The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-01
A Hero,


but child's play.
Since the victory which had been won
over the Radusani, the population of Mas
calico celebrated its September festival
with new splendor. Their souls glowed
| with wonderfully feryent devotion. The
whole village brought offerings 10 its pro-
| tector from the rich treasures of the hay
vest that had just been gathered.
The procession divided at the entrance
to the church and spread out over the
square.
Before the altar, on the spot where St.
! Pantaleone had crashed into runs, eight
| men. chosen for the purpose, awaited the
| moment to raise ST. GonZaivo. Their
names were Giovanni euro. L'Ammalido
| Mattala, Vinzenzio Guanno. Rocco 0e
Cenzo, Benedetto Galante, Biagio de
| CIisci, Giovonni Senzapaura. They stood
silent, embarrassed by the dignity of
| their office. with confused ideas in their
| heads. They were extraordinarily robust
| figures. In their eyes burned the fame
of fanaticism. They wore golden rings in
| their ears. like women. From time 20
time they felt the muscles Of their hands
and arms. as if 10 test their strength; or
| they smiled at each other stealthily.
The statue of the patron saint, which
was cast in hollow bronze of a darkish
hue, with silver head and silver feet, was
of enormous size and heavy.
Mattala said: Are you ready?'
| The curious crowded around than in
| order to see. AT every puff of wind the
panes of the church windows ratified. The
| room became filled with smoke from the
incense and the myrrh. At moments the
| sound of the music rose above the noise,
only to die away again. In this piOus sit
uation a kind of blind ecstacy grew in
the hearts of these eight men.
Mattala gave the word: One! Two!
| Three!"
And they united their strength in order
TO raise the image of the saint from the
| altar. But the weight was too great and
the left side of the statue would not stir.
| The men had not yet succeeded in grip
ping the plnth so as to be able to exert
their full strength. They braced them
selves and tried to resist But Bisgio
! de Clisci and Giovanni euro. less skillful
than the others. lost their hold entirely
and the statue swayed violently in their
| direction.
| LAmmadilo uttered a cry.
Look out. look OUT" screamed the peo-
| pie at the top of their voices when they
saw the saint in danger. The din that
| entered from the square made it impOs-
| sible to hear what they said.
L'Ammalido had dropped 10 his knees.
| his right hand caught beneath the bronze
| In this position without rising, he stared
at his imprisoned hand with wide ooen
| eyes that spoke horror and pain. But he
uttered no further cry. A few drops Of
| blood had tricked down upon the altar.
| For the second time all his comrades at
| tempted together to lift the crushing
4
guish of his torture L'Ammalid0 distorted
his mouth, and the women shuddered al
| the sight Finally they succeeded IN rails
ing the statue. and l. Ammalid) was able
to withdraw his crushed hand. which was
| now only bloody, shareess mass.
Go home. go home!" they cried to him,
pressing him to the door of the church
A woman unfastened 1er apron and Of
fered it 10 him that he might make him
| self banda ge. L'Ammalido did net take
it. He did not speak A word. His eyes
followed a group of men near the statue.
who were gesticulating and beginning to
struggle with each other
1T is nv turn
NO, miner'
mo, no! 1 am next
Ciccio Ponno, Malta Scafarola. and
TomassO de Clisci were fighting with each
other for the privilege of replacing LAM
malido in his office of eighth bearer
L'Ammalido approached the struggling
men.
1.-The place belongs to me" was all he
said. And with his left shoulder he sup
ported the patron saint Of the parish He
clinched his teeth, mastering his pain with
fierce energy.
i'm hot
ing to do?"
He answered: IT am going to do what
pleases St. Gonsalvo."
And he moved forward with the others.
The crowd gazed at him in amazemeut
as he walked past them.
Every moment some one asked him. see
ing the wound from which blood was
dropping down: What is the matter,
L'Ammalido?"
He made no answer. He walked SOL
EMMY on, with a swimming in h's had
suiting his step to the rhythm of the mu-
sic, under the broad quilts that tapped
in the wind through the crowd that grew
thicker and thicker.
Suddenly at street corner he fell. The
saint stood still for moment. swayed in
the midst Of the surging crowd. then went
forward. Malta Scafarola had taken the
L
ed up by two Of his relatives and carried
into a neighboring house.
Anna de CenZo an old woman. who pos
sessed much skill in the art of treating
wounds, shook her head when she beheId
the shapeless. bleeding member
4 can do nothing" she said. In such
q case her art was useless
L'Ammaudo who had come TO himself
again, said not a word He sat on d
chair and quietly regarded his wound. The
hand hung down. crushed, hopelessly lost.
Two or three old peasants came 20 N
quire after the injured man
L'Ammahdo asked: Who carried the
saint?"
They answered: Malta scafarola."
He asked further: What are they CO.
ing now?"
The answer was: THE vespe- service
is berg sung"
LAmmalido was left alone The chin
ing bells rang louder and faster The
light of day began 10 grow dim The
branches OF an old olive tree. stirred by
the wind. struck against the window
L'Ammaudo who had not set moved
from his seat began slowly to dip his
hand in the water As the wound gradu-
ally stopped bleeding. the accident seemed /
still more terrible.
ut is all over" ne thought, "tae hand
is los. $. Gonzalvo. I VIII offer il 20
thee"
Then re seized a knife and lafc tho
house The streets were deserted. AL
pious people had gone 70 the church
Above the roofs blush clouds that har-
monized with the dusky September even +
ing. drove past-clouds shaped axe an
mails