Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-08
ALFRED FRANCISCO
only son of
Georgian Toritti. afterward Georgian
HaZen.
Lost at sea February. 1895.
Aged twenty-five years.

An odd inscription opening up conjec-
lures of the most curious and interesting
nature. But it was not this fact which
struck him at the time. 1T was the pos
sibility underlying the simple statement
lost at sea. This as the wry-necked man
had said, admitted of a possible resurrec-
ton. Here was no body. A mound showed
where Anitra had been laid away; a little
mound surmounted by headstone carved
with her name. But only these few words
gave evidence of the young mans death
and inscriptions of this nature are some.
times false.
The conclusion was obvious. 1t was the
brother and not the sister who had
appeared. Georgian was not only playing
him false, but deceiving the general public.
In fact knowingly or unknowingly, she
was perpetrating a great fraud. He was
inclined to think unknowingly. He began
to regard with less increGulfty HaZen s
declaration that the shock of her brother {
return had unsettled her mind.
Distressed but no longer the prey of dis
tracing doubt, he again examined the in
scription before him and this time noticed
it's peculiarities. Alfred Francesca, only
son of Georgian Toritt afterward Georgian
Hazen. Afterwards What was meant by
that afterward? That the woman had been
married twice and that this Alfred Fran
cesco was the son of her first husband
rather than of the one whose name he
bore? 1t looked that way. There was I;
suggestion of Italian parentage In the
francesca which correSponded well with
the decidedly Italian Torittf.
Perplexed and not altogether satisfied
with his discoveries, he turned to leave the
place, when he found himself in the pres
ence of man carrying kit Of tools and
wearing on his face a harsh and discomfort
ed expression. AS this man was middle
aged and had no other protection from the
rain than rubber cape for his shoulders,
the cause of his discomfort was easy enough
to imagine; though why he should come
Mr.. Ransom could understand.
Hello, stranger" 1t was this man who
spoke. Interested in the Mazen monu-
ment, Ell? Well, III soon give you reason
inscription-On June Z, 1886; Anitra, aged
six, and the rest of 1t? Well, 1 cut them
letters there fifteen years ago. Now I'm to
cut 'em out. The orders has Just come
The youngster didn't die, it seems, and I'm
commanded to chip the f1fteen-year-old lie
out. What do you think of that? sweet
Job for day like this. Morn likely it'll
put me under stone myself. But folks
teen years and seventeen days, and now 1t
must come out. rain or shine before night
tall. Before the sun sets so the telegram
ran III be blessed but I'll ask a handsome
penny for this job
Mr.. Ransom, controlling himself with Diff
ficuIty, pointed to the little mound. But
the child seems to have been buried here"
he said.
d
here, but we all knew years ago that II
mightn't be Hazen's. The school house
burned and a dozen children with it. One
OF the little bodies was given to Mr. Hazen
for burial He believed it was his Anitra
but good while after a bit of the dress SHE
wore that day was found hanging to a
bush where some gypsies had been. There
We're lots of folks who remembered that
them gypSieS had passed the school house
half hour before the fire, and they now
say found the little girl hiding behind the
woodpile, and carried her off. No one ever
knew but her death was always thought
doubtful by every one but Mr.. and Mrs
Hazen. They stuck to the old idee and be-
neVed her to be buried under this mound
where her name isl
But one of the children was buried here"
the number of those lost and would surely
De able to tel If one were missing, as must
have been the case if the gypsies had car.
ried on Anitra before the fire.
Il don't know about that" objected tho
stone cutter There was, in those days. a
little orphan girl. almost an idiot, who wan
dered about this town, staying now in one
mouse and now in another as folks took
agin after that fire. II she was in the
school house that day, as she Sometimes
was, the number would be made I'M No
one was lett to tell us. 1t was an awful
yet" ~
Mr. Ransom made some sympathetic re.
loinder and withdrew toward the Ratewav
out soon came strolling back The man
had arranged his tools and was prenarine
to go to work. .
1T seems as IL the family was pretty we,,
represented here. remarked Ransom. "Is
1t the girl herself-Anitra, believe vo,.
called her-who has ordered this record of
her death removed?"
"Oh. no. you don't know them Hazens
There's one of 'em who has quite story:
the twin of this Anitra.- She lived to grow
up and have lot of money left her. -
you lived in Sitford, or lived in New York.
you'd know al about her; for her name s
been in the papers a lot this week. Shes
the great lady who married aud laft he.