The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-11-06

longer obey, and occasionally scolding
Maria as he had never done in his
NE. Poverty, real sharp poverty, re-
tented them and seemed like riches
now by contrast; the small compensa-
ton from the factory, the fowls and
the turkeys, and Pepita'S lace were
still not enough to keep the family,
though h and her mother worked
early and late and the bobbins clattered
till far into the night. Things had to
be sold.even in an Italian peasant
household there are one or two things
to sell. The beautiful cassone with the
carved front in which Maria had
brought home her trousseau when she
married had to go; it brought in many
lire, which eased matters for a time.
But 1t had been her mothers, and only
those whose beautiful possessions are
limited to n or two know how much
they symbolic, how profound and per-
sonal is the loss when they are gone.
Pepita, working her hardest, strug-
Cling to help in every way she could,
looked on with bewildered eyes at this
al! consuming misery that had en-
quilted them. It seemed so confusing
and extraordinary after the quiet and
stable years. She did not know, poor
lamb, how close to the abyss of acute
poverty that stable seeming happy
life had always stood-all she real
ized was that it was her Babbo's i'll
ness which not only made him so mis-
cradle and caused him that dreadful
pain, but which had somehow plunged
the whole family into this discomfort,
anxiety, n distress. If Babbo could
only be cured all would be well with
them once more
Now Pepita had a little friend called
B1anchina, a girl a year or two older
than herself; they both went to school
IN winter and in summer often sat to-
gether over their lacemaking under the
lated with great vivacity a wonderful
thing which had happened to her. She
had a canary, and this canary had
long troubled her by singing very loudly
early in the morning; it walked her up,
n do what she would she could not
keep it quiet. At last it became so
troublesome that she could really bear
1t no longer, and on a day when she
chanced to be in the town she went into
the church of San Filippo and offered
a little candle to the saint with a
prayer that he would make the canario
oe silent in he morning. And 10 and
behold the very next day she slept
quite late and when she woke up there
was n canary dead in its cage! That,
OF course, was rather unfortunate; but
did it not show how powerful San
F11ppo was to answer prayers?
This story excited Pepita very much.
She regarded the death of the canary
as an undoubted miracle. San Filippo
must be a very powerful saint as we'll
as g prompt and active one. And if he
could help Bianchina in her small
trouble why should he not help them
IN their great one? The more she
thought about it the more important
1t seemed to her that she should apply
to him herself-of course in due form,
and Offering q candle. She asked
Blanchina a dozen questions about the
church, and where she got her taper,
LOT she seldom went into the town
Giacomo and his family always at
tended mas in a little white church
among the fields close by. The candle
was the great difficulty. OF course the
saint could kill Bianchina's canary for
quite q small candle, but to make her
lear Babbo well again wa a much
more difficult and important thing
and Tor that a very big one would
surely be necessary and would certainly
cost q great deal Of money. How could
she possibly buy it? For she had no
money OF her w and she could not
ask her poor mother, worried as she
was, for any. Besides a sure instinct
told her that it would be better If the
plan were kept q secret between her
and San Filippo until it was accom-
pushed. Then when the miracle came
70 pas how splendid q surprise for her