Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1919-01-10

tTleu 10 iOfBet IHnt nhl1 OF Inrls-
tendon was plunged In great
war. Lenvlng the fighting line,
wandered about In the lovely freedom
OF the hill country OF Tuscany, past VII
las which are surmised rather than
seen through the long vistas Of grave,
still expresses and around smiling, sill
vergreen olive slopes from whose sum
mlts beckon dlgnfed palace fortresses
of the Medicis or sterner and more
aged lvy.decked towers, writes Tus-
cany correspondent Of the New York
Evening Post Finally, | reached the
road Of my mornings quest and
stopped where high wall. after many
turns and twists, suddenly opened to
a vision of green terraces II was the
gate to the podere upon which Ton
inc and his forebears have labored for
the last century and half-the fam
lily "golng to the land" not rs serfs,
but as willing seryan., Of the soil.
Entering the terrartd farm, skirt
ed stout wall with !sy spreading lov-
ingly over It's gray stnles, hedge OF
winter roses followec me In fragrant
companlonship all the way to Tonino's
farmhouse, structure poised hravely
over PERCEPTIONS ledge of rocks.
The house itself might be called an
architectural slant of walls, chimneys,
stone flags end steps running off and
down in all directions TIL they seem TO
merge with the vines and the olive
tree and the green sod. Fingered a mo-
ment. then followed in the wake Of a
primitive oxcart, painted bright red,
on which the empty grape watts rumb-
bled sonorously as the ploddlng beasts
dragged their draft over the stony
road
Harvesting the Grape Crop.
II was pagnn-almcst bAcchanallan
picture. as those huge cattle, white
and big.horned, moved slowly and pro-
OCCASIONALLY down the way flanked by
grape vines In endless, festive wreaths
and festoons strung from tree TO tree.
At the lower terrace host OF neigh
bors was buslly at work cutting the
dew-moist grapes. dropping the lus-
clous lunches into picturesque bas-
kets lying all about. The sun played
In glad, shifting shadows In aad out
OF the vines and olive trees, while the
damp soil, drinking In the solar
warmth, exuded moisture heavily
odorous with the Astounding vitality
of Mother Earth.
The harvesters included many wom-
en-, some territorial soldiers on leave
and few children. No one. old or
young. gave signs OF fatigue the labor
was pursued slowly and easily, not at
all as a struggle In overcoming time,
or resistance. II was this seeming
slowness of the laborers In Italy which
often gives to the outsider, especially
to the nervous and strenuous Ameri-
can observer. the impression OF a
wastage Of time in the accomplishment
of things. This apparent slowness,
however, is rather wise restraint and
distribution of effort, coupled with ira
ditlonal skill or special hardness,
which bring about results by deftness
as well as by mere expenditure of
force.
So, Mt this harvesting, oil Of that
crowded, terraced acreage had been
shorn of its grapes by shutdown, and
all the fruit carried away to the wine
press.
Supper for Tonino's Laborers.
At nine in the evening we gathered
at Tonino's house for the harvest sup
per, to which, by immemorial custom,
everyone who has labored in the vine
yards must be invited. We entered by
the kitchen door, near which hung a
little oil lamp patterned after those
of the Etruscans; at the long table In
the main room of this casa coloniea