Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-02-28
FOREVER.
BY IONA Gale.

when | opened my eyes was the souhu
OF bells. Not one or two, as on lestlVal
DAYS, but hundreds 1t seemed, chimlhs
out softly or changing away like mad.
snow, then! ! thought, what y its
st. GATHERINGS day. No, for that u
past; and it is not yet time Tor the
Raster | think Just then Bruno
came bounding up the stairs anu
whistllng along the passage; so c'tlieu
to him and he came in, his round rosy
face more smiling than usual. &c
cole!" he cried. what are you DONG
here, Guido? BE up aud out WIN tue
whole worldg' ,
"But whyY" asked him. "And
what are all the bells ringing FOR this
morning. caro- mioF
"E~ole!" he cried again. "Haye you
been asleep the past week. Today II
Christmas day"
"ChrIstmas day!" | repeated, stu
pidly -
eyes" he said, land / must be OIL
directly to 90 with the little Tessa 10
the church. Got up, lazy oneG
And then he ran out whistling again,
and lay staring at the blue ana
white ceiling and trying 70 understand
what he had said.
Today, then, was Christmas! 80 yes
terday must have been my birthday,
and / had forgotten both. All, well!
HOLIDAYS are for the young, ana ] am
old; II Is eighty years ago yesterday
slnce / saw my first birthday,
Al any rate 1t Is as well to be up on
Christmas as on any other day; so III
little while had my breakfast brought
m to me. And then | dressed myseif
and ant down in the wide south VIM
dow and looked down on the crowd
Of passers-by, dressed In holiday az
tire, and the little mules standing WIN
their panniers In the market place
All Mt once a queer idea took posses
sion of me- and could not argue my.
self out OF listening to II. had beeh
going over. almost uneonsciously, the
thing that think Of always by day
and dream BY night and remembered
that 7 used 10 write little stories for
Carlo sometimes, SO | thought |
would like to tell you, IL ] could, or
this wonderful part Of my life so you
will not think | am mad, as most OF
the peoplc here In Florence do. Yet
If Won two do not believe me, ana
when you have read what | shall
write. YOU smile Il little and say: 1T
IL so; Guido must be mad" why |
shall not mind much, after all, for that
Ia all | have heard for nearly hfty
years from everyone to whom ! have
told IT,
First then, my name is Guido Dona-
tello Ferrara, and the time OF which
am going to tell you was fifty years
ago this very week. That was when
II ended, that Isl for II all began long
before.
Now, IL you have ever heard that
sometimes sing little, or that used
to. You will say: "Why do you not
tell us Of your triumphs on the stage
Of the things that happened In your
public lIfef" That is the first thing
people care 10 hear abont anyone who
has been great even littlc-ns | was
while IL were to tell you those things
alone | should be giving You events;
and as II II am going to tell YOU Il
little Of my life
Carlotta Verniti that Is the name |
think OF always It Is she Of whom |
shall tell YOU She was barely 20
when | knew her first and aht | can
not tell you how beautiful! but ! am
more fortunate than Won now, for
can see her picture In my mind al
ways.
Her father was 4 poor artist poor
financially, but rich, for he had her
Her mother was dead and | was n
pennless hoy, yet far better OF than
when. six years before, had been
Fortunate enough to be sent to the
market place with my masters tive
little mules carrying the milk | was
to sell I'm his place after that The
work was distasteful, for WAS there
not d rehearsal for an opera that
morning. where | longed 10 be listen
Ing at the foot of the stairs?
was thinking this over angrily rs
drove the little beasts along the road,
and | broke out suddenly Into one of
the church pieces ! knew, and sang It
In Il way seldom heard, for WAS put
ting an my anger into it. \ church
piece tool So | never heard the
sound of wheels behind till turning rs
l heard some one call To ME when
had done | SAW grand carriage be-
side me-. and some one leaning ont and
speaking Il me, My heart gayc II
great bound aud then stood sill for
Thought II waS the Gonfaloniere, who
would rrrroye mo for making 50 much
noise
what is your name, my lad" he
asked ana he smiled lust i little.
which surprised ina
'Guido, senior" | Stanmerea, "Guido
Ferar
Come ~ me tomorrow he saia
briefly at the Villa Franea romor
row At noon
Then he drove ou swiftly, and net
III