The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-01-20

he earned waving the flag. "A good
days work. said the Italian as he
turned away. But Giovanni looked aft
| or him scolnfully. The fete day was Il
mans own. and the little grandmother
would not expect even the dollar from
him.
The great day dawned, and Giovan-
hi, in the velvet suit he had brought
from his Neapolitan home, arrived 1T
the beautiful mansion OH the avenue.
The princess had laid out a wealth of
lraperies 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, Il fete day,
for the two young people managed TO
understand each other, and Giovanni
me!Iowcd and glowcd 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 Il cooling drink, ices and cakes
not such as they had Oh fete days at
home. but nevertheless most delicious
and when the evening shadows
heightened, and the young girl at last
wearicd. 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 pearl
stickpin from the sailor knot at her
collar and handed it to the boy. He
kissed it in extravagant 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 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 Il princess. Then came the day
of the fire in the great office building a
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 a 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
bewildering 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. HE might wake
first" she said with a catch Of her
breath, and I must speak TO him."
The 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 a little table with
long. narrow book in his hand. He
turned to tic 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 as 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
quirngly 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 irto the face of the
princess. There were tears in her beau
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:
"The great God is always good to