The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-03-20
A Provincial Family Feud


| herself in shawl, and in slippers,
with bated breath, trembling for fear,
descended the stairs to a window Of
the first floor; the young friends was
in the street, leaning against the wall.
So they talked for two or three hours,
without caring for the cold, the rain
or the loss of sleep; they talked with
out seeing each other, from distance
of five meters of altitude, becoming
silent at every sound of passer then
cautiously resuming their discourse,
with the continual fear that Maria's
parents might arouse and find her in
that aerial colloquy. But what did
1t all matter to them? They had,
within their hearts, sunshine, light,
springtime, courage, enthusiasm; If
the king had come, they would not
have moved Instead, the brother of
Maria, one night when he could not
sleep, arose from his bed and found
the door ajar, went down the stairs,
heard a murmur, and caught his sister
in the act; he unceremoniously barred
tho shutters In the face of Carlo, gave
Maria a resounding box on the ear,
and brought her to her room. Next
morning the small window on the first
floor was walled up.
o, all We faithful lovers, who grieve
amid the pains of thwarted love, imag-
inc the despair Of those two! Their
letters were no longer legible, for
tears blotted the words; rows Of ex-
clamation points, that looked like
Prussian soldiers under arms, follow
ed the daily imprecations against for
tune, destiny, fate, and other imper-
sonal beings incapable of resenting
them; thousand fantastic plans
we're created, discussed and then re-
jected. Carlo would have liked to
elope with Maria, but his father al
lowed him no money, and 1t would
have been difficult to put together the
nine lire and fifty centeslmi for two
tickets for the journey to Naples; they
thought for moment of suicide, but
found that 1t would not solve the diff
ficulty. Then, in the long run, their
love became systematic, the impreca-
tions were always the same, and they
could not go to their beds without hav-
ing poured forth upon the faithful
paper the fullness of their grief" In
the town nothing was talked of but
their unshakable love and their tor
ments; they were the objects Of gen.
eral interest; If a Neapolitan arrived,
the townsfolk took him to see the
ruins of the amphitheatre and related
the case Of Carlo and Maria. There
fore the young people, flattered In their
amour propre, assumed the behavior
fitting to the circumstances: Maria
was always pale, with a melancholy
air, never smiling, always talking to
her girl friends about her joyless DAYS,
content to resemble in all respects
one of Mastriani's heroines. Carlo
| took lonely walks, was always deeDly
depressed; at balls he never moved
out of a corner, content that they muir
INJURED around him: Poor young man;
that unfortunate love affair saddens
his life!" In society, at small festivi-
|
monotony of the province, the discourse
always returned upon the subject OF
the two lovers. Carlo and Maria bore
with dignity the burden of their popu-
larity.
Finally, after don't know how
many years-four or FIVE, it seems to
me-of this continual struggle, of dai-
ly weeping, of long, long love main
tained alive by dissensions, the aspect
of things changed. There was wor-
thy person-there still are such-who
with many efforts Of eloquence per-
suaded the parents that by the law
suits they were losing property, and
much of it, as witness the two advo-
Gates who had grown rich at the ex-
pense of their clients; that those two
young people were pining AID would
go into a decline because of that
thwarted love; the houses were side
by side, and the estates contiguous;
Christ forgave and they must forgive,
If they wished to find forgiveness. He
said so much, and SO many other per-
sons, moved by the example, inter-
posed, that the questions came to a
compromise which had, as its first
chapter. the marriage Of Carlo and
Maria.
Here surely every one win suppose
that the young people were greatly
consoled. and will suppose truly
but my obligation as a sincere story
teller constrains me to say that In their
first free coIloQuy reigned q great en-