Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-31
a Singular
Wooing
BY STEPHEN DELANo


I'm awfufiy glad to see you.' she
said There are three OF us women
re-mother. Aunt Sarah and land
not man. There is no fun for US to
20 tramping about seeing sights by
ourselves Besides. It's very incon-
venient. Here Italians fleece us at
every turn. Why. a cabman yesterday
followed me into my pension for pour
boir Ia tip after charging me double
price. and. since he couldn't speak any
English. / couldn't argue with him.
Finally I shouted Eel ReInar the
QUEEN. and the man ran downstairs
SO fast thought he would break his
neck. suppose be thought ] had in
fluence at court"
Kate is jolly girl and laughed
heartily at her own inventive genius.
81 say she went on, 1--WE made a
mash-an Italian. He follows me ey-
erywhere. These Italians act just MS
they did. in Danteis time ogle and
sigh and do alt manner of ridiculous
things, thinking that's the way to win
a woman. What are you going to do
tomorrow
"See sights"
We're going down to Pompeii. Will
you go with Is?'
.Certainly."
Every. well. Well all leave here to-
gether at 10 sharp. There's a train at
1870.
The next day when we left the train
at Pompeii and walked to the entrance
of the exhumea city we were APP
proached by half dozen guides. l
did the bargaining for the service they
offered and chose one whose appear
ance was far more respectable than
any of the others. He was very hum
BILE, however, and agreed to pilot US
fer ridiculously low price. AS we
started of, the guide leading the way.
Kate Tell back and, pulling my sleeve,
whispered:
'.The Italian
What ltalian"
.saiy admirer. BE has learned at the
hotel that ordered q carriage for the
station to come here-it probably cost
him franc tip-and has come down
to perpetrate some medieval non
sense"
you're stuffing me-"
ION my honor. I'm not; you win see
for. yourself before long.
We walked up the street leading into
the heart of the city and paused at
the temple of fortunes Our guide spoke
English fairly Aweli. hut could read
fly see that IL iectuIfng in his own
tongue be would give rs very inter
esting account Of what we saw. Not
withstanding his limited English yo-
cabulary he made us see the fire and
smoke that first emerged from Yesu-
yins on the day Pompeii was destroy
ed, the great tree shaped column Of
ashes that hung over the doomed city,
the CONSERVATION of the. citizens. the
coming darkness, people fleeing to the
different gates: then the inky black
ness through which crowds struggled.
dropping by the way.
This he gave as preliminary to in
formation as to the different buildings
we examined. was astonished at the
amount of the information he possess
ed. had visited Pompeii before with
a guide, but was Disguised with theI
amount Of nonsense he gave us instead
of information. This man spoke as
one who had been educated to speak
of the ancfents. giving his authority
for what he told us. quoting. some
times in Latin, from the Roman au-
thors whose works have come down
to us.
Kate, when she had recognized the
man, was much amused. But while
he was diseoursing I looked at her and
saw great change She appeared to-l
be charmed with his lecture, and
could see in her expression an inward
pride that the man had been so at
tracted to her as to assume to be
guide for the purpose of being with
her and giving her the benefit OF his
erudition upon what, without It, would
have lost most Of its charm.
l shall not soon forget that eloquent !
address, or series Of addresses. ending
with description of scene in the
theatre while we were looking down
from the seats on to the stage where,
some nineteen centuries before, was
enacted the scene described.
When we parted from our guide
dropped his fee into his hand and
asked him for his card. He gave it to .
me, and read: Giuseppe Benoli. Ro-
man Arohaeo logist, via - g."
Putting it in my pocket follawed |
my marty. Scarcely had we got into
the train when Kate, who had seen the |
guide give me his card. demanded it
| gave it to her, and her face took on
one of those looks that in woman
means delight at being admired by a /
man of ability.
/ called the next day on Senior Benoli,
finding him In the midst Of treasures
lately exhumed. which he was examin-
!