El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-26
~ InEeborg AIarie So

AT EAR the edge Of the great UNI
brian plain. which is blue and
wavy as an ocean, Assist climbs
up a steep hill with its enormous mon
astery, its twin church and its maze
Of narrow, crooked streets.
Poor they are every one-how could
they be otherwise? Assist has no in
dustry. in the whole town there are
only five or six shops with the bare
necessaries OF life-and no other
source OF income.
Poor they are and poor they will
always be--San Francesca himself has
said so.
What he has said and done, every
child in Assist knows. They talk OF
him as you talk Of your late grand
father-nay almost as il he were still
living among them. And this about
poverty was even the last thing he
said, as tradition related
It almost seems as II he, who loved
poverty so much that he chose it for
his bride and welded it, left it the in
heritance Of his empty hands to his
native town At least this is what
you think as you walk through the
steep narrow streets with their dark
tumble down houses.
But after a while you make another
and more striking ObservatiOn-the in
habitants Of Assist are all kind, all
Ali Giacomo's thoughts turned
around one thing, as did indeed the
thoughts Of Giulio and Antonio, and Of
every little schOolboy in Assist The
Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty
to Animals awarded q prize, a great
prize OF five whole lires to the boy
who was to give the best answer to a
question the society would have the
teacher ask, question concerning ami
mails, OF course.
Everyone wanted to win the prize
but nobody as much as Giacomo. For
Antonio had a father who was a cob
bier and who might make big money
in the dark hole where he worked
GiuliO had a father-who was nothing
In particular, but he might have been
something-and so had most of the
other boys But GiacomO had only a
mother, who never knew where theft
1000 was 10 come from the next day.
And now the idea of being able to
put five lires in her lap In the home
they never saw anything but the big
heavy copper sOldis which were so
hard to get and so quick to disappear.
But five Hres It was almost too
much money at once, 1t seemed almost
enough to buy the whole world.
Now collect your thoughts and an
swer prettily, in many words" Gia-
como's mother said. The one who
says the most is sure to get the
money, everybody says"
But how was he to practice answer
ing in many words, when he did not
know what the question was to be?
And Giacomo knew how to talk well
enough. but not nearly as glibly as
GiuliO and Antonio, for often he felt
more than he was able to express.
At last the eventful day came. An
tOniO's father had made a pair OF new
shoes for his boy. They squeaked as
II they wanted to answer for him And
Giulio's father himself went with his
boy to the school, wearing his best
suit of clothes. Giacomo had no new
things to put on and nobody went
with him. His mother was sitting at
home in the doorway, looking after him
as long as she could see him, as she
always did
with the old temple Of Minerva, there
was a whole crowd OF these foreign
ers, whom Assists inhabitants love
because they are rich and good, and
look at" They wanted to hear the
answer Of the children And the COM
mittee was there, two of the towns
own officials and one OF the foreign
ers who had founded the society.
At last they are all seated in the big
hall and the children are brought in,
one at a time, according to age.
Giulio is the first. His father is sit
ting just behind the judges commit !
tee in his aired and brushed suit and
something. He mods eacouragingly to
his boy. then he looks all around and
points to his chest to signify that he
is the father. The others nod under |
standingly.
The teacher is standing in the mid
die Of the floor at a desk, holding a 1
paper in his hand The question IS l
written on this. He begins reading
Let US suppose that a donkey, a /
small. skinny donkey drawing a heavy 1
cart is coming UP the road leading to I
one Of the gates Of Assist. say Porta /
san GiacomO- The donkey is lean and |
starved and the harness has rubbed a /
big hole into its one shoulder. It Is I
barely able TO drag itself up the steep /
hill let alone the heavy cart. But The 4
driver who walks at its side, raises /
his whip and hits it cruelty every 4
time Il tries to stop a little
Then out OF the gate comes san 4
francesca and meets the man and the 4
donkey with the heavy cart.
What does San Francisco sayg'
1T is not hard to guess. Every child j
In Assist knows" Giulio answers
glibly:-
what San Francesca say. signore?