The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-04

atJow il grows!' SAID the young man,
,..,.,ut, with pride and affection up at
n ..oo he had planted. 1t was plum tree,
,bo kind which gives the golden lus-
-. NUNS which in England are called
-.aorgaee. in France and in Italy, clau-
a. He had planted it against southeast
Ill and it had thriven well, liking it's
..i,,oo and rewarding the care he took
-, Ne knew little of fruit or plants, but
IA Gardener had told him what do TO
a -.:.b this tree, and it had fiourished.
II, had been fifteen years old when he
- cot II in the earth, and he was now
trertv His daily occupation was 70 mend
3 ,,o roads of his commune, but he worked
\ - ii. little bit of garden after sunset and
bsfore the days work began.
1rs name was Paolina Tiezzo; he main
..iroa his mother and sister; his father
,ros dead. His little grey house, with it's
,ed-brown roof, stood amongst the fields
ord hills of a rural commune called Mari
cralee to the right of the plantation Ger
t.vo Of Val dEma. He was spared mill
,ar, service because he was the only son
of his mother.
The lives of all of them were hard. but
thew did not think so, for they knew no
otber When they had oil enough for their
beans and big round loaf in the cupboard,
tbev were content. The mother spun and
made their clothes.
The little daughter Ennesta went to and
fro to the village school. and did not do
much else than play and laugh, and eat as
mucb bread as she could get: but she was
9 merry girl, and made sunshine in the
house and she showed all her pretty teeth
as white as a young dogs in glee, when
there was anything extra to eat on Sum
days.
you spoil the child" grumbled the
mother when he brought a little gift Of
sweetstuff OF fruit for his sister; but
while she said it she was pleased and
grateful that her son was so good to his
sister instead of spending his spare pence
in gambling or on drink.
When they were all out, the door of the
little house was locked and 1t was left to
itself. There was nothing to steal except
a few copper vessels. Only when the plums
were ripening Paolina said to his mother,
stay and see nobody takes them, moth
er. anu lDen the WlUOW tCStS oAtAiiS
on wooden bench by the door and spin
ming for both he and she knew that if she
were not watched the nimbles hands Of En-
nesta would play havoc with the fruit; not
speaking of the village children and the
. big rats who would run down from the
roof
She herself was a bent, worn woman;
gray-haired before her time, for she was
not vet 40; but she went out to work most
no rd M achi cutting
turning hay, gathering tomatoes, Smelling
beans in the hot sun; and this kind of la
Dor ages soon when it is not substantlated
by good food.
The work Of Paollna was one which took
hin out in all weathers. And his tools
were heavy and large: and the constant
roofing up of the roadside grass was a
uresome labor ever renewing itself, never
really done. But he liked his work. He
could rest, when the hour of rest came,
under the hedges of hazel and dog-rose,
and he knew everybody who passed by,
whether gentle-folks or poor folks, and at
the cottages he would have a chat and a
draught of watered wine, and at the villa
gates he would sometimes get franc If
1t were Easter time or Christmas. OF
course, he was only an underhng at his
age, but he hoped to be the head man on
those roads in due time as his father had
been. lie had no other or higher aim in
life. He was quite content.
After all, it was a life of some interest
70 any one like Paolina, who had interest
IN all that passed around him. His sphere
indeed was limited by the mile-stones and
measured not quite three kilometres, but
ne knew every living creature, human,
equine, leonine or canine, that passed
over MS roads, and knew all about them.
Mhen ne went home to his supper he
nad all sorts of news; the marquis had
bought beautiful young horse bay mule,
PACK points; the priests little dog had
been washed and clipped; the miller had
nau ms pocket picked in the town; tramp
hau peen found getting over the gates of
one villa, the children at another were Ill
WIN IeVer; the crockery cart as 1t made
its rounds had lost q wheel and several
ulls OF earthenware had tumbled into the
ul'Ch and been broken; the knife grinder
n"u sald mat there had been a great fire
at factory in the city; the bakers little
StO"n-Bfay donkey had fallen and cut it's
huees' the foreign lady who had the large
StteShouods had passed him and spoken
Hindly 10 him; the Father had gone by on
ms I COB and had nodded and called out,
Ia Nader Com ! star" And all these
mVees OF local intelligence interested his
, ,ilo'ncr ana Ennesta, as the kilograms in
H'e morning papers interest ourselves.
''iy udy there was, of course, some one
90 something different to the previous day,
h,r, were only that the vicar had on new
0 0SgNled shoes, or that the little ducklings
- w., a. nelShbor were thriving finely.
~ neneVer she heard that the priest or
b sDe miller or the steward had inquired for
~ ms mother was a proud and happy
bo.ndh Paolina did not tell her that
10Y seldom stopped to hear the answer.
don course he thought, '1t is only just
ca 9re out OF politeness; they don't really
On ne ne vicar did care. perhaps; he who lived
~ ~ ,ne crest Of the hill at the church with
fa,,5 Sall white tower. He was a good man,
yca,.. OF long walks, In which he was al
any followed by his little white fox dog;
~ ne Knew the mother Rosina well, for
,,ee, was Always In her place at mass and
49, and the only sins she had to con-
W.. after much searching OF her heart
80 mat she had envied her neighbor's
sln,ts iuck with her chickens or had been
ma In eating too much ricatto, a
nv. sort OF imitation OF cream cheese
wiz with sour milk, and highly in favor
w" IN country people.
ter 10 was IN the summer; and IN the win
tba 'uere were the tales to tell of flood In
~ NY or perhaps even snow; OF how
frorIP euuiar had been blown down coming
b.ial the hills; OF the water-mlll Wheels
do, 4,o@eh; or OF how the priests little