ? " She smiled and nodded, let him wrap the white shawl about her, and crossed the room to the window. Carlo lingered a moment to slip a cluster of red roses into his mother's hand. " We go into the gardens for a few min- utes, madre mia, he explained. She smiled approvingly, perceiving that he meant to claim all the liberty which an English betrothal permits, and then turned again to the captain with a question, in her pretty broken English, which she was well aware would keep him happy for some time to come. "And this Lord Blamton, at whose house it occurred, is he your friend ? " The lovers, supremely indifferent to both lords and laureates, strolled out into the starlit garden. All was still and peaceful ; through the olives they could catch glimp- ses of the yellow lights in Pozzuoli, and every now and then a lurid crimson flame and a column of vapor lit up by the fierce glare, revealed in the distance the conical form of Vesuvius and its peaceful neighbor, Somme. ; there was a delicious fragrance in the air ; thyme and myrtle and mignonette filled the dewy garden with their sweet- ness ; everywhere the peace of a great con- tent seemed to brood. A stranger might have fancied something disturbing and in- congruous in the burning mountain ; but to Carlo, Vesuvius was an old friend, not a terror. In his childhood he had fancied it a sort of symbol of the. Deity, vaguely con- necting it with that other pillar if cloud by the noblest of the professions 1 - Farewell to my hopes ! All my efforts with you are thrown away ! You might have been the pride of my old age and the delight of Europe. Instead, you choose the career of a lawyer and the caresses of a woman.' "You speak scornfully, maestro," replied the culprit, laughing. " I shall add two ad- jectives to your bald remark-' the useful career' and ' a perfect woman.' Why, signor, you who knew Miss Britton should be ready to make excuse for me. What else could you expect? Is the Muse of Harmony to take precedence of such an one ?" " Hear him !" cried Piale, in despair, f' great heaven ! and it is this ungrateful one that thou hast endowed with the voice of a seraph and the dramatic power c a Selvini 1" " My apologies to Salvini," said Carlo, laughing merrily, "but that beloved maestro; is bathos -a fine example." His laughter was so infectious that Piale was obliged ton join in it; then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he shuffled across to the piano. " You are incorrigible ! I wash my hands of you ! But since you are in so jocular a mood at the prospect of settling down to so monotonous a life—" " Maestro 1" broke in Carlo, with indig- nation. " Do I speak unadvisedly ?" said Piale with sarcasm ; " not at all. Oh, I will well enough what it will be. You will sit under your vine and under your fig tree, and you will count the olive -branches round your table —" " Signor Piale !" " And you will say as you look, ' I must work hard,' and you will become the speak- ing machine of the Neapolitan criminals, and you -will use that divine gift for the proclamation of lies, and you will debase your fine dramatic genius and make it the tool of the worthless and the guilty. Since all this makes you in so gay a humor, come, sing me your song from ' Il Barbiere.' " Pursing up his lips, the old professor began to play -the accompaniment ,of "Largo al Factotum"; and Carlo, entering into the spirit of the thing, and with his sense of humor touched by the analogy between the barber's glorification of his profession and the words that had just passed, sang mag- nificently. At the end there was unbroken silence. The old professor sat lost in thought ; Carlo watched him with a smile on his lips. Then, sauntering across the room, sang sotto voce, the recitative which followed, throwing malicious meaning into the " Ah 1 Che bells vita t Oh ! Che mestiere 1" " It could not have been better sung 1" cried Piale, with a gesture of despair. " Carlo, perhaps I have dealt unfairly by you. I have never praised you, never told you what I thought of your powers ; I feared to ruin . that modesty which has endeared you to me. But now it is time that you seriously consider the matter. There, there, don't interrupt me 1 Marry if you will, and let your wife tend the Signora Donati in your absence. But de not allow so glorious a gift to rust unused." " But, dear maestro," said Carlo, gravely, " you do not realize that others do not think of the profession as you do. Captain Britton regards the theatre as the school for hell ; the stage is an abomination to him. He fancies that all