Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-14

steps to the top of the great wall some
thirty feet high, sloping down to the sea
in four wide terraces. There was
something quite impressive in that
great, solid rampant, against which the
sea was beating in vain. When We were
back in the boat again, our sailor was
sure we wanted to take q little turn out
in the open sea and let his boat drift in
that direction till we said, "Well, as we
are SO near So we sailed out through
the opening in the wall and were tossed
up ana down on the Adriatic. Then "we
wanted to go to Palestrina and take the
boat as 1t touched there later The
plausible humbug was sure the very thing
we had come across the Atlantic to do
was to go to Palestrina.
While talking the boat took the di-
rection Of Palestrina, and-''Oh, yes,
we might as well keep on. - So we did,
and when landed there found we still had
half an hour to wait. Looking in at the
doorways of the ugly, dilapidated houses
we saw the women all making lace, q
coarse lace something like torchon. One
woman came out and asked US to come
IN and look; so we did, and we asked the
price, and, l don't know
how it happened, but in min
ute we were surrounded by O
crowd of expectant faces, old and young,
among which was that of q curious man,
evidently the do-uothing, the JACKPOT
all-trades, the idler, the Sam Lawson of
the village. We were better than q cir
Gus or wild-west show to these poor
beggars; we had enough money to come
from some PARKWAY, golden land; We
were rich enough TO come down to Pales-
trina just for fun; we were flowing with
copper and goldI What could we do but
buy under such circumstances? 1t Is not
often one can play the part of grand
benefactor with fifty cents. We saw our
opportunity, and We seized it. We are
immortal in Palestrina. The people
WATCHED BREATHLEssLY
to see the lace measured; Sam Lawson
did it up in paper and attended the
counting of the money. 1.-TWO francs
and half! Two francs and half!'
was whispered around the circle. And
this was not all. This bare-footed,
Italian Sam beokoned US mysteriously
into another house, and, followed by
our attendant circle, we went. Here
sweet-faced old lady was making lace
In one room, while her son made shoes in
another. We looked at this lace; Sam
was getting more and more excited. 1t
was evident that he was developing new
talents unknown to himself. He was
becoming a salesman, contractor.
Commander, commander, signora."
be said, his eyes bullying out and his legs
actually twisting with nervous excite
ment. Again there was breathless in
terest while we decided how much; then
another fifty cents was left in Pales-
trina to immortalIze our memories. The
sweet old lady had nothing to do with
the making of the bargain. Sam pro-
posed the prices and did the measuring
aud the cutting, while she looked on
SMILING WITH DELIGHT.
Other neighbors called In and asked
'How much?n and the answer was
1.-TWO francs and half" I wonder
IL We were the first tourists who ever
happened to stray into Palestrina and
buy lace! The woman evidently knew
nothing about selling at retail. The poor
people! We wished that we could buy
them all out and send them all off to
America to earn respectable livingl |
However, Palestrina has its advantages.
We can never expect to astonish whole |
town IN America by the liberality of our |
purchases, nor by the generous reckless |
ness with which we spend 81; SO. as l |
said before, Palestine has some advan- |
tsges. JESSIE CoRISSE CKAMBKRLS. /