Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-01-03
PRUDENCE IN ITALY.

an italian Family.
1t was just sixteen years ago since
she had first entered the hill town OF
st. Francis. She had not entered it
alone, but in the company of q hand
some bridegroom. Antonio Guadagni
by name, and SO happy was she that
every thing had seemed to her enchant-
ing-tbese same steep streets with
their ancient dwellings, the same dirt,
the same yellowness, the came contin-
uOus 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 as
sembled. innumerable children (they
seemed innumerable then), bed-rid-
den grandam, a disreputable old uncle
(whO began to compliment her), even
this did not appear burden. though
of course it was surprise. For Tonic
had told her. sadly, that he was ''all
alone in the world" l: had been one
of the reasons why she had wished to
marry him-that she might make q
home for SO desolate a man.
The home was already made. and it
was somewhat full. Desolate Tonic
explained. with shouts of laughter, in
which all the assemblage joined, that
seven of the children were his, the
eighth being an orphan nephew left to
his care; his wife had died eight
months before, and this was her grand.
mother-on the bed there; this her
good old uncle, a very accomplished
man who had written sonnets. Mrs
Guadagni number two had excellent
powers of vision, but she was never
able to discover the goodness of this
accomplished uncle; it was quality
which, like the beneficence of angels.
one is obliged to take on trust.
She was forty-five, q New England
woman, with some small savings, who
had come to Italy as companion and
attendant to a distant cousin, an in
valid with money. The cousin had
died suddenly at Perugia. and Pru.
dence had allowed the chance of re-
turning to Ledham with her effects to
pass by unnoticed-a remarkable
lapse of the quality of which her first
name was the exponent, regarding
which her whole life hitherto had
been one sharply outlined example.
This lapse was due to her having al
ready become the captive of this hand
some, this irresistible, this wholly un-
expected Tonic, who was serving a.
waiter in the Perugian inn. Divin-
ing her savings, and seeing with HE
own eyes her wonderful strength and
energy, this good-natured reprobate
had made love to her little in the
facile Italian way, and the poor. plain,
simple-hearted spinster, to 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 entreaties reused in her mai
den breast. 1t was her one moment Of
madness (who has not had OneT. She
married him. marveling little in
wardly when he required her to walk
to Assist, but content to walk to China
if that should be his pleasure. When
she reached the squalid house on tho
height and saw its crowds of occupants.
when her own money was demanded
to send down to Assist to purchase the
wedding dinner, then she understood
why they had walked.
But she never understood any thing
else. She never permitted herself to
understand. Tonic. plump and idle,
enjoyed a year of paradislacal opulence
under her ministrations (and in spite
OF some Of them); he was eighteen
years younger than she was; 1t was
natural that he should wish to enjoy
on Q larger scale than hers-so he told
her. At the end of twelve months .
fever carried him OIL, and his widow.
who mourned for him with all her
heart, was left to face the world with the
eight children, the grandmother. tho
good old uncle. and whatever courage
she was able to muster after counting
over and over the eighty-five dollars
that alone remained to her Of the ok
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 wort
now that It had come. It had come in
force; ON the very day Of the funeral
she had been obliged to work eight
hours; on every day that had followed
through al these years the hours had
been ON an average fourteen; some
times more.-Ftom HIS Weotson's
stery. .'z1s Front Yard" q AG1es
Aagssiss
= *. :. - = s. 3 p