The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-26
D D 7 BOY POET.
a EUNCTIoN IN THE BLIzzdRD IN
mULS,ESRT BEND.

Bride, who Makes w~aistcoRts-An Itai
ian Family GRtherinE-The Feast, thu
e., Musicians, and tho CLEAN of n stiletto
Adamo stelllni. the boy poet OF Mulberry
Bend. was married on the lercest day OF the
blizzard. In the half light of.the little rectory
the priest tied the nuptlal knot. and the we'd
ding feast was held at the home Of the bride,
Erootn's parents. GincInta and Coriolani Stel-
lini, we'll known In the Bend as vendors OF q
hiRh grade OF secondhand bread. Their home
~eonelsts Of two low-ceiled rooms and a large
cupboard on the second floor OF a rear tene-
ment whose front windows look on n rnther
spacious court. which is spoken of.by the peo-
ple OF the quarter "a the Plaza Of the Moon.
The court lies ut the end OF an alley that
slashes Che long row OF balconied houses at
about the middle OF the block between Bayard
street and Canal. 1t is lampless and as dark
as a well on all but moonlight nights.
One night last June. when the moon
beafned with n big round face, an italian youth
who has written some passionate doggerei in
the Neapolitan patter sat on the rickety wood
en- steps OF the baek tenement noted with his
hest girl within kissing distance by his side.
Two days-afterward there appeared In the
BOltetino della Serd. the youngest OF the Italian
daily newspapers. n dozen stan2as OF Jingle en-
titled THE Plaza Of the Moon" La Piazza
della Luna,) 1t told In most ardent fashion OF
Cupid's asserting his sway by means Of the
moons soft rays; how the blind cherub made
she writer kiss his loved ones hair and eggs.
and how her breath rlvalled the sweet rain'of
silver that poured from the sky and touched
with fnlry beauty the idle pushcarts stacked Il In
q corner. Well. the author of that rhapsody
was the bridegroom OF the blizzard. Adamo
Stelllni. When dreaming. he is a poet: when
n uwnLa AND apurral by n ban1thy onpafifo ba Ia
a'bootblack at q stated income-what is called
q journeyman bootblack nowadays. His bride
was Barbara Guanciuoli. a seamstress who
works on contract NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
work done at homo. In that she is young. Bar
bara is pleasuTable to the eye. and had her par
ehts left her to breathe the fresh air OF her
native fields and VINEYARDS she would doubt
less have been a beauty: but for eight years
she has lived and toiled in Mulberry Bend.
On the night Of the wedding the alley that
leads. to the Plaza OF the Moon was choked
with snow. No trace was there OF the steps
wherein Adamo and Barbara had done their
summer counting. for. by a singular centrifu-
gal action OF the wind. there remained one
bare spot Of tagging In the court. and from
this spot the snow rose'on all sides in a circular
bank that reached to the sill of the ground
floor windows. Through the deep white
mounds the guests, who began to arrive Mt
about 3 o'clock. had to make their way as best
they could. With fearful eyes and loud
means old Giacinta, mother Of the bridegroom.
received them.
In about an hour the little rooms were pref
ty full OF people. all dressed in their Sunday
and sitting SO still that 1t was like n
Mother Giacinta. seated in q rock
ing chair. wept and sobbed as she swayed to
and fro. Nobody. not even her husband.
- IA u
ing word. Plainly the time-honored custom
demands the tears Of the mother at the
wedding OF her son was we'll understood ard
by all. and accepted as an indispen.
sable adjunct Of the nuptia. feast.
The brides father was not present because
the gang OF snow shovellers to which he be-
had to work that'night. With this ex-
ception all the relatives OF the bride and bride.
Rroom-all that were in the city-were on
hand. You must go to n Mulberry Bend we'd
ding feast. or some other family gathering. IL
you would know the desire OF the Italian i'm
migrant for calling to America. slowly but
surely. all the sisters and cousins and aunts
whom he left behind in his native land. The
feeling OF clan is strong. and he counts him
self safer with a Goodly number OF kinsmen
about him. This does not mean that he will
them in idleness. No: in the Bend it
is understood. as the certainty Of death is un.
that. the drones must die. That's
why IL is so hard to find idlers there.
Amusical entertainment had been provided.
but IL was not to begin until the bridal couple
arrived. Barbara and Adamo had been to the
City Hall during the day and an Alderman had
welded.the civil bond. Now the company was
waiting for them to return from the priests
dwelling whittier they went that the blessing
OF the Church might be bestowed upon their
union. In. neither journey was a carriage at
their disposal, They are too poor for that.
On foot. but well munled and heavily shod.
they reached the rectoty. Here they were
told that the priest would not he ready to per-
form the ceremony for an hour: SO they had
awed In that house and afraid to raise their
voices. And In the StelIini home the i'm patient
the delay. murmured against the priesthood.
keeping one eve on the door and the other on
rival OF the bride and bridegroom would the
tamarind water and other sweet drinks be
served 70 the women and children and a fiery
New guests struggle in and The rooms grow
90 croMded that many have. to stand. and it is
now and the air OF depression that has hung
over the COMPANY appears to have given way
on and stu no Bride and bridegroo NTH the "a men
gibe in an ,undertone and laugh. but not bois-
t%eronsly. In 9 corner beside his harp, a large
and sdira resss- Rs Fed Fiji fellow wh'' ae ,f L 96e mus masi Z & "a,
al the feast. and the woman standing near
him II a soprano vocalist. according to the
word passed around. There IL a call for music,
and to relieve the tedium Of the wait all prec-
edent Is broken and music is actually struck
un before. the bride and bridegroom appear.
The harpist has the eyes OF a camel. and he
rolls them In fine frenzy as he banks and yelps
In the voicing of a Nenpnlitan love song. His
most eNcrucihting top note he directs straight
Mt the chin OF the woman singer, who stands In
ailence. While the hnrplst remains in his chair.
10 appiauded and deluged with "Bravos."
Then IL is the turn OF the woman. She Is
black-vlsaged, wizeued and spare OF voice, hut
ehirps blithely, disdainful OF the key. mi
Parlate d,Amor.". The applause is general,
and she, resumes her seat. obviously well con
and all rise s0lemnly 70 receive them.
AZ they enter, the back room the harplst
gtrikes up a wedding march. Barbara and
Adamo are covered with snow and there is a
great ado brushing them of and helping the
bride to shed her rubbeIs. When her outer
wraps are, at last removed she stands forth in
all the pride Of the regulation wedding gown
Of Mulberry Bend. A mantilla of white lace
Is thrown over. her somewhat ruf1ed raven
hair, ana with the touch Of color that the bliz-
zard has given her cheeks she Is probably a
p%rettier picture tonight, than she. viii ever be
again, Her bodice and skirt are NJ white mus
lin. trimmed with cheap lace, and She wears
white shoes. Blu she hasn't s.Bked these
shoes In the snow, ana has TO 20 into he large