The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1890-10-17
The Mysterious Vineyard,

OF course you won't believe it,
| don't expect YOU to. Like every
body else, you will say il was the
imglnaliDn of Il fluciful child. oI
dream so vivid as 10 have left the
impress Of truth. Fact and fancy
are often strangely mierwoven III
childreu'> minds, but all am go
ing to tell you is truth in It's small
est detail.
was 10 years old the summer
we went TO B., and OH ! the wild
Ir edom, the delight ofthoSe wee Ks
We had spent he winter IN Rome,
and artists daughter though | am,
WAS then only "A child and had be
come heartily tired of tho gloomy
old palazzos, picture galleries
churches and all HE hundred at
fractions Of the dear Old eternl
rly. So when the vettnra which
hoic II, thence stopped in front OF
the old villa We were to occupy
lor three months at least, llugh'S
and my happiness knew M bounds.
and as We pranced out Of the car
riage AMI gave expression to our
feelings by capering about aud III
lerihg shouts and screams of de
light, he simple villagers looking
ON must have wondered W hat
manner of children we were.
We had been but Il few days III
b. when we knew The village and
its inhabitants RS thoroughly as
though we had spent months there.
True, there was not much TO learn
for the geography was simple
enough. One long road crossed by
two or three others winding over
the surrounding hills was all there
was. On the Via Perla, as the long
road was called, stood our villa.
will not stop to tell you now Ol
the friends we made among these
children Ol the south, of our irOlics,
donkey rides, and all the rest OF il,
but Will 90 on at once to my story
without further preamble.
Early in The autumn my moth
er's lister, our favurile arnl, join
ed us at The villa, and as she was
exceedingly fond of outdoor life
il was cur delight to make known
tl her the surrounding country,
K ksOon there was not spot tor
ees around we had moi explored.
n, Dae day while out on one OF the
nnsiomed rambles we leli the
y Peria and took a read off from
lading through the green fields
, meadows. AT the head of the
l"'" was shrine raised against
No'wall which blocked The way.
rcsTeak Of tins because you Aust
Tueer>tand that this road ran in
direction only. We had not
3 far when we met several men
boys leading donkeys, whose
HIiers were loaded with great
Oil Is oi grapes, white and purple.
IL islnkeys and picturesque "con-
againi" were no novelty, but the
the { surprised US; it was not
roace growing region, and We ex-
fenc,ned.
- peak 10 some one, Lou, and
where il comes from" said my
SUU, and !, happy TO show my pro-
hcv IN the peasant dialect,
VIII ed gaylv 10 a little contadino
boaisaid. "Where did you get thes''
cd wis p
scrvihey come from The vineyard
bet,, below here" answered the
con, stopping aud pointing ia the
.-i,trlinn he had come.
nu follow the road 10 the bend
aii0i 80, there is a group Of cypress
tres; then the he'lge begins, and
m il is a gap through which The
slgnorinl must creep u they wish
10 see the vineyard. Iiis just be-
vond the field back Of the hedge.
They are still picking. aud The pa
drone will be glad tn see tte signo-
rim- AMI not heeling the prof
rered sold0, the little fellow CON
iinued his interrupted march.