The Washington herald., 1914-11-15

WAr, Ndo8o blight went even into homei
IN distant lands
strayed from his regiment. sick and
helpless eesling refuge In our eoloret
wardn," the story ran. "He could mol
understand q word Of English: and wber
We saw him. besides q wasting consump.
ton. he had the gnawing OF homesick.
ness with which he ~ passing rapidly
away.
We had been nInistering TO his WANT
with all the care and sympathy which
his case awakened. and by French, and
such few italian words a. We had II
command. we tried to talk with him. Al
We spoke Of our cold climate. and con
trasted It with his own mild and beau
THU Italy, his eyes Frightened, his face
seemed radiant. and. with his arms ex-
tended heavenward. he gasped out
L'Italle. e'est Ie Paradisg Qtaly Is Par
adiseD"
Victim Of Bounty Agents.
The sympathetic watchers comforted
him as they could.
He seemed to see his own smiling
Payia and 'Vigevano. 70 feel the soft
breath Of the MedIterranean ana 70 brinR
home. He sank back and smiled, and
placed my hand upon his heart to feel
its throbbing. His skin was white a.
an infants, and on my remarking this
to him, he said, with a sad smile. Out.
oui, blanc? ('Yes, yes, Whlteg) and then.
pointing to the group OF colored soldiers
gathered about his bed. he tried TO say,
Yet all these are black
After much effort we found in q
neighborins hospital an Italian who could
act a. our interpreter. There was no
time to lose. for his strength was fail
Ing fast We were eager to learn his
story. which proved TO be the old tale
of deception and fraud. Of the cruelties
Of the bounty agents. and OF sufferinEs
the sequel OF which would soon be death.
He had been In the country but q
few days when, he knew not hov, he
found himself clothed In D. blue uniform
and regularly enlisted In the military
service OF the government. man of
delicate frame, he had simply broken
down from the seventies and exposures
Of the campaign, and here he was to
die.
His mind reverted to his distant home
and he spoke with deep emotion Of his
-pooP old father and mother and his
brothers. and OF what a tragedy their
separation had proved; Of his dear old
cathedral Of Vigevana and Of his en-
ployments. which he should never enter
upon again.
He knew he was going to die. He
felt that the sands Of life were fast run
ming out, and that in a few hours all
would be changed. Yet he did not shrink
from death: he welcomed It rather. for
what was life to him? It was only pri-
walton. hardship, loneliness and suffer
ing"
Deaths Hour BrIEhtened.
But one boon was granted him-that
of hearing his native language from the
lips OF q countryman
AT first he seemed bewildered; then.
realizing the whole, he was overjoyed
that such q blessing should have been
his before he died. His deep. spiritual
eyes opened. expressing Undesirable
content and peace, though there was still
q restlessness and anxiety. Of which
for long time. we could not guess the
cause. He was sinking rapidly. A
weight was upon his mind. and he had
not the words or the. wish to reveal his
AT length asked II he had money to
dispose Of. assuring him that n he had
he might, with perfect confidence. in
trust It to US to be disposed Of as-lhe
might desire This was his secret: and.
as he gave q sigh Of relief. he unstrap-
ped his belt. which contained, as IL
proved, $50.
mind seemed to wander; but by slim
ulants he was 30 far restored as to un-
derstaL5 our questions regarding his fam
lly. then SIames and residence He tried
to write, but the pencil trembled in his
hand; and through his lips, now growing
white, / could Just catch the letters as
he spelled them out.
There was clearly written out at last
his own name. Giovanni QuagiIa,' and
hat of his brother. Giuseppe QuaslIa.
ST. Andrews street, Vfgevano. Depart
ment Of Pavia, Province Of vigevano,
Italy The money was to be sent to him.
to be divided according to his discre-
tion.
Last Rites to the Soldier.
The dying man seemed now at ease.
md ] left him that he might rest. AS
we withdrew, he held my hand firmly in
both Of his. trying In this way to ex-
press the gratitude he could not utter.
The poor fellow never spoke again. for
before the dawn, he had gone up into the
light Of the eternal morning.
His body was removed 10 the tent for
he reception Of the dead. and at o'clock
II the following afternoon, two stretch
RS. upon which were borne the body OF
colored soldier. who had died in the
'ars on the way to the hospital, and this
'oor friendless Italian, were carried out
% their graves.
There were two mourners walking on
,ither side-a sad funeral procession. We
performed q short service for the poor
negro, whom perhaps nobody
vas to mourn, and for this stranger from
mother land. Soldiers gathered Gbout
he graves. standing reverently with I'M
covered heads, and while the earth tIVm-
lied with the tremendous firing all about
Is. we committed these two soldiers Of
ioly cause to their soldiers graves. This
vas my Sunday service"
The money left by the Italian lad was
iuly sent to Italy. and letters Of ac-
In graceful and eloquent
Italian came from his family to the good
,eople who had eaSed the dying hour OF
his poor victim Of the great war.