The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-10-12

would stop with a startled look and |
search the face of some passerby that
reminded him WILDLY Of his Beatr1cia.
He saw her often in this way, for her
image was really never absent from
his minds eye. In his reveries Of her
she used to appear to him, and, as In
the old days, she would wind her
soft, gentle arms around his neck and
whisper, Beloved Pietro, thou art a
god"
For a year now he had not heard
from her. "She must be Dead" he
thought at times IF she were alive,
she could not feel the power of my
love, though an ocean lies between u.s."
But like all lovers, he was selfish and
sensitive, and he had sworn on hi
honor never to write to her again, and
he could picture her often making love
| to Marcello and Valentino and others
in the vineyards, as she had made love
| to him.
A second summer of silence came,
! and Pietro wandered out into the coun-
4 try and walked among the wood ferns,
crushing them to his breast with his
passionate love of beauty. He would
| 60 and spend days under the sky, beg
! ging for food as he went. He could
not work. He was stepped, saturated,
overcome by the accumulated longing
within him. The army of laughing
fairies and Dominican monks stood on
their shelves, a neglected array, un-
4 busted and unsold.
The citizens of Little Italy" forgot
his very existence. When he did not
appear, they concluded that he had re-
) turned to Italy for a time, and they
did not even care to inquire. One day
, little, old woman in shabby black,
with a coarse veil tied around her head
, so that her face was wholly concealed,
came to Little Italy" and inquired
, for Pietro. She could speak no Eng
fish, and she seemed greatly agitated
, The women We're consumed with
r curiosity, and led her willingly te
Pietro's little workshop. Her terror
, was pitiabl" when she found that he
. had gone and had not been seen fol
!. month She called on all the saints
0 in the calendar to help her, and tier
on death to relieve her, and she f1uns
herself on Pietro's own couch an(
n moaned for hours. She barred thu
h door and covered the window so tina
n the curious ones could not watch he
o from without, and she herself Onl.
!, emerged when she wanted to buy food
, 1t was some days after this occur
+ renee that Pietro, walking in the coun
il try, saw vision of his Beatrici
4. stretching out her arms to him an
CRYING out to him in sad, distresse
o way The vision was so distinct tina
n for moment he thought 1t was real.
"a "She is dying" he cried to the Sky
10 land she is sorry and would ask m
70 forgiveness, and l cannot go to he
,e O God of the poor, l cannot go!"
1t made such a powerful impressio
20 upon his mind that he turned abol
o. Immediately and began to retrace IN
r. way back to the city and to his shol
no When he reached "Little ITALY," do
d en- eager men and women rushed upo
,ol him, seized him bodily and dragge
is him toward his abode.
IS "Thy mother, thine old mother,
IL here" they screamed. "Ungrateful fe
ri low, she is alone and waiting thee
ly For the first time in many montl
ID. Pietro smiled.
ut "Nly mother he whispered, sis Wi
no the saints and happy! What can
ur thou mean?"
go, look for myself, half witt'
VS. sluggard and beggar," they bawled OF
de And they pushed him toward the doc
ng The little, old woman who had il
m prisoned herself within caught t
10. shouts and the voice of Pietro, and b
NV heart gave one wild bound, and S
is stood trembling at the door, ready
er- fling it open.
as Pietro stepped cautiously and touc
ed ed the handle. He did not know who
he he might encounter, so his advan
elf was timid. AS the door swung ba
ed he gazed stupidity for moment. Th
in cry of joy and pain broke from
he lips as he laid his hand on his heart
in. still it's awful beating.
"Beatricia, my beloved! Is it thou
file he gasped. ''Dost thou love me?"
aw "Madly, Petrol
nd ''Thou didst come to find me, B,
pc. tricia?"
mo "Thou, alone"
at "Thou hast come to stay. Beatricia
He "Always!"- Chicago Tribune.
ar. The Scheme Failed.