Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1907-07-04
Old W0rld
nd NeZv.

Copyright, 1901, bp Homer Spraguc.


picture of the old Italy and the new
rolled into one" unused Penelope Gar
diner He is really more than life
size-slx feet four if he is an inch"
Her aunt Mrs. Hammell, swung
| around sharply
"Whoy Oh, that guard? 1t is his he'll
met. my dear child, and his high heeled
boots Wouldn't you think he'd be
ashamed to pose like that at the head
| of the grand staircase! Did you ever
see SO much gilt braid and shiny leath-
Ell on one human being?
Mrs. Hammells voice had executed
II gradual crescendo. and Penelope
| reached forth Il protesting hand.
Don't speak 50 loud, auntie, dear.
| He might understand"
| But the great, square shouldered fg-
ure in glttering uniform stood as I'M
| passive as the knight in the old Gobe-
| lin tapestry before which Mrs. Ham
nell stood enraptured, though she con-
tnued to criticise the kings guard.
That's Just the difference between
our soldiery and what we see abroad.
Every one of our lads holds possibili-
ties of doing big things. Foreign sol
diers are mere puppets"
| Penelope replied with conviction:
| II don't agree with you. That man
has the face, the bearing, of one who
will some day do things that are worth
while He makes me think of that tap
estry knight, setting out to fight for his
| true love"
Mrs. Hammell gasped and closed her
Raedeker with a snap.
my dear Penelope, | am amazed! IL
you behave this way over the first
| handsome man you see in uniform,
how will you feel by the time we have
attended few receptions and met the
real nobility, rising young diplomats
and all that sort of thingT
Thoroughly disguised. / presume"
said Penelope coldly, 'and l hope we
shall not go to any receptions where
| tiny men, with wayeI mustaches and
mincing steps. will look through my
backbone to daddy's newly acquired
| bank account 1t Is because that man
| Is so big. so strong and looks as IL he
could move heaven and earth TO
achieve for the woman he loved that
was studying him. 1t is SO seldom that
I meet a man whom / could look up
to- ended Penelope. with a sigh for
| her five feet eleven inches Of graceful
slenderncss. 81 was considering him
only as an abstract quantity, a hypo-
thetical man, so to speak"
|
indignant repl:. why, these special
guards OF the king are gathered in the
north Of Italy solely for their height,
the guidebook says. and no doubt he
was found grubbing in some wretched
farm or vineyard. In New York he
would be working in the subway"
Penelope turned and started to cross
| the great throne room where through
an open window the soft Italian sun
| light beckoned to her. The martial
| figure at the entrance so close to the
| Gobelin tapestry had not moved the
half of an inch, but above the gold
braid on his collar and rising up the
peak of his helmet was ar u.lmistaka-
Bile flush.
|
| but the man looked straight ahead.
She crossed to the window, resting her
head YEARLY on her gloved hand. Her
| glance Travelled over the great court
yard of the palace, while Mrs. Ham
nell completed her tour of the tapestry
| hung walls
HE understood Englsh--eyery word
we said How intolerably str,,id of us!
| And auntie said he probably grubbed
| on farm. No wonder these foreign
ers think we Americans are rude We
| are so secure and snug in our gno-
| rance Of their language that we cannot
| believe they understand ours"
The sunlight wannd, and Penelope
knew that ont on the Appian way ten
| der amethyst shadows were settling,
Why could not her aunt be satisfied
with Rome's beautiful outdoor life. its
| drives and walks? WHY must she
spend days and days in musty churches
and hideously garish palaces? she
looked back into the room. Lovely
shadows softened the gilt frames ana
furniture, red and blues blended into
purple, and the uniformed figure right
| faced abruptly. He bad dared TO
watch her as she stood thus at the
window. Well, 1t served her right for
talking about human beings as If they
were statues or curos
That night she wrote in her diary:
spent entire afternoon in the royal
palace. Tapestries remarkable. but
rather boring Bedrooms reserved for
various royal guests reminded me of
Waldorf Astoria. Were not permitted
to enter royal suit, of course, but
heard laughter OF royal children
through folding doors, ana lurdy
gurdy playing in what must have been
the nursery Italy Is a place of disillu-
sions. The natives are learning Eng.
lsh, the better to do You. my dear."
Penelope Gardiner held off the plate
card at arms length and studied it
critically
Its lovely, Pen 49, you ought to
charge more for your work. You could
yet It, you know. Rich women love TO
lIltrpQiZp girls ttl.n