Evening star., 1935-07-07

OLD and grand and haunted with
memories which seemed somehow
familiar to me, although I did not
know them. A vast place, run down,
shabby, but still superbly dignifed -
and blazing with lights once a year
when my aunt who lived there took
her few scant lire and gave a ball to
the nobility. She'd starve to do it,
but it was an iron-clad custom"
II know" | told him. I've had
glimpses of that sort of thing in
France"
But that was only the beginning.
You should see the ancestral home it.
self high on a crag which rises startling
ly from the Venetian plain, outside of
Padua. You know, it was like lone
mesa on the desert, only sadder and
more heart-catching, because it had
been made by human hands,
I've been only little further west
than Hoboken," remarked. but |
think know what you mean"
Il suppose it's unreasonable" he
continued. but when your own people
have built pile like that and lived in
it for centuries, it isn't easy to rush
out and put it on the real-estate
market as if it were cheap develop
ment home. Also. quickly found out
that Italy doesn't 60 in for that
sort of thing. There are laws and so
forth. Even about the farms. dozens of
little places spread out at the castles
base - the same peasant families
have been living there for God knows
how long - and this is the darndest
part of it, they we're looking TO me TO
saue them!
Il was the guy who was supposed to
take charge and make up for my
fathers extravagances and mis-
management and assure these people
they weren't going to lose their
homes! They welcomed me as if was
the Red Cross in Chinal 1t never
crossed their fool minds that l had
any idea of doing anything except sit
down and help them with their
problems - they'd kiss my hand and
bless me - hell! 1t broke me up.
Letting them down would be like
letting down a bunch of helpless
children!
And speaking of letting people
down." he exclaimed, there was the
family. Dozens of them - aunts,
uncles. cousins - duchesses. dukes
and counts - all wonderful people
and all looking to me to do the right
thing. They we're every one of them
big shots in their own right. but l
was head-man, the Prince, the Head
of the Family. They treated me with
respect - old ladies and gentlemen,
who at home would be telling ME
where l got off. asked me what
wanted them to do. 1t made me dizzy,
l tell you. and it tore my heart out.
They were all so swell and so helpless,
and they were all bound to hang it on
me. and in spite of my not speaking
any Italian, l got to like many of them
a lot. They seemed to think that my
American training made me om-
nipotent in saving the family fortunes,
and here Id given up a sixty-dollar-
a-week job to come over "a job l
needed, too"
"Oh. but | understand" said. II
think you're wonderful to think as
you do! In fact, I think you're a
terribly nice person."
He flashed me one of those honest
and direct looks of his, and this time
his eyes held something deeper, some
thing more keenly personal than l
dared to recognize. Nevertheless,
flame leapt in me and answered him.
Il think you're wonderful, toor'
said he, in a scarcely audible tone.
Then he pulled himself together and
when he spoke again. the sweet danger
was gone from his voice.
THE more looked into the family
ha e,;l sGAL.