The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-02-23

she lad hopes of one day realizing
the ideal of her dreams-to become
the owner of one of the countless lit.
tie cabs which thread their way
through the crowded streets If Naples
and are patronized alike by rich and
poor. She hoped not only to own such a
vehicle, but to ride in IL as well. And
often, on Sunday morning, she paid a
cocher lire to drive her from one
end of the city to the other and back
\ again. Dressed in her pretty Sunday
frock, with a gorgeous yell wv shawl
thrown about her shoulders, and her
ears ornamented with massive coral
| earrings. she sat in state, leaning
back with all the grace and majesty
IF a queen. her eyes sparkling with
joy and satisfied ambition. Naturally,
in these outings she Attracted many
admirers, but to her chagrin. not one
of them proved n cocher. Whether
they came into the world already
married, Marietta was never able to
satisfy herself. And 1t was remark
able what faculty she possessed of
finding out, after few words, e'en
| before she entered "a cab, whether
| the driver was married or single.
Thus the years rolled by and her
prayers remained unanswered; no
cocher proposed to the patient Mari
eta. When she approached her
twenty-fifth year-that dreaded pc
Rod of an italian woman's life, when
she takes on flesh rapidly and her
youthful charms depart, Marietta be-
gan to worry. She realized only too
well that she would be no exception
to the rule. and feared that within a
year she would no longer be able TO
stand on her corner and sing to the
passers-by without being jeered and
| hooted.
| How would she earn livelihood
| when she was crowded out of this call
ing? She had never attended school,
knew no trade and could not think
of working in factory, for Naples
had but few, and those overflowed
with girls who received mere pit
lance for their hard labor. Open a
fruit. or vegetable, or lemonade stand?
No, for in almost every other doorway
these were for sale.
In the midst of her despair she sud
denly clapped her hands in joy as an
inspiration came to her. From 4
friend, who had recently Travelled in
| Switzerland, she learned that there
were women doctors, telegraph oper-
ators, mail carriers and railway ticket
sellers i'm the little republic who gave
| complete satisfaction and were indie
pendent like the men. She had be-
come an ardent believer in the wisdom
of women's emancipation, and here,
she argued, was an opportunity u
| test it. If no cocher would propose
| to her. why not become cocher
herself? No one could prevent her
from making an honest living, and
| what a delightful avocation IL would
be. First, one could have the pleasure
of riding the whole day long; second,
some one else would have to foot the
bill; and, last but not least, she could
win far more fame and fortune as the
first woman cocher of Naples than as
a street-singer dependent on the
whims of the tickle public. And il
her experiment proved a success, she
could soon amass great wealth and
then retire from the business.
That was the scheme which Mari
eta concocted after an hour of deep
meditation. She had perfect conf
dence in herself, and the plan did not
seem strange. as she had practically
lived in the streets from infancy. No
| sooner did her dreams begin to take
definite form than she decided to act
at once. fastening to her landlord,
| the cobbler, she drew a little bank
book from her bosom, and babe him
count up the figures that she might
refresh her memory and be certain
that by this time at least nine hun
dred lire lay safely deposited to hcr
credit in the national bank.
For Marietta, in addition to be-
ing blessed with an artistic tempera-
ment, had the business instinct in her
developed TO q large extent. She
went first to an aunt who had not
'ost all her charms and still possessed
a fair voice and some money. and.
for consideration, offered to dir
pose of her precious table, bowl and
guitar. This opportunity was eagerly
taken advantage of, and, on the fol
lowing day, instead of the familiar
form of the beautiful Marietta, ore
saw a thin, yellow woman stationed
on the corner, who sang with much
effort in shrill, metallic voice.
Marietta in the meantime was bar
gaining with cocher's widow for a
thin, scrawny little horse, red
painted cab with new mating on the
floor and two large lanterns at either
side of the drivers seat, which, after
much pickering, she succeeded in pur-
chasing for seven hundred lire.
Marietta was in her seventh heaven.
She hailed an omnibus which ran be-
tween Naples and n little suburb, and
climbing to the side of the cocher,
asked him to teach her to drive in re-
turn for her fare. Truly, he thought,
she must be joking, but when he saw
the look of earnestness in her eyes, he
refrained from laughing, being only
too willing to earn the money. To
and fro Marietta was conveyed some