El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-28
The Miracle Of The Woodcock
CBy signora Anna Radius.

TIME moment Signera Mariana
saw the railroad porter appear
with the basket in his hand, she
was SO certain of It's contents, that
she at once thought:
AT last here are the tortellini?'
For ever since Signor Taddei, her
husbands friend at the office, had
been transferred to Bologna, she had
been expecting them.
Had he not said at the farewell din
ner that they had given in his honor:
You'll see, Signora Mariana, when
L get to Bologna I shan't forget you
And she had felt perfectly satisfied
in her own mind that that phrase
would be translated into tortellini.
Now. Signora Marianna's one and
only passion was tortellini, that tooth
some dainty for which Bologna is SO
justly renowned. She quickly united the
string that fastened the basket, calling
to Menica from the Threshold of the
kitchen door:
Bring a plate for the tortellini"
As Menica hurried in with-the plate,
Signora Mariana, who had now open
ed the basket, suddenly stepped back
exclaiming:
What kind of beats are these?"
The look of disgust and terror pic
tured on her countenance could not
have been greater had she seen the
Basilisk itself.
When her husband returned from
the office. Signora Mariana, who had
not yet recovered from her disappoint-
ment, ran to meet him.
DO you know what your friend Sig
nor Taddei has sent?"
Her husband, who had had the idea
well drummed into his head for sew
eral weeks past replied joyfully:
'Tortellini, eh?"
Exactly. Just look at them.
But to her very great surprise her
husband. after having inspected its
contents, exclaimed gleefully:
'Woodcocki Have you never eaten
woodcock?''
ST, burst gut Signora Mariana,
overcome with Indignation.
They are delicious, you know, per-
fectly delicious. Where shall I put them
until they are ready to eat?"
Anywhere you like, so long as ]
don't see them"
He lifted up the woodcock and dis
appeared with them into the darkness
of the corridor, at the end of which
was a balcony. quite far enough away
for the two unweleome guests to find
a lodging without disturbing Signora
Mariana.
Now. it happened that two days
later. when she had completely forgot
ten the occurrence. Signora Mariana
going out to the balcony to brush her
grenadine gown which she didn'a wish
to intrust to Menica's careless hands
caught sight of the nasty beasts dang
ling on a nail heads down and already
permeated by that strong odor peculiar
to game@naturing
'MenicoI''
yes. signora."
Gust come here and smell this"
Menica thrust her nose into what
didn't concern her, and cried:
Mercy on u.s."
Her husband, taken to task on his
return from the office, exclaimed that
game. and particularly woodcock
couldn't possibly smell strong enough;
that until they fell away, leav1ng
their tails behind them, they were not
fit to eat; that the particular, strong,
penetrating odor-
Signora Mariana ran off, stopping
her ears, but her mind was already
made up. At first the idea had oc-
Cured to her to propose the choice to
her husband of: Either those beasts
go or 1 co. Then she thought it would
be useless to risk her own dignity. so
she called Menica and simply said to
her:
Throw them out?"