New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-18
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AUNT ORSOLA.

VI front of the little dwelling vineyard ter
race down 10 the shimmcrlng sea rlght dilu i,l'
undu 'ating hills thiclIy clad with 0il;e 1re''' W.
hind MEM a chain OF craggy heights, mere ana
there g, owned with fcathcry pines but more Otter,
towering. lold and bare and contrasting their II"
brown ma CS with the ,.ure blue oNerileau' -.
Add "a thi, the odor of aromatic herbs MN
cling with Mat of brine the songs of tn" clgaia
food of col, Yen sunshine sleeping thc caFlh aia
c.ressinr the slumbcrirS sea: ana YOU VIII nav
an outline of tHe scene in which Anna ana 2r4'a
We're wandering, and amid which they hao pee"
born. o1 oich+oou
,be, cnn indeed So. gcrlv be said ever 70 nav" llN
eIscwhere For th ,Ir father. COMMIT h'ahionu'
had died while they We're lni~ ,L ,ho Gnmntns.
had rctrrJ permanently to tue only property ,iL'
remained to her. there T. llVc III scluSioh NAV,
her daughters upon the pluahce una. ltIl l" w tba
after the pay1nept 10 the last ceh'eSlmo vi 'O
They were as the r1ans say: "nob" e., as th ,nc
sun and poor as thc moon bu. ,1 N.Y. h %al thew
,yere able of tie privations it imposed lhey
wore their cotton dresses TO the last verge OF PiH
sihilitv. took an interest III all the niue Ilclo
s;tudes Of thoir rustic ncigthoIS-they hat 10
otbers-went 10 mass on Sundays at IN" I''le
church on the beach below and an INNS 1e con-
s,dcred led a peaceful. if a mcn"'OAous ne
Tic hons. itSclf-it was not cottage. for I'M
fortnnotcly in our sense of the wNrd there are no
cottages in Italy-would have rea dscoln'oirI, ~
self in any other land. The walls were steh'iII,u
the floors Of rc.i brick the furniture Scan'. anu
vet il was pleasant enough with the IfinlH summit
wind setting the red curtains S9'lN "dN ia
with the song of the birds ana tIf Sc'il. VI '''
brine floating freely in through III" WiueN op'u'u
windows and doors. And IN winter. 100 ~ N1s az
not without certain chcerlncsS WIZ d III, ,no W
mingled ollvc-wood and pinc-coneS piiHms upon
fhc only hearth the house possessed say" 'l"' IN
fhe Kitchen on which YOu could nave roaS''u di
OK whole and which was never "Sc' en-. rstah
lshment being daily done on brch range oNcI I"
handful of charcoal H.. d., ,,or
The entire household numbered but Nv" per,
lao
couple i,ianbatts;a and his VIE Ermliia ,I,e
former vincdr"sser gardener ana an cls' ,n".
might he required the latter, housrkcepef' COON
and lanndrcs, They had been with countess
Altamontc Tor over twenty years, and woulI nav
flung themselves into the lire to do elmer % Inn
three mistrcsSeS Il service. But neither 81 'ih
was ever lard-taNed, mother and daughters prilE
both kind and anablc AN therefore not dlli n
cult TO please. Added Il that, the Hlu cn"pI''
seemed to find repose more WVaIis0m" than WORK.
They were necessarily busy alNut something, save
on SUNDAYS: then, after mass, Bat'lSta hisiI ever
have been sitting in the SUI or the sIa,'' nc-
cOrding 10 the season. III all I'll" SolenllA vi h"i
spcctaclcs and holiday clothes, puilng away az d
Northumberland pipe: Will" Eimtnia, III dug
spotted print ana White apron, W"' Wv ott
produced Nothing ever escaped hcr-irom tHe
ruroining of a peach, or the abduction OF or d
chicken up 10 the going wrong of Il wine val, or
the appearance OF disease among the vines. Her
sharp old eyes fcrrctcd out cv"ryth"g.
Yes Anna" repeated Cordoba, YOU are Il
lucky girl. Just think what Il change.
