Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-05-27

| behind, while il was yet dark.
They did not shut their eyes thai
night in the little house at Santa
| Margherita, for fear Of thieves and fol
the thought of that poor man stretched
out on the ground there in the orchard
! Al daylight, when the passerS-by began
! tc appear on the lane opposite by the
! Rocca, the canon, armed to the teeth
ant followed by al the peasants, ven
tUIeG TO g ard see what had happened
The women screamed, Don't go, sir. -
They were hardly out Of the yard
| when they found Linginn under their
feet, for he had Crept in quietly among
tn: people,
Take that boy away" cried his
uncle. the canon.
No! want to go and see too" he
cried; and ever after. as long as he
mind The man was in the orchard at
liv ed, the sight that he had seen when
81 small. remained impressed in his
a few steps distance, stretched out on
! the ground under IN old-deCayed olive
! tree, with the ashen features of a dy-
ing man. He had dragged himself on
| all tours to a pile of empty bags, and
! remained there all night long. When
| his companions had run away they had
carried off the full bags. Near by
| there was z space Of ground loosened
! by his nails and all black with blood.
"Ah, Signor Caronico" muttered the
dying man, "for few olives they
! have murdered me-"
| The canon gave abs0lution. Later
Oh, towards noon, came the judge with
the consta bulary, and wished to fall
foul of the canon and bind him like a
rascal. Fortunately all the peasants
were there and the steward and
| the family as witnesses. Nevertheless
the judge let himself out about that
servant of God who was like a sort o.
olG-time baron in his arrogance. and
kept men like Surfareddu in his ser
vice for Waterman and had people
murdered for a few olives. He wanted
the murdered surrendered dead CT
alive, and the canon swore and for
swore that he knew nothing about him
! SO that in a little while the judge de-
{ clared him accomplish and instigator
and had MIN bound by the constables
just the same. So they shouted and
went back and forth under the orange
trees of the orchard, while the doctor
end the clerk Of the court performed
their duties by the side of the dead
man, stretched out upon the empty
| bags.
They then set a table in the Shade
of the orchard, because of the heat, anC
the women induced the judge to take
a mOuthful, for it was getting late
The serving maid outdid herself-mac-
er0ni, sauces of all kinds, and ever
the ladies did their utmost that the
table might not figure i'll upon thai
occasion. The judge was charmed
with it.
Afterwards the clerk turned the
table-cloth back little at the side
and set down in haste a few lines Of
report, with the signature of the wit
nesses and everything, while the judge
drank the coffee which had been made
on purpose " 18th the big c0ffee-pot. anC
the peasants looked on at d distance
hale hidden among the orange trees
Finally the canon went and got witt
Ills own hands a bottle of old musca
de!lo that would have brought a deaC
man to life. Meanwhile they haC
buried the other man as best the7
could under the old decayed olive tree
In going off, the judge accepted (
bouquet from the ladies, who had tw,
fine baskets of selected fruit put il
the saddle-begs of the clerks mule
and the canon accompanied them tt
the boundary Of his estate.
The next day a public messenge
came to tell them that the Judge haC
lost his Watch-key in the orchard. an(
to ask them to hunt for it carefully
because it must surely be there. TIL
canon sent word back: Give me twt
days time to fine it in" And h.
wrote at once to a friend in Catagiro
net to buy him watch-key, a fine golt
one that cost him two onze and h,
sent it to the judge with this message
is this the key which the Signo
Gindice LOST"
That's the very one" he answere;
and the trial went smoothly on it
way until the events of 1860. Sur
tdredou returned as Waterman afte
the amnesty Of Garibaldi, and wa
finally killed in a row with some othe
watchman
Whenever the canon char ced to re
fer to all the events of that nigh
which had given him so much trouble
he used to say with regard to tn
judge Of that time:
He was a good fellow! because h
might have sent me hunting for In
watch and chain, too instead of onl
the key"
. In the orchard under the old ire
where the olive thief is buried. cab
bages come up as big as babies heads
Translated from the Italian Q
Verga.