NAPLES, AND A NEW LIFE
Pappina stood on the deck, holding fast to the railing for support. Her
face was livid, her body shook. She looked anxiously toward the shore
to see if she had been followed. There were no signs of Guiseppe!
She kept her eyes riveted on the boys splashing in the water until they
appeared mere specks in the distance. Then, worn out with excitement,
she sank down and burst into tears. Stifling her sobs, presently the
child fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
The captain, passing that way, saw Pappina curled up on the deck. He
could not see her winsome, beautiful face, for it was buried in her
arms as she lay there sleeping. He saw just a child with a tattered,
dirty dress and ragged little shoes. He gave her a kick.
"Get up," he said. "What are you doing here? This is no place for
beggars; move on."
Pappina jumped up quickly. He had called her a beggar. She looked at
him with flashing eyes.
"Beggar!" cried she. "No, signor, I'm not a beggar. You want money?
I have it, I can pay." She began to unfasten one of her little worn
shoes. The captain stood watching her, perplexed.
"What does it mean?" he asked himself. "She has such beauty and pride,
and her clothes are so poor! She is alone and has money in her shoe. I
am puzzled this time, for sure."
He tugged fiercely at his long black mustache, waiting to see what she
would offer him from her store. She brought up coins and handed him a
franc.
"Is that enough, signor?" she asked. "I have more."
Looking into the unfathomable depths of those great velvet eyes, the
captain would have refused the wealth of Croesus had she offered it.
Her beauty and her independence conquered him.
"Keep your money, child. As long as I run the boat you ride free."
"_Grazie, buono signor_ [Thanks, good sir]. May I go inside? The boat
rocks so. I feel--may I lie down just a little while, signor? I have
my tambourine and I can sing and dance for you by-and-by when my
head--when I am not so dizzy."
"Go inside, child, and lie down. I will look after you soon."
Pappina, catching hold of chairs and benches to steady herself,
staggered inside and lay down, dizzy and faint. She was too sick even
to think or to wonder where the boat was taking her.
The steamer was filled with people returning from Capri and the
wonderful Blue Grotto. Among the tourists was Mrs. Elinor Thurston, a
childless American widow traveling abroad with friends, seeking some
new interest from day to day--anything to make her forget the loss of
her husband and her only child. She noticed Pappina's pale, beautiful
face and her glorious eyes. There was something about the child that
reminded Mrs. Thurston of her boy. She watched Pappina intently as the
little girl threw herself on the floor. The forlorn figure interested
her, lying with her tambourine tightly clasped in her hands.
"Poor child!" she murmured softly.
"Such a picture!" exclaimed one of the tourists. "I must take a
snap-shot of this typical little Italian beauty."
Pappina, hearing voices near her, opened her eyes. Her glance fell upon
the sweet face of Mrs. Thurston, who sat looking kindly at her. The
child smiled faintly, closed her eyes again, and was asleep.
That smile won Mrs. Thurston. She watched to see who was with the
little girl, and seeing no one she inquired of the captain:
"Tell me, who is with that beautiful child?" Her face was diffused with
tender, earnest solicitude as she gazed at the little figure lying at
their feet.
"No one, apparently; she seems to be alone."
The captain then related to Mrs. Thurston how the little girl had taken
money from her shoe and offered it to him for her fare.
Pappina began to talk in her sleep.
"He struck me," she murmured. "It hurt me so!" They tried to make out
her words, so jumbled at first, then clearer and louder, till she
fairly screamed: "Guiseppe, how dare you strike me? Marta, hold him. I
hate him! I wish he were dead--I do, for I hate him!"
Mrs. Thurston stooped and took hold of the child's hot little hand.
"See how flushed her face is!" she whispered. "Her pulse is too quick;
she is feverish, poor child," she said with pity as she gently picked
her up and placed her on a sofa.
