The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-01-03
Giovanni and
The Princess
........By ANNA CASE

Giovanni del Prato, grandson of old
Marie. stood at the crossing and waved
the little red flag which warned trav-
elers and chauffeurs that an excava-
ton lay just beyond. This excavation
had been a source of annoyance to the
great city for many months, but Clio
yanni had prayed that it might never
be filed in, first, because SO long as he
waved the little red flag he would draw
81 day, and then had come the prin-
cess.
To be sure, back in sunny Italy he
had dreamed Of different things. He
had no conception of the noisy, shrek
ing city whose streets were filthy by
comparison with the hard white roads
of his Neapolitan home. He had dream
ed of cities paved with gold and Of
people who paid big prices to lads with
good voices, but he had found the op-
era season closed and his grandmother
skeptical Of the commercial value of
fresh, unframed voices. She had been
in America five years, and Of the little
red flag and the dollar a day she was
sure.
Even of the princess he at times felt
a bit uncertain, for he thought it odd
that princess should walk by his cor
ner every morning with a portfolio un-
der her arm. There were other young
men, better versed in American ways,
who also thought the princess should
not walk and carry a portfolio, but
the princess would not ride In their
carriages nor allow them to carry her
portfolio. She had gone in for art, and
the young men interfered with the re-
alization of her ambition.
In Giovanni's mind, however, there
was no question about her royal blood.
1t showed in her carriage, in her pa
tr1cian features and her proudly car
-ried little head, in the At of the won
derful gray gown she always wore and
In the violets at her belt. In time the
young italian was glad that she did
not ride In carriage, else it had not
been given to him to see that she got
safely across the street on his side Of
the tracks and to turn her over to the
more stalwart policeman on the other
side.
Giovanni did not tell his grandmoth-
er about the princess. Old Marie ran
boarding house for italian workmen,
and constant intercourse with these
men and the struggle to get her board
money each week had rather killed sem
tment but under her vehement fault
finding her love for Giovanni burned
clearly and steadily.
Spring came, and the academy closed,
much to the regret of Kate Cameron,
otherwise the princess. She was Just
becoming interested in painting from
life, so she persuaded her father to At
up studio in the attic Of their town
house, though she knew full fell that
In less than month the whole fam
LILY would fit to their country place.
One Of the professors at the academy
agreed to call occasionally and criti-
else her work, and there remained only
the question Of models. A half dozen
young men who heard her talk about
II at fashionable tea Immediately Of
fered to act in this capacity, but she
laughed aside their suggestions. They
were sadly lacking in the artistic tenn
permanent, she said
The very next morning she stopped
Mt Giovanni's crossing. He had not
seen her for nearly a week, and he was
glad that broken dray barred the
passage of both vehicles and pedestri-
ans. The princess carried no portfolio
this morning, but little silver mount
ed memorandum book filled with the
addresses of models When she saw
Giovanni she lost interest in the memo
randum book She had noticed him
before as a graceful, 1.-THE lad despite
his rough garments, and now his eyes,
glowing with delight at sight of her,
his beautiful white teeth showing as
be smiled, and the graceful gestures
with which he continued to wave the
nag, despite the fact that vehicles
could neither come nor go, caught and
held her interest.
Being a young woman of impulse,
she then and there asked him to pose
for her. Giovanni said, Sure" one OF
the few American bywords he had
picked up, and he said it so softly that
it became almost verbal caress. His
voice was the last touch. Miss Cam
eron was sure now that no other mod
ell would do, but unfortunately Giovan-
nj had not understood word she had
said. He would have said ''sure" to
any request the princess made of him,
and this much he had gathered from
her words-the princess had need of
him and his services. The girl looked