The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-08-24
A BLACK KISS.

condescend 10 marry carbonate, O
dirty, black, hairy charcoal burner,
who washed his face once a week,
when he went to Peppe, the barber,
to be sh1ved? The Lord deliver her,
she would rather be an old maid all
her life; yes, indeed, for she was well
off at home, she was independent!
And Cencia, with ill-concealed dis
dain, repeated the popular rhyme:
Non voglio II carbonaro she mi-tinge,
Ma voglio II mulattiere she mi stringe.
Tell the fellow" she had said to
the old neighbor Serafna, who for the
time had gone as a mediator to the
girl, "tell the fellow not to come sing
ing under my window any more, and
IL he don't heed a kindly warning, he
will get something worse, as true as
the Madonna, sia todatd! What did
he think? What did he expect? Did
he still persist, after having been
twice refused? Didn't he understand
by this time, that she wouldn't have
him. even il he were covered with gold
and precious stones?
And the good old woman, Serafna,
who went to plead the case OF the
carbonate, returned crest-fallen and
discouraged to the young man, who
stood waiting for her, leaning by his
back against the winepress.
"What did she say?" demanded he,
anxiously.
Serafina shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't think of her any more, milo
6elLo. DO you see that stonep Upon
my word, it is not harder than her
heart"
Giuseppe Talamo had made his re-
quest Of marriage In the symbolic way
that was customary in the country.
Towards midnight he had gone and
placed before Cencia's door block in
which he had made crevice with an
axe, and had inserted therein wedge.
1t may he imagined with what anxiety
and p rlpitation OF heart he had run
the following morning, before the dawn
had scarcely tinted with red the
picturesque mountain of the Pollno,
to see il the block had disappeared. 1t
was there in the same place where he
had left it, which signiied clearly that
his request was refused; but he was
not discouraged for that. 1t is we'll
known that stubborn are the Gala
brians, and, nothing daunted, he
passed under Cencia's window every
Saturday evening, on his way home
from the coal kiln, playing his guitar,
slung over his shoulder. and singing
in melancholy voice. And Cencia
hearing him, trembled, saying angrily:
twill he never get through the
dirty faceP If he would only go and
look in a mirror and if he hadn't one
she would give him one herself"
Carmlne, the farmer and father OF
Cencia, would not have been unduly
particular about the choice of hus-
band for his daughter. Provided she
was satisfied, it was all the same to
him, whether the man was coal
burner, a shepherd, herder, or u
farm laborer, and not for all the money
in the world would he have forced her
TO marry against her will.
What did you reply to Giuseppe,
the carbonaio?" asked he.
That / did not want him."
40 think that he is the fifth sutton
that has presented him self, and you
have refused them all, said the farmer
with sigh.
Cencia's only answer was TO turn to-
ward the door of the house, and in a
monotonous and sorrowful voice she
called together the hens and chickens
that were picking away at the bran,
dried in paste upon the snout of
pig that lay contentedly meditating
near the empty trough.
"CUuuyf, cWri, curi, cari, cu-cu."
And the roosters, and the hens, and
the chickens, running at the familiar
sound, crowded around her, while she
emptied for them her apron which she
held aloft by the two corners, and in
which she had put two or three hand
fuls of barley.
Strange, capricious girl!
The great trouble was, that her faith
err had brought her up badly; she was
his only daughter, and had been
allowed to have her way in erything;
and she, knowing her advantage, made
the most of it. A good husband would
really have been agreeable to her, and
several had presented themselves, but
she had found some fault, or raised
some objection. until now there was
not dog that would offer himself, as
was malicioussy whispered among her
friends.
She repented of having been so hard
TO please, and vowed al 4,ss hear. to
correct herself, but the repentance
came too late, and now, after two years
during which she had hoped in vain
that some OF her rejected suitors would
come again-afte two years OF melan-
choly existence, without sunshine
behold a carbonate appears! Cencia
could not suppress sentiment of dis
gust, and bit her lips, turning green
with rage.
A cdrbondio! When she had turned
away Biasi, brave young fellow who
had served his time with the grenadiers
and could read and write like a doctor;
and Ntoni Pavone, a miller of the
country, tall as mainmast, with bril-
liant eyes and proud and fiery glance,
who, when on Sunday he wore his cone
shaped hat, trimmed to the top with
velvet ribbons that fell away jauntily
upon his shoulders, and displayed his
broadcloth jacket trimmed with green
passementerle, and his broad white
shirt collar fresh and shining from the
laundry, set on fire the hearts OF all the
pretty girls in the country. A carbonate,