Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-06-05
A STUDY IN THRIFT.

A STUDY LIN IHRlFI.
The wayfarer going along the Riviere di
Lentini, stretched out there like space of
dead sea, and the sere stubble of the Plain
of Catania, and the orange trees, always
green, of Francofonte, and the gray cork
trees of Resecone, and the lonely meadows
Of Passaneto and Passinatello-if he should
ask, in order TO divert himself from the
WEAKNESS of the long dusty road, under
the sky hazy with heat, at the hour when
the bells of the litter ring sadly in the i'm
mense country, and the mules hang their
heads and their tails, and the driver of the
litter sings his melancholy song in order
not to let himself be overcome by the sleep
of the malaria "Whose is this land?"
would have the answer:
'MaZzaro's."
And passing near farm as large as
town, with storehouses that seem like
churches, and hens in fiocks sitting in the
shade by the well, and women screening
their eyes with their hands to see who was
going by, "And this?"
''Mazzar0's."
And on and on, while the malaria
weighed upon your eyelids, and the bark
ing of dog aroused you suddenly, passing
by vineyard that was endless and spread
over hill and plain, motionless, as if the
dust lay heavy on it, and the keeper of the
vineyard, stretched face downward upon
his gun, raised his drowsy head and opened
one eve to see who it might be:
''Mazzaro's."
Then came an olive grove thick as q
wood where the grass never sprouted and
the harvest lasted until March. They were
the olive trees of Mazzaro. And toward
evening, when the sun was setting as red
as fire and the country was yelled with
sadness, there were met the long lines OF
the ploughs Of Mazzaro going slowly home
ward from the field, and the oxen wading
the ford heavily with their muzzles in the
dark water; and there were seen in the
distant pastures of the Cambria, on the
rough slope, the immense whitish patches
which were the focks of Mazzaro; and
there was heard the shepherds whistle
echoing in the gorges, and the bell now
ringing and now silent, and a lonely song
lost in the valley.
All property of MaZZaro.
1t seemed as if Mazzaro owned even the
setting sun, and the chirping locusts, and
the birds that went with short flights to
hide behind the burrows, and the cry of the
horned owl in the woods. 1t seemed as if
Mazzaro were spread out all over the earth,
and one walked over his body. Instead of
that he was an ugly little man, said the
driver of the litter, that you would not
give penny to look at; he had nothing
large about him but his paunch, and no
one knew how he filled it, for he ate moth
ing: the truth was, he was rich as hog,
but he had head that was a jewel, that
man.
Indeed with his Jewel of head he had
accumulated all those possessions where
formerly he used to come to dig or prune
or reap, from morning to night, in the sun,
the rain, the wind, without shoes to his
feet or rag of an overcoat; everybody re-
membered having given him kicks behind,
the same persons who now called him
your excellency'' and spoke to him with
cap in hand. But not for this had he
grown proud, now that all the excellencies
of the place were his debtors; and he said
that "excellency" means poor fellow and
bad payer. He still wore cap, only it was
of black silk, it was his only grandeur,
and latterly he had even come to put on a
felt hat, because it cost less than the silk
can. He had possessions as far as he could
see, and he was long sighted-everywher
to right and left, before and behind, on
mountain and plain.
More than five thousand mouths; with
out counting the birds of the sky and the
animals of the earth, that ate upon his
land, and without counting his own mouth,
that ate less than any; he was contented
with twopence worth of bread and bit OF
cheese, swallowed in hurry and haste
standing, in corner OF the stGrehouse
| large as q church, in midstof the dust from
the grain, SO that one could not see, while
| the peasants emptied the sacks; or on tor
| of straw stack, when the wind swept oyel
| the frozen country, at sowing time, or with
| his head inside basket in the hot days o!
| harvest. He did not drink wine, he die
not smoke or use tobacco, although his
plantations along the riverside produced
tobacco with large leaves as tall as boy
such as sells at ninety-fve lire. He never
had had any woman to support but MI
mother, who had cost him twelve tart ex
ira. when he was obliged to have her car
ried to the graveyard.
| 1t was that he had thought and thought
again and again, what property means
when he went without shoes to work OF
| the land that was now his own; and he hat
experienced pha.c it is to earn three tart
day, in the month of July, to keep the bach
| bent for fourteen hours, with the oyerseel
| on horseback after you, that takes you Will
| his whip if you straighten up for mo
ment. For this he had not let pass
minute of his life that was not employed II
| getting riches, and now his ploWs wer'
| numerous as the long line of crows tina
arrive in November, and other lines o
mules, that seemed endless, carried seed TO-
sowing. The women who cpouched in tn
mud from October to March to gather hi
olives were countless as countless as tn
magpies that came to steal the olives; ant
at the time of the vintage whole village
gathered about his vines, and as far a
singing was heard in the country, it wa
for the grape gathering Of Mazzaro.
At harvest the reapers of Mazzaro seemed
like an army of soldiers. To maintain al
those people with biscuit in the mornin.
and bread and bitter orange at breakfast
and the luncheon, and the lasAgpe in tn
evening, there was needed money b.
handfuls, and the lasange were disheq il
bread troughs as large as tubs So now
when he rode behind the line of his NOV
ers with whip in hand, he did not lose on
; of them from sight, and kept repeating
'Bend to it, boys"
He had his hands in his pockets tn
whoie year long, spending. and for tn
mere territory the king took so much tina
It threw Mazzaro into q fever every ting,
However, each year all those storehouSe
large as churches were filled with grain, S
that it was necessary to raise the roofs
contain it all; and every time that Mazzal
sold the wine it took more than 2 day
count the money, all in silver pieces
twelve lari, for he would not have dirt
paper money for his goods, end went
buy the dirty paper only when he had
pay the king or other persons; and at Il
| fairs tbs h6rGs Of Mazzaro covered tt
whole field and crowded the roads, SO thu
: it took half a day to let them pass, and II
image of the saint, with the band Of must
hadto change their road and yield the We
to him.
All this property he had earned for hin
self with his own hands and head, wit
losing sleep at night, with taking feve
from the malaria, with labor from daW
to darkness. When one is like that
means that he is made for property.
And also property was made for him,
that he seemed to draw it like loadston
because property will stay with him wi
! knows how to keep it, and does not was
it like that baron who had been former
the master of Mazzaro, and had picked hi
mn bomolacc and naked in the field