The Sneedville news. (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??, 1922-08-18
THE APOLOGY
BY MARIE L. CORNER

| There was no suilllEnl III NhS "D
basement room where Pietro had gone
at the urgent invitation OF the corpu-
lent man who answered to the name
Of Boss" Heavy curtains shrouded
the low windows and an unpleasant
dampness pervaded the place. On the
table between Pietro and Boss was
sputtering candle, wedged into the
neck of a fat beer bottle.
What's the matter. Pietrof" demand
ed Boss. Don't like being In the
dark. do YET"
Pietro shook his head with empha
sis.
"No. SIgnor Boss" he replied. CROP
ing for the English equivalents to ex-
press his contempt. AT my home ees
always sunlight. ees always warm.
Here the wind freeze the>blood. You
live In cellar where ees no sun, no
air. Uggl Ees like grave-nO good
"When | came to this countree," he
volunteered after pause, IL buy push
cart and sell banana. l make fine mon
ey. Then everything is cost high. Tie
money goes. Only last night, signor-"
The fat man flung himself oppor-
tunely into the breach.
Don't | known" he purred. "Old
Hewson raised your rent again. Pie
tro confirmed the information gloom
iIy. "Sure-I thought so. Leave 1t to
guys like Hewson to bleed you to the
last drop. Him and that skunk OF a
Mobray-"
"Mobrayl" Pietro. startled, repeated
the name In shrill establishment. "Sig-
nor Mobray Is YER fine man. lie buy
my BANANA
Boss laughed rancorously.
"Sure he does" he admitted, with
a cynical twist OF his heavy lips. "And
he sends flowers to the house when
the woman's sick. don't he? Sure-l
thought so. Well, dye know who owns
your shackf Mobrayw
SEES SIgnOr Hewson, ! think" cor
rected Pietro. politely.
swell, think again." advised Boss,
shortly. 'IIewson's only the agent.
Mobray is the main cheese. He or.
dered your rent to he raised. And to-
morrow, In the town hall, he's going to
tell us how grateful We ought to he
for living In free country. lie ought
TO be stopped. and stopped goodv
"SI, SIgnor Bossi" agreed Pietro
with sudden fire In his words. An hour
later. when Pietro stepped out into the
afternoon sunlight, there was n stilet-.
to under his shirt and five crisp $a0O
bills In his pocket. i .lak
When he awoke In the morning hic
eyes rested on an unfamiliar object
which was hanging on the wall beside
his bed.
II was the portrait OF n man with
homely, rugged features. In which
there was note OF broodlng sadness
over the picture had been draped an
American flag. Before II stood Gino.
straight and tall for his ten years,
I'm the uniform of boy scout. At the
foot of the bed sat Luisa. watching
him with black eyes that sparkled
with pride.
"Already he IN a fine American SOL
der" she exclaimed delightedly In
their own tongue TO Pictro.
"Glno is a fine American" Tulsa re-
pcnted. proudly. To-day he goes to
march In parade to the town hall.
What do you think OF thati Maybe.
too. some day he'll he President"
president - Pietro routed the idea
bitterly. "Not Glno. lie is too poor"
"IIe was poor. too" protested the
boy. pointing TO the sad man.
Plctro smiled tolerantly.
81 think. me-" he said. irrelevantiy.
"that soon we so back home"
"The old country" Luisa's voice
bristled with scorn. "What were you
ut home. Pletro Tagnlini1 A slave.
Here you make more money In a week
than you made In the old country In
a month. Some day, maybe. you'll own
a fine big fruit storel"
81 think we go back" Pietro repeat
ed firmly. Half an hour later his re-
luctant feet were propelling him In
the direction Of the town hall. A de-
tachment Of hoy scouts was marching
past. And at their head. cleaner and
straighter than all the rest, msrched
his Gino. bearing the colorsl
pietro's cheeks flushed with pleas
urc. lie wanted 10 jump and shout
"Bravor' 81 that all the world might
know whose hoy that was. His soni
Then new thought came TO rob him
Of his enthusiasm. Glno. n mere boy,
loved his America. believed In the
future IL held for him and was proud
to bear its hagi But he. Pictro. a
grown man. had renowned II and was
going To- commit murder because he
could not stand the hard times. Hard
times, Rack Mt home there had been
plenty 81 hard times. but that had
not made 81 him a traitor. a murderer.
lie slipped n brown hand into the
Packets uf his trousers. The bills
there seemed to reach out and scorch
his fingers. lie wheeled Impulslvely
and stumbled into n little park that
skirie,l the street.
There was a deep pool In the very
center ~ the park. Pietro drew the /
stilieio frum hts shirt and flung 70 into /
the water. Then. rs he turned 90 leave
"a ..-,.. .-,ssuoN Hfe.