"She is my charge and I'll stay with her," she told the friends who
urged her to go on deck and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
"Scenery!" she exclaimed as she took Pappina's hand in hers. "There
is nothing so beautiful as this child. I am almost hoping no one will
claim her when we land at Naples, for I need her. Her eyes are like my
Harold's, so--" She could not finish the sentence for the tears that
welled to her eyes and the sorrow that choked her.
At Naples no one came for Pappina, alone and sick, still tossing her
head in pain and fever.
"I cannot leave her," her new friend declared. "She must be cared for.
Oh, how glad I am that I can do everything for her!"
Pappina, still unconscious, was carried to a carriage and taken to the
International Hospital.
"See that every attention is given her," Mrs. Thurston said. "Leave
nothing undone. Here is my card, and I am responsible for her. I will
be back in the morning."
It was hard for Mrs. Thurston to leave Pappina, but friends were
waiting for her and there was an engagement to fulfill.
The nurse put Pappina to bed, dressed in a little white nightgown, the
first she had ever worn.
Early the following day Mrs. Thurston called.
"How is she?" she inquired eagerly. "Still unconscious? Take me to her.
All night I have thought and dreamed of her. Her eyes have haunted me
even in my sleep. Take me to her."
She asked anxiously if any one had sought the child.
"No one? Oh, joy! Perhaps I may have her for my own."
Enrichetta, the nurse, showed the welts on the child's body--two red
marks from Guiseppe's stick.
"_Povera figlietta_ [Poor little girl]," she said. "It is now quite
certain she will have a run of fever."
The excitement and strain of the past few weeks had proved too much
for Pappina. In her delirium it was always of Guiseppe she spoke.
She would beg, plead and defy him, start to sing, then cry: "The
tambourine will make no music. It is broken. I cannot sing or dance
now, Guiseppe, for my head hurts and the sun is so hot."
It was easy to gather from her delirious talk some idea of the hard
life she had led.
No artist's dream could have appeared more beautiful than she, as she
lay in her bed. Mrs. Thurston came every day, sometimes twice, to see
her. In Pappina she had found a real interest in life; and her motherly
heart warmed toward this lovely, abused child.
True love for Pappina sprang up in her heart in the days of the child's
convalescence. In the long talks the two had together there was never a
word of complaint against Guiseppe. The physician and nurse in charge
with Mrs. Thurston questioned her and she willingly told them all, but
never with complaints.
"I think I was as bad as I could be, because, you see, Guiseppe paid
money for me, and sometimes when I was tired I did not want to sing and
dance. Oh, please don't make me go back to him!"
"I will find Guiseppe," declared Mrs. Thurston. "I will pay him back
with interest all he paid for you, and you may be my little girl if you
will."
"Your little girl! I the little girl of such a lady!" The bright look
on the child's face changed as she continued:
"You haven't seen my clothes. The red dress was splendid before I
spoiled it and my shoes were new once."
"Never mind the clothes. New clothes go with your new life, dear."
All the time Pappina was recovering, Mrs. Thurston was having search
made for Guiseppe. Two days before Pappina left the hospital, he was
found on the Toledo with his Punchinellos. Those employed to find him
were looking for a Punchinello showman with a brown-haired, pale-faced
English wife. All about Naples they searched, but in vain.
Finding, one day, a man who exactly answered the description given
of Guiseppe, the detective stopped, watched his show a while, then
accosted him.
"I seek," he said, "for Guiseppe Capasso."
"I am he," replied Guiseppe.
"I have passed you many times," continued the detective. "I sought a
man with a wife, an Englishwoman who passes the hat."
"_Ohime_ [Ah, me]!" exclaimed Guiseppe. "I had a wife, but she is no
more. A sudden illness took her from me. Poor Marta!" Guiseppe bowed
his head in sorrow.
"I came to speak of the child."
"Pappina!" cried Guiseppe. "Where is she? Poor Marta, _sposa mia_ [my
wife]--she died with Pappina's name on her lips." Guiseppe sobbed in
sincere grief.
