The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-01-20
vonld not expect even the dollar ITO"

him.
The great day dawned' ana uio
nj il. the velvet suit ne hau
from his Neapolitan home arFiNeu
49, hn.utiful mansion on the aVenue.
The princess had laid out a "e','. ~
dr,peries gathered during her 'as' up
ohroad hut when she saw the pos AZ
his simple costume she torso' uu Nv.
effects and could hardly wait uh'ii sue
nosod him on the little platform. ~
was for Giovanni, indeed, a le,e ua9'
for the two young people manaseu ~
understand each other, n 1io'anni
mellowed and glowed under 'he siii'
charm of manner as lie had never aohe
since he came to America. Then ions
before he was tired came q servant
with a cooling drink, ices ana cakes.
not such as they had on fete DAYS IL
home. but nevertheless most deiieious
and when the evening
heightened. and tho young girl at iast
wearied, Giovanni understood mat Il
audience was over. She offered nun
one of those crisp green DIS Which
represented almost a week "orh d.
the crossing, but Giovanni, drawing
himself up proudly, declined it. Some
how the girl understood the motive Oh
this refusal, and then with a quick,
impulsive movement she drew Il peari
stickpin from the sailor knot at her
collar and handed it to the boy. ne
kissed it in ~extravagant Italian fash
ion and bowed low before her, Inc
day was indeed over.
.ur pr1n,ess went out Of town. The
| little studio was closed. She came no
more to the crossing, and the neat
blistered the streets and burned into
Giovanni's very heart. But the nag
waved mechanically. and the memory
of the fete day came to him occasion
ally like a 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 Oh 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 1t 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 We're 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.
Iney srooC6 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 q catch Of he1
breath, "and l must speak to him."
The cid grandmother seemed to un
derstand her words, and she under
stood even better the clasp Of the girl
cold hand on hers. The father of tn
princess sat at a little table with
long. narrow book in his hand. II,
turned to the 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
tho rnvopoyf q rof Ora hopt oDor hi,,
In returning consciousness it seemed t,
Giovanni as if he must have walked VI
In heaven. Princess he murmured
and the wonderful glow came into hi
eyes again. 1mpulsively the girl ben
over and kissed him.
He felt as if he were floating in til,
air, but it was not because the prin
cess had kissed him. He remembered
the fall-the blow-and he looked in
quiringly from one to the other. HI.
grandmother burst into tears, ant
walls in their native tongue fell from
her lips. Giovanni turned from her t.
the princess. The girls eyes were din
with tears. Then it must be true, anG
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 hi,
name on the long, slender piece of pa.
per aiken from the book was the ia.
tner OF the princess, and the little sir
OF paper meant that the old grand.
mother would no longer keep boarders
but could go back to Naples a rich wo
man as wealth counted among thei,
people. The boy did not seem to hear
he was looking into the face of the
princess. There were tears in her bean
ufnl e~yes-because he was dying.
They led the girl away. The ola
grandmother, the piece of green paner
with its wonderful characters crum.
pied in her hand, knelt beside the cot
Inc doctor, who had watched the bow.
race in those last moments, turned ia
the priest. +"
The gods were good to the bow"
And the priest, who had also watch.
ed the glow on the boys face and who
knew many phases Of the Italian no.
lure, crossed himself and said:
THE great God is always pood !,
bis children"