Year: 1860

Dack lToHl tiie Guy OF AQu1Ia llVeQ an OLD
peasant named Marino. His cot was at the
foot of the Apennines. and the mountain tor
rent rushed a't his door. 1t was late in the
evening, and the old peasant sat by the fire
side teaching his boy how to make net. Lui-
q Marino was only twelve years old, but he
was bright. active boy, and his assistance
was of no small account to his father He
was not as stout as old Marino could have
wished him, but yet the peasant saw that what
the lad lacked in physical endowments, he
more than made up in mental energy.


"What makes your hand tremble so father?'
asked the boy.


'Are you sure it trembled, Luigi"


"Ah, yes, and your lip trembles, too And
there is trouble your brow-and your eye
moves uneasily. What is it?"


The old man wondered at the aptness of
his boy,-he wondered how one so young.
could be possessed of such keen perceptions
but he remembered the faithful wife whom he
had put away into the tomb had been a being
of rare intellectual endowments, and he fan
cied that his son partook of her mind and
constitution. Tie old man had to- be ques-
toned the second time before he thought to
answer.


sI'll tell you my boy" he said, II am not
easy here. There has been warm rain upon
the mountains this afternoon, and fear the
snow is melting The torrent roars louder
and louder every moment"


The Hooked up into his fathers face,
and the unfinished net was laid aside


"If there is danger here, let us CO." he said
laying his hand upon the old mans knee.


Hardly had Luigi ceased speaking, when a
low moaning, rumbling noise broke upon his
er. 1t was distant, but it was fearfulIy dis
tinct. Nearer and nearer it came, until its
Voice was like thunder Marino started up in
terror and caught his boy by the arm.


at is upon us, )" he uttered "Let US flee at
once. o, feared this, but thought not it
would come SO soon. Come, my boy, you will
need all your strength now."


The old man rushed towards the door, and
dragged the boy after him. Away up on the
side of the towerine mour tain, he could see
the fiery sparks, where tumbling rocks were
crashing against each other in their mad de-
scent, and the thunder of the cataract broke
upon his ear with stunning noise With one
look up the dark mountain he caught his boy
IN his arms and fled towards the city On
came the mighty torrent, and OF fled the peas
ant, but the contest was fearfully unequal
Once Nlarino stopped and looked behind him,
and then again he fastened on. But his race
was short. The mountain avalanche of rocks
and trees, of snow and water, roared madly
behind him, and ere he could gain shelter he
was oVertaken and swept down. He struck
against huge rock that lifted its head from
the earth, and the vengeful torrent swept on
and left him there.


The morning sun broke over the mountain
and valley with its golden food; and John de
Castro, the noble Count of Avella, sent forth
his men to search for those who might have
been harmed by the terrific avalanche of the
night They reached the spot where Marino
had lived, but the tumble cot had been swept
away. Then they followed down The course
of the torrent, and at length they found a hu-
man form lodged against rock They pulled
| the form away, and beneath it lay smaller
form-the form of boy. TEey were the
bodies of Marino and his child. The father
was dead, but the son lived. The boy had not
been stricken with the death stroke, for the
stout form of his parent had shieide him. He
was only stunned ard cold. The men took up
the dead and the living, and carried them to
the dwelling of John de Castro. The unfor-
tunate peasant was laid away in the tomb by
the side of his wife, and the boy found home
with the people of the count.


/ De Castro had one child-a daughter, ma
med Irene. She was nearly of the same age
with Luigi Marino. They were the only chill
dren In the Counts dwelling, and they spent
much of their time together. Luigi loved the
gentle girl because she was SO good and kind
and because she was SO beautiful--because
L
consoled him with her tender words And
Irene loved the pale, dark eyed boy. She
loved him because his melancholy had enlist
ed her syrhpathies, and because his speech
told her of the noble heart that beat in his
j young bosom. And so these two childref
learned to love-one of them the orphan of
peasant, and the other the heiress Of Avella
| But the noble count dreamed not of danger in
their love. He was himself generous man
and it pleased him to see his little daughter
made happy in the companionship Of one Sc
near her own age; then the count was kline
! hearted man, and it gratiied him to know tha
the boy was uobly grateful for. the kindness
that was shown him. The elder Marino hat
supplied de Castro's table with fruit-he hat
always received the bounty of the count, ant
hence the boy was not altogether a stranger il
his new home.


i A year had passed away. Luigi had ceaset
to mourn for his parent; much of his life wa