actors are like that villain Merlin. And, indeed, it is wonderful that he made no objection to having as son-in-law one who is so deeply compromised ae I am. I suppose he hardly realized the fact ; he has almost forgotten poor Nita's existence." At the recollection of that sorrowful past he sighed. Piale was quick to note how the remembrance interfered with his present happiness. Well, only a brute would dream of holding you responsible for the sine of others," he said, warmly. " Tell me," said Carlo, " have you seen any mention of my sister lately in any of the musical papers ?" "I heard thatMerlino's company had been in America for the last two years, and that Madame Merlin had made a good impres- sion there— Well, I suppose I must say no more, lad, but it is hard on a master to have his best pupil lost to the world." He changed the subject rather hastily. He could not bear to bring back that cloud to Carlo's brow by telling him the last news of his sister. His lesson over, Carlo bean to ransack the jewellers' ehops,and having at last found a broad gold gypsy ring with a single dia- mond which satisfied him, he hent his steps toward his uncle's house, conscious that Guido Donati-a rather autocratic man - would require early notice of his nephew's day and pillar of fire by night of which old engagement. Father Oristoforo had told him. Not a The interview passed off well. Uncle Dare, not the least shadow of anxiety, broke Guido thoroughly approved of the marriage, the bliss -the unclouded happiness of that and treated his nephew in the most gener- ous and paternal way, and Carlo came forth evening. Remembering Enrico's advice to keep his happiness to himself, Carlo took a holiday, and stayed at home till the end of the week, when, partly prompted by a conscientious wish to break the news to Piale, and to keep his usual appointment with the old maestro on Saturday morning, partly be- causo he wished to search for a betrothal ring to his mind, he ordered his horse and rode into Naples, Piale lived p over a shop in the Strada Mont' Oliveto. His apartments were fur- nished in a Spartan manner, without the least attempt at comfort or picturesqueness. A marble floor, unrelieved by carpet or mat, walls painted in pale green, but bare of a single platdre, a grand piano in the middle of the room, a table strewn with mimic -paper, books and pens, and a few straight-backed chairs stiffly set around it, tom leted the furniture of this mu - in excellent spirits. All seemed to promiee well for his future life. Happy in his love, with the prospect of a fair inheritance, a hope which practioally amounted to cer- tainty of success in his profession, and with the best of mothers and the truest of friends, it seemed as if life could offer him nothing, more. His fade was radiant as he greeted Enrico Ritter. "Well mot 1" he exclaimed, waylaying Enrico, who, in a fit of abstraction, would have passed him by. " Oh, it is you 1" exclaimed Enrico, look. ing him critioally in the face. "Well, what news ?" "You will be requested to dance at my wedding before long," said Carlo, gayly. "So 1" Enrico whistled. " 1 took your advice, you see, amico ntio, and stayed at home, that you might not be afflicted with the trouble of congratulating it -egoist that you are i You stayed to en- joy yourself, and now you want to make me believe that you were considering my comfort and not your awn. An egoist 1 A double -dyed egoist 1" But his laughter was suddenly cheoked. They were passing a hoarding in the Strada 5, Trinity. ; Carlo had glanced at one of the placards, and now he clutched his friend's arm. "Enrico 1" he gasped ; " my sister's name -I thought I saw it. Look for me ; I can't." Huge blank letters on a pink ground danced in wild confusion before his eyes ; but surely it was that hateful name of Merlin which had suddenly darkened his sky, which has struck a blow at his heart and left him stunned and bewildered. " Dear old fellow, you must come on," said Enrico. " I didn't know those cursed placards would be out yet ; but it is true, alas 1 only too true." Carlo walked on mechanically, feeling as though he had the nightmare. His thoughts flew wildly from Francesca to Anita, from hia mother to Captain Britton, from his uncle to Merlin. He had no definite ideas,, only a giddy consciousness that the world, so bright but a minute before, was now over- shadowed, and that a nameless fear filled his heart. " Where " he faltered, after a brief silence. " The. Mercadante,' said Enrico, following his train of thought, and understanding the laconic question