Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-04-24
HONORABLE GIVING.
Friendship Offerings of Four Little
Singing Boys in Italy.

Singing Boys in Italy.
A pretty story Of the graceful art OF
giving is told by writer in the Cri-
terion. The gifts were made by four lit
tie Italian boys, sons of fishermen in
fishing village. They We're shabby lit
tie fellows of ten or twelve, all mother
less, and they sang in the street for
coppers. They had remarkably beauti-
full faces and voices, to which the for
eigners had paid tribute.
When the day Of our departure drew
near, great was the CONSERVATION of
our choir. At first we meanly credited
this to the impending loss of income;
but no, there was Il great surprise pre-
pairing to be unfOlded at the Nativity
Christmas-and much they feared it
could not be before. They possessed.
these small artists, a secondary means
of livelihood. At the season when all
the world goes into the country and
puts his little home in trim to catch the
tourists eye, the services of our chOris-
tiers We're in demand for the frescoiny
of walls at a cent or two day.
On the last evening of our stay. caps
in hand and with roster cheeks than
ever, appeared our four, all smiles and
embarrassment, but graceful in it as
God has given them to be. With a few
poetic words of thanks for fav0rs re-
ceived they presented us. one by one,
our gifts.
The fortunate signora-I was that
fortunate signora-receved hers first.
And the signora's Offering was this: Il
spray of lemon, chosen with the incest
eye, and bearing on its slender stock
perfect green leaves and three delicate
lemons of palest yellow, as lovely Il
thing as ever blossomed from a poets
mind. They had brought 1t for its bel
lezza," its beauty, said these ragamuf-
fins of the sea.
The child of the family. being wOm-
an-child, was next with ceremoniOus
grace endowed with two magnificent
pine-cones, not the common pine-cones
Of the common pines which grew at
hand in nearby groves, not so! Pine
cones from the great conifers Of purple
Apennine," which it had cost these
princely givers whole days walk and
climb to gather. Side by side with this
poetic gift was laid another, in sweet
concession to the common childhood Of
them all, long braided loaf Of sweet
ened bread made by the father of one
Of the boys, who had formerly been the
village baker.
Then, with a renewal of bushes and
charming smiles, was brought forward
the chef douvre Of the occasion. "Sinca
the signore is painter" they explain
ed, 1--WE have thought it most fitting to
paint picture for him, which we pray
him to accept, making allowance for its
little beauty, because we have not been
able to afford so bright colors as we
should like to have used"
The picture, landscape with figures
painted on q square of cardboard, and
astonishingly, pathetically good, still
adorns the signore's home. having trav-
ersed some eight thousand miles al
Apennine. The lemon spray, alas! it
was impossible to keep except in men,
DRY. The braided loaf furnished an i'm
mediate Offering to friendship.
The miles those little boys walked,
the hours they toiled, the intrinsic love-
illness of the gifts they brought us, and
their intrinsic freedom from the money
taint-all this has been an abiding
Christmas memory with us ever since,
and nodded many an Offering Of our
own