The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-20
TIE EKENIlFG STORY
THE CONTFssA ANGELA.

the city of Markham was hardiy3
more than a farm. For generations /
the old Markham farm house. built at /
the foot Of a steep precipice with a /
crown of complaining pines on its |
summit, sent forth from its capacious |
doors hardy men and women, who |
fought a good battle with the world. !
Across the face of the precipice
were. the bare ribs of the earth, broad
streaks of proftless rock. They
caught the snow in winter and when
the spring rains came and washed
tnem clean they shOne forth a delicate
pink shade in the sunlight.
But its beauty was lost on the busy
to1lers who were obliged to work early
and late to wrest a livelihood from
those portions of the farm on which
there were no streaks of pink granite.
The early Markhams did not know
that in these pink streaks lay the for
tune which was to make the later
generations of their FAMILY million
aires, and would make the vicinage
of the old farm a busy, dirty, money
making city.
It ali happened when old Pete
Markham climbed up there one day
and found the deposit of pink granite,
now famous the world over. Before
he died the quarries were working
We'll. He died possessing more money
than all the preceding Markhams put
together.
All this was so long ago that few
can recall it, and certainly not the
finished men and women composing
the present clan of Markhams.
The old farm seldom sees them.
The fine old mansion, which Pete
times stands for years deserted, while
the Markhams scour the world for
new pleasures and new ways of spend
ing money.
Each year new streaks of pink gran
lite are uncovered, and hundreds of new
italian laborers exchange the sunny
slopes of their fatherland for the bleak
New England climate, digging out the
huge blocks Of stone, in order that the
Markhams may spend more money in
that same fatherland.
From time to time they return with
the choicest pictures of the old and
modern masters to hang in the Mark
ham palace in New York. But the
hence they never complain of what
might seem an unfair mutation of val
ues.
So it happens that Markhams has an
Italian quarter quite as interesting as
any in New York or Boston; in fact,
the thousands of foreign workmen and
their families compose a very valuable
portion of the citizenship of Mark
hams.
Early one autumn the general mana
ger of the Markham quarries received
word that the head of the house would
take an early steamer from Genoa and
spend the month Of october in the old
Markham mansion.
You viii please see to it that the
place is put in excellent condition. he
wrote. L shall bring with me the
Contessa Angela Solrino and other
friends. You had better have John, the
butler in the New York house, come
over and attend to the servant question
and the provisioning. John has lived
with me over here, and he viii under
stand"
The general manager thanked his
stars for John. He had a bad labor
tangle to straighten out; but ne
thought the servant question was
worse than the labor problem ana as
for the provisioning-well, he knew
Gerald Markham. He mentally noted
that he would probably have resigned
had it not been for john
But the Contessa Angela was more
than delighted that she was to see the
/ cradle of the Markham family. She
had American blood in her veins, for
her grandmother had once been a
/ beautiful Ohio girl, and had won her
/ grandfather's love when he was an
/ eXiled Count SOlrino.
It was taken for granted in the
! American colony in Rome that the
contessa would repeat history and
( take an American husband and his &C
doubt that Gerald Markham loved her
more than he could express and the
wedding would have taken place long
ago but for one very serious obstacle.
When the general manager realized
/ that the city of Markhams was to re-
ceive the head of the house which had
| given it a name and prosperity, he
showed how discreet a manager he
was. He kept his mouth shut and did
not place the letter in the hands of the
filing clerk.
That the city was to harbor an Ital-
/ ian countess may have interested him
/ but if it did no one knew it. His dis
| erection was the one element for which
| he was paid a handsome sa1ary-and
/ he more than earned it later.
! So the countessa, with her chap
erOne, her maid and her friends, finally
arrived and there was not a suspicion
among the city's inhabitants that she
/ possessed a title. They might never
/ have known it had it not been for her
! desire to visit the quarter of the city
in which dwelt her countrymen, saving
/ the American dollars they earned with
frugality which made Old New Eng
/ land Thrift open his eyes in wide
eyed wonder.
1T is certainly a wonderful coun-
/ try" remarked Contessa. Angela. Il
/ believe that after all am more Amer
] lean than anything else.
This pleased the head of the Mark
hams very much indeed which the
contessa was always very happy to do.
( They proceeded on their way, enter
1 ing shoTs of all. kinds. Passing along
/ the street, they heard a monster pho
nograph blaring fourth strains of The
Star Spangled Banner. The contessa
had never listened to this invader of
American peace and was momentarily
delighted.
She entered the shop and spoke to
/ the proprietor in his native tongue. He
opened his heart wide in patriotic hos
bpitality, and started to put the instru-
ment through its PAGES.
Naturally he selected Italian com
/ positions and songs, while Gerald. his
/ guests and the general manager, who
/ had been at the Markham mansion to
dine, waited in polite patience.
Then suddenly the contessa tainted.
! 81 IL