as a friend should. " Let us come there," said Carlo. Rnrico silently complied. After a time his friend looked up with another question. '" You knew of this before, then ?" Enrico signed an assent. " The day I' last saw you," he added, after a pause. " What ! That thing you tore out of the Piccolo ? Why did you try to keep it from me ?" " I wanted you to have a cloudless be- trothal,?' said Enrico, rather reluctantly. " Ah, amico mio !" exclaimed the other, gratefully.. " You shield me "thus, and then gall yourself an egoist 1" " Of course," said Enrico, who hated to be caught in a friendly action? " It was pure egoism.. Naturally I wish you to be happy, for it disturbs me and makes me un- comfortable to see you as you are now. dmrely for my own sake I deferred the evil Carlo could not help smiling, even then, at the energy with which his friend tried to establish his owh selfishness for the sake of triumphing in his pet theory. " I must find out whether they are yet in Naples," he said, growing grave once more, and trying hard to collect liis'thoughts. " Oh, Enrico ! how shall I break the news to my mother ? She is unfit to bear the least shook." " I would keep it from her, then -at any rate, till you know what line your sister intends to take," said Enrico. " But see, we are close to the Mercadante. Shall I make inquiries for you ?" " I wish yon would," said Carlo, with a look of relief. " Ask when the company arrives in Naples, and where they are to be found." Enrico walked forward, Carlo following more slowly ; on past two open-air cafes, with groups of idlers beneath a shady trellis -work of vine and euonymus ; on past a stall gayly wreathed with lemons and greenery, where thirsty Neapolitans were drinking mineral water ; on till the arsenal was in sight, and the red tower of the lighthouse, while in the foreground was the Teatro Mercadante/ Little had he thought that the sight of its pink walls with their white facings would ever have caused him such strange emotion. Huge placards were posted here in all directions. He read them over and over in a sort of dream, taking in little but that one name in larger type, " Mademoiselle Merlino." At length Enrico came forth, having made his in- quiries. " They do not seem to know the exact date of their arrival," he said, in answer to Oarlo's mute question. " The man was just going to his siesta„ and was not best pleased at being ' hindered, However, he wrote down the address for me. You will find them there whenever they do arrive. It may he to -morrow or any day next week. Theyare coming from America, but by what route the fellow didn't know. However, you see by the placards there are no performances for another ten days." Carlo took the paper and read the ad- dress. " I shall be here again to -morrow," he said. "1 will call and see if they have arrived, and till then I shall say nothing to my mother." " That would be wise," said Enrico. " Then she will be spared the worry and uncertainty. You look tired, amico mio; Come home with me and have your siesta in peace." " No," said Carlo ; "I want to go home. I want to tell Francesca." "You can't ride back in this heat ; you'll get a sunstroke." But he only shook his head, and, with an unmistakable air of wishing to be alone, said good-bye to his friend, and went to order his horse. Enrico turned to look after him. Pro- found dejection was expressed in his walk. The serpent had all too soon invaded his paradise. CHAPTER V. A TIIREATENING SET. " Come, all ye faithful, come, and dare to prove Tho bitter sweet, the pain and blies of levo " -Trench. Francesca came down one of the' shady garden paths to meet her lover ; she held in her hand a forked branch, on which, nestled upon the pale -green leaves, grew four fresh -looking lemons. For a moment Carlo forgot everything in the bliss of see- ing her again. It seemed to him that they had been ages apart; that he had been toil- ing across a barren desert to reach this cool, green retreat, in which his betrothed reigned supreme. How beautiful she looked in that familiar soft, white dress, and with her white forehead and delicate coloring shaded by a large hat 1 The hat was one of those shallow white ones which can some- times be bought for two or three soldi ; it was not calculated, however, to sustain the embraces of a lover, and it speedily fell back, leaving Francesca with her wavy brown hair uncovered. For a minute Carlo held her from him, that he might the better see her, with a datura - tree for back ground, and the soft creamy flowers drooping over her head, Francesca, having