New-York tribune., 1885-03-15
oUTwITTED.

al ozin
shnnzi and upon the marble clitf against which
nssties the little village OF Palenelia. ,.,
The blue-green al0es were unfurling tneir snaIP
onted leaves in the cefts and crannes OF the rocks
pDim. prs and every now and then the wild roses sent
n mink shower hutterng down to the nat rools DO po
low v here maize and wheat were spreau ou' " o's
ncia Ceprano was sitting at the door OF her gray
stone cottage this hot Afternoon busly eneagea III
peelng and splitting willow ld pGas hasEat Which Law
nending a certain diiapidateu olu pasAo' ""'" 10y
on the ground beside her. . .
The stony village street was silent ana no1 u
creature was visible but herself. except indeed. g
e,w fowls which were promenading in the sun. and
some little black pigs which lay sleeping WIN ou'-
stretched legs in sundry dusty hoiowS. ru,ation Of
The fact was that the whole popuiation oi
palenella was gone 10 take part in procession IN
The little town of Paene. Not creature had stayed
at home but Lucia Ceprano anu mo mo- oae too o II nao
her head to do. for the villagers h'd 'au' ~ 'H0"
minds that she was cracked :.
Iucia had refused the wealthiest young men IN
the district Lpcia owned property. yet she worked
as hard as 1t she were poor; Lucia did nor dance
the tarantea was not merry wona ben ho, he WAS
as obstinate as only mule can be!
Such the & AGAINST Faiapa hers aea
one was about FIVE hundred years Dehlhu tho
outside world, any one of thess eccentrlcltl9s
would have been quite enough 10 MAKE peop'0
Then again, though she certainly was beautiful.
il was in very different style from her neghoors;
indeed. she was of quite dinerent TYPE W hoa ihOia
district as far south Naples. =,
The women in these parts are sma!ii agile ana
cracsfu With pretty little dark brown faces. small.
sharp noses pouting lips. ana wld curly ,nsir. n'ir.
almost entirely covering the low forehea9s., !ney
are light-hearted creatures laughing ana ohatter-
mo the whole day long and in character they are
an odd mixture of carelessness shrewdness passion
cunning. and narrow Tnihdedness: h vel, GROWN and
stately looking; her face was oval. ana she had
smooth black hair and wonderful deep br1wni iran.
anil eyes which seemed 10 look thoughtii9iIiy lily ~
everything: and her mouth, though weiltormed
and full llpped was firmly closed; she moved aooui i
in digniiied, deliberate way ana sue vas re- a
the most unsOcable girl in the village 1Or sue never
smoke a word more than was actually necessary,
The very fact of her being so unlike other village
girls however caused Lucia to be quite the rage at
one time. ALI the young men tor miles ronnd We're Mere
crazy about her. and she had as many offers as there
were sundays in the year for she had other a'tao %
tions besides her beauty; Every one knew i1, .hae
besides the very tolerable property IN Paenela
which was all her own and quite unincumoeren.
Lucia also possessed 10000 lire, OF something over
9iOf in the National Bank of Rome. SO that for
these parts she was a considerable heiress
Lucia allowed her sutors 20 say their say withono %
full eyes and looking steadily at theIn Tor the space
of second. she announced that she had no lhten-
Things had gone on in this way from Lucia'ss
fifteenth birthday for five years; every sunday ana
holiday some one made her an oHer, anu every
Sunday and holiday some one was reiused untii she
gave up answering at ALL and merely waved hor
lovers off with gesture of her band neither more
nor less than cOntemptuons.
at last and now revenged themselves by pron0unc-
ing her cracked. and leaving her to herself All put
one of them at least did so, and he was the son OF
wealthy farmer Pietro Antonio by name who lvcd
higher up among the mountains fletro was not
easily to be got nd OF ns tue rest anu 20 wna'
she would he followed her everywhere lying IN
wait for her at the fetes and processons. watching
ior her at church and market and prosecuting her
to such an extent. now with pretty spegcnes nnd
Iucia gave up going to the fetcs and did not even
venture to church except lu the iate evening when
she could do so unobservcd.
For Pietro was "a wild, passionate youth. with
something of the savage about hun: and az Lucia
dislikedehim even more than her other suitors she
had determined to stay ut home THIS afternoon ior
fear she should meet him at Palene and be exposed
to his vehement importunltles
She had therefore been alone for some hours; but
now she heard distant sound of voices laughing
and ehattering. The villagers were coming back,
and were climbing the rocky. pathway which led to
Al the first sound of their approach. Lucia had
retreated into the cottage. and set about warming
mn the polenta for her mother and as she stood in
the large Kitchen with the blaze from the hre light
ing up her grave, madOnnalke face, TINS parsonage
She was an old. gray-haired wsman. but there
was an almost wild glare in her small. sharp eyes.
she glanced angrly at the sa girl off he,
red silk neckerchief and kicking away chair.
sThe idea of my being the only woman to have
every one! Pm the mother of the crazy giri,'
forsooth. and can't show my face anywhere"
BahW said LUCIA Wltn0ut looking up lrOm tno
fire; where can't you show your face y
9 Why. neither IN the village nor in the whole
country round," returned the old woman passion
Don't you trouble yourself about any Of their
gossip mother aud don't force me to marry for
can't take any Of the young men about here,' said
Forced you win be, sooner or later,' returned
her mother. Zone of them will cut off your hair.
2OS h Sdd sddeS
Shame on the men here, then y exclaimed Lncia
with flaming eyes. NShame on any man who
forces woman TO marry. him by such means! lying
in wait to cut of her hair. and then making show
of II in the village until the Door thing is obliged TO
marry the thief or she will be sSaa %
who win their wives in this fashion J"
"Ah. well it has been the tanning OF a good many
enough now Look at Emilia Mantori and Iere-
sna" continued the mother; they held out for
couple Of years, and then one fine day they Lost
their hair cut short the boys hooted them down
the street and three weeks later there two
merry weddings, and now it is all as right as
aI hope that win never be my fate mother" said
Lucia. aneverw and she cienchcd her brown hand
left her lips II people behave like brigands they
may expect to be treated like brigands. Any one
who lays finger on my hair will have TO look out
fer himsef, as all the rufans about here know full
well, and so they keep their distance" ,
.0ur lads are not ruiiiians they may be little
wd 5nt there are some good e'Gws sS and on
parry a soul here. If ever am married, it shall
not be to a man who will beat me and make me
work inst as II were mule; and you know very
well that is what all the men do here m the
Abrnzzi. so Why do you go on complaining and
If you go on scodng and worrying yon will drive
me awity, and l shall go tc Rome and open some
sort Of q little shop
aAnd, leave your mother here In poverty and
miseryp
"YOu not poor, mother. for y0u can stay here
as long you i've and there is quite enough to
keep yon well, without yonr having to work hard.
Besides don't want to leave you at all. as long
you don't want to force me into marriage hate !"
.svety we'll won't then." said the ole woman.