The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-29

concrete floors, and he is sent on every
variety of errand Antonio was tireless,
respectful and cheerful, and the Mild
mays agreed that he was an ideal serv-
ant. OF course they responded to his
suggestion that he needed a livery, and
he was soon furnished at their expense
with handsome suit of heavy blue
cloth, a picturesque hat, silk sash and
an overcoat. He looked very handsome
in his new dress, and the difference be-
tween what he paid the tailor and what
he charged his master provided his wife
and his little boy with their entire
wardrobe for the coming winter
Venice is cold city aeer the winter
fogs begin, and when Antonio advised
the Mildmays to lay in their entire stock
of firewood in September instead of
waiting until the price should be higher
they said to one another what comfort
it was to have "a servant who really
looked after their interests. So Antonio
was commissioned to buy the wood,
and he bought it. He made hand
some commission on the transaction,
and in addition he had about one
fifth of the whole amount of wood de-
livered at his own residence. 1t is true
that this was not quite enough to pro-
vide him fuel for the entire winter, brit
the deficiency could easily be remedied
by simply carrying home three or four
sticks unde his coat every night, and
Antonio was not a man who shrank
from any honest labor when the good
of his family was in view.
About 10 days after the arrival of his
Englishman Antonio informed him that
the gondola needed to go to the squero
to have its bottom cleaned at a cost of
10 francs. This, however, he insisted
upon paying out of his own pocket, be-
cause the ( ilness of the bottom had
been incurred before he entered Mr.
Mildmay's service. This scrupulous dis
play of honesty still further convinced
the Englishman that he had the pearl
of gondoliers and when the next day
Antonio asked him to givS him as a
loan, to be deducted from his future
wages, so francs, wherewith to make
certain essential but wholly unintelligi-
BILE repairs to the gondola, Mr.. Mild
may was of his wife's opinion that it
would be shame to require the poor
man ever to repay it.
The first thing that shook the Mild
mays confidence in Antonio was lit
tie incident in connection with chick
en-. They had had pair of roast fowls
for dinner and had eaten only one, In
tending to have the other served cold
for luncheon the next day. When late
in the evening Mrs. Mildmay acciden-
tally discovered Antonio in the act of
going out of the house with the cold
fowl stuffed under his coat, she demand
ed an explanation. 1T is true, parona,
said Antonio, that l took the fowl.
And why? Because all the evening
had seen you and the paron sitting to-
gether in such love and happiness that
my heart bled for poor Antonio, who
has no happy fireside at which to sit.
And so l said to myself: Antonio, sure
ly you deserve little happiness as we'll
as these good and noble people! Take
the cold fowl and eat it with love and
gratitude in your hearth
Mrs. Mildmay could not scold him aft
er this defense, and she simply contented
|
keep the fowl for this time, but that
such method of equalizing the benefits
Of fortune must not occur again. An
tonic promised both her and himself
that it should not, and though he con-
tinued to keep his wife's table fully
supplied from that of the Mildmays the
latter never again found him in posses
sion of surreptitious chickens
One day Antonio found goldpiece
40 francs, in fact-on tn, floor of his
gondola. He knew it must have been
dropped by the paron, and he promptly
brought it to him. How wrong was, I"
said Mrs. Mildmay, ''to doubt the poor
fellow because of that affair of the
chickenl No one would ever have been
the wiser if he had kept that 90 franc
piece, but he brought it to us like al
honest man." For once she was right
In believing Antonio to be honest
Nothing could have induced him to sui
~ his soul and hands by unlawfully de-
tanning his masters money. He wis
determined to make all the money out
Of his providential Englishman that he
could make i'll ways that every Condo
lier knows to be perfectly Legitimate,
but he was no thief, and MIR. Mildmay
could fearlessly have trusted him with
all the money in his purse
Antonio was now one Of the happiest
hen in Venice, but one morning he
came to Mr.. Mildmay with face OF
pathetic sadness and asked for a day q
holiday, 1T is not for pleasure that
ask it,, he said. my only pleasure is
to serve the best Of masters. But my
little boy is dead and is to be buried to-
day. l should like to go with the coffin
to San Michele.
Mr.. Mildmay was unspeakably ouch
cd by the mans sorrow and the quiet
heroism with which he bore it, He gave
him the days holiday and 30 francs to-
ward the funeral expenses Of his child.
When Antonio appeared in the morn
Ing, qui :, sad, but sctupulously anx
ious to do lis whole duty, the Mildmay'
felt that they really loved the silent ant
stricken man.
Misfortune seemed suddenly to have
run amuck at Antonio A week after
90 l. 20 oh, - 4,