Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1877-01-10
Hsmors OF Italian Begging.

HumOrs Of Italian Regslng.
lT. y. Alirich
1t Is fair to observe that the Italian
beggar usually renders tribute 10 an
Abstract idea OF manhood By assam-
ing that he has done You some sort
Of service. This service is not gen.
orally visible to the unaided eye, and
l fancy that the magnifying glass Of
sufficient power toenable you always
to detect it has yet to be invented.
But 1t is to his everlasting praise
that he often does try to throw veil
over the naked injustice of his de-
mand, though he Is too apt to tie
contented with the thinnest or fab.
rics. / have paid Neapolitan gen
tleman ten sous for leaning against
dead-wall in front OF hotel win
dow. The unexpectedness and the
insinuating andacity of the appeals
frequently take away your presence
of mind and leave you limp. There
was an old son of Naples who dweft
on curb-stone near the Castel dell,
Ovo. Stumbling on his private pubs
lie residence quite unintcntionally
one afternoon, l was Immediately
assessed. Ever after he claimed me;
and finally brought his son-in-law to
me and introduced him MS person
combining many OF the most desira-
BILE qualities of pensioner. One Of
his strong points was that he had
been accidentally carried off to
America, having fallen asleep one
day in the hold of fruit vessel.
But, SIR" / said, "why should ]
give you anything? don't know
YOU"
That is the reason, siguor
At bottom it was an excellent rea-
son. II paid the father-in-law for
the pleasure OF knowing him, was it
not logical and just that / should
pay the son.in-law for the much
greater pleasure / had had in not
knowing him? The slightest thing
will serve i'm Italy for lien upon
your exchequer. An urchin who
turns himself into Catherine wheel
mt your carriage side, or stands on
his head under the very hoofs OF
your horses, approaches you with
the confidence of a prodigal son. 4
three day old nosegay thrown into
your lap gives a small Italian maid
en- In one garment the right to cling
to che footboard of your vetttra until
you reimburse her. In driving from
Pompeii to sorrento, no fewer than
Atty of these floral tributes will be
shOwered upon you. The little
witches who throw the flowers are
very often pretty enough to be
caught and sculptured 81
An inadvertent glance towards a
fellow sleeping by the roadside
places you at once in a false position.
i have known an even less com
promising thing than II turn OF the
eyelid to establish financial relations
between the stranger and the native
have known sneeze to do it. one
morning OH the Mole Of Venice, All
unassuming effort Of my own in this
line was attended by the most un-
expected result Eight or ten young
who had been sunnlnR
themselves at gondola-lanaing, in
stantly started up from recumbeft
position and advanced upon nae in q
semjcircle, with salute, signor, 81
iuter's One Of these youths disturb.
ed a preconceiyed idea Of mine by
suddenly exclaiming,
az am a boy Americana dam!"
As had not come SO far from
home to relieve the necessities ofBy
own countrymen, aud rs ! reelected
that possibly this rogue'4 comptnions
were also prolane Americans, ] gave
them nothing but Il genial smile,
which they divided among them
with the resignation that seems to be
i national trail.