The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-12-16
would not expect even the dollar from

The great day dawned, and Giovan-
nj, i'll the velvet suit he had brought
from his Neapolitan home, arrived ut
the beautiful mansion on the avenue.
The princess had laid out Il wealth OF
draperies gathered during her last trip
abroad, but when she saw the boy in
his simple costume she forgot studied
effects and could hardly wait until she
posed him on the little platform. 1t
was for Giovanni, indeed, a fete day,
for the two young people managed to
understand each other and Giovanni
mellowed and glOWed under the girls
charm Of manner as lie had never done
since he came to America. Then long
before he was tired came servant
with Il cooling drink, ices and cakes
not such as they had Oh fete days ct
home, but nevertheless most delicious
and when the evening shadows
heightened, and the young girl ut last
wearicd, Giovanni understood that the
audience was over. She offered him
one Of those crisp green bills which
represented almost weeks work at
the crossing, but GioySYni, drawing
himself Up proudly, decl .@d it. Some
how the girl understood the motive of
this refusal, and tben with quick.
impulsive movement she drew a pearl
stickpin from the sailor knot at her
collar and handed it to the boy. He
kissed it in eXtruvagant Italian fash
ion and bowed low before her. The
day was indeed over.
Is
The princess went out OF town. The
little studio was closed. She came no
more to the crossing. and the heat
blistered the streets and burned into
Giovanni's 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 it
was not to be talked Of. because no
one else would believe that she was
really prancess. Then came the day
Of the fire in the great Office building
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. 4 slender
gray clad figure seemed to rise sud-
denly and leap out of the hansom
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
felt himself going down, down, down,
and then-night.
" "
They stood around his cot in the hos
pital, the girl refusing to rest or leave
him for an instant. Tie might wake
first" she said with catch of her
breath, land l must speak TO him."
TIE old grandmother seemed to I'M
dcrstand her words, and she under
stood even better the clasp Of the girls
cold hand on hers. The father of the
princess sat at Il little table with a
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 go
ing to look after the grandmothcr."
Giovanni stirred. Tie princess saw
tie movement first and bent over him.
In returning consciousness it seemed to
Giovanni as if he must have walked up
in heaven. "princcss," he murmured,
and the wonderful glow came into his
eyes again. Impulsiyely 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. lie 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-
planned 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 IA
Their 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 rich wo-
man as wealth counted among their
people The boy did not seem to hear.
He was looking into the face of the
princess. There were tears in her beau
tiful eycs-because he was dying.
They led tho girl away. The old
grandmother, the piece of green paper
with its wonderful characters crum-
pied in her hand. knelt beside the cot.
The doctor, who had watched the boys
face in those last moments, turned to
the priest.
"The gods were good to the boy"
And the priest, who had also watch
ed the glow on the boys face and who
knew many phases of the Italian ma
ture, crossed himself and said:
1.-THE great God is always good to
his children"
Minute Mechanical Construction.
That minute mechanical construction
can lay claim to considerable antiquity
Is evidenced by the works of Pliny and