Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-05-17

ulu Ill. Inc mems blChtntu, OF ulu not luN
the pig remained lean the soup pot boiled
over or cost too much, and once had mush-
room in it that made them all sick the spi-
ders began to appear, the dust to gather, the
chimney to smoke, the cabbages to get the
worm. The little girls meant we'll but they
were very careless and Candida sulked for
her necklace in the well.
The heart of Faello grew very sad.
you should take wife, Faello it would
keep your sisters in order" said the neigh
bors Faello colored, for he had never had
such thought put before him but he an
swered quickly and shortly,
"When my sisters are all married, per
haps."
The youngest, Toinetta, was seven years
old; the neighbors laughed and nicknamed
him II Frate the monk. But Faelo did not
laugh.
There was n maden-just this last month
or two-who had looked at him as he passed
her; not furtively, rs did the others, but
openly yet sweetly, with clear blue eyes that
made him think of the Madonnas in the kings
galleries down in the city.
He had never spoken to her, nor would
have thought of speaking TO her. She was
the daughter of one of the master potters,
whose huge red jars he bore down into Flor
ence, and she had but lately come from n con-
vent where she had been reared and taught
delicate hand-works. She was as far removed
from him as if she had been a mobiles dnugh-
ter; still he loved to think of her-as he
thought of the saints That was all.
Once she had patted Pastore.
Faello had kissed Pastore where her hand
had rested, and then had coored painfully.
Now in this sweet spring weather-when
these sweet blue eyes glanced at him one day,
| and ever afterward he saw them in the blue
of the sky above and the blue of the myosotis
by the brooks-a sore trouble fell upon him.
One of his mules died, and a little later the
other broke its leg, and had to be slain on
the road. 1t was almost great loss to
Faello as If his own feet had been hewn of /;
without his mules his power of working was
gone. He had no money to buy more. The
priest tried to get a trihing sum together to
help him, but the people would not give. He
was young, they said there were many
wanted more than he, and they all wanted so
! much themselves. Even the master potters
whom he had served would not aid him. He
had to hire a mule, but the days hire almost
| swallowed up the days wage. The soup pot
was almost empty, or only simmered with
few herbs and a little parsley in the water.
Faello himself only ate bread and as little of
| even this as he could, that he might not send
Pastore starving to bed.
One day, saints day, when he was at
draught of water, said, II think you have a
curious old plate; may see it; -
| surely said Faello, and pointed at it on
the wall
The man was about to take it down, but
| Faello stopped him. You must not do so.
| We never touch it,"
Never touch it = said the man, not COM
! pretending; and got leave to light n lamp
| wick and look at it.
1T is old and old | will give you five
francs for it, he said, as he blew the light
| out.
Faello answered, 1T is not to be sold"
Nonsense, said the man lit is of no use
! hanging there say ten"
Faello shook his head.
The man slowly bid twenty. twenty-five
thirty, forty and so on, till in half an hours
time he reached the offer of sum of one
hundred francs. "A hundred francs :" Faello
shivered with longing 1t would buy mule
| But he still shook his head and answered. 1T
is not to be sold" The man flung himself out
of the door in Il fury and fume
He was an antiquity-dealer from the city,
and had recognized the plate a old UTbin
ware Of the finest sort and design.
The wooden-headed young madman -
said the dealer, with the favorite Tuscan
curse. What can lie want with II Marriage
Plate ON his wall May an apopleXy take
him :"
But no apoplexy took Faello. although he
went down through the dust in the torrid
heats of the summer every day, and only
lived ON lump of bread and an onion, and n
cupful of bad mezsOriHO. Even these he
could i'll afford, for the previous autumn's
vintage had been a bad one, and the best of
wine was franc a flask, which means that it
is only for the rich.
1t was a very curious thing, but after that
dealer had gone away in dudgeon, several
other people came to look at the Marriage
Plate, and offered various sums to part with
it. 1t never occurred to Faello that the deal
er might have sent them but he felt the
temptation sorely. The mule was but poor
beast which he hired, and the hire of it ran
away with nearly all his gains but he gave
them all the same answer and when he knelt
and said his Ayes 10y his grandmother's un-
marked grave in the little white-walled burial
place on the hill, he could say with clear
conscience, ''NoHRd mia, sia eOnttHtd."
The master potter's daughter used to go to
the burial place also for her mother lay there.
Once or twice Faello saw her and lifted his hat
to her, she being one OF his employers fam.
lily; but he did not dare to look at her; as he
did it that once, he felt his heart beat so that
he could scarcely breathe. A little later on
he ventured, in her absence, 10 lay some blue
lilies on her mothers grave; he wondered il
she knew who put them there-but how
should she know? The blue lilies had nC
tongue.
She never spoke to him; she only spoke tC
Pastore, who, since she had patted him oil
that one day, always ran up to her whenever
he saw her near.
''Dea is pretty girl, and will have a nice
nest-egg for her DOVER" Faello heard tn,
neighbors say once in the evening time, wheI
the work was done and the stars We're out
and those stars of earth, the tre-hies, wer,
illumining hill and dale, and clustering in tn,
corn.
"Ay she is pretty girl said another
They do talk Of Tista up yonder for her"
Clan Battista was young Fattore, cOnely
and well to do, who rode fine frisking horses
and in winter wore velveteen and in summe
white jean clothes; he had his home ut graz
old tower on a neighboring bill, and was tn,
dandy and the hero of the district.
Faello, listening felt as if all the light o
the stars and the fire-hes went out, and lef
the Whole earth gray and dark. Yet wha
was il to him Whether for Clan Battista O
not. Dea could never be for himself Dea
with her soft forget-me-not eyes, aud he
blonde tresses, and her string of pearls at he
throat, and her dover of good five thOusanC
francs, not to speak Of linen.
His fate would always be to see her go b,
his house-just that and nothing more
He had to keep the wolf from the door, an,
the soup pot full for the five hungry littl
mouths.
Her father even never noticed him, excep
to leave him a rough order, or pay him ON
Saturday night. Faello was one of the cart
ers-nothing more. Ser Baldnssare lived il
n house with green blinds, and wore gol,
watch, aud was quite great man. as great
ness is counted up at Impruneta. Peopl
, said he could fill dozen of his own big re,
pots with French bank notes, and not b.
| poor; but perhaps this was an exaggeration
= Anyhow, he was very great man in tn
eyes of Faello, who humby carried into tn
town for him those huge round-bellied jars
t and earthen pots as big as brewers watts il
r England, which made so brave a fortune TO
Den and her three brothers
Q 1t was lovely summertime, warm, o
, nn,,nn Int rnfrnnhnd ,riAh hnn,.,t rnir., nftnl