Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-15
q: Y
LEO CRANE

we must not stay here. Pigsl We must take the
The Doctor did not know. These people lived in
tent. They were vagabonds That they had not pro-
vided themselves with home, and had not kept
to it, was to the people of the village, each of whom
had home and kept to it, nothing at all. These
wanderers mad the misfortune to contract a dan
gerous fever Their speedy exit desirable. There
fore, they had been invited to leave. Where must
they go? That was not provided in the command
Did they not call the road their home well there
was the road Let them accept what it could afford
He who is vagabond must accept the penalties of
received sympathy and considerations but these
they merely went about the country fre-eatng and
The Doctors heart went out to the unfortunates
The child was ILL., And in tent. The woman was
weeping, the man went around wringng his hands,
Only the clown, Padron Bertodi preserved his at
mosphere of serious attention Montfarlng drew him
aside.
'Is she your child?" he asked
"The child of Maria and Giuseppe" the clown ex-
planned.
"Then will tell YOU She will die, unless"
great shading of misery was in the eyes of Pad
ron Bertoldi She will die,' he said to himself
"Some day had promised to take her to that far
away place we call home Signor. Roma-there we
could be happy. These two Maria and Giuseppe they
did not know her as me- Sgnor We two Francesca
and myself, have the Of Italy in our hearts
told her stories-lies. promised her that we two
would go over there some day-lies." He looked up
at the Doctor, upon his face that wisdom which
makes of the clown judge. I'VE are all liars Sig
nor he added pitifully.
She always tired-too much dance, too much An
she grow very weary for Roma, where say there is
Sd no abHr Or no % %ir lie but she ver pretty
weeping Giuseppe he say to her, dance, dance
that he max money, an he say always. dance.
The Doctor frowned Coming up the road was the
village constable an appearance of supreme author
iy covering him.
''These people have not gone chi" he said angriy,
with air of personal discomfort. Doctor, you
know it will be dangerous If they stay hnre."
Thnn hod hptt lpovo ot -
said the Doctor mildly. "You are in danger. This s
fever"
"You are here" exclaimed the constable.
'I am the physician, and have duties"
The constable inflated his chest, and replied with
pompous and ill-ftting dignity:
81, too have duties-I am the Law. These people
must leave
But where can they go?" asked the Doctor
frown coming to his face again. 1t was a strong
face heavily featured, camed and rendered mobile
by the experience of suffering.
.o,a Law % snoui1 @ Apply va remedy as 40 we pny,
These pepole are in trouble, and they have home
save this tent You cannot ask man to move this
when he is sick. These people have no other place."
thieves"
Padron Bertoldi, flushed. Too much humor some-
times makes of a man savage. The Doctor sighed
wearily
gested to the clown. "There hospitals, and-' !
.Bertoldi shrugged his shoulders. I'VE walk" he1
observed
And when they stood again by the cot, the child
still murmuring Roma" as one might ask
for water
Montfarling for the moment reverted from the doc
tor to the man. He thought of the Roma" in the
skies, which brought his small, cuddling son to mind,
and the boys commission to him, running: "But you
must not let her die, papa, for she blew kiss,
and love Francesca" He looked at the old man
to find again a marvellous commentary upon the
worlds happiness clown weeping. He thought Of
other dancers and other clowns He had known his
share in those youthful days. those days Of knowledge
and the power of it, of riot and the pleasure OF be-
ing young. There came up in his mind a dim vision
OF slender girl he had met In Paris. She too, had
been dancer vagabond, and she, too had died with
him beside her, listening as he was now for she, as
each of us, had some far-away Roma" offering de-
lights. Life is but one long repetition spool which
tumbles and over crushing one generation as 1t
uplifts another to the and the same un-
needing heaven. Montfarling said decidedly:
''She must go to the CITY,"
"But Signor" said the bewildered clown.
II shall have my motor car ready in half an hour
We shall take her Once there, she has aa chance
added, with some foreign doubt.
Perhaps hours run"
''Per Dio' calculated the clown, hesitatlng De-
tween God and the fairies.
Twenty minutes later the motor was quivering
before the tent Padron Bertold had spent that time
explaining and protesting to the and the woman.
He had bued them into submission.
"If she must 60 we all"
mo" said Bertoldi firmly.
LET me-" pleaded the mother.
"The Doctor order not lied Padron Bertoldi, VINO
knew the uselessness of them Holding the child IN
his arms, pulling the blankets around her closely
the clown broke away from their entreaties and the
wheels of the crunched in the first revoiuton-
The man and the woman gave heartpreakins soD
of farewell
Mile after mile covered the trembling car the body
of it swaying as hammock, and the motor cougn-
ing regularly Padron Bertoldi crouched in the tom
neau on the floor holding the child. AT any otner
slime he would have been terribly frightened put noe
now, as he saw the weary miles slip into tne cen
.tury of beetles and other slow-moving Things ,,,.
Eve will soon be there" called the Doctor siowins
the car Gust over the hl," he said, pointing 70
the rise of ground. -, .aa
Padron Bertodi felt the child stirring as they maos
the ascent Like a crimson ball. flung aslde py
weary god the sun was creeping to the edge OF al
things The car spun out the brow OF tne li nl,i
caught hoarsey for its breath. Padron ber.ou
saw below the lavender picture of great CITY ,d splsa