Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-19

yet You teach us how TO work Yoa work
your.,eii, IKE ali tas angels You see. sig
more (tnis was addressed To me cOnddsu-
italy, oy an old fellow In shirt. sleeves and
a veiveteen waist-coat) 1.-THE be.T Siya1foyF
comes from country where chestnuts are
them" ~
He was evidently chuckling 10 himself
over tie superiority of Lon0ardy TO We
But the bel' stgnuoIa left her rake lying on
the grass.
81 must now go, my friends" she said in
per pretty, SLOW, hesiLating Italian. And
L may never be able To come again. But van
viii remember, Will you not? what / have
toId you anout The poor people who Ii re on
tne mountains, and who would be gtaI very
often Tor handful OF those very cnestuuts
which you leave rottiDg ON the ground"
AND ihen she walked away by my side,
Just as II had been sent out TO fetch her
home.
II could not help doing that for once,u she
said half alphabetically 10 me. "But may
OF De ABLE TO go again. He might not like
Ii, you know"
Like 1.-THE marchese-no; [ should think
not. No man, however affable, would like
tn see his daughter working away among
the peasants, getting her feet wet through
ard her hands tanned by the sun. And Inc
Marchese San Gi)rgio was not, an affable
man, judged. But L said nothing.
She caught my glance at her feel, however
es, they are wet" she said carelessly
1T is very uncomfortable when one wears
Doots. Otherwise, IL does not matter"
You ought to have been born peasant"
said L. Really this was going too far even
for me.
She looked up at me with a smile. bu.
what smile--frank, shy, coniidIng, cues
tionlng, artless ,guileless, bashful, beautiful
all at once. lived on that smile for days.
L think 1t was about a week after this adj
venture that received a little note from
my young lady. 1t was funny little note,
SHINY written, and very stiftly expressed.
IL was merely 10 the effect that the mar
ca ese desired the honor of a visit from me at
"A stated time on the following afternoon. IL
was Sigred Veronica San GiorgiO. l was
lttle surprised, but promised attendance, of
course.
AN hour or two before the eventful inter
view, strolled out into the hotel garden.
Veronica San Giorgio was there. had seen
her hom my bedroom window. She was
sitting on the low wall that iii vides the gar
den from the lake. She was, / think, gazing
at the hills as usual. She had a bunch of
blue flowers on her lap.
She started up when she heard my step on
the gravel, and came TO meet me with her
eager smile Then something was it some
thlng In my face or her own hearty suddenly
checked her; she bluShed little, and began
lisileSsly pulling the flowers to pieces.
Don't destroy your pamesakes." said /,
catching some OF the blue fragments be
tween my hands; sit seems cannibal-like.
Do you know, was wondering what your
real name could be? F'rona is a pretty pet
name, but Veronica is far prettier, think"
do on think so?" she said indifprently
"de does not like it,"
Why did he give 1t you, then?" 1 asked
she turhed upon me that shy, questioning
smile again.
''He old not give it me-" she said slowly,
Though he was my godfather. 1t seems SO
strange now 10 think of him as"
las your own father" said /, hastily sup
plying the blank. Parents do sometimes
act as sponsors 10 their children, believe.
AS my husband" she said softly and mu-
singly, and letting the words die away in a
sigh.
Her husband-that old man; that feeble.
iOtlprlDR
horrible TO be true. / could not utter word,
put fear my face expressed my feelings.
nes-my husband" she repeated softly.
"Did you not know? Are you very much
surprised? Shall tell you how IL happened?
You see, we lived on the mountains and nv
Iather was channels hunter, and once saved
the marchese's life In the snow. After that
Cue marchese never forgot us, but came
BACK, year after year, generally living in
our house, because there were not many no.
tells IN Tue Engadine then. But one year,
When ne came ut was only year ago), my
father could not go out with him because he
was Ill, and things had gone badly with US,
anu we were very poor, because there We're
so many little ones at home now to be fed
aud Cousin BeTtol besides; and my father
saiu: 'Ihe slgnor marchese would do well to
go TO the Kahn hotel. He will fare better
there than here But the signor mar
cheese would not 60 10 the Kuhn hotel;
ne would stay with us. He had something
10 say TO my father. And this was what he
said TO my 1ather: lie had seen me grow up
ana he wanted TO marry me; aud he prom
iSed 10 provide for the little brothers, and
give portions TO the little sisters, If ONLY
would do so. But 1 must marry him with a
clean heart-that Is, declare honestly that /
never cared for any one else. SO made the
declaration easily enough, for was only Is
then and whom else could have seen TO care
Tor IN that way? And then my father
thanked me, and said had made il easy for
him TO die; and the little brothers and sis
Crrs danced for JOY, and everybody seemed
p'eased, except Cousin BsrtOl. But the mar
rhese Kept his word, and gave him piece OF
and FOR farm, and sent all the little ones
IL good schools. And he was very kind TO
me- and carried me away To a beautiful pa
lace by tie sea, and gave me pretty dresses
10 wear, and jewels and lace, and every thing
wicked and ungrateful, and after a while L
grew tired of all these beautiful things and
even or the marcheSes kindness, too some
times; and lOnged-oh! how / longed for a
sight OF a mountain storm, or a cross look
from Cousin Bertol! And fthen, the mar
chese's relations did not like me- and called
me travelling, and said had better not tell
any body exactly who L had been. But-but
could not help telling you, because"
ana mere she stopped short suddenly-stified,
as II were, by burning blush.
"Because-what?"l asked, almost fiercely.
had listened TO every word she said, and it
seemed hard TO be banked of two or three
more, and those, perhaps, the most impoI-
tant ofall.
But she flew past me "llke flash of light"
She ran along the garden path into the ho-
marked her track. ] saw no more.
AFTER all my interview with the marchese
never came of. l went to Stresa, taat same
afternoon. But strange TO say, though re-
turned TO England almost i'm med lately after
WARD, was never able TO give DIR. Brooke
any lucid Information concerning the din
ner at the famous lies Borromees.
one day in the following spring.as went
into my club, little packet was put iuto
my hands. How IL ever reached me was a
marvel. II was addressed 10 the 'IultstrisSiBtO
oi97lOTe uyteS Hotel DIES lies BlgrOneeS ISressd.'
but The original direction had been crossed
over by variety OF others. The seal had
never been broken, however, till broke IL,
ana found within the packet biggish box
ana little letter. / opened the letter first.
IL was written in the still, childish hand
had seen once before, and was dated ST.
NORTH, Christmas day, 1877
"Ilimo, Signore,-I send you, in my hus.
oards name, a small packet, containing a
token OF his regard for the service you rem
deIed him, that day, at Luino. He had hoped
10 have placed IL in your hands himself; and
FOR That purpose, solicited the honor of a
visit from you at BaveDO But you left be-
fore the hour OF the visit, and we wondered
much over your sudden absence. He is dead
now, the good marchese; and L think L
scarcely knew how good he was till be was
gone from me- He left me muCh money. huE