Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-11-09
A FAIR DIVISION.

The poverty in the village was very
general, and but for PiCtro GoZzoli
the keeper Of the wineshop might have
lowered his blinds and pulled his door
to.
The fishing along the Naples coast
had been bad for many weeks, and i'll
Basuio every man is Il fisherman and
every woman a fisherman $ wife or
daughter And so the poverty was
great, and pietro was the only man
who still smoked a daily handful of
cigarettes and still sat regularly i'll the
wineshop,
He had been to England, and had
come back with fortune, and was in
dependent of the vagalies Of the fish and
the weather. "Ah," sighed the vii
layers, as they placed their hands i'll
their empty pockets, ''what a lucky man
is Pietro, and what q rich place that
England must bo!'
One day in the early spring, the news
went about that this man Of fortune was
grown Unsuitable, and was going away
again to make more music for the for
cigners and to get yet more francesconi.
And every fisherman was sick with envy
that he, too, could not leave the barren
harbor and go to the northern FL Do
RADIO. But PietrO GozzOlH alone was
possessed Of the great sum that was
wanted to pay the steamboat people and
to hire the organ.
And who would he take with him?
Which Of the dark eyed village beauties
would he invite to be lis companion
and to share his gains? Many We're the
longing looks thrown to him and many
the prayers Whispered to the saints by
pretty ones whose fancy saw countless
bright ribbons and sttshes, the posses
sions of her who should be chosen
4. day or two norc ard it was known
that Tcssa Puncia WAS the happy girl
destined to be raised to opulence and,
early one morning, she and Pietro left
Basnio for the long, dusty walk to
Naples. And the next day they were
standing on the deck Of the steamer,
Watching tie shore line die out as tho
sea grew deeper and b!ucr.
During the voyage he taught her tho
words of English lie remembered and
talked to her about the lifo i'll London ;
how chat they were to work very hard
and spend ycly little, that they might
have much to take home with them. And
she, still glad that she had found grace
in his sight, snilcd agreement to every
thing.
4 week after they had walked out of
BasinO, beautiful even in its poverty,
they were citi2ons of the italian colony
i'll London, making music about the
streets during the days and passing the
nights i'll Il garnet III an evil smelling
court at the back OF Saffron Hill.
PietrO was the musician, and hour
after hCur for uany hours he toiled at
the organ handle, now with left hand,
and now with right Tessa carried the
tray for the offerings Of the passersby,
and as she was pretty and begged with
a charming smile, her apron pockets
were usually heavy with copper coin
when tie evening aud the time to re-
turn homo came
Then Pietro relieved her Of the
weight, and counted ont the pence and
took them to some shop near by and
changed them for silver When there
was enough Of silver, it was parted with
for gold, aud something was added to
the little pile Of savings.
These savings were kept in a tin box
hidden under a loose board i'll the cor
ner of the room. Not very good treas
ure chest, but Piotro did not understand
the English banking system, and there
was no one in BaslIio rich enough to
send money to for safe keeping.
Three years went by, and the yellow
hoard was so increased that Tessa' eyes
shouc and her fancy wandered as Pictro
cOUnted and leCountod it in the even
ings.
'Shall we not 80 home to Basnio
now?" she said rs once she watched
him. "Haye we not enough?"
'No, not qu2.c enough. We will stay
this summer and go back when the
foggy days come"
(Of course this was spoken in musical
Italian, but | have brought it into Eng
lish for the benefit of the one or two
readers who otherwise might not under
stand.
Tessa pouted little at the reply,
and consoled herself by going out to
talk to FillipG.
Fillipo was native of Sardinia who
had lately come to London to enter the
profession Of ice cream merchant. But
although it was early summer, the days
were rather cold than hot, and there
was no demand for ices, either lemon
or raspberry, and FillipO was drifting
toward bankruptcy.
His rent was owing and his barrow
mortgaSed, aud be wopt as he told Tessa
of another unsuccessful day. And she
wopt too. An exceeding ly foolish thing,
for She had kaoWn Iillipo only month,
/ and Pietro, whom she had known for
years, had told her that he did not like
the Young H'vw a.Tcr il ice cream and
that she mast not talk with him.
Nevertheless, She wept, and told him
! Lgy, s,.lv she Was. And as the pity