The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-12-13
lend OF A FEUD."

Dv the Otnef girls OF the nelSlDOrnOOO.
To balance this hearty unpopularity
among the women, she was very much
the rage among the men: but whereas the
hatred Of the, girls was so consistent. the
love OF the men was fairly inconsistent.
At all events it was more emotional than
intellectual. Nicolini, the bootblack, for
one, would have died for Lucia, but,
Lucias good nature would never permit
her to resort to heroic measures. Giu-
scope LAHORE, the proprietor OF the mac
arOni establishment on the ground floor
Of the tenement. had given her a locket,
a pair Of bracelets and a rhinestone ring
and he was the stingiest man IN Little;
Italy.
Policeman Mulligan was heard to de-.
clare that he'd turn haythen like her
dear silt, if she'd only have me- and
Pietro Benefit had twice proposed all
elopement-and he had wife and three
children. But as for Lucia, she neither
encouraged nor repealed he: hand OF adj
mirers. She seemed pleased to have them
tales of woe, inpartially accepted invi-
tations to excursions in the summer and
dances in the winter; in short. treated
them all alike for Lucia was woman,
perhaps consequently diplomat, and, be-
sides, she liked company. =.
There was much lively discussion
among both the men and the women as
the race for her hand grew more and
more spirited discussion waxed more and
more intense. Every act and move OF
the maiden Penelope was feverishly no
ticed by the rival suitors, and when LII.
cia at length dropped her tactfulnesS; and
showed each in turn how utterly nope
less his particular case was there was
much pain in the hearts of the disap-
pointed ones. and they proceeded to do ii
humber of foolish things. Cheap whisky
was the favorite liquid IN which they
drowned their grief. but Pietro Benefit
took to water: He felt so downright!
cut up over his jilt as to make bee
suicidally therein. But the water being
exceptionally cold, and Benefit not being
used to bodily contact with the same.
hot or cold. he instantly came to his
senses, screamed loudly for help, and
was ANONYMOUSLY tished out by some
scow. Whisky had caused young. Nick
the bootblack, to shoot himself in the
arm, and the macaroni man to dem"Iish
most of the moveables in his shop: water
had Il more salutary effect on Bennetti,
for, aside from slight paleness and a
great wetness, he became in Il few hours
the same old light-hearted Bennett Six
and children and married the grass wid-
ow Of an incarcerated counterfeiter.
The occasion for this peremptory dis
missal of the suitors was the arrival on.
the scene of a dapper little Sicilian
named Luigi Palermo:
Luigi and Lucia had knewn each otn-
er many years before in pleasant Sicily.
They had spent their childhood together.
Their families were neighbors in the pic
turesque little coast village, but they
dwelt together. not as neighbors should.
but in bitter cnmity. Four generations
back Luigi Palermo drove his stilefto
through the neck Of bold Montcvecchio
who had vcutuied to doubt his word.
And from the Palermo point Of view.
that doubted the honor of the Palermos?
And how, said the Montevecchio, could
Montevecchio he kindly disposed to the
descendants CT a man who was SO Nnre-
strained as to knife a fellow man? No.
no; both families had very fully decided
that they could never be friends.
But they had failed to take one cir
although heredity is often "a very strong
factor In shaping: persons likes and dis
likes it. can ALWAYS be overcome by an
other factor. which is love. And so in
this case it happened that by the time
Luigi was IS he discovered to his salts
faction that no child in the district was
so beautiful and so loving as brown-eyed,
cia was IA. That was five years age
Lucia was not too young to discover that
Luigi loved her deeply, and her father,
D:ago. was not too old to discover that
they both loved each other. This i'll
telligence on the part of Diego decided
a plan which had for some years lowered
in Diego's mind. He was discontented
with his existence. At best he could
scraoe but skinny livelihood from his
we'll along in years and there was no
prospect Of improvement for himself or
his children. he concluded to sell his
wretched estate and sail for America.
His cousin, a man once as poor as Diego,
had left the old country three years be-
fore for New York, where he established
himself in Fruit business at Bowery
street corner. Twice he had returned
to Sicily on short vacations. the second
time more prosperous than the first, and
tempted many of the natives across the
Atlantic to better themselves in this real
Eldorado The good fortune Of this
cousin and the thought that Lucia would
probably marry Luigi, Palermo, ban
ished further lndecision from Diego's
mind. In six days he had sold every
thing that h. could not carry; with him
Italian had taken four centuries before.
The departure made quite a stir in the
little village, but to all but two it was
not much more than matter for idle
gossip. Luigi was quite distracted. His
unexpected separation from Lucia CON-
ing so suddenly made him feel even moro
strongly how dear his sweetheart was to
him. Before they parted he swore 20 tn.
little girl that he would never marry any
body but her, that he would work ever
SO hard and save up, and that as soon rs
he would be a man he would follow ne-
to America and claim her for his BRIDE
These noble prOtestations were not need
cd to awaken like response from Lucia.
But you may be sure her father knew
nothing of their plighted troth.
The emigrants soon landed at the Bat
terry and settled in Mulberry Bend. They
lived in New York for over FIVE years,
but they were not very happy. That was
Diego's fault. He had lived FIVE years in
cruel New York and not in that Paradise
which his more fortunate cousin had pic
tured with such beautiful colors. There
was just as much competition in the
fruit business. he discovered, as in other
pursuits. Competition meant small prof
its and would in time drive him out Of
business. He was worse off now than
he was in Sicily. He had noticed the
numerous suitors of Lucia, but could find
not one of them with sufficient means 70
support Lucia and to keep him out of his