St. Landry democrat., 1893-10-07
A F|Lu OF G0sSaD1EB}.

The Italian October is the time Sc
apart for the chestnut gathering, tn
holiday harvest of the year, and thos
who, like me, are interested in the rura
life of the country, may see it then at it
merrlest and brightest. | had taken VI
my abode one October in the village O
Tereglio, which was admirably situated
for my purposes of landscape study, anG
| selected for my dwelling a substan tia
farmhouse just outside the gates, owned
by one Vincenzo Contrucci, who, like
many of these mountaineers, had emf
grated to America early in life, and
saved sufficient money to return at the
end of ten or fifteen years and set up as
small proprietor in his native place.
His subsequent prosperity was owing
partly to his own industry and good
conduct, partly to the thrift and clever
ness of Sora Nina, his We; and the re-
suit of their combined good qualities
was that he now was one of the most
thriving farmers in the commune, owning
considerable tracts of chestnut woods
along the higher sleeps, with
vineyards and fields of beans and corn
further down. He was tail, stalwart
peasant, with the broad brow and calm
eyes of TUSCAN OK, slow of speech,
though Ivy no means dull of understand
ing, he was complete contrast to the
qulck-Witted, sharp tongued little wife,
who in minor matters governed him com
pletely. Sora Nina was of lighte: COM
plexion than is common among those
hills, and partly for that reason had been
reckoned very pretty before she lost her
youthful bloom.
The only daughter, Assunta, was mar
ried, and living at some little distance;
two sons, Massimo and Ferruccio, were
gone to America, as their father had done
before them; and there remained at home
only the eldest, Leandro, commonly
called Andrino, according to the usual
Tuscan fashion of INJECTING proper
names by dropping the beginning and
adding on diminutive at the end. An
drino was handsome young farmer of
three-and twenty, perfect fac -simile of
his father.
The only other permanent member of
the family with which 1 had taken up
my abode for the time was a tall, eaunt
serving woman, Maddalena, relative Of
Sora Nina>s. who assisted her in the care
of the house and poultry-yard. besides !
helping in some of the lighter work of |
the farm.
But during my stay at La Cascatelle
las Contruccis farm was called. from a
little rivulet that came leaping down the
steep behind the house, its ordinary
inmates were REINFORCED by three extra
hands engaged to assist in gathering the
'lpe chestnuts as they fell. Those en-
oloyed in this way are generally Young
girls, whose services for forty DAYS are
epaid, according to the prevailing form
If contract, by bounty of two sacks of
he farlna dolce, or chestnut flour, at the
nd of the term, and their board and
odging during its continuance.
Two of Sora Nina's hand maids. Rer-
uccla and Vannina, were handsome,
gypsy-looking girls from
he nelghborhood,' daughters of small
roprletors, whose services were not
eeded at home, and who were glad to
ONE for the holiday month to the mas
era Contrucci,' not perhaps without a
emote hope of establishing themselves
1ere permanently, through the oppor-
unity afforded by daily Intercourse for
'curing the good graces of the hand
ome young farmer. '
Poor little Ginevra had no such pre- {
nsions. She was not even pretty, ac- !
'rding to the standard of taste prevail a
g among her equals, for she was slender !
ID understood, looking, at seventeen,
ore child than woman; and in point /
physique seemed but an insignificant a
eature when put into competition with t
em. Worst of all, she was but con- Il
d1na~-that is to say, her father cult Q
ted another mans land, on the mezzeria il
half'produce system; and as in that v
untry the farmers as rule are pro- Ii
ietors Of the toll they till, this inferi
'ty OF social standing naturally made c
+ an object of contempt among her =
tter-born associates. IL
have said that Ginevra was not even l
city, but it would be more correct to O
that she had not been SO till now, for c.
was developing a dainty, wild-rose If
pom of her own, a tardy flower of O.
auty, which had all the added charm e:
surprise, as it began to flush her pale &c
e with soft glow of tenderness. and IL
re a new depth and brilliancy to the tt
&c gray eyes under their dark brows 10
d lashes. One began to notice then NJ
W delicately turned were head and X
OK and ear under the carelessly -knotted pl
rchlef, and when it was thrown aside a m
alth OF nut-brown hair lay plated, NJ
on coil, beneath it. She had voice
cuckoo, too, and many a passer-by in
gered under her fathers garden wall T
listen to the unseen song bird who W
oled forth the tuneful Tuscan melo- st
$ among the pomegranate trees afame he
h bloom, and Cape jasmines studded u,
n moon-like orbs breathing incense on dr.
air. ST,
had not been many days domiciled in an
"a Contrucci before l discovered that lu
ad another inmate whose ewes were lit
little blind as my own to Ginevras ut
Inspected attractions. During the he
:. indeed, I saw little of the house at
d, who were all scattered to their (tl
erent vacations before | came down ex,
ny morning repa:t, and whose mid rer
meal did not share, as l generally alv
led mine with me to the scene of nv if
'rs for the time being. At supper. 70,
ever, | sat down to the common sor
e, "nlch was lald IN the great farm hat
hen In sufficiently civilized fashion. No
coarse but clean homespun damask I !
cloth and napkins, and with a special bri
provided for me by Sora Nina's at inc
i've care. cor
fter supper. Maddalena, who had 1
Town with the rest, cleared the table the
began washing the crockery in re- Viz
corner, while the three girls and tiv.
Nina, seated in a row at one side nf ua,