The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1900-07-14

was his ambition. He placed It above
i his art, above his duty, above life tt
1 self. And the object had only grown
I to mock him for his devotion:
Often as he sauntered along the city
/ streets, absorbed ii thoughts Of her,
The would stop with startled look and
search the face of some passer-by 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
j her she used to appear to him, and,
/ as in the days Of old, she would wind
her soft, gentle arms around his neck
and whisper, Beloved Pietro, thou art
a god. " 4
For a. year now he had not heard
from her. 81. II j s.s#
'She must be Dead. he thought at
times. II she were alive she could
not but feel the power of my love,
though the 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 Marcello and Valentino, and others
in the vineyards, as she had made love
! to him .%.zssssS:E .z-s.. + ..>.s s. +
/ 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, a neglected array, I'M
busted and unsold. 49, L =. -.
The citizens of Little Italy" forgot
his very existence. When he did not
appear they concluded that he had
returned to Italy for time, and they
did not even care to inquire. One day
with a coarse veil tied around her
head so that her face was wholly con-
cealed. came to Little Italy" and in
quired for Pietro She could speak no
English, and she seemed greatly agi-
tated. The women were consumed with
curiosity, and led her willingly to
Pietro's little workshop. Her terror
was pitiable when she found that Pie
tro had gone and had not been seen
FOR a month. She called on her saints
in the calendar, to help her, and then
on death to relieve her, and she flung
herself on Pietro's couch and moaned
for hours. She barred the door and
covered the window so that the curl
Gus 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,
stretching out her arms to him and
crying 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,
"and she is sorry and would ask my
! forgiveness, and cannot go to her.
! =
It made such a powerful impression
upon his mind that he turned about
Immediately and began to retrace his
| way back to the city and to his shop.
When he reached Little Italy," 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 screamed. "Ungrateful fel-
low, she is alone and awaiting thee"
For the first time in many months
Pietro smiled.
s'My mother" he whispered, "is with
the saints and happy. What canst
thou mean?' ...- =
go, look for myself, half-witted
sluggard and beggar," they bawled
out. And they pushed him toward the
door.
The little old woman who had i'm
rrisoned herself within caught the
her heart gave one wild bound. and
she stood trembling at the door,. ready
to fling it open. ~ tu@ "~ -
| 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 moment; then
a cry of joy and pain broke from his
lips as he laid his hand on his heart
to still its awful beating. 80
"Beatricia, my beloved! Is it thou?'
he gasped. .Dost thou love me?''
"Madly, Petrol" .~.
F'Thou didst come tc. find me, Beatri
cia?" .- r.
Thou alone!" .';@. ~. IT.. sSs.-'
'<Thou hast come to stay, Beatricia?'
"Always!" -Chicago Record. T..
/ sr An Ancient English Charity.