The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-22

ing Field, to see big new war plane
make an exhibition flight, and
Antinori was there.
He had on his cheap black Sunday
clothes, and derby on his narrow
head, and he was hurrying across
the field with touch of color in his
thin cheeks and a look of interest
and enthusiasm that amazed me.
WE, and most of the other
w Americans there, were good
deal stirred up just then by a lot
Of things. I remember my wife
and / had been hearing q good deal
of talk about how big machines
like the one that was getting ready
to take off were going to make it
possible for the United States to
win the peace OF the world and then
stabilize it.
We thought that now that our
country was into it with both hands
and both feet, it was all going to
be stopped forever. Whatever the
world may think of that now, it
was an exciting idea then.
The air was full of it, as it is of
electricity on the tops of the highest
peaks of the Rockies. You could
feel it in the back of your neck.
But 1 didn't think Antinori could
with a wife who hated him-too
Indifferent TO look up when the
most important people on earth
went past his window-buried in
debt and old shoes.
We watched him in establishment
as he went along out there at the
alrtield, stumbling in his hurry, half
laughing and talking aloud, and it
struck me that maybe he had gone
a little crazy.
A ND then we saw what it was.
L n I'm sorry if I seem to have
oeen making too much of it. Heaven
knows it was simple enough. 1t was
just his son. But-maybe it's sem
tlmental to put it like that; maybe
1t was because of what was in the
air, as l said; maybe it was because
we were going to have baby soon
ourselves; but-well-you can laugh
If you like-but it seemed to us that
there was Antinori's soul running
on ahead of him.
There were two. young officers
there. one of the visiting bersagliers
and an American flier. They got in
front of the kid and blocked his
way, to see what he would do. The
little Antinori came to attention
and saluted as solemnly as a gen.
eral.
There was something Sc attrac-
tive and graceful and unself- Icon
sclouS about the way he did it that
they burst out laughing; we did,
toe, and so did his father and our
eyes met. tt wasn't funny, though,
We weren't amuSed-we were some
how awfully touched. all three
of us.
THE officers swung the child UP
Il between them and carried him
off toward the place where the big
planes rested like a flock of rocs
from the Arabian Nights, his small
head and eager little body out
lined against the blue sky, bobbing
along between the cock feathers of
the old country an6 the overseas
cap of the new.
Before he followed them his
father stood there looking at me.
I saw that for the first time he
was seeing me.
Hes fine boy. Mr.. Antinori,"
I said, hoping ours was going to
be boy, too; and something made
me stick out my hand.
He took it, and his eyes got even
brighter and his cheeks redder.
"Yes-yes-yes!" he said rapidly, as
the Italians do. "Citizenl Born
here! Americana" And went on off
after him with that look on his
face-the Italians show their feel
ings you know-that made me say
what I did about his soul. His soul
that's going marching on, what
ever happens to him back there
behind his wall of old shoes, with
his bitter wife and his
debtSl
WTHEN people go jogging past
w me on their way into citizen
Ship-all the nations of the earth
like coffee beans through coffee
mill-asserting that they are "at-
tached to the principles of the Con-
stitution of the United States" I
find myself less and less sure every
year of the strength of the process
arranged by Congress and more and
more sure of the one arranged by
nature.
When I hear that sonorous oath
OF allegiance in which they "abso-
solutely and entirely renounce and
ablure all allegiance and fidelity to
acy foreign prince, potentate, state
or sovereign" go booming over
their heads. I've come to feel that
they probably mean it, even if they
don't understand a word of 1t, If
they've got a native born kid or two
that they are concerned with watch
ing go marching on ahead of them
into Americanism.
THE END.
Copyright. 1885. by News synd.cats
Co.. 1nc.l