The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-12-05


them. repeated them aloud ! applied
them to myself Lost dog On, lost
dogw
A Yankee Wife with an Italian
Family.
For it was just sixteen years ago this
month since she had first entered the
hill town Of S. Francis. She had not en-
tered it alone, but in the company Of a
handsome bridegroom, Antonio 6uadag-
nj by name, and 50 happy was She that
everything had seemed 10 her enchant-
ing-these same steep streets with their
ancient dwellings, the same dirt. the
same yellowness, the same continuous
leisure and causeless beatitude. And
when her Tonic took her through the
town and up this second ascent TO the
squalid little house, where, staring and
laughing and crowding nearer TO look at
her she found his family assembled, in
numerable children they seemed innu-
merable them, bedridden grsndam, a
disreputable old uncle who began to
compliment herr, even this did not ap-
pear a burden, though Of course it was a
surprise. For Tonic had told her sadly
that he was all alone in the world II
had been one Of the reasons why she had
wished to marry him-that she might
make home for so desoIate man.
The home was already made, and it
was somewhat full Desolate Tonic ex-
planned, with shouts Of laughter, in which
ali the assemblage joined, that seven Of
the children were his, the eighth being
an orphan nephew left to his care; MS
wife had died eight months before, and
this was her grandmother-On the bed
there; this her good old uncle, a very ac-
complished man, who had written son
nets. Mrs Guadsgni number two had
excellent powers Of vision, but she was
never able TO discover the goodness Of
this accomplished uncle it was a quality
which, like the benefcence OF angels.
one is obliged to take on trust.
She was forty-fve. a New England wo-
man, with some small savings, who had
come to Italy as companion and attend
ant 10 a distant cousin, an invalid with
money. The cousin had died suddenly
in Perugia, and Prudence had allowed
the chance Of returning to Ledham with
her effects to pass by unnoticed remar-
kable lapse of the quality OF which her
first name was tine exponent, regarding
which her whole life hitherto had been
one sharply outlined example. This lapse
was due to her having already become
the captive Of this handsome, this ire
sistible, this wholly unexpected Tonic,
who was serving as waiter in the Perugi-
an inn. Divining her savings, and see
ing with his own eyes her wonderful
strength and energy, this good-natured
reprobate had made love to her a little
in the faeile Italian way, and the poor,
plain, simple-hearted spinster, 70 whom
no one had ever spoken a word Of gal
lantry in all her life before, had been
completely swept off her balance by the
novelty of it, and by the thronging new
sensations which his few English words,
his speaking dark eyes, and ardent en-
treaties reused in her maiden breast. Il
was her one moment Of madness-wh0
has not had one? She married him, mar
yelling little inwardly when be requir-
ed her to walk to Assist, but content 70
walk to China if that should be his pleas
ure. When shereached the squalid house
on the height and saw its crowd Of occu-
pants, when her own money was deman-
ded to send down TO Assist 70 purchase
the wedding dinner, then she understood
why they had walked.
But she never understood anything
else. She never permitted herseIfto un-
dersiand. Tonic, plump and idle, enjoy
ell year Of paradisiacal opuIence under
her r.inistrations and in spite Of s0me
Of them he was eighteen years younger
than she WAS it was natural that he
should wish to enjoy on a larger scale
than hers-sO he told her. Al the end Of
twelve months a fever carried him OF,
and his widow, who monrned for MIN
with all her heart, was leit 10 face the
world with the eight children. the grand
mother ithe good old uncle, and whatever
courage she was able 70 muster after she
had counted over and over the eighty
five dollars that alone remained 10 her Of
the six hundred she had brought him.
OF course she could have gone back to
her own country But that idea never
once occurred to her she had married
Tonic for better or worse she could not
in honor desert the worst now that il had
come. II had come in force on the very
day Of the funeral she bad been obliged
to work eight hours on every day that
had followed through all these years, the
hours had been on an average fourteen
Sometimes more.-From Miss WoOlson's
story, " The Front Yard" in HuPsr's
HIql-ias for December.