The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1891-10-22
WHY SHE WENT MAD. !
The Tragedy Of an italian Fruitman
and His Wife.

The Tragedy of an italian Fruitman
and His Wife.
Nicolo came home drunk as usual,
only he had been more cruel than
common to his wife, and had even
struck the poor, puny babe. A great
red mark showed where his heavy
hand had fallen on the pitiful little
face. He had struck the child only
once before, and then a strange fierce
ness had come into the cowed face OF
the mother. It was well Nicolo had
been too drunk to see her eyes, else he
might have killed her on the spot.
This night shecrept into a corner with
the baby, and the strange look came
back again.
Nicolo settled his heavy frame on
the window seat and stared stupidity
out. 1t was the top story OF Mott
Street tenement, and his fruit stand
stood on the corner. Oh, how hot
and sultry it was on this August night
All the air to be had in the sitting
room came through that one case
ment in which Nicolo sat. The wom-
an, like hunted animal at bay, never
took her eyes from him. She watched
the great, round, brutal head settle
forward, the purple lips fall apart and
the blear eyes draw together as the
sodden wretch began to doze off into
a drunken stupor. Then she knew
that she was safe and dared look at
the child. @7 a1ms#& -
"Oh, Nita!" she whispered, as if the
little one could understand, ~ was SO
near forgetting. When he struck you
before confessed to Father Felisi /
wanted to kill him. And the father
said: Remember, child, you could
never again kiss your babe if you
murder her father. Oh, Mia mio!"-
and she caught the little one to her
breast with great sob-"don't let me
do it! don't let me do It'll"
Then the child moaned and drew up
it's poor, pale face as if in pain. Some
thing of the strange, fierce expression
came back into the mothers eyes and
she looked toward the window.
The mans head was falling on his
breast; he swayed slightly outward
outward over that terrible abyss. She
saw the movement. Nothing escaped
her. But she did not move.
"If rouse him he may beat me and
the child,"". she thought. Then there
was another thought, but it had no
expression in words. 1t was numbing,
paralyzing.
His head went further oyer; he
swayed again. What if no one awak-
ened him?
The child stirred and cried. 1t was
the answer to her prayer. But she
did not heed; she only went on look,
ing in the same stony way. A doc
| barked in the street, and man came
along singing q popular air. Would
they wake him? No. 1t grew very
quiet after this, and the heat was
sitting. 1t seemed q month since she
began to watch him, All! there was
another lurch of the body outward
and the window was empty. Still she
did not move.
| They came tramping noisily up the
stairs and burst into the little room
At first, in the dim light, they thought
the woman crouching in the corner
was asleep, and they shook her arm
She arose in the same stony way
Then she seemed to see the child, anG
with long, terrible shrek she thrust
it into neighbours arms.
"Take her away" she screamed. 81
can never kiss her again" Then she
sprang to the window, and would have
thrown herself out.
STRANGE" said the ambulance
driver, who was taking thepoor Great
ure to Bellevue, chat woman who
has been beaten every day by brute
should go insane over the loss of himl'
New York Recorder.