The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-09-06
SANTA ROSALIA.

! bridge Of Santa Rosalia of Palermo. In
| the colony on Jerome street are many
| Palermese, and where there are Paler.
mese there is Santa Rosalia. In fa1
| Palermo their own dear saint is more
thought Of than the Virgin. Her feast
| is the great feast-the 9th to the 18th of
July-five glorious days. Out of the
| northwest gate, one of twelve ancien.
| portals, great procession energies, fol-
| lowing massive silver image of the
saint. carried in an enormous galley
shaped float. 1t winds along the white
road toward the Grotto of Monte Pelle-
grino, in which the santi lived centuries
! ago. All Pelermo is there, and half Sici-
~. Thus it is in Palermo.
In Williamsbridge? Well, Jerome
street is not the Via Vittorio Emanuele,
and there remains but a memory of the
beautiful grotto. Instead of five glorious,
idle days, there is but one which is truly
estal-totally devoid Of work. But on
this day the rock mass on which the vii
lage stands shakes with explosions of a
thousand homemade bombs Surely
Santa Rosalia must hear it in her grotto
a: ana be pleased! There is feasting, drink
ing, singing, love-making, prayer and de-
V0tlon. Jerome street becomes a grand
parade. 1t is good to live. Blessed Santa
Rosalia!
It was the last night of the FIESTA in
Wllliamsbridge. Steady people had
stopped celebrating, but the younger men.
ciarlng more, perhaps, for amusement
still kept up their merriment. There wax
happy group in Giovanni Bilotti:s sum
m me- garden: Giovanni, Sabine, Giuseppe.
Michele, Pasquale, and others. who SAT
and drank late: With the rapldly-con-
s $, wine their spirits rose: they sang.
tney toasted each other, they played mer-
Who can say just how an Italian omar
rel arises? A look, a word-sometimcs q
mere intonation-then oaths, then blows
ana an blood: SO it was now, and Sabine
Buonarotti was carried out bv his
trends, a limp mass, while Michael
Blanca lay on the floor with his hands
elasped over throbbing place in his side.
Ihere was very little noise-it is a fell
thlng to bring the police into Little Italy;
II means days without work, dreary ling
gering in the House of Detention, weeks
without happiness. Moreover, it is better
to settle these things in another way.
There was very little noise, vet in a
moment Little Italy knew ali about it.
Sabine Buonarotti was in bad way
Yes, Sabine was Buonarotti. 1t would
be best, then, to keep ones hands OF.
own business. So Michele Blanca might
lie there. michele the Fricndless,'' he
was called; silent fellow, uppsh, in
deed quite Roman. and poor as the
rest, for all his handsome face. Yet there
was one heart in Williamsbridge which
throbbcd with his. Within five minutes
slight figure hurried up Jerome street
and into the little garden where the
Michele: Michele! Mic caro-! Gioja
mia" sobbed the girl, she threw her
self upon the PROSTATE form.
They have killed him; they have
killed him. she cried-but softly, for she
respected the customs which pertain to
deeds of violence among her people. Still,
there are things to be done when man
get him to his room: happily just around
the corner in First Street.
BE brave. my Michele she whis-
pcred. Il will support thee. Canst thou
walk. leaning on me? Be brave, milo
caro-"
Murmuring. 1T is as Santa Rosalia
would do, little one," he tottered to his
feet. and with her anxious help reached
the street. What struggle it was to
hold him up. But the saint was with
her. Santa Rosalia it was who had
sent the thought all unexpected. that
Michele was wounded. She would help
now. After infinite pain for both Mi
chele at length fell PROSTATE upon his
bed.
There were yet things to do. Frances
ca did not shrink. The wound was
stanched, and the man fell into an un-
easy sleep, clasping the hand of Fran
cesca. The girl did not think of herself
until pebble struck the windo w-pane.
When she opened the sash she saw her
mother below and heard this:
"Conne down, come down, you graceless
girl. Mother of God! did raise you for
this? What have you done-you, an IN
married girl? He has killed Buonarot-
ii: Do you hear-a Buonarotti? They
will kill you
Robert Guiscard and Roger de Haute-
Vile were ancient heroes of the Sicilians;
perhaps their spirit cropped up in Fran
cesca.
'What care II" she cried.
La Signora Grundy is not without hon
Or among the Italians. Late as it was,
several matrons had gathered in the
street.
Come down, come down." they cried.
in scandalized tones. "Remember that
you arc an unmarried girl
leone .. one of you up Sobbed Fran
Have you no hearts?''
The Buonarotti! Think Then they
fed. Even her mother forsook her.
Francesca sobbed OH the window-sill, but
softly. softly-he must not know.
what shall 1 do?' she walled. "Oh.
how they will talk! Ny father will kill
me. Ny brothers will kill Michele.
What shall do? There is but one thing
to do-and that I cannot. But l must
I must! Santa Rosalia, help metz
Though her maiden heart shrank with
in her, she knelt at the bedside and gen
tly awakened Michele
Michele, Michele, caro- -mio--listen.
Thou art hurt, and without friends save
me, who love thee. If 1 stay not to tend
thee, thou wilt die. There is but one
thing. Dost thou not see?'
He looked at sner with loving eyes.
Michele SIZE whispered. ::dost thou
not remember? It was in the last
month: You asked me very often, and I
said, Some time-perhaps.' MichaeYs
eyes Frightened - 3:
Cara mia, Father Joe-go to him. Ask
him to come. Tell him"-he lifted him
self upon his elbow in spite of the pai1,
and raised his head proudly-'stelI him
that am Del Sassari from Caltaniset-
ta-the last Of the race. Then he win
In few minutes francesca was speed-
ing toward the priest's house. How won