Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-12-16

firmly, as though his mind we're made |
up:
The eccellenZa must pardon me for |
selng what perhaps / ought not to |
have seen, but"
"Eccellenza, you have not lost your |
youth"
| turned my head toward him again
he was looking at me in some alarm
he feared some outburst of anger.
Welt" ! said calmly. That is
your idea, is it? and why?"
Eccellenza, ] saw you without your
spectacles that day when you fought
with the unfortunate Signor Ferrari.
/ watched you when you fred Your
eyes are beautiful and terribe--the
eyes Of a young man, though your
hair is white"
Quietly | took off my glasses and
laid them on the table beside me.
LAS you have seen me once without
them, you can see me again" | OBJ
served, gently. II wear them for
special purpose. Here in Avellino the
.confide in you. But beware how you
betray my confidence"
"Eccellenza!" cried Vincenzo. in
/ truly panied accents, and with a
grleved look.
/ rose and laid my hand on his arm.
There! | was wrong-forgive me.
You ere honest; you have served
your country well enough to know the
value of fidelity and duty. But when
You say have not lost my youth, you
are wrong, Vincenzo. have lost it
lit has been killed within me by
great sorrow. The strength, the sup
pleness of limb, the brightness OF eye,
these are mere outward things; but In
the heart and soul are the chill and
drear bitterness Of deserted age Nay,
do not smile: | am IN truth very old
so old that | tire of my length Of days;
yet again, not too old to appreciate
your affection, AMIGO, and"--here I
forced faint smile. when ! see the
maiden Lila, will tell you frankly
what ] think Of her"
Vinceazo stopped his head, caught
my hand within his own, and kissed
1t. then left the room abruptly, to hide
the tears that my words had brought
to his eyes. He was sorry for me, 81
could see, and I judged him rightly
when ] thought that the very mystery
surrounding me increased his attach
ment. On the whole, l was glad he
had seen me undisguised, as it was a
relief to me to be without glasses for
u time, and during all the rest of my
stay at Ayellino | never wore them
once.
One day | saw Lila | had strolled
up to quaint church situated on
rugged hill and surrounded by fine old
chestnut-t where there was a
picture of the Scourging Of Christ,
said to have been the work of Fra
Angelica The little sanctuary was
quite deserted when | entered it, and ]
paused on the threshold, touched by
the simplicity of the place and soothed
by the intense silence. | walked on
tiptoe up to the corner where hung the
picture | had come to see, and as i
did so a girl passed me with light
step, carrying a basket of fragrant
winter narcissi and maiden-hair fern.
Something in her graceful, nolseless
movements caused me to look after
her: but she had turned her back to
me and was kneeling at the shrine
consecrated to the Virgin, having
placed her flowers on the lowest step
of the altar. She was dressed in
/ peasant costume simple, short blue
skirt and scarlet bodice, relieved by
the white kerchief that was knotted
about her shoulders; and round her
well-shaped head the rich chestnut
hair was coiled in thick shining braids.
! felt that | must see her face, and
for that reason went back to the
church door and waited till she should
pass out Very soon she came toward
me, with the same light timid step
that | had before noticed and her fair
young features were turned fully upon
me. What was there in those clear
candid eyes that made me involun-
tarily bow my head in reverential
salutation as she passed? | know not.
II was not beauty-for though the
child was lovely l had seen lovelier;
it was something inexplicable and
rare something of a maideny COM
posure and sweet dignity that | had
never beheld on any womans face
before. Her cheeks flushed softly
as she modestly returned my salute,
and when she was once outside the
church door she paused, her small
white fingers still clasping the caryen
brown beads of her rosary. She hest
tated a moment. and then spoke shyly
YET brightly:
! IF the eccellenza will walk yet a
I little further up the hill he will see
4a finer view of the mountains"
/ Something familiar in her look-a
sort of reflection of her mothers like