The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-12-16

The great day dawned, and Giovan
nj, in the velvet suit he had brought
from his NeapoGtan home, arrived n,
the beautiful mansion on the avenue
The princess had laid out a wealth OF
draperics gathered during her last trip
abroad, but when she saw the boy liz
his simple costume she forgot studied
effects and could hardly wait until she
posed him on the little platform. 1t
was for Giovanni, indeed, fete day
Tor the two young people managed to
understand each other, and Giovanni
| mellowed and glowed under the girls
| charm of manner as he had never done
| since he came to America Then long
| before he was tired came servant
with cooling drink, ices and cakes
not such as they had on fcte days at
home, but nevertheless most delicious
and wien the evening shadows
heightened, and the young girl at last
wearied, Giovanni understood that the
audience was over She offered him
one of those crisp green bills which
represented almost Il weeks work al
| the crossing, but Giovanni. drawing
himself up proudly, declined it. Some,
how the girl understood the motive of
this refusal and then with quick
impulsive movement she drew pearl
sdckpin from the sailor knot at her
| collar and handed it to the boy. He
kissed it in cxtravagant Italian fash
ion and bowed low before her. The
day was indeed over.
The princess went out of town. The
little studio was closed. She came no
more to the crossing, and the heat
blfstered the streets and burned into
Giovannis very heart. But the flag
waved mechanically, and the memory
OF the fete day came to him occasion
ally like breath of fresh air. but ii
| was not to be talked OF, because no
| one else would believe that she was
really Il princess. Then came the day
of the fire in the great Office building n
block away. And on that day it so
happened that the princess had come
| to town to meet friends. She was
crossing the city in n hanson, reaching
Giovanni'S corner simultaneously with
| the arrival of the fire engines.
| Giovanni was first to see that her
| driver had lost control of his horse.
and that it was plunging straight to
ward the excavation. The policeman
| on the other side of the street was
| having his own troubles. A slender,
| gray clad figure seemed to rise sud
| denly and leap out of the hanson.
| There were curses from the driver and
bewildcring shouts all around him, but
the boy saw only the gray figure, and
somehow he caught it in his arms. He
| fa1t hin,Salf
and then-night.
They stood around his cot in the hos
pital. the girl refusing to rest or leave
him for an instant. "He might wake
first" she said with catch Of her
breath, land must speak to him.
The old grandmother seemed to un-
| derstand her words, and she under
stood even better the clasp of the girls
cold hand on h0rs. The father of the
princess sat at little table with n
long, narrow book in his hand. He
| turned to the doctor.
| "You say there is no hope? Well,
want the boy to know that we are 60.
| ing to look after the grandmother"
| Giovanni stirred. The princess saw
the movement first and bent over him.
| In returning consciousness it seemed to
| Giovanni rs if he must have walked up
| in heaven. Princess" he murmured,
and the wonderful glow came into his
eyes again. Impulsively the girl bent
| over and kissed him.
He felt as If he were floating in the
air, but it was not because the prin-
cess had kissed him. He remembered
! the fall-the blow-and he looked in
quiringly from one to the other. His
grandmother burst into tears, and
walls in their native tongue fell from
her lips. Giovanni turned from her to
the princess. The girls eyes were dim
with tears. Then it must be true, and
just as he was SO happy-alas!
The sister, who spoke Italian, ex-
plained to him that the big, square
shouldered man who had written his
name on the long. slender piece Of pa
per taken from the book was the fa'
ther of the princess, and the little slip
Of paper meant that the old grand
mother would no longer keep boarders
but could go back to Naples n rich wo
man as wealth counted among theil
people The boy did not seem to hear
He was looking into the face of the
princess. There were tears I'm her beau
tiful eyes-because he was dying.
They led the girl away. The ole
grandmother, the piece Of green paper
with it's wonderful characters crum
pied in her hand, knelt beside the cot
The doctor, who had watched the boys
face in those last moments, turned tC
the priest.
"The gods were good to the boy"
And the priest who had also watch
i o1 tIn orInx fha 90 nd xuh