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

I've lost it," he said, stupidity, showing
her his empty hands.
Lost your wages? oh, Lord. save usg'
Lost your wages, you ASST" echoed the
| girl Nesta.
tive been in prison. said Paolina. heav-
| lily, as if he had not heard them. I'VE shall
| starve. They don't want me on the road
any more. They've done with me-"
There was nothing heard for a few mo-
ments, but the shrill outcries of the wo-
man and girl.
"oh, my poor boy, my poor boyr' sobbed
the mother.
Mes been in prison; he's done some
thing they wouldn't nave sent him else!'
said the little sister.
| Paolina did not hear what either of them
| said.
Father worked on those roads forty
years." he muttered, land I've been on
them ever since 1 was breeched; and I'm
| not to so on them any more and they
won't say what I've DONE and they put me
in prison for asking"
but the weeks wage-the weeks
wage!" cried the. mother, ibid you say
| you lost it?"
| He nodded assent.
| Hes drunk it awayi" said the little
! sister Look at him. He's dead drunk.
Can't you see, mother? He's drunk 1t all
! away
| "Oh! Nesta, for shamei' said the moth
| Cl, 4put the Thought was nSF own. IneSe
| dlsordered clothes, these unwilling words,
this improbable tale, this heavy, sullen,
| REDEEMED face, were they not all due to
! drink? Rosina Tiezzo would sooner have
| believed the church tower was walking
across the hills than believe that her son
| could be dismissed from his labor on the
roads that had been his fathers before
| him.
| Yes, it was drink. Her little daughter
had said out the thought which she had
| herself no courage to put into words; she
was so ashamed. She threw her gown
| over her head and leaned against the wall
of the room, sobbing aloud. Nesta went
| up to her brother and shook him with both
| hands.
AREN'T you ashamed, you bibber! II
| you'd come to take me to the Corso, as
| you promised, you wouldn't have got In
this state and lost your money through
swilling wine in the town.
Paolina slowly raised his head and look
| ed at her
rs that what you think little girl?
You're wrong. I've been good to you from
your cradle, Nesta. You might have said
something kinder. The trouble there is on
me is more for you and the mother than
| 1t is for myself"
Then he arose. and, pushing her aside,
| drank thirstily from a can of water and
went up the ricketty wooden stair to his
| bed. His mother cast the gown from her
head and ran after him
| Come and tell me all, my boyl Moth
er forgives, and the child is but a saucy,
| ignorant MINK
But Paolina would not answer or Oman
to her.
TITS drink, mother" said Nesta. with
her red lips curled in all the scorn of SUI
| perior wisdom. IT'S drink. You'll see IL.
the morning."
But In the morning all the school chill
dren told Ennesta that they had heard
| their parents say overnight that
her brother was one of some score of
road-menders who had been dismissed
through no fault of their own by the COM
mune.
In the morning also when the girl was
OF to school Paohna told his mother all
| which had taken place. The nights rest
of sleep due to intense fatigue had Gained
and sobered him.
| must get some other work. he said.
and went up to the tall white tower on the
crest of the hill and spoke with the vicar.
| But shall never be any good now that
I'm sent off the roads, he said with the
/ great tears in his eyes.
The roads were to him like his shin To a
| sailor, his nag to a soldier He could not
| believe that he was never again to keen
them clean and watch the people 90 to and
FRO on them, and eat his noontide lump of
bread under their Towering hedges.
| amongst their dock leaves and cuckoo pint.
Why had he been dismissed and others re-
tanned?
The vicar explained to him that If was a
mere question Of economy, and that the
matter was regulated BY seniority, but his
little lupette dog would have understood
him better than his parishicner.
The good man also tried to influence the
Few influential people whom he knew and
himself petifoned the municipality in ia
n 10 fafrgn
ceived the usual polite negative formalities
IN return and nothing was altered Paolina
had been dismissed; for the authorities he
was dead and buried.
He tried with all his might to get other
work, but it was difficult to do so. A dis
missal, even caused by no fault, but en-
tirely based on the beautiful exactitude
and unrelenting necessity of political econ
omy, always Is black mark against a
persons name. though he or she may do
their best to efface IT,
Paolna could not understand why FalIo
Conte, an old schoolfellow, remained on the
roads and he was turned off them. That
was the only view of the question that he
could be made to see. The Injustice of AZ
bur6ened him, hurt him, ate into him like
a corrosive acid
he did whatever work came to hand
field work, errands, driving a cart. carry
ing corn to mill, hedging and ditching.
or Whatever II might be, but he did IL
with no pleasure in the labor He took
home his days pay faithfully, but he had
no joy in doing so; he did not forget
Nesta's words on the evening of his re-
turn. He had always been light-hearted,
mirthful, contented lad, now he was duh,
slow, i'll at ease. He had been in a
prison van, in a prison cell, and IL seemed
to him as IL the faint of them was always
on him, on his lips, on his hands, on his
soul; and that others saw IT,
1T Is not the prison which taints us, Il
is the crime for which we go there" said
the priest; you were really innocent OF
any offense, therefore you cope out UNI
soiled, clean as a white pigeon"
But il was of no use TO
philosophers; no reasoning could
reach the mind Of Paollna;
IL was too simple, too unearned, too OBJ
stinate. Wrong had been done him; that
was all he knew.
Troubles" as some one said, are gre
garious; they never come alone" To ada
70 his. Rosna fell ~. IL was no definite
malady, It was the giving way OF the sys-
tenn under the long toll and too poor nour-
ishment. In the medical Vocabulary this
Is called "Marasmus: the poor call Il a