The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-07

for the milk and did all the marketing;
she made the bread and cooked the po-
lenta; she scrubbed and swept and SCOUT
ed all the coppers, and all the stairs
and floors; she went to mass at o'clock
in the morning in all weathers; she wash
ed all the linen in the river which ran
beneath the city wall; and in her few
leisure hours spun and sewed for the fam
lily and herself. 1t was a hard life, but
she was content in It, and even enjoyed
every hour in it with the vigor OF sane
and robust temperament a healthy con-
stitutfon and a grateful soul. 1t was so
much to her to sleep soundly without
fear of brute kicking her off the bed Of
leaves on the ground: and 10 hear the
placid voice Of her mistress. and the gay
songs of the children, instead Of the
curses of the herdsmen and the lewd
jokes of the shepherds in drink.
She would have asked nothing more of
the saints then to let this life go on for
ever. only let me be worthier." she said
in her prayers every time that she knelt
down In the little duslSy side aisle where
she went to confession in the Longobardo
church. In this town, perched SO high,
at a greater altitude than even the rocks
of the Sagro Speco, the winters are eX-
ceedingly cold. and the summers cruelty
hot; in midsummer the stones burn the
feet which tread them. and in winter the
icicles hang from the fountains and wa
ter spouts, and the winds moan round
the battlemented walls. as the mercen-
aries of Borgia and Farnese, Orsini and
Barberini, were wont to ride beneath them
in days Of siege when all the country be-
meath was burning in the internecine wars
of the pontiffs and princes.
But Nerina was a strong mountain-born
woman who did not heed such small
things as heat and cold. and she came
and went, up and down the steep streets,
like guest Of wind herself Several Of
fers of marriage were made her by men
of the town. by men Of the hills above.
and men of the plains below, but she
would have none Of them.
"Neyer more a master for me-" she
said to her mistress. 81 am cut Of the net
of the fowler; never more will l get In
it; not l."
And this plain. peaceful tenor of her
days might have gone on until death
should have taken her; but for the rest
lessness Of others which caught her IN
its eddy as a swirling stream hurries
away with it bit of moss. a dead leaf.
a snapped twfg.
The beautiful tall boys grew up, and
went away, one by one: the eldest, who
was priest, was sent by his. church to
Brazil: the second, perforce, became a
soldier, and was in Africa; the third went
to study painting in Venice. The young
artist came back at intervals. but rarely:
the two others had not returned, and the
cid gray house was silent and sad; the
two women wept together and the differ
ences of rank and education were forgot
ten in a comman sorrow. In degree,
however, the tenacious fiery soul of Ne
rina rejoiced.
"Mme Tina has no one now but me"
she thought; and then her better self
smote her for such selfishness; how could
she ever make UP. to the mother for the
absence of the three sons? I'm only a
| Door stupid servant" she said to herself
with contrition.
The one who had gone to study art was
the youngest, by name Romanino, lad
of twenty, with face like the Pitt Gany-
mede's, and a temperament tender, I'M
! pulsive, heroic and full of dreams. His
mother had heavy anXieties about him
which she could not confide to the I'M
learned brain of her woman. Yet Nerina
vaguely understood the dreams which had
sent Romanino, their darling, into danger.
! "Ser Romanino wants to make the
world anew" she said: "and it's too bad,
and too old, and too cruel; he will only
break his heart on 1t, as the poor mules
break theirs climbing up over the stones
| of these steep streets.
She understood only a little, vaguely;
| but something she understood: Romanino
had talked to her SO much, leaning his
curly head against her knees, and indif-
| ferent to the capacity of his mother In
the ardor of his own eloquence. He
wants to have nobody hungry, or cold
or shoeless any MORE" she said to hel
| mistress. Dear, sweet soul! He might
as we'll wish the stones of the ramparts
to turn into wheaton loaves. There are
the gorged pigs on one side of the world
and the famished dogs on the other; and
there always have been, and there al
ways will be. Tell him so, madame"
His mother did tell him so; but tae
youth in Romanino believed in its power
to move mountains. as generous, noble
and holy youth ever has done, and ever
| will do, to the end of time. The mountain
does not move an inch in a million years
and the ever-renewing hosts of life are
flung against it, and perish before 1t, 1r
vain. But youth, when 1t is tender OF