Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-03-08
AMONG THE HILLS.

Rosa Giovanni sat at the door Of the
ash mans hoyol and looked ut the faraway
hills.
Rosa loved the hills AS she loved God,
and thought Of them as she did Of heaven.
She had heard that God was great and
strong and sheltering; 80, she knew, wero
the hills. And heaven That was far,
very far, away, and 1t was hard 10 reach
hut, OH IL was so beautiful. And the more
she dreamed Of 1t the moro she came to be-
lieve that heaven WIS somewhere among
those hills.
Rosn was the ash mans daughter. She
lived with tho ash man and his wife and
their many weakened, brown children IN
the basement Of gray house ON q gray
street In tho gray city OF San Francisco
The poor little room in tho bpeemont had
nothing bright In It, 1t, too, was dull and
gray, like the house and the street, and
when tho cold fog rolled into the crowded
room, us II always did In the evening IL
settled about the fncos and forms Of tho
children and mado them look palo and
wraithliko.
"Eyermoroi Evcrmore" Rosa had
heard the word at Sunday school, and 1t
haunted her. she asked the good sister
what II meant, and sho had smiled kindly
and said it meant always, etcrnally."
Rosa looked at tho sister thoughtfully,
with her big, solemn eyes. "Wo havo over
moro babies at our house" shc said.
And so it was. When Rosa, the little
eldor sister, had taught tho last thin brown
baby little patois and encouraged 1t TO
tnke few steps, another wniling stranger
would demand those Offices Rosa loved
the brood OF little ones, but she tired some
timos Of their weak cries, and her thin
arms and narrow shoulders uchod from the
burden of carrying them to sootho their
cries, and her head anhed woofully.
Rosa was dwarfike girl with n well
developed head, pale, olive skin and big
brown eyes that would not permit you to
forget her There was haunting enrncst-
ness, wistful questioning in them, that
you recalled sometimes in gay crowds
where the hungry orhs were out of place.
They followed nnd troubled you as does the
gaze OF dog thnt had lost its owner There
was an animate pain In them mud hu-
man unrest They reminded you OF tho
eyes of q woman whom you can never for
get, one who Ind looked upon the woes
and mockeries of lifo until she prayed to
die II was with such prayer In hor eyes
that Rosa Giovanni looked at the faraway
hills. Tho two smallest brown babies were
asleep. Tho others were playing in nnoth-
or room with children who were old enough
to caro- for them. So the small, brown
hands were idle for once. ThOy lay crossed
In the lap OF the dreamer.
The great, green hillsl How frosh and
beautiful they look Had not Nina, tho
ncigbbor, told her IL was there the flowers
grew, the dewy, delicate flowers which sho
had seen countrymgn Of hers selling Mt
tho place where many streets orossOdS She
hnl ha af If fhng.A
flowers once, and 1t was sweot-as sweet
as heaven, and the hills All, TO have
some Of them in her lap at this moment
To press her hot forehead against their cool
softness and so forget that IL achod so ter
ribly. Tho half closed eyes opened wido.
They stared In wild way at tho hills. a
resolve was being born, resolve thnt
sprung from her ignorance and pain. she
would go to tho bills They were not very
Tar. Some one had said they wero far
away, but they had come closer to her.
They seemed to be opening thcir soft,
green arms to her. She would go. She
would come back again to the brown
babies, but she must seok that coolncss and
rest and tho flowers.
She ran up the narrow street and among
the cars and wagons at tho crowded cross
ing. Nobody noticed the ragged little fig
ure, for tho haunting eyes did not seek
their faces md challenge their curiosity.
Those strange eyes looked past the hurry
ing people TO the strip OF yelyety green be-
yond the roofs Sho sped along tho street,
stopping not for questions. She could not
be lost. Did she not know whore she was
going and was IL not to tho hills, which
her eyes meyer left for n moment? She
shiyered, but not from fear. The fog had
wrapped her about In Its stealthy embrace,
hut she thought: 1.-THE hills Will take caro-
of mo. They arc warm and kind. !"
Her breath came shorter. Sho was tired,
but not as whom sho left the collar Of the
gray house, for was sho not coming nearer
to that wavy line of green ut every stop
Once she fell but Hho drew herself W
ngain and walked on more slowly this
time. But the fevcrish light in her eyes
had become ilerco flame. Her cheeks
burned. The hills were coming closer
Sho could not walk much farther. The!
knew it, and they were coming to her.
~ found her lying across tho curb sh'
was stretching out her arms on the side
walk md saying something like; 'Ah
good kind hillsi Two found YOU Sh,
must have been there IN hour or two, TO
she was cold as the stones of the side
walk"
Tho big policeman put the stunted form
into the mntron's arms,
poor little lumbr' she said. She wa
uBcd to sad sights, but tears filled her eye
ms she looked Mt tho drawn, dark feature
and warped body.
Aftor they had laid her in the snowy be
she opened her wandering eyes upon row
of clean cots, wherein she saw tho faces {
children. She looked Mt the mothorlY fac
bending above her, then through the vii
dow at the sunshine falling upon wayir
line Of green.
at was true" shp said, and tho wor
little face took on its last child's hnpp
ness. Heaven is here among the hills
Tho mntron drew sheet over tho sni
ing face and they placed a screen about tt
cot.--AdR Patterson in st. Louis Ropubll
MET HIS MATCH.