The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-03-29
lIPPO.


She was very tired; she had been spading in
the tiny garden long before the splendor of
the rose and silver sunrise had flushed the
faces OF the bills; then she drove the cows to
pasture, and when she came home made the
fire and had breakfast nearly ready before
| she went to the ladder and called Lippo
He came leaping down from the loft d.
rectly, and after splashing vigorously at the
water butt appeared at the breakfast table
| glowing and smiling, drop or two still
| sparkling On his .dusky curls.
| Margretta had but her bowl of soup and
slice Of black bread, but beside Lippo's plate
lay cluster of grapes and a golden pear, that
| Ruff, the gardener, had given her as she came
| up the hill from the pasture
take half, Caro- said Lippo magnani-
mously. as be lifted the fruit; but Margretta
shook her head. 1t was pleasure enough for
her to watch his sensuous pleasure, In their
! perfume and mellow suavity. He ate them
| with the hearty relish of child, but when
they were done he gazed at the core he held
in his hand and sighed regretfully.
What is it dear, are you hungry stillF"
asked Margretta, anxiously.
''No," he answered lightly; "but bave to
| go to town to-day. should have saved the
pear for my dinner; you know can't eat dry
bread, Margretta; would starve first"
| But his sister was equal to the emergency.
She was quite used to being his providence.
From the cupboard she. produced triumph
antly slice Of cheese. There, Lippol look
at that! and with loaf Of yesterdays baking
you will not dine badly, I am thinking.
Now, go. my child, get yourself ready for
| your. journey"
While she cleared away the meagre rem
| If tbo %o1 ol
array. 1t was the cast-off velvet lounging
suit Of the count, who came at rare intervals
| to the villa, and Margretta had purchased
them from his valet with the price Of her sill
yer earrings. She shed few tears at part
| ing with them, for they were her only
treasure, excepting her string of pearls, but
she wished to surprise Lppo with the gift on
his name day, and when she saw how beauti-
| full he was in the rich, little worn garments
she rejoiced at the sacrifice. Even the string
Of pearls must go now, for the last payment
| on the two fields was due, and when they
| were bought Lippo would be free to bring
| home wife at any time.
| Heretofore Margretta had always been
able to meet the payment, but last winter
| Lippo was sick and needed wine and nourish-
ing food, and in the spring one of the oxen
died; so with little pang Margretta de-
cided the pearls must go. Lippo would take
them to town to-day, and old Andrea, who
! lived by the church and who bought the
peasants marriage plates and linen chests to
sell again TO the rich folk from abroad, would
give her fair price for the pearls; enough
to pay for the two fields and a little over to
make Lippo wedding feast when he should
have mind to marry.
Lippo came down the steps from the loft,
dressed for his errand, aud Margretsx stood
| agaze, as she had done thousand timessnce
his babyhood, lost in admiration of his soft,
dark beauty; his long, slender body was SO
1.-THE and supple, his oval face so smoothly
curved, his lips were like scarlet flower, and
his eyes like stars in the dusk.
He came merrily out through the cottage
| garden, picked a crimson carnation, which
he stuck behind his ear, kissed Margretta,
and swung gaily off down HILL
That kiss repaid Margretta for all her sac
rifices when Lippo was but toddling baby,
and she must work early and late to keep the
| two, with no time for fetes or lovers like
other girls had. His little clinging arms and
caresses had consoled her for everything, and
she held the dances and kisses of the young
men as but feathers weight when balanced
against the comfort and happiness of her
pretty bambino.
| Now, Margretta had no lovers to repulse.
One does not rise long hours before day to
dig, to weed, to toll increasingly for twelve
| hours each day, to live spare and sleep little,
and yet retain the smoothness of youth. Her
hands were coarse and red, her face
withered brown, her back broad, and her
step heavy, though she was but 35.
The years had slipped by unheeded, while
the exacting baby was growing an indolent,
beautiful man. So many years Margretta
had toiled for him that it seemed but natural
she should continue to do it.
She would have resented a suggestion as
to his lazness and want of consideration
Did not Lippo always come at sunset to help
her fetch water up the hill taking the jar
from her as il she was a princess. And did
he not come in the evening and take her
away from her work, drawing her into the
garden among the carnations and lilies, de-
claring she worked too hard and must come
out in the moonlight and listen to the
nightingalesa
Did that look as if he were inconsiderate.
And on saints days did he not always go
with her to mass, carrying her book and
offering her the holy water as if she were
his sweetheart
Were there any other young men who
treated their sisters like thata No, decidedly,
she had nothing to complain of in Lippo.
So she went cheerfully about her work all
day, and when the night fell she gazed with
pride at the clean garden and the heaps of
uprooted weeds Then she drove the COWS
from pasture, stopping to talk with Ruff. to
ask when the count was expected, and
whether the fruit ripened we'll When the
COWS were penned she dashed water over her
brown throat and arms, smoothed her hair
and retled her kerchief, for Lippo liked to see
her neat Then she seated herself to rest and
wait for Lippo.
| She was very tired, she did not remember
feeling SO tired in all these years; but then
she was up so early, and the sun had been
very hot to-day; perhaps she was going to
have u fever, many of the people had had
fevers during the summer, but she had no
time to be sick; what would become of Lippo
thenl
All her limbs felt numb and dead, but she
had not the energy to stir them; she hardly
seemed to care whether she ever moved at
all, and her thoughts grew faint and con-
fused; she could not think whether it was the
fre-fiies that sparkled up above her; there
was another name for them she knew but
couldn't remember it, and there they were
again, Pickering and glittering in the cedars.
1t was very strange, yet she didn't much care
to solve it. Was that nightingale singing,
or was it Lippo whose voice came up the
roadi Lippo could sing until one would
weep for the beauty of it, and now the sound
gave her a strange, lost, far-way feeling that
was like pang. She dimly felt she must go
get Lippo's supper ready, and yet lacked the
viii to move.
Through the gate at last he came, calling
to her and saying something she
could not understand. She tried to
rise, but she could not move The cold sweat
stood out on her brow from the intensity of
her effort, yet she sat as still as the marble
virgin in the church.
It was all dim and confused; Lippo cried