Norwich bulletin., 1912-11-30
lwrittsn Specially for The HuIIetin.)

My hero, as his name implies, was
 native of sunny Italy, but fortune
 brought him across the sea to this
 country, a land of promise to him as to so many others. Separated from his
 parents by untoWard circumstances,
 he drifted into the Italian colony in the great metropolis and quickly ac- quired enough English to make him. self understood, though he evidently did not always succeed in gaining the correct meaning of the terms he heard about him. j. -
 He was lad of515 or thereabouts, with the big melting brown eyes so often seen in the Italian type, seldom
 merry, often serious even to melan- choly. He understood the word "coun- try" to mean the entire land to which
 he had come, and for which he had a
 great admiration from his first knoWl-
 edge of it. A good citizen he meant to be, and throbs of patriotism already swelled his being whenever he thought
 of this land as his country. As he mingled among other people, however he heard one referred to as being from the country, and another com
 mented on as living in the country. He saw fruit and flowers and produce in the .narl1et, and when he inquired about their source, he was told that they came from the country. He be-
 gan to wonder where this country might be, and at last made up his mind
 that he would go in search of it, for it seemed to draw him like a magnet.
 Finally he started one day in early spring to find the country he desired to see. Outside the city it certainly must be, and so he tramped on furth- CT and further from the city sights and sounds. He had been country
 boy at home, and he found his old taste reviving as he trudged along, stopping wherever nightfail overlook him and still not content to remain until he had explored more of this en- ticing country.
 One day found him approaching a comfortable looking farmhouse over the
 Connecticut line, and at the door he paused to ask for work in return for food and lodging. He was willing to work and large of his age, strong and we'll built. The honest, faithful look in his brown eyes gained favor for him with the proprietor of the farmstead,
 who answered his question with:
 Work Yes, indeed, and plenty of 1t. too. What can you do? You don't look
 like a Yankee boy. What can you do Anything am uold 10 uo' re-
 piled Nicolo "Then you are a remark
 able boy, judging from my experience
 of boys. I'll try you" And he was set
 to work after being fed in hospitable fashion. So well did he work that he | was asked to remain for the season, to 1 his great delight.
 The farmers wife at first objected to his remaining, because of his na- | tionality. NO good in those foreign
 ers," was her opinion. You never can trust them, and I'm afraid he will not | be clean" But he was soon taught to | be clean, and was so faithful in his | work and so evidently happy in his new home that she soon found him g
 pleas1 instead of a terror. She | mended for him and took metherly | interest in him, advising him with re-
 gard to his purchases for his wardrobe | and gave him many a hint as to man.
 ners and speech, which he immediate
 Iy put into practice. One of the mer on the farm taught Nicolo to read ano write English more fluently. for all wht met him were attracted to the boy alone in a strange land, and Nick