The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-02-14
HIS SIDE PARTNER,


the urgent solicitationof his friend Les
ter Ancona. When he landed in New
York and hunted up the address on
Blocker street which Ancona had Civ
Ell him In his last letter he found that
that gentleman had pulled up sta'1 IS
and gone away on the very day that
Pietro had sailed from Italy. He had
left no address behind him and the
only clew that Mustered foreigner could
could gain as to what point Of the
compass his Quondam friend had head
ed for was from the newsdealer in the
next block, from whom Ancona had
long bought his italian papers and his
tobacco and olives, and for whom he
NAd manifested more sincere liking
thln anybody else in the world.
The neWsdealer said he believed An
coma had gone west. That was decid-
ely an indefinite piece Of information.
l:Ien an American who is pretty we'll
acquainted with the topography of his
own country would have considered
1t IN address which was capable of
good many variations and to the mud
died brain of poor Pietro it conveyed
about as much intelligence as would be
the report that the man at whose bid
ding he had come ON this wild goose
chase had gone on trip through the
celestial regions.
Two weeks in downtown lodging
house exhausted Pietros financial bal
last. and on the fifteenth day after he
set foot on New York soil he found
himself in the little box Of O room back
Of the neWsdealerS cluttered up store.
with just l cent on the table before
him. and in his hand the gold ring his
mother had given him the day she died.
1t was all she h"d to leave him. poor
thing and he had always religiOusly
cherished it rs a talSmaE whose fibers
OF lnWrouSht gold We're vibrant with
tho sacred individuality of the dead
woman whom he had always revered
as the embodiment of all that is best
In this world and the incarnatio of
the holiness Of the world beyond.
His position was not novel one.
The newSdealer had seen many youth
In just sucha plight before, but some
how the simple. hopeless misery Of
the young Italian appealed to a long
silent chord in his heart, and without
stopping to argue the pros and cons of
the plan which inStantaneOusly out
lined itself before him, be presented
its salient features to Pietrof who
grasped them eagerly.
"When say don't know where
Ancona went" the newsdealer explain
ed, Il mean that I wouldn't take an
oath that I could put my hand on him
any moment 1 want him. But I've
been thinking the matter over and
I've come to this conclusion: He said
he was going west, and when people
start in that direction there is one
grand central part where they all run
for month or two at least, and that's
Chicago. You must go to Chicago,
Pietro."
Pietro shook his head doubtfully.
81 can't" he said, cycling his one pen
ny and the ring obviously. 'No mon
ey, no work. How much will it cost?'
Il didn't make this proposition to
tantilize you with false hopes" the old
man responded sharply. ''When 1 said
you must go to Chicago the statement
implied that I was prepared to furnish
you with the wherewithal for getting
there. I like you and 1 pity you and
want to help you. I'll pay your fare
and give you money enough to keep
you for couple of weeks or so. You
can also take along letter of introduce
ton to a friend of mine. who is pretty
and well acquainted in the Italian colo
MES, and he will make you feel as
though you are not entirely fOrsaken
and sort of brace you up and help you
hunt AncOna, whom I am as uositive
you will find as l am that you and I
are here in a Blocker street news store
tonight. All I ask in return is that
you will let the best things that are in
you come to the front, and give me an
account Of yourself every week that
will let NE know that my confidence
in you has not been misplaced. What
do you say?'
Pietro didn't say anything, but he
cried little, thing he had not done
before since leaving Italy, and his
tears were more satisfactory prom
Use to try to keep his head above wa
ter than any verbal protestations Of
good faith would have been.
Pictro started for Chicago the next
day.
The letter of Introduction to the
newsdealer's friend was worth about
as much as such letters usually are.
The representative Of PietrO's race
with whom the man had come in con-
tact were decidedly of an inferior type,
and evidently he classified the young
fellow who had been thus unceremon-
iously thrust upon his hands as one
of the same species. He honored the
letter with second perusal and then
handed it back to the bearer.
II already have more proteges of
one nationality and another than I
know what to do WITH" he remarked
CURLY in his sleek Italian, ''and posi-
lively can be Of no assistance to you.
trust you will find your friend" And
Pietro who was sadly lacking in the
stuff that makes men heroes, had not
the courage to plead his cause. bue
wandered dejectedly into the street
and commenced his search unaided.
American customs bewildered him
and the wretchedneSs of the Italian set
Element into which he drifted sickened
him. His money dribbled through his
fingers like wafer through sieve, and
his second Sunday in Chicago was
spent in police station, whittier he
had been taken on a charge of va
grancy.
There he learned his first news Of
Ancona. The sergeant in charge had
hi Ill