The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-18
and talk to him a little. I want to see him

and talk to him a little. I want to see hin
Closer"
10 GiovaDni's surprise they turned back
and came toward him. He stopped and
pretty, dark-haired head, and seen close to
he was a handsome boy with a merry smil-
ing face.
"You sing for MS before our hotel. don't
you?" said the gray-eyed girl, speaking
Italian.
Isl, signorina," he answered. feeling
pleased at her gentle, friendly anner
What ia your name?"
Giovanni Calcagni."
And you are fond of music?"
Isl, 81, signorina," smiling.
Then they asked him how old he was and
where he had learned to sing, and he told
them be was II, and had always sang little
songs, but about three years ago a one-eyed
man had taken him about with him to sing
before the villas and hotels, and so he had
learned to sing better.
Tho signora here" said the tall girl,
and he has a beautiful voice and sings some
of your Italian songs SO the signora likes to
hear you sing, very much"
'Is the signorine in San Remo?" Giovanni
asked.
mo, he was not in San Reno. He was
in America. Giovanni had heard Of Amer
lea? 1t was far away. A long voyage across
| the sea; people went there and became rich.
There had been a San Remese sailor--quite
| a common man-who had gone there, and
| after two years had come back and built q
wonderful villa by the sen. It was a mar
decorated. Giovanni had once heard that
there were forestieri who smiled at it and
said it was decorated like a wedding cake.
But it was known to have cost a great deal
of money, and the owner had made all this
money in America, though no n knew
bow Probably ha had nicked il nm in the
Streets"
This made the lady in black and her
friend additionally interesting. They were
of course rich, as they lived at the Grand
Hotel des AnRlais and threw out silver to
singers. But it was moro than interesting
to hear of a boy of his own age who lived
in America and also sang La Bella Sor-
rentina,' and the rest, in Italian. It
seemed enviable.
The lady in black looked at him with
franc for himself on the spot, and then the
two smiled and left him.
II wonder" said the lady in blaak as they
walked along tho promenade under the
voice when he is q man. It is difficult to
Musicians always advise me not to let Geof
use his voice too much, now he is growing
older"
That is the great point, l believe" said
her companion. "Giovanni's voice is a
beautiful one, but it may not be 80 fine
when it changes into a mans voice-cer-
tainly it won't II he strains it by singing
too much now and by forcing his notes."
ut would be a cruel thing for 1t to be
spoiled" returned the lady in black, re-
fectively. ''Think what a future 1t might
make for him il, when he ia a young man,
he had that splendid gift"
Now that you are making a story out OF
him. said the girl with a caressing little
laugh, "vou arc imagining he may have q
career before him and a world-renowned
tener. I know your little ways"
The lady in black smiled.
"Yes," she answered. ''of course, / am n
romantic person. and / will have my story
whenever l have a ohsnce--there is a shadow
Gertrude! Here he is-Giovanni-a per-
fectly simple, ordinary little peasant boy,
singing about the streets with a one-syed
man and a harpist, and feeling quite rich
when one throws him a Franc. ! hive no
doubt he thinks it is quite splendid to BIO
one of the forestieri and live in a hotel.
He probably lives in one of the queer old
t~umbling-down houses in the 'Cita Veochia'
-one of those in the climbing streets
archways thrown from house to house, and
apparently no windows, only tiny square
holes with rusty bars across. You remem-
Der how dark they are, n how green
things grow out Of the stones. and how
sometimes there are sheep or COWS in the
room on tho first floor"
I'VE will suppose he lives there and sits
with the sheep when IL is cold. He eats
polenta and farmata and c~astaRnone-
those brownish and yellowish slabs which
look ike.uninviting pudding when one sees