Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-01-26
would not expect even the dollar from


from his Neapolitau home, arrived ut
the beautiful mansion on the avenue.
The princess Lad laid out wealth of
draperies gathered during her last trip
abroad but u hen she saw the boy in
his simple costume she forgot studied
effects ana could hardly wait until she
posed him OH the little platform. 1t
| was for Giovanni, indeed, Il iete day,
for 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 a cooling drink, ices and cakes
not such as they had on fete days at
| home, but nevertheless most delicious
and when 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 at
| the crossing, but Giovanni, drawing
himself up proudly, declined it, Some
| how the girl understood the motive of
| this refusal, and then with a quick.
| impulsive movement she drew n pearl
| sticllDin from the sailor knot at her
! collar and handed it to the boy. lie
| kissed it in cXtrayagant 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
| blistered the streets ana burned into
| Giovannfs 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 a princess. Then came the day
| Of the fire in the great Office building a
| block away. And on that day 1t so
| happened that the princess had come
| to town to meet friends. She was
crossing the city in Il hanson, reaching
| Giovanni's corner simultaneously with
| the arrival of the fire engines.
'flbN ANN W ~ iiiNA " SIC 'llhA i'i
| driver had lost control Of his horse,
! and that II was plunglng straight to-
ward the excavation. The policeman
on the other side of the street was
| having his own troubles. \ slender.
gray clad figure seemed to rise sud
| denly and leap out OF the hanson.
| There were curses from the driver and
ia c,nt,ta a nppr,pI hin, hnf
| the boy saw only the gray figure, and
somehow he caught 1t in his arms He
felt himself going down, down, down,
and then-nght.
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.
| Tho old grandmother seemed to I'M
| derstand her words, and she under
stood even better the clasp of the girls
cold hand on hers. The father OF the
| princess sat at little table with Il
! long. narrow book in his hand. He
| turned to the doctor.
You say there Is no hope? Well. L
want the boy to know that we are go
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
e.eS again. Impulsvely the girl bent
over and kissed him.
He felt as If he were floating in the
| air. but II was not because the prin
cess had kissed him. lie remembered
/ the fall-the blow-and he boxed 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 1t 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 fa-
|
OF paper meant that the old grand
mother would no longer keep boarders,
but could go back to Naples rich wo-
man MS 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
I tiful eyes-because he was dying,
They led the 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:
"Thc great God is always good 10
{ lis Children
! Minute Mechanical Construction.