Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1902-04-05
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PKETRO'S DAUGHTER.
BY JOHN NELSON
Copyright 1902 by Daily Publishing Company
BY JOHN NELSON.

retro was a familiar figure In the
Planet editorial rooms. and the men
the old men, that is, had begun to look
upon him as something of nuisance
Ihe new men, those just out of college
and breaking in on little assignments
thought him an interesting character
and often forgot the city editors in
junction mot to encourage the Dago. y
Pietro was useful in his way though.
for he sometimes brought in bits of
news from the Italian quarter that
could be worked up into Sunday stor-
les, and when the triple murder took
place on Robert street two years ago
1t was Pietro who put Johnson, the
police man, on to the hiding place of
tpe murderer 1t was big beat for
the planet and Johnson got his salary
raised and compliment from the
old man" at the same time. OF course.
Johnson made it all right with Pietro
and kept mum as to the source of his
information
But Pietro was beginning to be
bother in the city room. coming in at
all hours of the day and night with
~NH@S pANNN VI aLOUI lAG
advent of a new baby. or the finding
or a whole dress in the rag barrel;
things in which the Planet readers
were not at all interested. In the sum
mer Pietro ground hurdy -gurdy
and in winter kept chestnut stand
Just around the corner from the news
paper offices, and no reporter known
10 the Italian ever failed to stop. and
help himself when he passed the stand.
Fletros hurdy-gurdy was an inhar-
monious machine that had long since
passed its prime, but he ground it
every day in pleasant weather and the
children in the courts danced to its
tiny notes.
some days Pietro was accompanied
by his daughter. She played the tam
BOURNE and collected the pennies with
business-like air. She wasn't pretty.
except in her eyes and hair. They
were jet black and sparkled when she
moved or spoke. She seemed about
10 years old, but like all Italian child |
ren, dressed as though she were 40. |
she was childish in her manners, how |
ever, and not altogether unattractive. |
When she began coming into the |
Planet Office with neI fatlo., even Tho
city editor forgot to be gruff, for u.---
was something instinctively gentle in
the girls manner of speaking. Her
mother was dead Pietro had told us,
and the girl was his only companion.
He seemed to think a great deal of
her, and always smiled when one of
hn MI n1 har Tho
porters began to watch for her coming
and whenever a tambourine accom-
paniment was heard to Pietro's hurdy-
gurdy, at least one of us would take
the trouble to go down stairs and give
the couple a coin. No one ever knew |
what the girl did in winter while her |
father attended his chestnut stand, and |
in fact, no one ever had occasion to |
ask.
One day toward the end of summer
Pietro came in, smiling. He had some |
news, he said. Angelica, his daughter, |
had suitor; a certain Giacomo, who |
owned horse and wagon and did
thriving business in the fruit line. |
Pietro was enthusiastic about his fu- |
ture son-in-law.
HE good man." he said. 'Maka |
plenty de mon. Gotta de hoss an
wagon, an say he TAXA me in de biz
witha heem. Maka plenty de mon,
sella de banan Angelica, she lika
heem mucha. Dey git marry. Si!"
OF course, the staff individually and |
collectively, congratulated him on his !
prospects, and Hill, the youngest man
on the force, who had picked up some !
coarse Italian at his father,s com mis- |