Amador ledger., 1907-07-19
Old WOrL
And NezV.
BY W. S. ODLLN.
Copyright. 1907, bu Homer Spra0ue.

rolled into one," unused Penelope Gar
diner "He is really more than life
size-six feet four if he is an inch"
Her aunt, Mrs. Hammell, swung
around sharply.
'Who? 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 evel
see so much gilt braid and shiny leath
er on one human being?'
Mrs. HammelFs voice had executed
a gradual crescendo, and Penelope
reached forth protesting hand.
Don't speak so loud, auntie, dear
He might understand"
But the great, square shouldered fig
ure in glittering 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
tinued to critfcise the kings guard.
"That's just the difference between
our soldiery and what we see abroad
Every one of our lads holds possible
ties of doing big things. Foreign sol
diers are mere puppets"
Penelope replied with conviction:
81 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 hel
Baedeker with a snap.
MY dear Penelope, am amazed! II
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 thing?"
Thoroughly disguised, I presume, >
said Penelope coldly, "and 1 hope we
shall not go to any receptions where
tiny men, with waXed 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 if lie
could move heaven and earth tc
achieve for the woman he loved that
was studying him. 1t is so seldom that
1 meet a man whom 1 could look W
to-" ended Penelope, with a sigh fol
her five feet eleven inches of graceful
slenderness. 81 was considering him
only as an abstract quantity, hypo
thetical man, so to speak"
81 should hope So" was her aunt's
indignant reply. ''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 an unmistaka-
BILE flush.
Penelope paused, frozen in her tracks
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 English-every word
we said. How intolerably stupid 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 igno-
rance of their language that we, cannot
believe they understand ours"
The sunlight waned, and Penelope
knew that out 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
AOOhCo OeANh 1AlO TIC IOOlu. LOfely
shadows softened the gilt frames and
furniture, red and blues blended into
purple, and the uniformed figure right
faced abruptly. He had 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 curios.
That night she wrote in her diary:
Spent entire afternoon in the royal
palace. Tapestries remarkable, but
rather boring. Bedrooms reserved foY
various royal guests reminded me of
Waldorf-Astoria. We're not permitted
to enter royal suit, of course, but
heard laughter of royal children
through folding doors, and a hurdy
gurdy playing in what must have been
the nursery. Italy is a place of disillu-
sions. The natives are learning Eng
lish, the better to do you, my dearr'
-
Penelope Gardiner held off the plate
card at arms length and studied it
critically.
Its lovely, Pen you ought to
charge more for your work. You could
get it, you know. Rich women love to
patronize girls like YOU
''Who once ate off their plates, in
stead of painting plate cards for them
l think 1 will charge Mrs. Fitch half a
dollar more for each of these cards.
They were done to match her Italian
villa dining room, you know"
What l do know" pursued Pencil
ope's caller, 'is that you are going
with me to Archie Hunters studio tea
this afternoon. The way you have
shut Yourself off from oil of he inst