Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-01-16
BEPPO.

out the other, for if ever there were
bosom friends in the world Beppo and
Rita were such.
Who were their parentsP Who can
sayp They themselves were least able
to give a satisfactory answer to this
question. All they could remember
was that they had found themselves
one day side by side basking in the sun
and scrambling about among the sand
and pebbles of the shore at Naples;
that since that day that shore had be-
come their home and that they had al
ways remained together. Thrice day
Zio Antonio (Uncle Antonio) took
them to his hut and gave them maca-
roni and trutti do mare. When night
came, if Rita felt chilly, they knocked
at Antonio's door and huddled together
among his nets and fishing tackle. But
mostly they remained lying on the sand,
looking at the bright stars overhead,
chattering and laughing until the great
sea lulled its children to sleep with its
deep, soft murmur.
Beppo was somewhat older than Rita,
and she looked up to him as her natural
and powerful protector. He was proud
" conscious of this and would have
sprung into lions jaws to shield her
from harm.
So they grew up, like all that is alive
in nature grows up in those blessed
climes-children of the rich burning
soil on which they lay, of the blue sea
which, like a mother, sang them to
sleep.
Beppo was about fourteen and Rita
perhaps two years younger, when Zio
Antonio announced to them that in fu-
ture they had no more macaronis to
expect from him, for he was going
away, far, far away--to land called
America. Things looked bad in Naples,
he said: "MoIta qente poca danaro''
(many people and little money!, and
so he preferred work in foreign lands
to starvation at home.
The poor children cried bitterly in
taking leave of the old man. He was
the only human being who had ever
cared for them and now they were all
alone in the world. 1t was not for his
macaroni alone that they cried; as long
as there was q fisherman on the shore
they had no fear of hunger; but the
macaroni is, after all, not everything in
life-even for Neapolitan lazzaroni.
After Zio Antonio had left them
Beppo grew daily more restless and
thoughtful. He could sit for hours in
the sand, his dark sparkling eyes fixed
with longing look on the blue space
of open sea between Capri and Tschia,
and when Rita crept up to him and
nesting on his lap asked what he
thought about. he answered: "Zio
Antonio and that foreign land he is
gone TO-"
One day as they were thus sitting to-
gether man dressed like a sailor ap-
preached them, and tapping Beppo on
the shoulder, said:
"Cheer up, my lad! l have good
news for you, from Zio Antonio. have
seen the old man on the other side, he
is doing very well and is fast becoming
rich. Would you like TO go to himP
The ship, the Captain of which is a
friend of mine starts tomorrow. He
will give you free passage for An
tonio's sake"
Beppo sprang up in delight.
"Ofcourse we will go!''he exclaimed.
"Wont we, RitaP"
"As you will, Beppo," she answered
simply.
And the pair started hand in hand
preceded by the sailor. The same night
they were brought on board the ship,
where the Captain, a burly, course
looking red haired fellow met them.
"Hallo, Domenico!'' he cried. "Do
you bring some morep We are pretty
full already"
"But two more" answered the man.
"Squeeze them up bitr'
Then the Captain and the man who
had brought the children drew aside
and held a whispered conference. Some
money passed from hand to hand, and
then the sailor jumped into his boat
and rowed back TO the shore.
"What are you staring atP" cried
the Captain to the children, who stood
on deck side by side, bewildered,
amazed by all they had seen and heard.
"Go down and sleepp' =
Saying which he seized them roughly
by the shoulders and pushed them down
steep ladder into an utterly dark and
narrow hole. Cropping their way
through the darkness the children
stumbled at each step they made on
groans arose and chilled their hearts
with a nameless terror. Beppo, with
Rita half-fainting in his arms, rushed
back to the ladder, but it had already
been drawn up. He screamed aloud;
nobody answered him. sHe shook his
fists and stamped on the floor in i'm.
potent rage-all in vain. They were
locked up-buried alive. With diff.
Guilty Beppo succeeded in finding an
empty space on the floor. He took Rita
in his arms, and pressed closely against
each other both children cried them
selves to sleep.
When they awoke the broad daylight
streamed in through the hatchway. In
the marrow and close space, forming
part OF the steerage, dozen or more
ragged children of all ages, from ten To
sixteen, were crowded together, lying
on the bare floor with no other bedding
than their miserable -ags. One by one
the poor wretches awoke, crying bitter,
ly. The ship had heaved her anchor
during the night and had already
gained the open sea.
"What does this meanP What Il
going TO become of usP' asked BeppC
Of his neighbor, little chap OF scarcely
ten years of age, who cried as if his
heart would break.
I'VE are soldr' cried the little one,
sobbing. "Sold to wild people oyeI
the seas, who will roast US and eat usl''
The whole passage, which lasted
nearly two months, was an uninter
rupted series Of suffering for the chill
.dren. Not one soul on board cared fol
them in any way. Their food wal
brought TO them twice a day In /
trough, and consisted for the most par
of searbiscuit soaked in water. Most o.
the children dwindled to skeletons be
fore they reached New York. Two nl