The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-02-25

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But Ycia continued to watch him steadily a.
the strain Of Santa L,lcia died away.
"Oh, Yetta sec-sec-I II is with me you shal
| play have no one, too-See, ! have left that pa
| drona-l have run and run, till | have found here
my blue sky and my flower and the little hill like
my great one in Italia" And the boy y eyes fcasted
on the summer beauty Of Central Park. "And set
there is our tree; lie beside it in the night and
the stars over me AN in Italia and in the day
make the voice OF my country" and he caressed the
violin. 'lhcn the men and the ladies they give mt
| the money and ] eat -Sec-Sce-I will show
And he disappeared in the bushes with his violin
| In moment he returned without the instrument
but with large, round cooky, stick Of striped
candy and four pennies in his hands "See- -Yctta
see see ] have these all-you shall eat also .
and sitting down beside her on the bench he thrust
the cooky into her hands and bit off piece of the
candy for himself Yeta 5 white teeth met slowly in
half moon through the cake and she saw that the
candy was being held out to her. too; slowly she
laid the cooky on the seat between them and reached
for the candy and soon as her fingers had closed
on it, Giovanni snatched up the cake and bit out
another halfmo0n nearly M possible like the one
she had taken and was holding out to her again
She laid down the candy and took the cake and the
boy instantly siczed and cracked Off another piece
with his teeth. So turn and turn about the children
ate, and then Giovanni caught the girl hand and led
her onto the grass where they played and chattered
happily until the spots Of sun faded from the
meadow and warned Yetta that she must ego by
Madison Avenue to meet mine father, Mr. Slusky -
The next day and the next the children met in
the park and played under the trees. Yetta was
usually uncomprehending Of Giovanni's poetic en-
thusiam, but she was fascinated by her very mys-
tlcation There plenty of children in the park
but these two were thrown upon each other for com
panionship because not one of the trim nurse.mads
would allow her charges to play either with the rag
ged, barefoot Italian boy or with the little Jewish
maiden, who proclaimed her motherless state as we'll
as her recent transportation from the Ghetta by
every button of her ill-fttng shoes in every ribbon
of her manbraded hair and in the heterogeneous and
lncohercnt garments with which the affection of Mr.
Slusky adorned her small plump person.
One day Giovanni met her with an overfowing
burst Of enthusiasm
"Oh, letta-t is that We shall always be together
-Yetta and Clio aways-See, see-I know-I-And
| shall have always the sky of blue and make you
to hear the voice Of my Italia" And the violin
breathed forth Santa Lucia as he talked-"YeS. it
is so! See, it was but yesterday when | say-Ah,
the dear Virgin have not given one candle for her
since | have come to Amerika-I have forgot all
the time-And now, see if give not candle she
will make to go all the sun, and the hower Yetta
will come no more And | must make black the
shoe of the man and the lady-so go quick and buy
me one little candle, and go with it to the top of
the hill where is one so large there is not the
Holy Mother to see but think her eyes shall look
all the way from my Italia-So | make the candle
to burn and then | ask the blessed Maria that she
shall not divide me from my Yetta and will let me
make always the music of my country and not to
make black the Shoes-So, Yetta, it is that | have
give candle to the Holy Virgin, and she shall make
it all well for us
Yetta looked at him blankl what was this talk
of candles and virgins that she should regard it
more than still air? Her little housewifely heart
did not hasten nor her full blue eyes tighten in rcs-
ponSc.
The next day was Sunday, and Mr.. Susky kept
it in the Christian fashion to the extent of refrain
ing from business, arrayng himself in splendid
raiment, and walking with Yetta in the park His |
silk hat cleaned as brightly as his Shoes he pufed
a long, black cigar, and proudly he led by the hand
little daughter reSplendent in an amazingly incon-
gruous collection of cheap fnery. Suddenly the
Santa Lucia came family from the distance. Yetta
grasped her fathers hand more tightly, and he,
having no preference in the matter of direction,
permitted her to lead him toward the sound The
air grew louder and stopped in chorus of handicap
ping as they rounded a turn in the'path. Giovanni |
stood before them and into the little brown hand /
hat he held out in lieu of cap, crowd of pleas |