The Storyteller.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 29, 19 November 1897, Page 23

The Storyteller.

PEDRO : THE TALE OF A YOUNG TRAMP.

(By A. E. BUCHANAN, in the Catholic World.)

It was evening- time — evening for the labouring man ; for the need one also ; and for the tired, foot-sore beggar-boy, who trudged along to the only roof that sheltered him, and to the hard master who had beguiled him from his happy home in Southern Italy to work for the daily bread of them both. Pedro was only a tiny boy when Dodo Ramsay — so-called— took him t% for a sail in a beautiful ship to see the tine prairie-land :" but he was not too young to realise that all he then paw was considerably unlike, and not to bo compared with, his own dear home ; and this thought left an aching void in his young heart, whioh seemed to increase as he grew older, even though he had the consolation of hearing Dodo once .say chat he was only to be with him •' just while he was a boy." At nightfall it was Pedro's duty to return from the city with the pence that he had earned by singing aud playing on the little harp that he carried and played all day long. Sometimes he was so fortunate as to earn several dollars, but if he were ever compelled to return with a less sum than mtr dollar a summary chastisement was visited upon him for the deficiency ; and it happened that this evening the poor boy was returning with only (SO cents, after a day of untiring efforts to gain more. This was, happily a rare occurrence. Well knowing what awaited him, Pedro had scarcely the heart to go back ; but he was always sincerely true to duty. So onward he went. Dodo was, as usual, in the smoky corner of his hut. awaiting the result of the boy's toil. " How much ?" was the surly greeting from the miserable old man. Pedro shook with fear, but bracing himself, as he always had done, for the fiery ordeal, he put the copper coins upon the table, and was turning to effect a retreat, when Dodo dealt him such a blow across the face that the poor boy staggered and with difficulty retained his consciousness. But that recuperative power of his nerved him in his need, and, reaching the door, he managed to gain the kindly refreshing evening air. After bathing his aching head and resting awhile, he felt less the smart of the blow than the base ingratitude of the man for whom lie hud honestly worked in heat and hunger and thirst. Such was Pedro. There was a cottage not far from the hut in which lived an aged couple — Jean Beaujour and his wife Eugenic. These j>ood people were fond of Pedro, and, knowing the ill-treatment he sometimes received, generally watched ior him as lie went m the evening to do the " chores." Seeing him leaving the hut evidently in tears. they made ready a parcel of cakes for his pockets as soon as the}' perceived him at the barn ; for they were aware that Dodo wa-under-feeding him, besides giving the lad slill less when he returned with any amount under a dollar : so that on this miserable night the poor boy limped back to the hut comforted by his good friend-.. and able again to l;\ee his enemy. Dodo bestowed upon him a basin of bread soaked in water, which, after the be.iuiiful hot cak-s he had eaten in the b.irn. hardly served tor digestion before lying down to rest upon his .sumw pallet. Feeling somewhat stiff in the morning, after he had completed his early work and oaten his trugtil breakfast, he *»< t out once more to try his luck in the big city, the sueets ot which he was beginninu to know by heart. After a walk ot more than three miles — tor Dodo took caiv to live well out of town — Pedro bo.: an his niinstrul-y in a busy cornei' or one of the ciowded thorouj;lilaros loading to th" city. By some influence, nna countable to tho c who never tike note of the diplomacy of L'ro\i luikc, hi-* voice wo,-, never sweeter than when he co'i.menct'il h s htilj son;:, one tli.it lie had learned as a child m Italy — " La Poila" — and the pj.s-.eiv- by --topped to listen as it spellbound by such tweet strains com ing iruin the p~or l» u» ir-1. d. Their pity soon be ame practical, lor one alter another the bright silver coins were put into his cap. which wa? pelting quite weighty : then followed a. real gold piece from a lwly who was passing somewhat hurriedly. Pedro could only s< c that she was '' un.i bella signora who lookid at him with bemtitul eyes." As he looke 1 upjn the shining coins, the result of only an hour's work, his heart l.Mp.'l tor joy, and the mist was in his eyes in spile of himself. Ju4 a-, much as he dreade I '/(-in^ home on the previous evening, he was glad to return to-day. His hea laehc— the memento ot his masters punishment — \vi» quite and his limbs — poor boy' they seemed to go oL themselves. Arriving tit thu hut. tin re w.ib Dodo in the same dusky corner as ever, and with the same surly countenance ; but he raised one eye to look at the la/1. and lo ' what a change. He had seen in an instant, by Pedro's tell-tale face, that something unusually pleasant had occurred, arid his adim iiitine heart was melted accordingly. Down went coin after com upon the table : nickles. dimes, quartet, dollars, and — Pedro held it a momeat pUyiully — a twenty-dollar gold piece ! How bn»ht. how beautif al it looke.l. Dodo's eyes sparkled with delight. " That's all," said the b y. " And enough too. uiy Lid ; vor.i good, vera good for one day : you shall have vera line supper," and Pedro went, considerably to do his " chores." Turning off at tho back of the birn in Older to run to tell the Beaujours of his good luck, he thought lie heard an unusual sound coming, it seemed, from the direction of the hut ; but after stopping for some minutes to listen, and not hearing it again, lie hurried on aud gave the old folks an account of his good luck. This done, he ran back to finish his work, and then returned to the hut. But a terrible sight awaited him ! There, beneath a huge rafter that bad fallen from the ceiling, lay Do.lo- Pedro endeavoured to release him, but could not bring him to consciousness. He ran to the

