Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-30

| No wonder, then that such men can amass
| several thousand dollars In a few years
when a legitimate bank gives-when the
rate of exchange is hghest-s1 for five lire
| and half. And yet, 1t is asked, how Is the
Ignorant immigrant to know Of this. when
| he is met by countryman polite in manner
| stranger only from humanitarian" prin-
! ciples and will introduce him to the best
banker" in the city for a small fee, to repay
for lost time and other things?
| When The Star men made their exit from
the bank they were again met by the
Neapolitan, who urged them not to miss the
parade. The lights by this time fiickered
everywhere. for all had been lighted The
visitors had TO edge their way in all direc-
lions, following a serpentine course. Every
| body was happy. Especially the girls, who
made the religious festival the occasion
for display of their incest dresses,
embroideries. And their hair. done up in
style entirely the opposite Of the Marcel
wave. was usually studded with a flower.
They chatted. sparrow like in all dia-
| lects. One girl in particular, with dark
chestnut hair and gray eyes-one of four
girls from Naples, and all new arrivals
was telling of the preparations made for
her approaching wedding. Once in a while
| two of the others tried to say something
| about their lovers and the beautiful things
| they promised themselves; but one girl was
silent.
az te, Teresi. perche non parli?" (And
! YOU WHY uUil you speak >
Tears almost came into Teresina's ewes
! as she shook her head and said:
| MY father doesn't like Clementuccio"
| And the other girls, who had been laugh
ing all the while and inclined to tease
| Teresina for her silence, suddenly became
| calm. understanding only as Italian mar
| riageable girls do what it means to them
If their father dislikes their lover.
! The ebb and flow Of the throng carried the
visitors along. The surrounding scene in
| creased in beauty as the shadows became
deeper and the iuminetti glmmered in their
| multi-colored globes. The breeze swayed
| the banners and festoons. And then there
were the sounds of the multitude, the joy
Gus laughter. the cries of the vendors, the
\ heated arguments of the men engaged in a
i political dispute and the shouts of the chill
| dren.
| man selling hot boiled corn was reaping
a harvest. The water in the huge cauidron
| boiled and steamed. The vender dug into
! it with a long sharp-tined fork, bringing
out one at time. He priced 1t at a flash,
| according to its size. from one to four cents,
| A helper wrapped them up in pieces of
newspaper. When. in his judgment, pref
| ~ girl was the purchaser, he took especial
| pains in wrapping the corn up for her.
| che bella picciotta" (What a buxom
| grip he exclaimed to one customer, hand
ing her an ear Of corn. She accepted the
! enthusiastic compliment with a blush and
| was soon off.
! An ambuiant vegetable and fruit store
| pa ssed by. 1t contained everything, from
strung cneStnutS TO DeaOeQ red peppers, and
! from fnocchi-a sweet plant something like
| celery--to onions. Then came another push
| cart selling watermelon for one cent a
| slice. In its wake followed twenty children,
| with smiles respondent as those OF picka-
ninnies. Half block farther down there
was a portable stand resting against the
curb.
20 spassatiembo" cried the vender, SELL
! ing what is generally known in America as
! pastime food. which here includes peanuts.
| popcorn and red lemonade. In Little
| Ita;y," however. they sell Italian pastime.
! which include bruscolinf-the dried roasted
| and salted pumpkin seeds: cracked nuts and
| a hard cake made Of dried fruit OF an acrid
I taste. Everybody was buying and every
| body was passing time.
| All at once the shouts and the laughter
| ceased. This sudden silence was broken by
| the distant strains of band. and in a mo-
ment a tumult of cries arose:
| La banda!"
"Ecco la processioner' .
| A more ambitious Italian. attempting to
speak English, cried:
THE banda Is a-coming! Here viene a
band-a!'"
Everybody hurried for places Of vantage
on the curb. There was pushing and ell
bowling, and then there were loud MUIR