The Dickinson press., 1894-12-29

A dark deep sea,
And Sorrow, dim and crown'd,
Is waiting thee.
Adelaide Proctor.
For days the whole countryside conld
talk of nothing else but Nita's disap-
pearance.
1t was not quite unprecedented, for
there had been times when some Tus-
can maiden, weary of her home or her
life Of toll, or bcguiled by the siren
voice OF some stransar-youth from the
cities far beyond those quiet hills, had
stolen away at dead Of night and never
co,ne back any more. The story Of
Nita was in no way strauge-it was
common ever in it's sadness and base
ness. But the girl had been so fair
and so loved, and had made her sunny
beauty and ready wit so universally
known and admired, that her absence
left Il strange blank among them.
But it was only Genna who suffered.
Genna, who seemed so cold and hard,
and stern now-who avoided the town
and all belonging to it-who plodded
on duly, uncomplainingly from day to
day and week to week, and lit her
tapcls ut the Madonna's shrine in the
little chapel on the hillside, and spent
her leisure hours in prayer and peni-
tence for Nita's sake-Nita, who had
forgotten and deserted her without q
word of regret.
Old Masso took the matter ve.y cool
~. sit was nothing more than he OK
pccted." so he said, land it served Cen
nj right for encouraging these idle
painter fellows to come round the
house. film girls heads With nonsense,
ard making believe they we're beautiful
as angels, till they grew too vain 10 be
of any use or good at ALL"
Poor Gonna felt n hot flush Of shame
scorch her brow ut these words. She
remembered the painters praise of her
self--and of her own delighted accept
ance of and belief in it. She felt mad
with adherence of herself when she re-
membered her folly, she scourged her
self with bitter %reproaches every time
It REQUIRED to her mind and Inundated
her afresh.
Poor Gonna! She knew that she had
loved him ere she herself was aware of
1t, and she dreaded lest some look or
word might have betrayed her. How
he must have Knocked at such fOlly-he
and Mia! That thought brought fresh
agony in its train. Both her sister and
her lover, perhaps, had made sport over
this in secret-he binding her eyes to
his real motives by pretending rever-
She hid her face in her hands, and
shivered with the cold, sickening chill
that had come to her with the first
knowledge Of Nita's baseness and of
his perfidy.
"If only he had come" she
thought in her misery. But Mt little
while ago, I was content-now. an,
life is all changed. 1t can be
the same again"
Yet she went about her daily work us
uncomplainingly as ever, giving herself
no rest. She dared not. because idle
ness and rest brought back memories
that hurt. and thoughts that madden
ed her; and in labor, however weary,
and toll however great, she could alone
find peace from either.
Slowly the years passed on, bringing
but few changes to the quiet town and
the jewellers on the hillside beyond its
gates.
Genna was alone now. Old Maso
had died of n cold caught by damp and
exposure il severe winter time. when
the river had overflowed its banks
and flooded the country for miles
around. The chill had settled OH his
lungs, and he had neglected it. in his
belief of his VI strength and hardi
hood. So one morning when Genna
went to his bedside she found him toe
i'll to rise, and a few days after he died
The girl sorroWe cd greatly. He wa
her only friend, and life was lonely Il
her now.
OF Mia no word had eve come-n,
token Of mountaineering sign of he
existence. She was well-nigh forgot
ten, even by those who had been he
her lovers and friends Genna alon
remembered. G~enna-wfth her calm, sa,
face, her quiet, wistful eyes, In whic|
there always seemed a longing so grea
- q sadness so deep.
rs She lived on alone in the desolat
house, taking a contadino for the har
teamwork. and toiling necessarily ne
self. The days were often long, wear
ID some. m%onotonous; there was no one I
Y. care for, to think of, now, and her W,
mans heart hungered for such thing
From her life all ministry of love seer
ed utterly banished; but she bore
cheerfully, uncomplainingly as eve
= ! only she was never glad now.
One evening Teresina, the cope