The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-10-26
Maddalena nodded theoretically.

"Come away, my children he said,
'and let the goats wander home un-
guided at evening. Come; we have
room for both in the great caravan be-
low there. We go to Palermo, where
the signorina shall dance in the square
and the signor shall pipe to her."
He spread his hands out above their
heads.
Come. little ones" he said, my good
wife shall feed and clothe you. If Papa
| Antonio is ever harsh or cruel with you,
may the little one he gave to Heaven
forget him."
! He took hand of each, and the chill
| dren, fascinated, went away with him.
Antonio led his two goat-herds to
where by the door of the biggest cara
van a buxom, kind-faced woman, with
long earrings, cooked something
| savory over little stove.
'See, my beloved, what / have
brought thee" he said. 'These are two
little orphans, rescued from hunger and
| the whip, to be thine own instead of the
angel we have lost"
They have no mother?" she asked,
already opening her arms.
"Nor father, my beautiful. They are
the little children of the good God, and
now they are ours"
A little later the white oxen were
once more put in the yoke. The whips
cracked, the great caravan numbered
heavily, and Beppo and Maddalena sat
snugly within Antonio's wheeled house,
lest any should see and recognize them,
and held each others hands, and looked
in each others eyes, full of delight and
wonder at their adventure, and fearing
nothing so long as they were together.
Antonio was as good as his word. No
father and mother could have been
more tender to the little waits than he
and Teresita.
There was no hue and cry upon their
track. Who cared for them, poor little
| human crickets, when the goats came
home alone at evening. At first, the
stick stood ready to the stout peasant
hands to punish them when they should
come. But presently it was realized
that they would not come; and none
grieved, since Beppo was a weakling,
and Maddalena passionate and obsti-
nate.
The years passed very happily, jour
neying up and down the strange coun-
tries, with Antonio and Teresita and
their troupe of mummers. Madalena
brought prosperity of kind to An
tonic. She was no ordinary dancing
girl, no common acrobat. The strength
and suppleness which had made An
tonic call her "Flower of the Air" re-
tanned her name, and everywhere the
caravans halted, drew crowds to see
her dance on the tight-rope and dis
port herself at giddy heights as secure
and graceful as any bird.
But, as the SHOWS and the storms
drove the circus into winter quarters,
so the SHOWS of age in time fell on An
tonic. They had all earned for the day
and saved nothing; and the time came
when the troupe melted and broke up,
and Antonio and Teresita were left all
but alone with their children.
1t was then that the English impresa-
rio saw the performance of the 'Flow-
err of the Air" and offered her an en-
gagement at salary that nigh took
her breath away.
Maddalena danced with Joy.
Nov it is my turn" she said, land
you will go back to Sicily, little ia
Their and mother, and own little vine
yard, and keep a roof for Beppo and
me to return to one day"
"Beppo will go with thee, child?"
said Antonio. at is well. Are you not
brother and sister? And Teresita and
! will be happier knowing he is near
thee in the wicked world"
All these years, Beppo, sickly and
dreamy, had been little use in the
Romano troupe. Not that he was ever
allowed to feel that his Sicilian piping
was thin as the cicala's song to those
who liked the blare of brazen instru-
ments
"He brought love for him when he
came" said Teresita, to whom the chill
dren stood in place of the baby she
had lost; and both she and Antonio
were proud of the tall, handsome, deli
cate lad, who had the look of signor,
and not of a son of peasants.
''Why, father and mother NINE" said
Maddalena, in response to Antonio's
speech, 1--WE have much better plan
than that; a much better plan"
She blushed and dimpled all over like
a brown pool in sunlight.
"We are to marry, Beppo and l..
/ See you, we have always loved each 9TH
er. Before you came to love us, we
had only each other anu the Madonna
and the angels. And it is better that
| should be Signora than Signorina in
the world we go to-"
So it was settled, and the little lovers
of old became husband and wife and
went away with the English impress
ario, while Antonio and Teresita went
sadly back to Sicily and became pro-
| prietors, selling the caravans, and turn
ing the white oxen to the pillow.
They looked long for the children to
come to them, but they did not come, al