The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-07-16

In chains of green. Alike and Fran
coils, riding slowly in the GOODNESS of
the road below, looked up and saw
It all, familiar, beautiful. full Of old
associations.
One misses Pietro." Francois said.
He always wanted to ride past the
'trou du gouverneur.'"
A Roman legend had given this name
TO the deep pool Of the brook by the
road; 1t was said that the cruel old
governor had used It. 1000 years back,
Tor drowning refractory peasants.
Alike gazed steadily at the dark muir
muring water.
Yes. one misses him Is life like
that. do You suppose. Francois? One
grows up with people, and they get to
pc as much a part of living
as the air, or ones hands-and
they are going away. And that ends
1t. One must do without air, without
hands. What a world, Francois!"
w are not meant to like it too
much, l believe, Alike said Francois
sunnily. 1T Is just Ell PEASANT. this
world. when you stop to consider. The
real business will ONE / suppose,
When we are moved IN a step farther.
Friendships and separations will not
seem SO badly arranged then, probably.
This is school, this life, I gather. My
mother ays it is not very important
II one has a good seat in the school
room or a bad; If one sits near ones
playmates or is sent to another corner,
so long as one is a good child and
works heartily at ones lessons. It is
only for a day-and then we go home,
where all that is made right. Not a
bad idea Of my mothers Is it, Alixe?"
Your mother is a wonderful wom-
an" Alike answered thoughtfully.
"She lives like that. She never let
| thinpS frnIhla har NOT aunn Whnn Jynpr
father lost everything. Did she, Fran
cois?"
NO" said Francois. "She is one of
the few people who know what the real
things are n live in them. 1t is hard
to do that. 1 a not. 1 care so bit
terly for what I want. 1t is"-Francois
hesitated-'it is very hard for me to
give up-what I want" He stumbled
over the words; his voice shook SO that
Alike shifted in the saddle and looked
at him inquiringly.
Francois! Is anything wrong? Must
you give up something's"
Francois laughed then and patted
the brown arching neck Of Capitaine,
successor to Cog. Everybody must
give up things; and remuneration is the
measure of strength" he said with 20
year-old generalization, yet with a
light in his face which might have been
the smiling Of an aged saint. "You
were talking about Pietro," he went on
rapidly "about u separation from
him, our good old Pietro! I do miss
him. Yet that was inevitable from the
beginning. That was life. Pietro is
Italian; he has his place over there
and he nodded to where far-off Italy
might lie. HE is a man, Pietro, every
inch, already. He has gone to fill his
place, as quietly, as unhesitatingly as
he will do everything that comes to
him."
Everything that comes to him-yes.'
Alike spoke a little scornfully. "But
-Francois--he does not go very fast
to meet the things that come to him.
Francois eyes flashed at her. "You
have never been fair to Pietro, Alike
mot fair?" Alike interrupted, and
laughed.
mo, not fair" repeated the boy.
you do not seem to see what he is-a
heart Of gold, a wall of rock. It is not
his way to talk much, but he has great
qualities"
"What?" asked Alike.
What" Francois repeated. you
to ask that! You know as we'll as ]
that Pietro Is a Bayard-without fea1
and without reproach. He is unchang-
ing as the ocean-he is TO be believed
in his slightest word. You know that
it would be a commonplace for Pietrc
to be killed rather han play false tc
the smallest trust. He is a fanatic OF
reliability"
you make him out a slow worthy
person. said Alike, and drew up the
horses bride. you can respect a mar
with all those sterling qualities, but
he isn't v~ery-dashing to be like that
some gift of leadership"
Francois looked at her sternly
"Dashing! Initiative! Do you remem-
Der, Alike, what it is that Pietro has
done? Do you realize thai Italy is In
the stress of a desperate struggle fol
liberty? That a forlorn fight against
the power of the Austrians is on he1
hands, and that Pietro went back at Is
to take his part with the patriots
Do you realize what danger thai
means? Danger not only Of death, but
of worse, of years Of imprisonment IL
some dungeon. Noblemen of higher
rank than Pietro are living in chains
there now. 1t is our playmate Pietrc
who is facing this-Pietro, who has
breathed the free air and ridden with
US through this valley for so many
years. He realizes it. He went witt
his eyes open. His family are marked;
he will be a leade against the Aus.
TRANS; he will be one of the first to be
punished if the Austrians conquer
and they are very strong. He Went
back to Italy to a lonely life, to a life
of intense effort and activity and dan,
ger, as quietly as if he We're going back
to school. And you you whom'-F'ran-
co.'s stopped--and went on you whom
he loves better than any n in the
~world-wrong him
By now Alike was half sobbing
"How horrid you are, Francois! You
jump at conclusions. 0 are not the
only person who cares for Pietro. ]
do not wrong him-not in my thoughts
I abuse him to you on purpose. ]
wanted to see what you would say fol
him. One does that. If one-really
cares-for a person, one has the right
1t is not d~isloyalty; I could abuse my
father-T could say any horried
thing I chose, and not a word
not a shadow Of a thought would
be disloyaI, because I love him sc
that it would all be nothing compared
to that. 1 know Pietro is brave; ]
know he has gone into dangers ii
so very bad, Francois? Butt am irri-
tated often with Pietro-because you
are always the hero It is always you
who do the brave thing, and 1t is easy
for every one toto adore you, Fran
co.'s. You seem only to smile at a per
son and they-they care for you And
Pietro Is just-quiet n reliable. II
isn't fair for you to have-everything.'
There were tears in her eyes now, and
a culver in her voice, and the last
word was D~I1nctuafed nv an ipdipnan nj