El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-03

would stop with n startled look and
search the face of some passerby that
reminded him WILDLY OF his Beatricia.
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. ''Shc must he Dead he
thought at times. IF she were alive,
she could not feel the power. of my
love- though an ocean lies between us
But. like all lovers. he was selfish and
sensitive. and he had sworn on his
honor never to write to her again. and
he could picture her often making love
to MarceIlo 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-
try and walked among the wood ferns,
crushing them to his breast with his
passionate love OF beauty. He would
go 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. n neglected array. IN
busted and unsold.
The citizens OF Little Italy forgot
his very existence. When lie did not
appear. they concluded that he had re-
turned to Italy for n time, and they
did not even care to inquire. One day
q little. old woman in shabby black.
with n 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
lish. and she seemed greatly agitated.
The women were consumed with
curiosity. and led her willingly to
Pietro's little workshop. Her terror
was pitiable when she found that he
had gone and had not been seen for
q month. She called on all the saints
In the calendar to help her. and then
on death TO relieve her. and she flung
herself on Pietro's own couch and
moaned for hours. She barred the
door and covered the window so that
the curious ones could not watch her
from without. and she herself only
emerged when she wanted to buy food
1t was some days after this occur
renee that Pietro. walking in the coun-
try. saw vision of his Beatricia
out her arms to him and
crying out to him in a sad. distressed
way. The vision was SO distinct that
for a moment he thought it was real.
"She is dying" he cried to the sky,
land she is sorry and would ask my
forgiveness. and l cannot go to her.
o God of the poor. 1 cannot gov'
IL made such n powerful impression
upon his mind that he turned about
and began to retrace his
way back to the city and to his shop.
When he reached Little Italy," a doZ-
en- eager men and women rushed upon
him. seized him bodily and dragged
him toward his abode.
Thy mother, thine old mother. is
here they AIMED. ''Ungrateful fell
low, she is alone and waiting thee"
For the first time i'm many months
Pietro smiled.
My mother" he whispered, "is with
the saints and happyi What canst
thou mean:"
Go. look for myself. half witted
and beggar." they bawled out.
And they pushed him toward the door.
The little. old woman who had i'm
prisoned herself within caught the
shouts and the voice of Pietro. and her
heart gave one wild bound, and she
stood trembling at the door. ready to
ding il open.
Pietro stepped cautiously and touch
ed the handle. He did not know whom
he might encounter. so his advance
was timid. As the door swung back
he gazed stupidity for a moment. Then
a cry of joy aud pain broke from his
lips as he laid his hand on his heart to
still its awful beating.
"Beatricia, my Beloved Is 1t thou?'
he gasped- -Dost thou love me?"
"Madly. Pietror'
Thou didst come to find me. Bea-
tricia?"
Thou. alone"
Thou hast come to stay. Beatricia -
"Alwaysr'-Chicago Tribune.