The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-01-13

4
In terror; the banana vendors collie,
leaping joyfully to meet his friend,
barely escaped kick
Giovannis heart was choking him.
The sky seemed to bear down on him,
the alley shacks to totter and sway.
He turned into the wide avenue with a
feeling of relief at the larger breath
ing space. The sidewalks were gay
with nurses and children, but Clio
vanni did not see them. Steadily,
with glazed eyes and set teeth, he
swung down the street, block after
block. seeing nothing, pausing for
nothing Only Francesca's pale little
face danced like will-o' -the-wisp be-
fore him, and the nurses words, "The
baby is dead" burned in his brain.
He had known it would be this way;
1t was always so. The children Of
the poor died; the children Of the
rich got well. The latter had every
care. He missed them from their
gardens for a week or so: then they
We're out again in costly carriages,
tended carefully. Miss Brown had
been very kind, yes; and the doctor
had come every day. But if he had
been able to pay; if the little one
could have had sunshine and fresh
air; ii, always, she had had rich milk
and good food. And, God, money
would have done all that! Money
that he and Blanca thought was to
be had for the picking up in this
great rich land. Money that he saw
spent recklessly, lavishly on every
hand, while Blanca and the little one
needed bread!
Times had been better since be got
the piano; they had more comforts
in the little home, and looked for
magnificent profits in the summer.
Blanca went with him on fine days,
leaving Francesca with neighbor.
People liked her bright face, so dark
ly beautiful above her yellow ker-
chief. They were more fortunate than
some of the street players; they had
their regular patrons, especially
Giovanni stopped suddenly. Uncon-
sciously he had gone in that direc-
ton, toward the great house where
lived the little one SO like Francesca,
except that she was a child of the
SHOWS, fair and yellow-haired. For
two months now they had played reg
ularly three times a week for her, and
always Blanca or he received from
the child herself the shining coin and
pretty thanks that frightened the day
for han AnI
of her likeness to francesca; they
loved to play for her on that account,
and now
Giovanni turned bitterly aside into
a quiet street of stiff, solemn houses
and began to play. He could not go
near the great house now, nor ever
again. Why should the rich mans
child toss coins to beggars while he,
Giovanni, could not, keep his little
francesca alive? He played in blind
fury, and ratified out Nearer, my God
to Thee at sacrilegious speed that
made the postman stare. Then he
realized that he was in a square of
boarding-houses, their occupants not
yet returned from business, SO he
moved on with a muttered impreca-
ton and went home without playing
again.
Blanca took the child's death very
hard, and she was so run down by
the nights Of watching that she did
not rally for some time She was
anxious about Giovanni. The man
was almost beside himself with an un-
reasonable rebellion Day after day
he went and came with the same look
of fierce hatred of all mankind BIZ
anca was the only person in the alley,
where he had been so beloved, who
had not become afraid of him. To
her he was gentle, as always, but said
little.
He could not play for children any
more, so he frequented the business
streets, playing before saloons and
barber shops. One day, about two
weeks after Francesca's death, as he
sullenly ground out his tunes for a
crowd of noon loafers, carriage
stopped behind him and a woman's
voice exclaimed, why, there is No
nos piano mani
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