Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-25
The Coral Necklace

By Grace E. Craig.

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oh, Daddy LooIsl There's Vesuyius! And it
is really smoking cried Faire Atherton dancing up
10 her father the promenade deck OF the 45fmid.
The great liner making her dignlled way among
the hay islands of the bay toward the city OF Naples
and all the passengers having packed away their
caps and ulsters, gathered deck ready
Fourteen -year-old Fare, with her merry tace well
tanned now by the sca-breezes and all alght with
interest her gray eyes shining and her soft brown crs
escaping from the huge bow which was endeayorng to
hold then made pretty picture in her wide brown hat
and brown corduroy travelling suit.
Her father looked down at her smingly as She clung,
See Daddy, all the little boats coming out to meet
lis! The people III that one have guitars! Oh! They
are going TO sing. and look look Those men are
passing up punches OF yiolets the end Of long
stick! May throw them some coppers' and oo--oo-
with pennies between their teeth
Mr.. Atherton laughed heartily and followed his little
daughters hasty flight down the deck to point nearer
To Faire the voyage from Boston to Naples had
been delight. Her mother and Aunt Alice had been
just the least little bit ILL., but Fare had not suffered and
she and her father had never once missed meal IN the
big dining saloon They had played shuttle board and
bean-bag and tramped their four miles every day on
deck
The blue-and-gold days at sea were so glorious that
Faire was almost sorry when the steamer at last
reached the beautiful azores and anchored in the ar
Dor of the ancient city OF Ponta del GaTda where
Daddy said Columbus stopped for supplies on his first
voyage TO the new world.
She had enjoyed her afternoon in the old town, how
ever. Everybody went ashore in tiny boats, rowed by
dark little Portuguese and hired queer carriages
drawn by pairs OF pretty little donkeys for drives about
the island
At Gibraltar two or three days later Fare had visited
that great rock fortress OF the English crouching like
a lion at the entrance Of the Mediterranean and in
Genoa Daddy had taken her to the tall, narrow
house in the dark street where the great dis
coverer of her own dear land first opened his clear
And now at Naples the bella Napoli" OF which the
musicians in the boat were singing, the wonders were
not to cease
the dock to their hotel the hill DO see the corals
The shop windows are pink with them,
Yes, dear" her mother answered smiling Naples
is the best place in Europe purchase corals While
we here | mean to buy my little daughter really
fine necklace to take the place OF the baby chain She
oh, Momseyl I should like it above all things
and FARES eyes brighter than I've always
lo0ed my tiny string OF coral beads, because Uncle
Charlie brought ii TO me when was baby, but | do
have to hold my breath when | put 1t on now.
Faire missed the soothing rocking Of the good ship
that first night on land after the two weeks voyage
suvus spouting strings of coral beads which rolled
down his mighty sides toward the city of Naples.
When she opened her gray eyes next morning, Aunt
Alice was just ringing for the chambernaid, The ring
answered by very young girl in a neat black
dress and white cap and apron, an extremely pretty
young girl with the soft lustrous dark hair and
fine skin common in Italy Fare, sitting up IN bed
with her brown curs falling around her realized that
the little maid gazed at her rather Wistuly and them
with pang she saw that the lovely dark eyes and the
rounded cheeks were swollen with weeping
That girl can't be much older than am, Aunty,-
she said she climbed OF bed after her aunt had
given her orders "And she had been crying Did
you see?"
These Italian girls obliged 10 work very hard and
Aunt Alice looked troubled Tor a moment Then she
pushed aside the curtains and both aunt and niece
promptly forgot little Teresita Nesuvus in PLAIN
sight and the beautiful Neapolitan bay, the taresf
picture in the whole wide world lay Just beneath the
window.
The happy days few by on wings Mr. and Mrs
Atherton, Aunt Alice and Fare went to Pompei, and
walked up and down the ancient streets and peered into
the houses which had been buried under Nesuylus
ashes for many centuries to Sorrento, that vlIag'
Of orange groves pcrched its bluff above the purple
sea and finally drove across the mountains to Amalh
and stayed several days IN the old convent which has
been turned into a hotel where Faire often saw tie
few monks who still remain there walking up and
down under the orange rrees, with bowed heads and
Daddy read to her l. leteoV's beautiful poem while
they sat on the terra5o ofer aokne the dreamy SaleE
ian bay with its slcke If white sand and "the dim
discovered coast VIII Iestunl with its ruins lies
When they We're e'e in Naples more Mrs
Atherton decided that quite time for eXpedF
ton to the shops with the fascinating windows which
had so charmed Fare on Har arrival and the little
girl looked forward ioyfuy to becoming the proud
owner OF of the dainty necklaces which dis
PLAYED everywhere in such proIuSlon. She to
choose II herself and She could hardly wait. To be
turned loose among the rosy coraIs would be bliss
indeed.
Faire sat in her room on he eveafa morning count
ing over the italian coins which her mother had given
her the night before.
'For the necklace. dear" Mrs Atherton had said
"and the kecpsakes for the home people
o0ne hundred and twenty-five fraaes twenty-five
dollars" the little girl ch5nted softly. "Deare mel
What gorgeous things ! can buy
lust then the door which Faire had left unlocked
onened and the small chambermad appeared with broom
and busters TO arrange the room for hc day She
about to withdraw hastily when tte American girl
called her She had been weeDine again, in TACT She
felt that she must fataon1 these depths Of woe
What is the matter Teresita5" she asked, gently
"Yor have been CRYING 7 know. Won't you tell me
what troubles you"
Teresita sooke very fair English but for a moment
she did not answer Then she said with little catch
in her voice,