Chang, indeed. And is just that
Anna paused in step and speech, stopped 10
pluck sprig of thyme, turned slowly and seated
Herself upon The low, broad stone bench they had
Just passed. Cordoba sat down beside her
Here and there ray, OF sunshine pehc'la yea
the bOugls of tn" venerable llcN overhead, to lall
in splashcS Of golden light upon the tw1 sisters
upon Cor,elia's red-brown coil Of hair ana pink
and-wh'c compleXiqn upon Anna raven trcs, ,e
and creamy SKIN. The soft dark eyes of the latter
We're dreamily liNeh up,n the Nhimm"rng $50 De
low. -
1.f1 l., itr..I pp -iSfa
Yes, that il 1,cS-to til" very heart
But IT, cannot I've for very long. Anna. Aunt
Orsola-grand-aunt | should say-mnNt be very
old, and
self 10 the change hnt cannOt-I cannot"
A chance from night 10 day, almost from pow
erty to enormous wealth
All Cordea, | wish She had chosen YOU
wonder if mamma Were 90 write and propose your
going instcaG--
Anna, it would he worse than useless. We
have never seen Aunt Crsold--mamma never saw
her but once, Just before her MARRIAGE Vet We
know what people say about her-frll Of anti
quated notions something like manl1 in all that
regards the nobility and dignity Of her race.
She has never thought of us in our poverty all
We'll, that's true; but the case was different
While h"r nephew lived she had an heir in the
Poor fellow What a pity hc didn't stay al
home instead Of going 10 Africa and getting killed
heartily wish h. was alive again. And them
think Of our aunt' insisting that there j. to be n,
communication am TO be cut OF from all
love: That | ai.-oh. shes cruel old woman
She's half mad, as l said before. And no
wonder, considering the solitary life She leads
shut up. year after year, in that old fcudal castle
Of hers.
Battista knows the place He lived on ahe
estate when q by. lie must lay" seen our amt
And then there Anna stopped short and
sighed.
YES, know. Anna Poor Alberto. But dc
you think mamma would have allowed you to
marry him With @nr nobility and name
Il am sur Of it. Poor mamma has had hard
time OF it she has learned that family without
fortune j. bnt mockery. We haven't relation
in the wide world but Aunt OrsOla and she only
dcigncd 10 notice n when she needed ll'. She
has much better have left rs in peace She coult
leave her money 20 ho~rital.''
And her rawc and title" asked Cordclia.
II, for one, don't wish ever To he MarchioneS
della Rocca dOro. ! could have been 50 happy
here"
said this They blurred the brightness of th'
ripping waters upon which She was gazing. An
other vision. too. ros. before her. The stalwar
yonng proprietor Of a somewhat extensive an'
ncar-yns property. handsome, kindly open
hearted and 'lcrrly in love The thought was to'
much Anna laid her head upon her sister
shoulder ard went outright
What q Happy past was that which now io1tc'
up from menory'S mystic depths The iris hue
hindersd a"Sht ess rsh, and Hean'ia th5,
love, l'attista and ETminias affection. lhei
the innocent idyl tina, in the. COLDER
her birthplace had grown mp 20 it, presen
strength and beauty. The timid elanc"s at mass
the occasional meeting Of fingers at the HOLY Font
the excursions mp among tho breezy heights Albert
carefully leading his ouietesi horse and doin. al
in his power 70 spare the Countess The smalles
shock or jolt: she and Corielia glvY leading the
van and spriaging like young goats amid IN" rocks
and rosemary bushes: Ba;tis;a and Ernini;
bringing up the with provisions for III" day
AlhertOs first flowers, his unccnnecte1 vet wei
nd flp hat
blossomed around her. one evening. on the littl
terrace overlooking the sea and beneath the whit
moonlight. the .s confession of love ha'
been sealed by q HISS All and hundred time
more hoa,ed up before her. till. with heart
broken voice she cried: Cordciia. Cordclia.
cannot cannot GO"
In. In - IL ho lnnn