Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-09-17
YOUNG FOLKS COLUMN.

/ finger and little finger. and this is Il posi-
ton IN which some OF the Italian people
/ h"ld their hands 10 this very day when
ever they wish To ward off evil
Il give y0u power To make the wicked
/ borgo repent that WAS what the fairy
had said. But as Bettma continued her
Journey h0mewnrd. she cotlid not see
4 how it lay in her power to do this
/ She stopped before vine OF wild
grapes, which grew in thick clusters
I close 10 the roadside. She would try Il
! what The fairy haa ,@id could really be
/ ;rG". With her small finger extended
She ouched several Of The luscious
/ grapes, and then broke open their Satiny
I skins, When 10, Instead of the fru;.
which she expected 10 find inside. there
i fell Ia the ground little tricllling show
/ cr Of coarse brown clay.
! Rettin0 then tried the forehngcr. with
which she touched several of the neat
/ EST berries. These She pressed open,
and behold, Il grapeful of rich. red Wine
/ flowed ont immediately
/ 80 then il was true, the fairy had real
! ~ given her this queer little gift Bus
/ how was it to help her 10 make Borgo
! pay the peasants better wages: Rettinl
shook her head sadly. She could not un-
/ derStand.
Late that night, while She was sleep
! ing softly in her little hut she heard her
name called. it was the sweet voice of
the Fairy Grapetta, and Rettina awoke
! to find her standing ut the foot of her
/ bed clad i'll her Silken robes of purple,
with the moonlight falling upon her
wonderful silver hair
Get up get MP She cried. "Why
( are You not making use Of Your powcr3
/ Iou must "a forth into the vineyard at
once. and tomorrow the wicked Borgo
will repent Of his evil ways
! Bettina arose and dressed, and followed
/ the Fairy (,ruOpffu uut into the mpBU-
! light. until she came to the vineyard
where the glistening purple grapes and
/ their green leaves covered the vines in
! thick confusion.
Now" said the fairy "touch every
grape with Your little finger. and then J
/ leave YOU to think ont for yourself how
the rest must he accomplished,
! Again she vanished aud Bettina did a.
She was hid. As she touched grape after
grape with her small finger all al once
She saw clearly what the fairy meant her
to do. and She ran home in the moon.
| light laughing happily Ia herself.
The next day there was great trouble
| in the vineyard. for the peasants had
told Borgo that his grapes were filled
with earth The wicked old man Stormcd
and ravcd. and stamped his feet.
Il am hcwitchelr' lac cried. Il am be
witched'' and nj last. when his rage had
exhausted itself lac began 10 weep But
| y
had never been sorry for anybody else.
AT last Bcttina stepped mp 10 him aud
said:
"Oh, master ii was | who bcwitchcd
yonr grapes. and ii is punishment be
cause you will not pay Ms enough money
| for food. Only say that you repent
anil all viii be we'll | promise YOU that
your grapes shall al he filled with rich.
est wine"
When Borgo heard this he screamed at
Bettina with MI his might.
go away YOU evil CHILD, Go away
Go away, or | will have yuu burned for
a Witchw Rut bcttina did not move,
only looked at him quietly. and said
oh. no, | am not afraid Of you, Borgo,
for | am the only o..c Who knows how
to fill your grapes with wlnc.'
Borgo turned TO his peasants.
Burst open the grapes" he cried
angrily. Burst them open. | say. There
must be only feW which are filled with
clay, the rest are all right. | know, and
| pay you enough wages. Say. so | not
pay You enough wageSF He shouted at
the peasants loudly, bu. they were no
longer afraid OF him, for as the burst
the grapes open. cluster after cust y Sent
forth a shower uf brown earth. and the
ripe juicy frnit was gone.
Seeing bat his words made NO impress
sion on the peasants, and that his grapes
were indeed worthless. Borgo fell oncc
more to crying.
oh, what shall | dol' he walled.
What shall doE | viii be u poor man,
| / will ha ruincd!
Bettina began to feel very sorry for her
master. even though he had been 50 cruel
She went over to him. and put one little
hand timdly ou her shoulder
Don't Cry MASTER She said. FOR have
| ] not told YOU that | will restore your
grapes if only Won will promise to pas
your people fairly Tor their hard labor
See She said, and touched with her
| forctinser several grapes that lay on the
ground before him. One OF the peasants
standing by sprang forward aud crushed
the fruit under his foot and there. az
once u thin stream Of red vine flowed
out. BOrgo raised his head quickly ~
sight of The wine.
oh he said Ia Ecttina. Il win prom
Use anything that you say: only fiji my
cranes once more. that / may not lose
all my fortune.
! Rettina promised that it should be so.
and B0rgO promised to increase the
wages If the poor peasants which he
| did. and ever afterwards Bettina was
called the Grape Girl! For many years
she proSpcrcd with the other peasants.
and lived to be m old. old woman. and
| il was said that she possessed the power
| To change the grapes ut will all her life
| long. One thing is certain, odd Forge
! believed su, and never dared To- iiltrcai
| his peasants again.