The state herald., 1889-07-19
4! BLACE ERSSS


ccndescend 70 marry : oarbonste, /
airv' black. hairy charcoal burner,
wno washed his face oncs . week,
wnen he went 70 Perpc. the barber,
o % sh vedf Tho Lord deliver her,
she would rather be m old maid ali
ner itfei yes, indeed. for she was well
On At homo. she was independent!
AND CenciA with ill-concsaled dis
asin. repeated the popular rhyme:
Non vosiIo Il carbonaro shs mi tinea,
n 70 iio u mulattisrs shs mi strineA
TELL the fellow" she had said Il
tho old neiRhbor SeraHna, who for tho
ume had gone as mediator 70 the
girl. tell the fellow not 70 come sing
ing under my window any moro, and
no don't heed kindly warning, he
viii get something worse. u true az
the Madonna. sia iodata! What did
no thinkP What did he expectp Did
ne still persist after having been
twice refused? Didn't he understand
oy this time, that she wouldn't have
him. even II he were covered with gold
aud precious stonosf
And the good old woman, Seratina,
who wont TO plead the case Of the
carbonate, returned crest-iallen and
discouraged 10 the young man. who
stood waiting for her, leaning by his
oack againtt the winepress.
"WhAt did she savpn demanded ha
.;se.sQpsly.
Seraanxv shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't think Of her any more, mic
Set1o. do you see that stonee Upon
my word. 1t is not harder than he,
heart"
Giuseppa Talamo had made his re-
quest OF marriage in the symbolic way
tnat was customary in the country.
Towards midnight he had gone and
placed before Cenciu'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.slpitation Of heart he had run
the following morning, before the dawn
mad scarcely tinted with red the
picturesque mountain OF the Pollino,
to see II tho block had disappeared. /,
was there In the same place where he
bad left it. which signified clearly tina,
his request was refused; but he was
not discouraged for that. Il Is we'll
known that sfuhhnru 80 a. ri.
orians, and. nothing daunted. he
passed. under Cencla's window every
Saturday evening. on his way home
from the coal kiln, playing his guitar,
slung over his shoulder, and singing
In 4 melancholy voice. And Cencia
hearing him. trembled. saying angrily
will ho never get throuxh-the
dirty facep II he would only 20 and
look In mirror II he hadn't one
shc would give him one herself"
Carmine, the farmer aud father Of
Cencia. would not have been unduly
particular about the choice Of . hus.
band for his daughter. Provided she
was satisfied, Il was all tho same u
him. whether the man WAS Goa
burner. a shepherd. herder. or q
farm laborer. and not for all the money
In the world would he have forced he.
TO marry against her will.
What did you reply to Giuseppe,
tho s,onaioF' asked he.
THAT did not want him."
TO think that he Is the ffth suitol
that hss presented himself, and YOU
have refused them all, said the farmer
with Sigh.
Ccncia's only answer was TO turn TO.
ward the door OF tho house, and In q
monotonous and sorrowful voice she
called together the hens and chicken,
that were picking AWAY at the bran.
dried In . paste upon the snout OF a
pig that lay contentedly meditatinp
near the empty trough.
"CwuMri. cmri, curI, curl, cn-cu."
And the rOosterr, and the hens, and
tho chickens. running ut the familiar
sound. crowded around her. while she
emptied for them her apron which she
held aloit by the two corners, and In
which she had put two or three hand.
fuls Of barley.
Strange. capricious girl!
Tho great trouble was. that her faith.
or had brought hor up badly; she wa,
his only daughter. and had been
allowed 70 have her way In everything
and she. knowing hor advantage. made
.-she most OF it. A good husband would
really have boon agreeable TO her. and
several had presented themselves. bu,
she had found some fnuit, or raised
some objection. until nov there wa,
not dog that would offer himself. as
vas maliciousiy whispered among he,
friends.
She rcpented Of having been 30 hard
70 please, and vowed In her heart to
correct herself. but the repentance
came too late. md now. after two years
during which she had hoped In vain
that some OF her rejcctcd suitors would
come again after two yenrs OF mclan.
choly existence. without sunshine
behold . carbonate appears! Cencin
could not suppress n sentiment OF dis
gust, and bit bcr lips. turning green
with rage.
A carbonate! When she had turned
away 3insi. n brave young fellow who
had served his time with the grenadier-
and could read and write like doctor:
: anil Ntoni Pavonc. miller Of tho
country. TALL ns N mminmnst, with brill
liant eyes aud proud and ncry glance,
who, when on Sunday no wore his como.
shaped hat trimmed 10 tho Top with
velvet ribbons that fell away jauntily
upon his shoulders, and displayed his
hrs,sd. .,t.,fh 4 rkat trit,ttn.,d With uroau