The Wilmingtonian., 1888-05-19

energy. The organ shrieked, the ket
Gle rang, the bells tangled. lie stopped
breathless, and nodded again to Rid
dell.
"You are from Piedmonte?' sale
John.
The mans yellow dirty face glowed
at the sound of his patois.
"Si, signor. Carema. 81, si,''
"What does he say!" cried the old
ladies and the girls, crowdidg closer
Even the solid bankers, who in town
would not have seen the Italian though
he had crossed their path dozen
times day, in this idle hour looked al
him with feeble interest.
"He says he is from village in the
lower Alps, ,',,said John. 81 was there
once" On the instant the low cot
tages, the brown vineyards, the range
of peaks in the background, and the
half-ruined castle to the right, rose be.
fore them. 81 know CaremA," he
said. "Pedro Nossi was my good
friend there"
"Ah, Pedro is my uncle" the Ital-
ian fairly screamed. 81 am Seppi.
Have you not heard OF Seppi! And
did the signor see the church at Care
MAJ And the picture? All, there is
no picture like that in Italy, in the
world"
"What does he sayP came the
chorus again.
To their surprise it was the old fish
erman, McCann, who answered them,
interpreting for John and Seppi, who
we're too eager to hear him, as they
discussed the marvellous beauty Of the
poor little village and of Seppi's house,
which was on the edge of the road to
Ivria.
The Italian caught the little girl
who was with him by the shoulder.
"Anita? The signor has walked by
our house! He has perhaps broken a
bunch of grapes from the old vine,
and rested on the big stone where your
blessed mother used to sit in the even
ing She may be there now looking
down the road for Seppi and her baby
girl"
The tears stood in his beady black
eyes. The child, who was as solid and
square as if cut out of log, quietly
put up one fat hand and wiped them
away.
"Some time, my father" she said
"Why did you leave Carema, Sep.
pi?"
"Signor, l came with a great pa.
drone from Aosta. He said 'If yor
will come with Anita, and play ant
dance in America for two years, yol
shairconre- iiUne rfch-rich7 want
ed to be rich," said Seppi, gravel,
shaking his head.
The bells tangled merrily, in odc
contrast to the miserable face below
Sand then?"
"Sandro, that was his name took u
to the far West, and parted me iron
Anita. | was driven and starved, bu
that did not matter. Look here"
He pulled down her gown from tn
child's back, and showed it scarre,
and black. A cry of pity came iron
every woman there. Seppi's big hand
shook as he buttoned the little dres
again, but the child stood passive.
| Il ran away, | found my girl, an
we are on our way home. We sha
sec Maria and my boy and the ol
honse again"
"How soon, Seppi?'
i The poor organ-grinder shrugge
his shoulders,
Il ',It takes much time to make Ii
tie money-yes! We have wake
from Chicago. We have saved ever
penny. We do not eat much, AMT
and !! 1t will take forty dollars
take us home, and we have saved thi
in two years."
II He pulled from his breast leath'
bag, and, throwing his coat on Il
| grass, poured out on it little heap
r silver. The crowd pressed close
John kneeled, and began to count
He was so eager that he could scarce
get his breath. He was warm-hear
ed, impetuous boy, and he had forgo
ten all his own trouble in Seppi's.
ri The girl watched him. She wantt
to explain matters to him. Pointir
! to the money, she stammered, in En-
/ lish: "Some time-Carema! Patienc
patience"
"Yes, it does need PATIENCE sa
i, John, excitedly, springing to his feC
< "There are not sixteen dollars, al
b they have cost two years work. Ge
e tlemen"-he held out his cap-''it "
q be SO little to you-these twenty-fO
J. dollars that are needcd--but it mea
S home md wife and mother to the
S poor souls"
!. The cap passed from hand to har
e The men laughed, some of the won
cried, and the crisp notes and col
It dropped in fast. When it came ba
G to Seppi, it weighed heavily in
l. hands.
/. The excitable Italian showed, by
II sudden gravity, how deeply he Y
moved, Tic glanced around the cir
d Of kind faces, and bowed low.
at is much, be said at last
,r;iI mn Io NnW Nnrk ,p-day mud ,