Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-07
CHAPTER w.

Brigitta climbed slowly up the steep, mar
row streets OF the Citta Vecchia-the streets
winch were so narrow as to be mere passages
between the old, old houses. protected against
the ruin OF possible earthquakes by the many
archways thrown across from wall to wall. II
was these old houses and narrow, passage-like.
steep streets and unexpected archways which
gave Citta Vecchia-which means simply the
old city-its picturesqueness and made the
ioresSen ciimo up to see it SO often and make
sketches Of corners Of it. 1t seemed marvel
Gus old place to the forestieri and during The
winter season, when the hotels and villas were
filed with them. the peasants in the '.old city''
became quite used to seeing groups of two or
three well-dressed people rambling abont
stopping to look up the dark, narrow stone
stairways or tiny, iron-barred windows. or de-
lighting themselves with tumble down wall or a
crumbling arch, with green weeds sproutine
out OF its stones, high in the vir. The forestier
had these queer ways. They who were rich
aud lived in the grand hotels and white villas
and wore wonderful garments would stop and
watch serious mule or donkey. laden with
faggots or sacks of olives, stumbling honestly
up the hillside streets, its burden almost touch
ing the walls on each side, and they would look
at 1t as If it was wonder, and as If the peasant
woman walking beside it. with her weather.
worn dark face, framed with q red or yellow
and green handkerchief tied over her black
hair and under her chin, as il she were won
der, too And sometimes they had been known
TO make sketches Of both. as IL there were not
real and grand pictures Of Madonnas and saints
and angels In the fine picture galleries. Of the
great cities they were always>rambling about
the world to visit. Tho peasants thought that
all THIS came about because they had nothing
to do and were 30 idle that il made them
childish
Brigitta-who was Giovanni's mother-did
not suspect for q moment that she was pic
turesque: she did not know what picturesque
meant She knew that the young men had
called her pretty girl years ago, before she
had married Cola and had had Children and
worked so hard. Then she had been plump and
had had laughing white teeth and bright ewes.
there had been red ON her brown cheeks and q
curl In her thick hair. But now she considered
herself an old woman. though she was not one
as the forestieri counted years She had
worked in the house among the children and
the beasts, she had worked at the olive harvest
and the grape gathering, and had done all
sorts OF things on the bit Of land Cola rented
In the campagna, and she had grown sinewy
and there were lines on her face, and her black
hair was always more or less rough under the
red or yellow and green handkerchief tied over
IT. She had never owned a bonnet II would
have troubled her almost much az q crown.
IL was on the forestieri-the signorae-who
wore little things made OF silk and lace and
feathers and lowers.
And If she did not know that she was a pic
turesque object herself how much less did she
suSPeet snat ner oonkey clam bering by her
side with burden Of fodder twice as large a.
himself was sort Of picture also He was q
htue shaggy, gray, patientfaced beast, with
soit, hurry, long ears and long black syelashes,
and his grave little face and slow, toilinR stepe
ana oig load were exactly the things to put In .
sketch OF the narrow, steep streets with the
ancient, irregular houses on either side Of
them and the unexpected arches silk and lace
and feathers and howerp. :
Brigitts had been 70 the campagna to help
Cola with the olive gathering. 0iovauuf.
though he was her eldest son and Of working
ags had mot been with them, because they had
found out that he could be more useful to them