Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-07-02

A home from Florence the
three most valued possess
sions brought by her from
the City of Flowers were a wonderful
old ivory crucifix, a silver candlestick,
which might have been designed by
Benvenuto Cellini, and-Enrichetta.
Enrichetta had been q "cameriera"
in the pension ON the Via Pandolfina.
She was SO beautiful that Mrs. Nor
land, whose own face was plain, was
new tired of looking at her, and when
she said "Felice notte' C"Good Aight'D
upon leaving the American woman's
room at night Enrichetta's voice was
as soft as the first trembling trin OF
the nightingale.
"I must take Enrichetta home with
me-" said Mrs. Morland, who, blessed
with plenty of this worlds goods, was
In the habit Of gratifying every caprice.
And 1t was not difficult to persuade the
girl to sail for that faroff land over
the sea, especially as the kind Ameri-
can lady had promised to bring her
home again within two years should
she become dissatisfied. This thought
comforted Enrichetta many a winter
her little room looking out upon the
snow and sleet and tearfully thinking
of her native skies. She was hungry
for the companionship of her own peo-
pie and pined for the sound of her own
musical language, which she heard
from none but her mistress, who spoke
it with a decided American accent.
A devout Roman Catholic, Enriehetta
attended the nearest church, but there
she met only Irish and Americans, and
she missed the sweet face of the Ma
donna Addolorata In her church at
home, n face always associated in her
mind with the half remembered coun
tenance of her own mother.
But when fine weather came and the
grass was green and the birds were
singing a vegetable yender stopped at
the back door one day and spoke to
Enrichetta in Italian. The two talked
happily together, and he told her of a
church where their own people wor-
shipped, and from that day the great
city was less lonely for the. young
F%lorentine.
At that church she met Luigi, who,
Enrichetta thought, had the kindest
eyes in the world and whose teeth were
as white as milk. Luigi owned a fruit
store and had laid by 10000 lire, which
would be considered a fortune by his
friends and acquaintance ON the other
side.
The Fourth of July was coming,
which Luigi explained was a great day
In America and was always celebrat-
ed with fireworks after the manner of
San Giovanni's day in Italy, only with
a far greater amount of boom and
snap and crash. He told her he would
come in the evening and take her to a
certain spot on the lake front where
there was sure to be a splendid dis
play of rockets.
Enrichetta sang merrily as she went
about her work and then began II
think seriously of what she would
wear on that night, so sacred to this
great United States. She would have
a new waist. something gay and
snowy; then she b~ethought her of the
contents of a box given to her at
housekeeping time by her mistress.
"Here, Enrichetta," the latter had
said, this box is marked odds and
Ends You may have it; 1 want to
get it out of my way"
In the bottom of the box, beneath
scraps and remnants of goods, was a
silk flag about three yards long 1t
was torn at the end, and there were
a few round holes In it which En-
richetta supposed accounted for the
fact that the signora no longer priced
1t. 1t was the flag Of this country,
which, now that she knew Luigi, the
girl secretly believed would be her own
country forevermore, and 1t was pref
tier than the bandiera of Italy.
Enrichetta decided to make a waist
Of the flag to wear on the Fourth of
July. Being very deft with scissors
and needle, she managed to escape the
holes and flaws in cutting out the gar
ment, and the result of her labor was