The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-05-23

So6O od1us
Don't bother, Cara is lonesome, he
will eat maybe tonight, maybe tomor-
row."
| felt Letsano pulling at my dress.
Looking down he folded his hands
and said, "Ah, Ave Maria, Ave Maria,
hear me, hear my prayer" The little
girl asked Letsano to carry the bird
back to the hotel. To our surprise he
thrust his hand in the cage and placed
the bird under his chin drawing his
shirt, which was much too large for
him, over the tiny wings to cover him
from the night air.
On my way back / told the little
child, Grace, how unhappy Letsano
was at parting from his playfelloW.
She was a generous-souled little thing
and she quickly said, ooh, I will take
him back, | couldn't keep him." but
that night as I sat on the balcony
heard the mother of the child say she
wouldn't think of giving the bird back,
that it was just way those Italians
had of emptying peoples pockets. She
said:
Don't you remember, dear, in Ire
land, they jollied all of our money
away from us by making us laugh?
Here they just cry and bawl until we
haven't penny left. l wouldn't think
of you giving the bird back, and the
cage bought for it is so Frenchy, we
would never be able to find a cage
like it in America"
But, mother, we could buy an Egyp-
tian bird. How lovely it would be to
say we brought a bird from the Nile!
Maybe we could find one that lives
and sings in the bullrushes where
little Moses was found"
''No, dear, we will take this bird
and no other"
That night dreamed and dreamed
the room was filled with singing birds,
but when l awakened toward morning
l found it was only an impertinent
Venture-some mosquito; holder than
the others that had found his way be-
meath the mosquito netting that sur
rounded the bed.
The boat was leaving Naples for
Alexandria very early; while | was
preparing to depart l could hear the
little girl and her mother moving about
the adjoining room. The child was
reading letters from America just re-
ceived On our way to the hotel the
night before in passing one Of the
pictures of the Blessed Mother, SO fire.
quently seen decorating private and
public houses, she remarked that she
was not Catholic, but was being edu-
Gated at convent school in America.
AS she stood beside the open window
I heard her exclaim:
Mother, this is letter from Sister
Anthony. You remember she was my
teacher; she has charge of the Orphan
Asylum now. She says she envies me
my wonderful trip, and she hopes
will run across the relatives of little
| girl who was born in the heart of
| Naples. She has been in America for
six months. Oh, mother, this is so
funny! Think of it, just think of liv-
out 6 bath! She says when Abel
MazZetti was brought to the home she
was assigned to her to look after be-
fore she mingled among the girls. She
says she is SO pretty that they really
had an imported doll for Christmas
But, mother, when Sister commenced
undressing her after taking off her
| flannel dress she found Abel was all
sewed up in swaddling clothes. She
cut the stitches and she was wrapped
in yards and yards of perfectly good
black canton flannel that was once
new and white; after a great bundle
piled up on the floor she reached a
snow white body-a perfect cherub,
with the tint of a fresh water pearl,
but the face was as black as a tiny
oyster shell. AS she had been brought
to the convent at bed time, Sister
said she hadn't a night robe small
enough for Abel that she could reach
readily, so she gave her one Of hers.
She wrapped her all up in it and she
put her in little bed in a room adj
joining. Sister said during the night
she heard strange scratching noise,
she opened her eyes stealthily and
looked around; to her surprise she saw
Abel creeping on hands and knees on
the floor, pushing her dress, shoes
and stockings before her. Sister said:
4 lay there quietly and watched. I
could see Abel in the rays of the bright
moonlight slipping into her clothes.
Then she sat on the floor and while
buttoning her shoes kept one eye
watchfully on the bed. After she was
dressed she put the long nightdress
over all and climbed back to Sleep
"'Sister says she was afraid she was
sleeping near the window SO she hur-
ried to her and asked her if she was
cold and why she put her clothes on.
She answered, ooh, good mother,
have always slept in my clothes, and
do not think / could sleep unless
had my shoes on
Nov, mother, the strange part of it
| is this little girl must be a cousin of
the boy whom we bought the bird
from. She says her cousin shines
shoes part of the time and has a
beautiful voice; that he sings Amer
lean songs on small boat that ac
companies the passengers to and from
the vessels sailing out to sea. You
remember how we enjoyed hearing
him sing Yankee Doodle and Glory,
Glory. Halleluiah.' and Won surely