known him and loved him for years, saw in one glance that he was in trouble. " You are tired my own," she said. " It was too hot for you to ride bank so early ; you should have taken your eieeta at Naples." I couldn't rest," he said, with a sigh. " I wanted to get back to you." " Something has grieved you. Does Uncle Guido disapprove of our betrothal?" `a No, oh, no 1 How could he do it ? He treated me as though 1 had been his son." "Yet something or some one has been troubling you. But we will not talk of it. now ; you shall rest first, Come into the Rose -room ; it will cool there, and the sun is not off the summer -house yet." • They went together toward the house. The Pose -room was Ifrancesca's own little sitting -room. It had a ceiling painted after the. Italian fashion with wreaths of pick mega ; it had cool, gray walls crowded with a most miscellaneous collection of photo- graphs and water -color sketches ; it had rose-colored curtains in figured muslin;; and, after the manner of rooms, it betrayed its owner's chief failing -it was in wild dis- order. Francesca was by no means im- maculate ; like other girls, she had her faults, and untidiness was one of them. " Try my rocking -chair," she said, re- moving a guitar which reposed upon the cushions, and trying to find a home, for it upon the crowded table. " 1 will be back directly." Carlo, rescuing the guitar, which was in imminent danger of falling, lay back in the easy chair and waited, letting his hands wander idly about among the strings. It was sweet to feel already so entirely at home at Casa Bella -its very c.mfusion was dear to, him. Presently Frau"testa returned bearing a big tumbler of St. Galmier, which she sat down upon Dante's "Paradise," selecting the finest of the lemons from her branch. " Lend the your ' knife, Carlin,', she said : " I've lost mine, as usual. There !" as she cut open the cool, ripe fruit ; "isn't that a beauty ? How much, I wonder, for this glassful ? I should think half. ' Ah, how like nle ! I've forgotten the sugar." Then, running to the door, " Sibyl 1 Sibyl 1" The little sister came flying down the pas- sage. Run and fetch me some sugar, will you, Sibyl, dear ? Oh, bother ? Now, what have I done with the store -room key ? Look, darling, I think it must be on my dressing table, or, perhaps, in the pocket of my blue gown ; or, if not, in my work basket." Sibyl ran away to hunt for the missing key, and Francesca searched among the contents of the table to see if by chance it had been left there. Ah, Carlo mio 1" she said, with a pretty penitence, I fear I am not as the ladies say who advertise in the newspapers, ' thoroughly domesticated.' I shall have to mend my evil ways now." Carlo pretended not to understand what " domesticated " meant, and they had much merriment over a dictionary, which declared that it was to be "tame' and not "•for- eign." Sibyl at last returned with the sugar basin, claiming one lump as wages, and ac- cepting another to run away. Then Fran- cesca began to stir the contents of the tumbler with an ivory paper -knife, since spoons were not handy ; and in much laughter and love -like teasing Carlo forgot all about the clowd-shadow that had arisen. The ring fitted to perfection, and Fran- cesca's delight was pretty to see ; she was not above a womanly.weakness fer jewelry, and frankly owned that she always had longed for just one diamond. "And what about the old maestro?" she exclaimed, at last. " You never told ire how he bore the news." " Well, dear old Piale was, or pretended to be, a good deal depressed. It seems that he really had set his heart on my going on the stage, and had not at all realized how impossible that would be." " Yet you do not feel as my father does about theatre -going ?" said Francesca. "And Clare ! Don't you remember what arguments we used to have with dear Clare about it?" " Yes, she was dead against it ; but then she was brought up in a Puritan family, and the old prejudices lmgeted with her. For me, I have no feeling whatever of that sort, but nevertheless the life of an operatic singer•is quite the last I should willingly choose. Piale talks scoffingly of the hum - dram life of an advocate ; but for my part l: shall be very well content to stay at home, with the hope of some day following fn my father's steps and doing a little for the country. Think of the wretchedness of a wandering life ! It's all very well to talk about delighting Europe -practically one would be little better than an exile -and into the bargain, Piale owns that art re- quires the sacrifice of