The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-27

terday morning, after having been
there for twenty-six years and two
months. 1t is a long time
"A long timer echoed Margaret in
dismay Twenty years! Why, it is
longer than . have lived-fve years
longer. I arr only twenty-one."
The conviLt gave a Pickering smile.
Now that rs history was known, and
that he had seen that we did not shrink
from him IN consequence, he seemed
to find relief in putting his thoughts
into words.
81 was twenty-one when I went in,
he said. "and now l am forty-seven.
All, yesr In answer to the astonish-
ment on our faces. Il saw myself In
a looking glass for the first time yes
terday, and l was surprised, too. For
a moment l thought 1T was my
father, and that he had come to meet
me, but he is dead, and it is 1 who am
Old 1t seems like a dream. signora,
that 1 was ever young, but 1t hurt to
see myself so changed, for all these
years I have been looking forward and
saying: 1T will comet 1t will GOMEZ
and when l saw my face 1 knew that
it was too late and that the old life
had gone forever. My wife
will not know me. We have not seen
She is a pretty girl, poor Ninnal fair
like the signora, with the same blue
eyes. But / am changed. No one in
the village will know Niccolo Cennini
now"
but you are still young. A man of
forty-seven has plenty Of time before
him. You must not lose heart just
when the good time is at hand. You
and your wife may have as many
sad ones apart
"Ah, who can say?" he sighed. God
only knows; but one can always hope.
The bambino, my little girl. she is mar
ried herself. She was too young when
/ left to remember her father. All,
signorar and the intolerable pain of
the dark eyes once more pierced our
hearts. They have lived their lives
II may be that l am not welcome.
Sometimes 1 have thought that it
would be better If l never returned,
but one dies hard one dies hard, sig
nora! 1t is not with wishing that the
end will come, and to stay away when
one is free-it is not nature
mo indeed, and 1t would break
their hearts If you did. A woman can
never forget her husband and your
wife will have taught the child to
know you. They will have talked
about you together, every day Of their
lives, and now, depend upon 1t, they
are full Of happiness and excitement,
longing for the hours TO pass SO that
tomorrow may be here?"
"Ah. who can teIl?" he repeated
again. "One always hopes. She was
a good wife. and we loved each other,
but-twenty-six years. It is q long
tin3ev' He fixed his eyes on Marga-
ret's face as he finished speaking, as
If something in her fresh beauty
brought back the remembrance OF the
youthful Nina whom he had left be-
L 81 ~ -
a pretty girl with golden hair and clear
blue eyes 1t was easy to see that he
was st once longing for and dreading
the meeting which lay before him on
the morrow, and perceiving that his
nervousness was momentarily increas-
ing we tried to divert his thoughts by
calling attention to the beauty Of the
landscape through which we were pass
ing. He listened politely, but in every
instance the answer was the same,
"Calabria was superior"
I pointed out the cattle grazing in
the fields; they had a finer breed in
Calabrta. / prophesied good harvest,
from the appearance Of the land-the
crops were finer In Calabria- we ex-
claimed at the grandeur OF mountain
and river-1hey were higher in Calab-
ria, wider In Calabria, grander. more
impressive; until at last as the tears
sprang suddenly to my eyes, he check
ed himself to say, with a sigh:
"Ah, we'll, 1t Is long tinel Perhaps
they have grown IN my memory, but
think they are all finer in my old
home"
When nightfaal came our ex-convict
handed down shawls and rugs and at
tended to our comfort with anxious
care; but whenever I woke from my
restless slumbers his own eyes were
wide open. and once or TWICE J saw his
| the word '9Sinna." IN the morning
light he looked gray and drawn from