The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-03-14

!!:;s; z;azassaxM farm?"
 Benito admitted complacently that he had.
 "Well," they said, linking an arm through his, "you come with us. We'll sell you a farm."
 So they went to a place and had a good dinner with first-class Italian wine, almost as good as in the old country.
 Doesn't Chicago come under pro- hibition?" Benito had asked them.
 "No," they assured him. Not Chicago.
 Benito was glad of that. He could not thoroughly enjoy his food un- less 1t was accompanied with the familiar old red wine. He was glad the farms were to be found where there was no prohibition, and it because the farms produced the wine in the first place. He stayed with his new-found friends for several days, and they taught him a smart game they called poker, and he lost a little money. But he had plenty of the red wine.
 But one day he said he must leave them and look up that farm, and then they told him that there was no money in farming in Amer ica. They said the only way to get rich in America was by joining gang. The gang transacted what they called "big business,' and all the members did as they were told, protected one another, and divided their money. In this way they all 1 got rich.
 Benito was fascinated. T will join one," he said promptly. Where can find these gangs?"
 They were most magnanimous. It seemed they all belonged to a gang, Kappalla's gang, it was called, and he could join 1t, it being one of the very best. All he would have to do was exactly what they told him, and yet he would be constantly re- | ceiving money for this and that. So he gave them $1.oo0 for letting him into the gang.
 But alas! Benito found almost | immediately that their big business consisted in going about like sol- diers, fully armed. and shooting here and there whenever another hlSAAOGI OI thC 6hA6 tOio LAlGIL u They gave Benito a gun, too, al- though he did not like firearms--a rod, they called it, but it was a. | regular gun-and they put him on a certain corner and told him to | wait there until Giovanni stepped out of a big limousine. As soon as Giovanni appeared, Benito was to shoot him.
 Benito knew Giovanni and liked him very much, but the matter of liking has nothing to do with 1t to shoot. They said that if they did not get Giovanni, Giovanni would get them. They said after Benito shot Giovanni there would be lot of money in the big busi- ness, and Benito would get his share.
 So Benito stood on the corner and when Giovanni got out of the limousine, he shot at him but he missed. He was arrested and tried for assault intending to kill, but the jury got the idea that he had missed Giovanni on purpose and had not really wanted to kill him. and they said he was just green- horn that the gang had got hold of, so they let him go.
 | But a friend told Benito confi- dentially that Kappalla's gang was very sore and said they were going to get him, Benito, for not getting Giovanni He was not important enough for them to make a real job of getting him. but when they came across him accidentally they would get him.
 So Benito left his old haunts and his old friends and went into se- clusion in the home of little An gelo's mother, avoiding all eating houses where the red wine flowed. and going only to church and to cinemas for his amusement. l And when little Angelo came home with the letter and announced that he was going out to a farm to wait on the table, Benito almost swooned again simply in the re- country. He would go there on his hands and knees If need be, he would wait on table with Angelo. he would scrub and clean and sing, anything to be in the big country where there were birds and flowers and growing grain.
 It was true, he admitted. He had forced himself. uninvited and un- wanted, upon Angelo and he would give HIS llIe tO Drlng Dack the Httl0 one who had been like a mother to him. And tears flowed down his large face which worked with emo ton.
 Well, I'll be damned" said Mark CT in a tone of profound amaze. ment. Every word of it checks fright up. They're telling the truth. 2"
 "But, Benito." cried Phil in a tone of profound amazement. T wrote to the references. all those you gave me. and not one of them mentioned that you had been mixed up with a gang, or involved with the police. Nor that Pietro had been in jail for bootlegging."
 "But of course.' explained Benitd simply. when you give a reference for how good you are, you send people to your friends and not your enemics."
 They're more dumb than any- thing else,' explained Marker in low voice. "I've got report of all this from the police. and they call them dumb but not vicious" Il lTo Do C0ntinued)