Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-09-25
MsDDALENA'S LOVERS.

many wears in the h6me OF my cHllu-
hood on the previous day | had been
ACCOMMODATED to find that | remember
ad so little Of the scenery; now, In this
most memorable of all our haunts,
evervtbiDp flashed back upon me.
Giving wav gladly TO the dreamy
Ynno1 7 aung myself down on moss
covered rock that overhung the river
ami began 10 watch the clear, brown
waters as they rppled over the stones
and through the rushes. In lew
moments l was deep IN memories Oh
the past.
For several reasons, some OF winch
NAV appear as 1 90 on, think snail
write down the little history oil when
INV mind IS full, and let some OF my
friends see it. Perhaps then they
will understand more clearly now u
is that the things are as they are with
ms perhaps they will believe me when
I saw that. even in this prosalc nine
tenth century, heroic lives are posi-
Bile.
Though my twin brother and | had
something 10 say to the story am
abont TO relate, neither of us was its
hero The honors belong to NADIA
lena. and 10 explain how Maodalena
came 10 be what she was, shall
have 10 refer 20 certain events that
happened some years before we were
born
Mr. Seymour. an elderly aud some
what eccentric Englishman, was tray
cling one wear through the north OF
Italv. He came to Florence, which,
wits It's treasures o. art, so bewltched
him that be could not tear himself
away. He was alone, having LETT his
wife and grown up daughter at Men
tone. as was his custom upon these
occasions of solitary travel, he avoided
the iinelyappointedh hotels, which
ENGLISH people love too frequent, aud
nut up at a small, unpretendlng Inn,
visited principally by Italians.
lie had not been more than two
DAYS at the hotel before he was at
tracted by his neighbor at the table
d'hote She was child, probably
vbout z years Of age, a quick, clever
vivacious little Italian with small,
round. olive tinted face, expressive
brown eyes, and dark curly hair
She had for a companion pale faced,
worn.loOking woman, who, although
she treated the child with the most
perfect Indifference, appeared to be
her mother
The sharp child, discovering the inn
preston she had made on the grave
faced Euglshmau, began to play OIL
all her little airs and graces upon nm
She must have been delightfully."- com
ic as She smiled and made eyes at her
neichbor or shocked him by flying
into mimic rage or bewildered him by
rafting nonsense. music on the piano.
Being a serious man, Mr.. Seymour did
not see the comi side of the little
maidens performances 1t grIeved
him to the heart to think what the
child's future would be, and shy as ne
was he introduced himself to NADIA
lenas mother, and ventured on few
words Of remoustrance.
She listened politely, expressed her
regret that her Lena should have an
moved him, and sand that owing to
her occupation she was a concert
singer she could not look after her
child as size would wish TO do. The
sole consequence OF Mr. SoYmOur's
interference was, that ON the next oc-
casion when the mother went out to
sing, Lena was tied up IN her room to
keep her quiet He heard her weep
ing and lamenting, ventured on the
bold step Of releasing her, and from
that day the two became fast friends.
la the spring of tine following year
MIR. Seymour visited Florence agaia,
this time i'm the company OF his wife
and daughter YHe place reminded
him of AIaddlleua, and he deter
mined to Gnj ont whether she and
her mother were still in the hotel
where he had left them. 1t was even
ing when hc started ON his quest
which led him through the Oldest
part of the city. The inn he sought
was close To concert room In front
of this and completely choking up the
narrow roadway, there was dense
throng OF people Surprising some
popular entertainment 10 be about to
take place, Mr. Seymour pushed his
way through the crowd He was i'm
the midst ot ll, when "a shrill sound
of cries and lamentations fell upon
his ear HE was "a pitiful man, and
he stopped t0 see what had happened.
In the next instant the child OF
whom he had been thinking the lit
tie blockbloVed Italian girl, had
sprung up from under Inns feet, and