The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-11-03
THE WAITER Who
SERVED WITHOUT PAY
By MINNIE 3. CARTER.

l -
ciationI
A man calling himself Giovanni
walked into an Italian restaurant in
New York and, addressing the proprie-
tor, Antonio Mancini, asked for EN-.
ployment as waiter Being told that
the force of walters was complete, he
said that he would work for nothing
until vacancy occurred.
> Soon after Giovanni's employment
the custom of the establishment drop
ped off. and the proprietor. instead of
| filling walters vacancies, began to dis
charge those he had. He told Clio
vanni that there was no hope for him
to secure pay and he was welcome to
leave as soon as he liked TO this
Giovanni replied that he was making
a living from the tips he received and
this was far better than nothing.
| But the attendance at the restaurant
continued to decrease. Mancini, who
was an excellent cook, went himself
into the kitchen and even invented
new dishes with the most delectable
f1avorings, hoping to regain the eli
entele he had lost. But it was of no
avail. His old customers did not come
back to him. and new ones were not to
be attracted. He was paying q high
rental. and his expenses in other re-
spects were enormous. One day he
called his few remaining employees
to his Office and said to them:
IL am expecting the sheriff to levy
on what remains here. Until recently
l was making money. Indeed. | pos
sessed $4,000 ! was about to sell out
my business and return to our beloved
Italy to spend comfortable old age
Instead Of that am beggar in
foreign land. Go and secure new
places. AS for me, know not what
to do"
All expressed sorrow for their en-
ployer and went away, except Gio-
vanni. He stood alone with Mancini
after the others had departed.
"Why do you remain?" asked the
restaurateur.
ITO tell you the cause of your mis-
fortune"
There was something in the mans
eye and the tone in which the words
were spoken that arrested his employ
er'S earnest attention. He looked at
Giovanni for an explanation.
"You wonder, signor," said the lat
ter, "why l. to whom you have never
paid cent have stood by you to the
last"
81 do"
~ am not only countryman of
yours, but came from the same dis
trict as you, the lake region of Italy"
"Ohw
Il was smuggler engaged In run
ming dutiable goods across Lake Como
to region where it was easy to
dispose Of them. You know that the
lake is patrolled by the customs otfi-
GERS and there is great risk in car
rying goods across. Indeed. it is prac-
tically impossible to do so without de-
lection. Well, 1 divided my profits
with them, and they took care not to
see me. In this way l gained enough
to pay for farm and was about to
purchase one. marry the girl | loved
and turn farmer when a misfortune
occurred TO me. A customs officer |
had been bribing made it his business
to see me while smuggling, was ar
rested and imprisoned"
Mancini sat spellbound by the story,
every moment growing paler. Clio
yanni kept his eye fixed on him in
tentiy.
"While in JAIL" he resumed, II was
put into cell with an old smuggler.
| He was Ill, and nursed him. Dying,
he made me his heir. Where do you
suppose his fortune was deposited?"
"Go on"
"You remember the point formed by
the junction of Lakes Como and Lee
coY
II was born on it,"
"There, across the lake, one can see
Monte Crociope and on a crag near by
the little church of San Martino"
II was married there" groaned
Mancini.
sAnd not far from San Martino is
hole In the rock. From across the
Jake It looks only large enough to con-
tain big bowlder. 1t would hold Il
church,
II have been in it,"
'"The fortune l inherited was there.
The smuggler had turned all his prof
its into diamonds and hidden them in
the cave. brought them to America
in the shape OF bills Of exchange"
"And have lost your inheritapceT
"No; l have every cent of it. And
why have ], a rich man. been working
here without pay? TO ruin the Gus
toms officer who betrayed me and who
married my betrothed. have caused
the falling of OF your business by cir
culating false stories Of what food
you have served to your guests
"You--you have done this?"
II have"
"You haye taken a terrible revenge.
But you are rich, and J viii have dam
ages under the law"
ION what evidenceT
Mancinl was silent.
Resides, where is my fortune? No
one knows. We Italiaps, especially
we. who have been smugglers ana rev,
enue officers, know how to cover onr
tracks"
i A groan was the only response.
"But II Is not necessary that you
should prosecute me. For the sake OF
the girl of whom you deprived me
L.. Al