domestic life." " I knew he would not approve of me," said Francesca, laughing. " We must have him to our wedding, Carlo, and he shall make a speech. What fun he will be 1" Just for a minute, as they talked of theatrical life, . Carlo's thoughts had re- verted to Nita, but Francesca's reference to the wedding soon dispersed the cloud. He had most markedly the Italian faculty of living wholly in the present, and enjoying it much as a child enjoys life. They lin- gered long in the rose -room. Later on, when the heat of the afternoon was passed, they walked through the garden and down the vine -clad slopes to the beach, where old Florestano sat stroking his pipe with his back against a boat. He sprang up, on seeing them, as quickly as bis rheumatism would permit. " Going for a row, signor ?" he said, when he had finished his lengthy congratulations, and had made Francesca blush deliciously. " Yes," said Carlo, flinging his coat into the stern ; " but we ' sh'n't want you, Florestano ; we shall never want you any more" ; and, with a laugh, he shoved the boat down to the water's edge. " Ah, signorina," said the old fisherman, chuckling, " he is one to be proud of, that he is. Why, I do declare, he might be a fisherman. Look at him now." And with delighted pride the old man watched the skill with which the strong, active figure in straw hat and shirt -sleeves set to work. Carlo looked round with a bright, glowing face. " Come, Francesca, let us be off, Goodbye, Florestano. Ah, wait a minute, though ! Have a cigar 7" He banded his case to the old fisherman, who helped himself with a smiling face ; then he shoved the boat into the water, sprang in, and, taking the oars, rowed of toward Ischia. (To be continued.) Not the Ufilce IIIe Wanted. New York Press : " What's the matter with Glumm these days that he looks so sour ?" " Things have gone wrong with him lately. He has been trying to get up a benefit club for some time and it was organ- ized the other night, and they made him president." " Well, wasn't that what he wanted ?" " No, he wanted to°bo treasurer." A Request From the Hoek. Comic : Murderer (to judge) -Is this my lawyer ? His Honor -Yes. " Is he going to defend:me?" " Yes." " If he should die could I have another ?" Rt Yes." ",Can I see him alone for a few minutes ?'e Never permit the system to run down, as then it is almost impossible to withiftand the ravages of disease. Dr. Williams' Pink Pills stand at the head of all medicines as a blood builder and nerve tonic, correct- ing irregularities, restoring lost energies, and building up the system. Good for men and women, young and old, Sold by druggists or sent on receipt of price --60 centra --by addressingThe Dr.. Williams Med. Co BrockvilleOnt -A London money -lender recently sued for repayment of a loan on which he had re- ceived 600 per Dent. interest. 1IFFACI$E FOR CflzLIMIEN. The Mistake Made sty Mousing Thant ')reel ° AI e1i In Muter. Rousing children during the winter weather as a precaution against them tak- ing cold is a very great mistake. Very few colds are contracted in the open air if the feet, limbs and body are sufficiently pro- tected in the manner already indicated ; and if the, children are permitted to follow - out their own inclinations of running, skip- ping and having free motion of their arms,. and are not exposed for too long a time to the cold. When, however, they are com- pelled to walk like "little gentlemen and ladies," even when bundled up in furs, the• body soon becomes chilled if the weather is very cold, and some disturbance of the sys- tem follows. Children should be accustomed to daily exercise in the open air in all weathers, unless, of course, it is very stormy or the cold is severe, and even when delicate they should not be deprived of the tonic effect of out -door air and of strengthening the muscles by exercise in it. The first effect of cold air upon the system is a tonic, as may be seen by the bright color in the. cheeks and a feeling of exhilaration after a walk on a crisp day in autumn. Prolonged exposure to cold, on the other hand, is very depressing ; delicate children, therefore, should not remain too long out of doors if the weather is severe, or if it is verywindy ; or high winds, if pool, rapidly abstract the animal heat, and are also depressing. Children will frequently complain of pain in the legs and arms, which prevents them from exercising sufficiently. Their parents are often at a loss to determine th e extent and character of the pain, its transient nature deceiving and often leading them to doubt its