Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-11

handle hot Goals occasionally, but they
don't burn themselves-if they can help it.
Walking in Italy.
Italy is an ideal country for pedestrian
tour. And the walk from Genoa to
Florence is revelation to the tourist who
visits the kingdom for the first time. We
walked right into the lives of the people, as
it were, lived among them, traded among
them, was of them in fact They were very
much surprised to see us meander into their
villages as we did, so much SO that they
stood aloof and regarded US curously, not to
say suspiciousIy. We were to their prim-
tive minds about the most extraordinary
pair of females they had ever beheld. had
only to try little OF my brand new Italian
on them, however, and they We're all right.
Anyone who spoke their beautiful language
as did became an object OF their pity for
ever after.
The Italian peasants are a picturesque
and artistic race. But they are dishonest,
and oh, heavens. how dirty. A bathtub to
them is an unheard-of and unknown COM
modify. I have NO words to describe the
dirt of which I speak. 1t is the piled up
CRIME OF ages, inherited and bequeathed
from generation to generation. Every child
in Belgium was apple-cheeked and spot
lessly clean. Every little Italian is swarthy,
filthy aud half naked. The word modesty
is not in the vocabulary of these people.
A Bow-Legged Race.
The peasant woman swathes her baby in
tight linen bandages, and ties its mummy
like little body up in small pillow case.
This is done to straighten its limbs. And
no doubt it does-for time, but as the in
FAINT is put on its feet to walk at the age of a
few months they soon grow crooked. And
every other child one meets is bow-legged.
The first town we came to interested us
very much. A description of one sufices
for all. They are exactly alike. The out.
side of the stucco house is covered with the
most grotesque paintings. Obese little
eupids, nantou syrens, prayerful virgins and
impossible angels all clamor over the walls,
peer into the windows and climb upon the
roof. What they are supposed to be doing
can never be anything but mystery. The
entrance Is nearly always through low
gateway into square brick or stone paved
courtyard. From this courtyard opens the
living room. The most important is the
kitchen-dining room, where one eats and
drinks red wine and cafe noire and watches
mine host the padrone, slim, humble,
excitable little man, who dances
round like a hot pea on q
gridiron. He shrieks to the poor walters,
bullys his wife-the fat signora-threaten
to murder the long suffering cook, and calls
on every saint in the calender in his frenzy.
"Bones of st. Peterl" he howls to the cook,
will you be quick?" ':Dsath of the VIII
gin! reach me that joint"
Methods of the Host.
The waiter does SO calmly-he is accus-
toned to the padrone. bis wild rage does
not affect him at all. We are trembling with
fright. Never before have we seen such
fury. We have not learned yet that all
padrones are alike. This one cuts our steak
carefully from the joint, weighs il with a
grand flourish, calls our attention to the
figures registered on the scales, eulogizes at
length on his honesty and finally claps it
on the big stove and charges us double the
price he would anyone else.
Our bedroom is large, square, brick
fored, cold, damp and cherries. The bed
is not bad but-ohi :.horror-and this we
did not bargain for In classic and poetic
Italy-the feas. Out they came in full
force. We demonstrated with them mildly
politely.
We ventured to assure them that we were
Americans and strangers, and that the cour-
tesy of one country to another was our due,
but it was no use They didn't see it in
that light They winked and smaeked their
lips and exclaimed: "Yum, yumi What
do we care. We have tasted you. You are
good; very good"
"Misericordiap' we cried.
But our enemies were relentless.
"Americansf they exclaimed with fend-
ish delight $50 much the better. We
like the imported article as much as you do"
LILLIAN SPENCER.