The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-08-23


heads Of prelates Of the Vatican from
the finely veined. dazzling white ribs
Of marble from Italy's own hills and
had been true artist in his day and
had loved art and labored for 1t in the
pure joy Of creating. Money to him
was nothing. He did not know how to
earn it well, or to keep 1t. Art was
everything. He deemed it worth the
sacrifice of his son. whom he forced to
so to America In order to extract a for
tune from the new world.
But Pietro was beginning to learn
that fortunes are slow in coming, even
in young. thriving provinces, and his
art was more than the art Of chiseled
marbles or Of plaster casts. His love
was his ambition. He placed it above
his art, above his duty. above life itself
And the object had only grown to mock
him for his devotion.
Often as he sauntered along the city
streets, absorbed in thoughts Of her. be
would stop with 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 year now he had not heard
from her. "She must be Dead" he
thought at times. eff 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 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. -
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
I overcome by the accumulated longing
within him. The army of laughing
| fairies and Dominican monks stood on
| their shelves. a neglected array, un-
busted and unsold.
The citizens Of Little Italy" forgot
his very existence. When he did not
appear, they concluded that he had re-
ol1, 20
| did not even care to inquire. One day
| little. old woman in shabby black,
with 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
| 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 a vision Of his Beatricia
stretching out her arms to him and
crying out to him in sad, distressed
way. The vision was so distinct that
for moment he thought it was real. 2
'She is dying" he cried to the sky.
"and she Is sorry and would ask my
| forgiveness, and cannot go to her.
o God Of the poor. cannot go"
/ 1t made such 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 fell
low. she is alone and waiting thee"
For the first time in many months
Pietro smiled.
"My mother" he whispered. sis with
the saints and happy! What canst
thou meanY
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
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
!, fling 1t open.
Pietro stepped cautiously and touch
ed the handle. He did not know whom
j 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.
/ "Beatricia. my beloved! Is 1t thouY'
he gasped. "Dost thou love mer'
/ ''Madly. Pietror'
.Thou didst come to nnd me. Bea-
! tricia2 .f