existence, thereby causing muck unnecessary suffering, owing to a misconcei tion of the cause ; and, where the pain as:. admitted, it is looked upon as a necessary accompaniment of childhood. These ea - called "growing pains "-a misnomer -are caused either by fatigue of the itiuscles-the, result of over -exertion --or by some strain upon the tender articular surfaces, or are brought about by cold, inducing a species of muscular rheumatism. Children of seder- tary habits, who are not protected suffi- ciently by flannels, and also those of delicate, organization possessing more energy than: vigor are the chief sufferers from these pains. In every case, however- these pains can and should be promptly relieved, in the one in- stance by warmer clothing, in the other by carefully guarding against too violent and prolonged exercise. -Dr. P. 11. Rankin in, " Rypien for Childhood." ow to Help a Minister to Preach. It is astonishing how dull religious audi- ences, as a rule, look, writes Dr. Talmage in his department in the January "Ladies' Home Journal." In lecturing halls you see people with eyes wide open, nudging each other, and nodding to the sentiments offered. In prayer meetings the same people look dull ; they cultivate the dull look ; they have an idea that to be devotional they must look sleepy. A brother gets up to talk,. and a father in Israel puts his head down. on a cane, and a mother in Israel her head on the back of the seat in front of her, and: another looks up to the ceiling and seems tan be counting the cracks in it. Now, when: your minister gets up to preach look at him: There is inspiration in the human eye. Many a time I have, through pressure of other work, gone into the pulpit with little to say, but in the upturned faces of the. people I have seen twenty sermons, and the) only bother was to know which I sh preach. Artificial revise Stone. In England a new artificial paving stone has been introduced. It may be made in seven days, although preferably a few months should elapse between the time of mixing and of laying. 'The adamant stone, so called, is made of two parts of finely crushed Aberdeen granite, and one part of Portland cement, the two being mixed with water. The materials, when mixed, are placed in a mold and subjected to great hydraulic pressure. The stone produced is said to be of a dense nonporous nature, free from air cavities, and therefore proof against the action of frost. It is stated to be suita- ble for all kinds of paving and building pur- poses, and to be able to resist double the pressure of some other stones. Its dura- bility, of course, is still to be proved. The curious information is given that, the crown of England, which is valued at £l00,000, has been in pawn four times, once for £2,000. " A man without an ideal sinks ; the malt with one rises, but in so rising passes through agonies. This life is his purgatory. Only the man without an ideal is happy - brutally happy." --5. Baring -Gould. More than 24,000,000 francs have been expended on the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Paris, and it is estimated that an expenditure of 5,000 francs more will be required to complete 'it. Eugene D'Albert, the pianist, haying ob- tained a divorce, is about to marry Mme. Teresa Carreuo, the American pianist, w has also succeeded in securing a decree divorce in a suit brought against her seco� husband. The public schools in Dundee have jide- cided to make the Highland fling and the strathspey of Tullochgorum and other forms of dancing a part of the curriculum. tf' ct erman Syrup" Here is an incident from the South —Mississippi, written in April, 189a, just after the Grippe had visited that: country. "I am a farmer, one of those who have to rise early and work late. At the beginning of last Winter I was on a trip to the Coity of Vicksburg, Miss.,where I got welt drenched in a shower .of rain. li went home and was soon after seized with a dry, backing cough. This grew worse every,,,day, until I had to seek relief. I consulted Dr. Dixon who has since died, and he told me to get a bottle of Boschee's German. Syrup. Meantime my cough grew worse and worse and then the Grippe: came along and I caught that also very severely. My condition then. compelled me to do something. I got two bottles of .German Syrup. I. began using them, and before taking much of the second! bottle, I wase entirely clear of the Cough that had Ming to me so long, the Grippe, and all its bad effects, I felt tip-top and. have felt''' that way ever since:" PAIVR j . $atax s, Jr.., Cayuga, Hines Co.. Mina. dll