For a time he seemed to forget everything but the loss of his patient,
long-suffering wife. Gradually it was made known to him that there was
money awaiting him if he would give up all claim to Pappina. Guiseppe
never paid for Pappina what Mrs. Thurston paid Guiseppe. She wanted
Pappina and money was no object to her.
They thought best not to speak to Pappina of her home, but let her
forget about it as soon as possible. Pietro was proud to give his child
to so grand a lady, who would educate and do for her as her very own.
So it came about that Mrs. Elinor Thurston adopted Pappina Pierno.
Nothing could have been sweeter than Pappina when she was dressed for
the first time after her illness. Those who were with her laughed and
cried to see her fondle her clothes. Such wonderful underwear, so sheer
and dainty, with ribbon and lace! Her delight was almost pathetic. If
Mrs. Thurston was hungry for affection she certainly found all she
desired in Pappina, with her impulsive, appreciative nature.
Mrs. Thurston seemed to live only in and for the child. Such shopping
days as they had! Such a trunk full of clothes as they bought--dresses,
hats, coats, gloves, handkerchiefs--and perfume too, if you please!
They were a month in Naples and Switzerland; then Mrs. Thurston decided
she would go home, back to America to have Pappina learn English and
begin her education.
"I'm really going to America to live, and not just to run away from
Guiseppe? Sometimes, mamma," shyly she said to Mrs. Thurston, "I think
I must be dreaming, but if I am, I never want to awaken."
"We will keep your tambourine for our souvenir, _carissima_, and when
you think you are only dreaming, just strike your tambourine."
BUNNY and BEAR BOOKS
By
LAURA ROUNTREE SMITH
For Grades 2-3
Few books for little folks have attained the popularity that has been
accorded the Bunny and Bear Books. Rabbit and bear life with all its
quaintness and humor forms the nucleus around which these entertaining
stories are woven. Each book is a continuous story, complete in itself.
The many illustrations are in the fullest sense both illustrative and
explanatory. Cloth. Illustrated.
THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL
Tells of Bunny's early experiences, his school days, naughty pranks,
friendship for Susan Cotton-Tail, troubles with Farmer Jones, etc.
95 pages. 16 illustrations and frontispiece in colors.
Price, 25 cents.
BUNNY BOY AND GRIZZLY BEAR
Relates the doings of Bunny Boy, a waif that came to the home of Bunny
and Susan Cotton-Tail, and the stories that Grizzly Bear told them.
112 pages. 36 illustrations and frontispiece in colors.
Price, 25 cents.
BUNNY BRIGHT EYES
The experiences of Bunny Bright Eyes are many and varied. He takes
part in a county fair, performs at a circus, etc.
98 pages. 16 illustrations and frontispiece in colors.
Price, 25 cents.
THREE LITTLE COTTON-TAILS
Here we spend days with Mother Cotton-Tail and her three children.
Their home life, troubles and pranks, their visit to relatives, etc.,
both interest and amuse us.
98 pages. 13 illustrations and frontispiece in colors.
Price, 25 cents.
LITTLE BEAR
Little Bear is the youngest of a family of seventeen cubs. Other
characters of the forest take active part in the story.
126 pages. 30 illustrations and frontispiece in colors.
Price, 30 cents.
SEVENTEEN LITTLE BEARS
A happy account of the clever doings of a family of seventeen bears;
their education, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
128 pages. 21 illustrations and frontispiece in colors. Price, 30
cents.
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY CHICAGO
GREAT AMERICAN INDUSTRIES
By
F. W. ROCHELEAU
In Four Volumes. For Grades 5-8.
The study of industry and commerce is receiving more and more attention
in our schools each year, and the matter contained in these books is
most desirable to supplement the regular course. The series, too, is
unique in that it presents a history as well as a description of topics
discussed. This feature makes it a valuable asset in connection with
the study of history, while knowledge of these processes is also often
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The subject-matter has been obtained from direct observation and
consultation of the most recent standard authorities. Care has been
taken in the selection of topics to include only those which are of
general interest on account of their relation to our everyday life, and
the development of the nation. Each book is profusely illustrated with
reproductions of photographs, drawings, maps, charts, etc., elucidating
the text and adding greatly to the value of the work.
