Wichita eagle., 1888-09-27
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Daily - eagle
CROCIFISSA'S LACE.

High up among the Tuscan mountains, not
FAR from the borders of Lombardy, is tiny
hamlet called Piatico. 1t has church, and
the few strangers who visit the quiet little
nook and enter the humble sanctuary wonder
at the handsome lace decorating the Madon-
mas blue silk petticoat AL the rest of the
ornamentation is so tawdry and poor that tho
delicate fabric looks strangely out of place.
How came it therea is question the old
woman who unlocks the door is proud TO
answer.
y
Amy and had put up for the hottest sum-
mer weeks at the barn like old post inn at
Piatico. Often during our walks through the
chestnut woods, or up the steep paths Of the
mountainside we met a tall, slim girl of 1S,
with strikingly beautiful dark eyes, which
haunted us by reason of their extreme sad
ness. She wore skimp gown of ilomespun,
its original color matter Of conjecture only;
her well modelled feet were bare, and she was
usually in charge of seven sheep and one little
lame black lamb. Sometimes we saw her
sitting under a tree knitting an interminabia
blue stocking-for other feet than her own,
evidently-while the sheep grazed Or, in
the open field, in the pouring rain, this ghost
like girl would sit on the soaking ground,
huddled under an old green umbrella-this to
restrain neighbor's cow, getting her supper
of grass, from invading an adjacent cabbage
patch. The girl always gave Us gracious
t'Good day" as she passed, and seemed pleased
when Amy smiled at her in return.
''Who is sher' we inquired of the mistress
of our inn.
"You mean the girl who drives the sheep
with lame black lamb among them?' an
swered our hostess ''That is Crocifissa, poor
girl, the convict's daughter. Hers is q hard
lot among little community where none lie
on roses, assure you. Her father, Sandro,
has a bad history, and the shadow Of it dark
ems the girls life"
'Oh, tell it," cried Amy, dropping down
upon a stool beside the comfortable looking
old dames
at is soon told, signora; the story of most
sins is short; it is the misery of them that
drags on SO YEARLY. When Sandro was
young he killed a man in q passion of Jeal-
ousy-a woman at the bottom of the affair,
of course-stabbed him from behind in the
dark, and threw him down into the Lima to
drown if the wound was not deep enough to
give him his death. They were year or
ldSttulllS upon pdo
he confessed it at last over glass too many
of Chianti He was sentenced for twenty
years to prison and hard labor. When his
time was out, strangely enough, he chose to
come back here to Piatico; and, stranger
still, he found a woman foolish enough to
marry him, knowing all about his crime.
This poor, weak thing died when Crocifissa
was born, and the child's life has been so
wretched it seems pity she did not die,
too"
'Are they SO very poor!"
''Miserably; and because of the fathers
disgrace everybody shuns the daughter.
Cruel, isn't it? But that is the way of the
world. | should make one exception when
say every one turns the cold shoulder upon
her. Perhaps the saddest part of Crocifissa's
history is that she has a lover whom she can
scarcely ever hope to marry"
SIS he so poor, too!"
s.Dio MIC! YES His name is Reno, a very
good fellow, but no luck. He makes a little
money with his donkey, carrying fruit and
vegetables to the hotel at Abetone, but he
has a blind old mother to help, and he can
save nothing. Crocifissa earns few francs
spinning and knitting stockings, and the
profits from the sheep put a scanty supply OF
bread in the mouths of the convict and his
daughter and keep a crazy roof over their
heads. Crocifssa can make beautiful lace,
but she hurts her eyes at it, and doctor told
her she would 60 blind if she made any
more
s'She has such lovely eyes!" said Amy, en-
Enthusiastically.
eyes; with bit of happiness to brighter
her she would be the prettieSt girl In these
parts AS it is, her good looks are little use
poor thing!n
"Can't Reno hit upon more paying bust
ness than donkey driving?" ask.
''He wishes to go down to the Maremma
where he would get good wages and be able
to put by little, but Crocifissa Will not heal
of it. She is right, think, for Reno is not
strong, and the marsh fever would be sure tt
carry him off. Few people have been KIND
to the girl, and no dog ever loved his master
as Crocihssa loves Reno"
''Poor girl! what pity they cannot make
each other happyw
eff they had little capital, 200 or 3O(
francs, to hire and furnish a room, they
could manage to live; but 100 franc pieces
do not fall from the clouds"
Life at Piatico being dull and bare of Incl
dent, we felt much interested in Crocifissa'
story, and cultivated her acquaintance upon
every occasion. She gave US flowers and
berries gathered in pretty little baskets i'm
provised by herself from chestnut leaves
and with her eyes bent shyly on her knitting
talked to us of her simple, uneventful life
When Reno, her lover, was under discussion
which was frequently the case, Croeifissa'S
large ewes glowed with a soft, happy light
and she became beautiful But the bright
ness vanished again quickly at memory OF
the sordid misery encompassing them both
How we longed to be able to give the poor
girl the paltry sum which would change heI
dull surroundings into paradise.
One morning, as we sat sketching on the
brow of the hill, Crocifissa timidly approached
us, carrying a small package under her arm
This she unwrapped, disclosing about four
yards of unusually beautiful lace, six inches
or more wide was not much of connois
seur in such things, but l could recognize the
unusual merit of this piece.
why, Crocifssaln l exclaimed, "whert
did you get such prize"
Il made it, she answered, nlodestly, 'at
the Convent of La Speranza, where / waited
on the nuns for five or six years They taught
me to make it, but l can't see TO do any
more
But, child, why don't you sell this lace' Il
would help you a long step toward buying
furniture and marrying Reno
ALAS, signora, l have often tried, but no
body will buy it. The nuns say It is worth q
great deal of money, perhaps fifty francs; but
shall never find any one willing TO give that
sum, and would let it go for much less"
She, of course, wished us to make some low
offer for the lace but | knew it would be g
great wrong to the girl to allow her TO sacri
fee her work for a trile, and / assured her Of
this Because we could not afford 10 nav q