The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-21
MARIETTA'S IDEAL.


Marietta Polli stood at the corner of
one of the side streets of Naples. past
which the great post road from Gaeta to
Policrasta ran. She had her small,
rough table near by, and she played her
guitar. singing the while to her accom-
paniment. Her entire property consist
ed of the already mentioned rough and
rudely painted table. colored saucer
that stood upon it and in which the
passers by now and then dropped a coin,
and her guitar-for by profession she
was street singer.
Every morning found Marietta at her
stand. She placed the empty saucer
upon the table, and taking the guitar
sang from z until o'clock sacred songs.
from o'clock until IL songs from the
best known operas. Then from noon
until evening national love songs. Dur
! ing the evening she sang miscellaneous
collection of character songs. As soon
as it grew dark a small lamp with a red
shade was lighted and placed upon the
table near the saucer As the clock
struck the hour of II Marietta blew out
her light, drew the strap of her guitar
over her shoulder. emptied the saucer of
Its contents into her pocket, and hanging
the lamp on bracket fastened in the
wall above her stand raised the table to
the top of her head and walked off. Her
nights were spent in the hall Of house
which was regularly closed at 10 o'clock
In this hall shoe member kept his work
ing bench, and it was upon this bench
that Marietta made her bed. Marietta
was one of a family. Her mother made
her living by selling pocket handker-
chiefs, opera glasses, cigars. spectacles
and any other such things which her
light fingered boys picked from the
pockets Of strangers and residents alike.
Nine. Polli understood the business
well, and knew how to keep the boys at
work. But some days trade was not
good and then they had to go hungry.
Once a week they all met at the grand
promenade" ground. Then Marietta gave
each boy an orange and some chestnuts,
and to the mother some money. Soon
she would leave them and disappear
among the crowd. The boys passed their
nights in boxes. under baskets, or on the
ships in the harbor. At noon they al
ways Joined their mother in one of the
"macaroni kitchens" where they de-
lvered their wares and fed themselves
upon macaroni cooked in oil, stewed ap-
Piles and fried fish. all of which they pro-
cured for fifty centesimi. and, if bust
ness had been brisk. they would spend
sixty or seventy centesimi. Then they left,
parting each for his place of business.
So lived this family of Polli, whether
it was right or wrong, making the most
of their talents.
Marietta was the most respectable Of
them all, for she dressed well, spent her
nights regularly upon her bench, and
also earned quite a sum of money Her
brothers reckoned she must make as
much as three Tires Il day, during some
parts of the year, and they often won
dered whittier it could ne that she carried
the money. and what became of 1t.
This was question which puzzled both
mother and brothers, bat only in times
of great needs were calls made upon
Marietta's bounty, and then she gave
sparingly, but yet enough.
Marietta's beauty was well known.
From her father, who by birth was a
Roman, she inherited here wonderfully
fine figure. her clear, broad forehead,
and her beautiful eyes From her Sci
han mother, her handsome nose, the
small, firm mouth, and the wealth Of
black. curly hair, which blew about her
when she threw back her head in the act
of singing, and the melancholy look
which came into her eyes as she sang,
but which changed into a smile if by
chance some paSser-by favored her with !
q bit of money.
With men in general she had little TO /
say, yet, as she passed along IN her sing
ing, her neighbor upon the corner Cwho /
sat all day behind a basket Of dried |
pumpkin seeds, across the top Of which /
was arranged board. upon which were /
displayed the seeds would stop mo- |
ment now and then 70 talk The pro- |
fession Of street singer had. even among /
her class. a certain social standing, and /
she was thought to be a good girl and 4
had the respect Of all. many a wealthy /
family helping her by gift Of clothes
Even the old Principal Dorandi." as he |
passed her stand each morning upon his
way to the Palazzo used TO speak TO her,
and he left her at his death ten hundred |
hres
Marietta demanded a great deal Of re-
spect, and strangers who dared to smile /
upon her received only cold looks and I
scornful frowns Even the most hatter-
ing remarks upon her beauty were with
out avail A sutton from the Hotel de
Rome. with his geld hrSided coat. wss
dismissed with great deal Of contempt. /
This was occasioned somewhat by MAri-
etta's ideal Her great wish, and that
which possessed both heart and mind Of
the Neapohtans of her standing, was that
OF being proprietor Of one horse coach,
which can be driven through the entire
CITY. and which both rich and poor alike
might use. Marietta not only dreamed
OF some one who might own one. but
Sunday afternoons. when she did not
sing. she, dressed in her light blue holi-
day dress, with the pale yellow ksrchief
I sk.f1