MINERALS
Treats of Coal, Petroleum, Natural Gas, Iron, Marble, Granite, Slate,
Gold, Silver, Copper and Zinc.
_With sixty-four illustrations. 213 pages. Cloth. Price, 50 cents._
PRODUCTS OF THE SOIL
Takes up Lumber, including valuable matter on forests and forestry,
Sugar, Cotton, Indian Corn, Wheat, and Fruits.
_With fifty-seven illustrations. 194 pages. Cloth. Price, 50 cents._
MANUFACTURES
Treats of the manufacture of Motors, Glass, Leather, Boots and Shoes,
Dressed Meats, Pins, Needles, Pencils, Pens,
Paper, Newspapers, and also of Printing.
_With forty-eight illustrations. 222 pages. Cloth. Price, 50 cents._
TRANSPORTATION
Traces the history of each branch of the transportation industry from
the early period until the present time, devoting due space to modern
methods of transportation and communication. The arrangement is as
follows: Primitive Methods of Travel and Transportation, Roads and
Carriages, Waterways, Inland Waterways, Railways, Electric Railways,
Mountain Railways, Express, Carrying the Mails.
_With colored map and sixty-seven illustrations. 263 pages. Cloth.
Price, 60 cents._
A LIBRARY OF TRAVEL
The Little Journeys Series
For Grades 5-8. Nineteen uniform volumes.
These charming books of reliable, up-to-date information, are an
acknowledged superior series of geographical readers. They furnish
a unique and vivid portrayal of each country in discriminating and
attractive language well within the range and comprehension of children
of the intermediate and upper grades.
We learn of the climate and size of countries visited in comparison
with that of our own; of the habits, customs and conditions of the
people as seen in their homes and daily occupations; their dress,
manner of living, their personal appearance and manners; the scenery
and natural features of the country; its commerce and industries,
etc. And the descriptions are interspersed with historic and literary
allusions that add to the interest. National songs (words and music)
and vocabularies of proper and typical names are also given. The scores
of handsome pictures help to make the reading-matter more effective.
Each book is to one or more different countries and contains from 160
to 240 pages, with colored maps, colored flags, and from 60 to 80
illustrations. Complete alphabetical index.
The books have been selected for use by State Library Boards and
Reading Circles, adopted as supplementary readers in most of our
largest cities, and have received the enthusiastic support of teachers
and superintendents everywhere.
The following volumes have been issued:
Alaska and Canada
China and Japan
Cuba and Porto Rico
England and Wales
France and Switzerland
Germany
Hawaii and the Philippines
Holland, Belgium and Denmark
Italy, Spain and Portugal
Mexico and Central America
Northern Wilds (of America)
Norway and Sweden
Russia and Austria
Scotland and Ireland
South Africa and Up the East Coast
Turkey, The Balkans and Greece
Our Western Wonderland (California)
Throughout the Great Southwest (of U.S.)
Some Strange Places and Peoples in Our
Southwestern Land (New Mexico and
Arizona)
The books are handsomely bound in uniform cloth editions, size
5½ X 7½ inches. Price, per volume, 50 cents.
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY CHICAGO
New Publications
THE CORN LADY: The Story of a Country Teacher's Work. By (Miss)
Jessie Field, Co. Supt. of Schools, Page County, Iowa. "The Corn
Lady" is composed of a series of delightful and inspiring letters
from "A Country Teacher" to her appreciative country "Daddy" on
country-school and country-life improvement. Each letter is a record
of practical experience, teeming with understanding of and enthusiasm
for an awakening of true, contented, productive rural life. With
twenty-five illustrations from photographs, and a supplement containing
the author's Farm Arithmetic--twenty-nine pages of rural arithmetic
problems. 107 pages. Cloth. Price, 50 cents.
