The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-03-14

cdlllng, DIS UuOuSu ueF DedSC SOul, LII
consolable, had also memory which
would not be erased.
One night when Semillant had re-
commenced her wailing, the mother,
all of a sudden, had an idea-the idea
of ferocious savage. She meditated
upon it until the morning.. then rising
with the coming of the dawn, went
to the church. She prayed, Frustrated
upon the pavement, humbled before
God, beseeeching him to aid her, to
uphold her, to give her poor, wearied
body strength to revenge her son.
Then she went home. There was in
her little yard an old, battered barrel,
which gathered the rainwater from
the caves.
She emptied it and turned it upside
down, made it fast in the ground with
heavy logs and stones; then she
chained Semillant to the barrel and
went into the house.
She walked then, continuously, in
her room, her eye always fixed on the
shores of Sardinia. He was there, the
murderer.
The dog howled all day and all night.
In the morning the old woman
brought her water in an earthern jar,
but nothing else; no soup, no bread.
The next day ended. Semillant slept,
stretched out. In the morning her
eyes were burning, her coat rough and
awry, and she pulled desperately at
her chain.
Again the old woman gave her moth
ing to eat. The beast, become wild,
parked with hoarsened voice. The
next night passed. Then, the next day,
Mother Savorini begged two bundles
of straw from a neighbor.
She took some old clothes which her
husband used to wear and filled them
with the straw, so that human body
was represented.
Having stuck a long stick in the
ground in front of the barrel, she tied
to it the manikin, which seemed in this
way to be standing up. Then she made
a head out of old cloth.
The dog, surprised, looked at the
man of straw and became silent,
though devoured with hunger. That
night the woman bought at the gro
GERS two pounds of meat pudding, re-
| turned home and lit wood fire near
the barrel, and fried the pudding.
Semillant, crazed, leaped and foamed
at the mouth, her eyes fixed on the
pan, from which the smoke entered
her very stomach.
Then the mother made of the smok-
ing pudding cravat for the man OF
straw. She took great pains in arrang-
ing it about his neck, as though she
wished the grease to soak in. When
she had done this she unclaimed the
dog. With one bound the animal
reached the throat of the manillin. and
with her feet on his shoulders began
to tear. She fell back with piece Of
her prey in her nav. Then she
launched herself again burying hel
fangs in the strings around the throat
i and, selling some bits of food, fel
back again, and then, maddened will
excitement, leaped again on the figure
She carried off the entire face by grea
bites, tearing the throat into rags
The old woman, motionless, watched
with Illuminated eyes. Then she re
chained her beast and, having fastened
it again for two days, went over the
strange proceeding. For three month:
she accustomed the animal to this ex
ercise, to this meal gained by savag.
teeth attack. She didn't chain the dos
now, but urged her on with gesture!
upon the manikin.
She taught the dog to tear it, to de
YOUR it, even when there was no foot
hidden in its throat. She would thel
reward the dog with fried pudding.
Whenever Semillant would see tn
manikin, she would begin to trembl
violently, then turn her eyes to he
mistress. The woman would scream
"Va" in piercing voice, raising he
finger.
!, When she judged the time come
Mother Savorini went one Sunday t,
communion and confession. Then
having dressed in mems clothes, lik
those of poor old man, she was rowe,
by Sandman fisherman across tn
strait.
She carried a large piece of mea
pudding in linen sack. Semillant ha
tasted for two days. Every minute tn
old woman made the dog smell tn
food.
They entered Longosardo. TIL
Corsican woman walked with linn
, She went to baker shop and asked
be pointed out the way to the hous
of Nicolas Ravolati. He had resume
his old trade-that of carpenter. Fl
worked alone at the back of his shoI
| The old woman opened the door an
= called: "He, Nicolas"
He turned; then letting go of he
= dog, she cried: eva, va, devour, devou
him."
e The maddened animal bounded fol
r ward and seized him by the throa
The man opened his arms, closed upo
r her, and rolled to the ground. For Sc,
0 eral seconds he twisted and writhe,
r beating the ground with his feet; the
he was still, while Semillant dug int
e his throat, which she tore away i