The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-10-26
The Flower of the Air
BY Katherine lyman.
IT ley had been little goat-herds to

brown children are as beautiful as
Graces among the olive groves and
vineyards. Maddalena, dancing with
her ragged skirt held high, and her
brown bare feet twinkling in the
grass where the cicala sings, might
have made living part OF an idyl. 1T
was always Maddalena who danced.
and Beppo 40 sat on the scorched hill
side piping her music, his brown eyes
mysterious with dreams.
They were both orphans and perhaps
the loneliness was link to draw them
closer together. For such there was
the stick if the goats strayed, or they
forgot to be home by shutdown. Mad
dalena had her own share of bea tings,
vet she would have borne them doubly,
trebly, if Beppo could only have gone
free, for Beppo was fragile and gentle,
and the stick that only enraged her
and made her obstinate, had, on the
contrary, made Beppo i'll for days.
Yet, if Maddalena mad not kept her
wits about her, they would have been
in trouble much oftener than they were.
1t was Beppo who would forget on the
warm hillside the sickness of his last
beating, and the chill of his empty
stomach, making tunes for Maddalena
to dance to, while the goats invaded the
vineyards, or the dews and night found
them yet far afield.
1t was good while the summer last
ed, and the children could forget the
beatings in the comfort of the sun on
their half-clad bodies. But harder when
it was winter, sharp and bright, and
there were more children, real children
of the house, than the house could hold
and Beppo's starvation and nakedness
told upon him, so that he coughed and
grew hollow-eyed, while Maddalena
was only exhilarated by the clear air
and the unwinking sunlight.
She was very much stronger than the
boy, and then positions were quite re-
versed, she bearing the heavy burdens
aud taking the rough roads; he accept
ing this state of things, as though he
were the girl and she the boy. No one
but Maddalena knew as the boy him
self did the aches and the WEAKNESS
that made him lean on his friend as a
sick child on the bosom Of its mother.
But there was neither sickness nor
chill in the air the day Antonio came
that way.
1t was a brilliant day, and the joy of
the world had got into Beppo's fluting
and Maddalena's dancing. The little,
lean, golden-brown girl in her ragged
frock of brown and orange and scarlet,
was gay as a humming bird. Lightly
IS one she poised and floated and
swayed over the burnt grasses, and
danced faster and faster as Beppo, with
>yes of rapture, made wilder music.
Suddenly the pipe fell from his lips
and the dancer came to earth.
"Brava, bravissima!" from the lips
of a stranger, had sufficed to break the
spell.
The newcomer was a bearded, dark
fellow of middle age, with wide
mouth, and smile of extreme enjoy
ment that fell on the children with q
suffusing friendliness. He was eXtrav-
Ngantly dressed, with a profusion of
bright colors and hat hung with
Gibbons. The children thought him
very fine and gazed at him open
.nouthed.
Il am sorry" he said, making bow
to Maddalena, 'to have interrupted the
signorina's delicious performance. See
here"-he took from his breaches
pocket a handful of small coins and
scattered them" It's a tribute to
beauty and genius; but gold it should
be, gold and gems, if Antonio Romano
could but follow the promptings of his
heart
He seated himself on the grass by
Beppo, with the manner of one coming
critically to the theater.
Dance now, my beauty" said he;
''dance again and let me delight myself
with your grace And you, Sig. First
Violin, will you not tune up again?"
By degrees he won the confidence of
the shy children, and Maddalena danced
for him untiringly, and afterwards went
through the acrobatic performances
copied from what she had seen at a
travelling circus.
"Ah!" he cried, and again "Ah!"
with deep breaths of satisfaction. And
at last, having applauded vigorously,
he begged them to lead him to their
mothers in the cottage below.
All" said Maddalena, Il have no
mother, nor has Beppo. None cares for
us, except the Mother of God. So we
love each other and make pets of the
goats"
She started suddenly, and springing
up, looked distractedly about the hill
side.
They have wandered again." abe
cried, land tonight there will be beat
Ags and no supper for thee, Beppo, and
for me. Alas! it is my fault, and it is
only last night that she beat thee, and
starved thee, caro-"
She ran to Beppo and caught his
head TO her breast as might a mother
quite unheeding the presence of the
gay stranger, who was the cause OF
their transgression.
Ruf AntQuiD Romano cyvora or oatJ,