DAILY LESSON PLANS IN LANGUAGE: For Second and Third Grades of
Elementary Schools. By R. Lena H. Guingrich. The purpose of this book
is to provide the teacher with daily lesson plans for primary language
work. Its contents cover the eight months. September to April, detailed
work being furnished for each day. Illustrated. 74 pages. Paper. Price,
25 cents.
SMITH AND RIEGE SONG BOOK, No. 1. By L. Rountree Smith and Clarence
L. Riege. Contains over a half hundred sweet, usable songs, original
and delightful in both words and music. Especially desirable for the
lower grades. 64 large pages. Paper. Price, 20 cents; per dozen, $2.25.
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PUBLIC SPEAKING. By J. E. Kammeyer, Kansas
State College, Manhattan, Kans. Supplies practical and systematic
instruction in the essentials of good delivery in reading and speaking,
together with over seventy-five selections as illustrative matter for
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STARVED ROCK: A Chapter of Colonial History. By Eaton G. Osman. The
only continuous narrative of the history of the "Rock of St. Louis,"
which the State of Illinois recently purchased for a public park. With
over twenty-five illustrations. 206 pages. Cloth. Price, 50 cents.
PLAYS AND COMEDIES FOR LITTLE FOLKS. By Marie Irish. Contains easy
dramatizations of six familiar child stories and seventeen original
plays and comedies for children, ages five to ten years. 172 pages.
Paper. Price, 30 cents.
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY CHICAGO
Supplementary Readers
for Lower Grades
_Figures after the titles denote the grades for which the books are
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The Brownie Primer. 1-2. Banta and Benson. With over sixty drawings,
beautifully printed in four colors. 98 pages $0.35
Robinson Crusoe Reader. 1-2. Cowles. With suggestions for industrial
training and simple dramatization. 115 pages .30
Work That Is Play. 1-2. Gardner. A dramatic reader based on Æsop's
fables. Over fifty superb illustrations. 160 pages .35
A Collection of Easy Little Classics. 1-2. Twenty-nine favorite
stories from Æsop, Grimm, Mother Goose, Longfellow, etc. 172 pages .30
Two Little Indians. 1-2. Maguire. A story of Indian childhood, with
nearly fifty illustrations, five in colors. 100 pages .30
The Bunny Books. 2-3. Smith. Quaint and entertaining stories
of rabbit and other forest life. Four volumes: The Tale of Bunny
Cotton-Tail, Bunny Boy and Grizzly Bear, Bunny Bright Eyes, Three
Little Cotton-Tails. Each has about 100 pages. Per volume .25
The Bear Books. 2-3. Smith. Companion volumes to the above: Little
Bear, and Seventeen Little Bears. Each has 128 pages. Per volume .30
Household Stories for Little Readers. 2-3. Klingensmith. Has
forty-one familiar stories and classic myths. 176 pages .35
A Child's Garden of Verses. 2-3. Stevenson. With introduction,
biography, and pronouncing and defining vocabulary. Over sixty
illustrations, many in colors. 132 pages .40
The Pied Piper and Other Stories. 2-3. Banta. Ten favorite tales
rearranged for young readers. 121 pages .30
Nature Myths and Stories. 2-3. Cooke. Greek, English, German and
Italian myths. Considered one of the classics of child literature. 102
pages .35
Little Classic Series. 1-8. Little readers for primary grades, at
low cost. Each has from 32 to 80 pages and is durably bound in paper
covers. Send for our Teachers' Catalogue, giving a complete list of
titles. Price each .05 and .12
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY CHICAGO
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Plain print and punctuation errors were corrected.
"X CHAPTER" is shown in the original, it has been changed to "CHAPTER
X" for consistency.
In the Table of Contents, at "CHAPTER III", the original reads "Fete
Day at Naples"; it has been changed in "Feste Day at Naples" as in
other places in the book.
Many of Italian words used in this book are incorrect; they have been
left as in original.