cottage for Jean, and then to the city for a doctor ; and the two returned with all speed, but too late. Dodo had shown but one sign of consciousness, and, Jean said he then murvnured something like " Peoca — Pedro — Peccavi." and foil b.tok dead. "Ah, yes; poor Dodft !" said Pedro, "he was aityinjr he was .sorry. God have mercy on him !" When the earth had closed over wh.it remained of the man who, for greed of grain, had b 'en so cruel and hard a muster to an innocent boy, and they were talking over th" incidents of the last few days, it occurred to Jean that a board in the corner of the hut was broken or loosened by the fall. " Pedro." said the old man, '"did you notice how that board in the corner was out of pla;e .'" To \\hidb. Pedro replied in the negative. "We must look to that," co ti.nued Jean. " I wonder what made Dodo stick to that corner m the way he did. Did you ever know what became of all tho momy y«>u earned ? He never spent any. for he never left the hut ; and the little he gave to you to bring groceries and things was but a litt'e i'uiLed. What could he have done with it all .'" Pedro was no better informe 1 ihnn he. so that he could only think over what seemed to him a great mystery. '•If you could find something of >our earnings, my boy, we should be happy. What did he do with it all .'" Jean paced the room and wondered. Suddenly he thought of something that appeared to throw a light upon the subject ; and Eugene simultaneously asked if there was no place in the hut where he kept it ? Pedro had never noticed, but Jean said : " En fin /" — Jean was a Frenchman — and suddenly waking up, as if from a dream, he suggested that they should all take a walk to the solitary hut. " Here, Pedro," said he, going to the comer — Dodo's favourite place, and where the rafter fell — '• this is what I mean ; what's the matter here ?" And they tugged at the plank to put it into its place, when a screw gave way and it came out altogether, revealing at the same time something that resembled an old sack. '• Ah, le bon Dieu !" echoed Jean solemnly. " This was his bank : no wonder the man stuck to this corner ; it's pretty weighty ; " and he dragged it on to the floor. It was found to be upwards of four hundred dollars, and he proposed that th y should take it to a bank at once. '• This will help you along, anyhow, my lad, " said Jean thankfully ; and Pedro responded with gratitude and joy. The boy had long- cherished a scheme which he had not rovealel. even to them. The idea was awakend one evening when, having pleased Dodo by bii'ining home several dollars, the latter talked very freely of Italy, :.nd implied that his — Pedro's — mother and sister were there ; while, on a map that the boy had in his atlas, he showed him the place where the family owned an citato. Many other little stories of the boy's babyhood were related "which Pulro Übed to pondpr over ve-y often, as he tramped along his weaiy way. It was still early in the day. mj that .Jean put the newly-discovered money into a satchel, and they both set off to the nearest bank to depobit it safely. The same old road to the city. Pi dro ; but now under what different circumstances ! Your worn-out cli this- are ;.b( ut to be cast away, and kind old Jean, who is by no ny ans devoid of good ta.ste w ill see you in a bwommg suit before you li aye the city sjgnin. It was touching to the moist cvln ot lu> good h\ond-> when he «tooi on the threshold of their cottage door the embodiment of all that was good and handsome. Ho uvs p,de and sal-looking still, but the interior peace that had marked thy bny's life kipt him sarong to bar the r.-aetion attendant upon mi ami 'dun and;; rear change in his eventful lite. Then follow ed tlio-c hah yon d.ijs nf oilmathr storm, and the old people began to wi-u th it " ciich a,s Pedro " couid "alw.iy-i bide with them." liut the boy u«i>d to study the mnp of It ily. and he told then of the places \\ hero Dodo said his l.vnily li.id livid. •• Don't you thinic Monsieur Jean, that I could find subii' of them if I wire to uo bao'c no.v '"' he r^ked timidly (,n<> day v\ hen he w as sj)e<iallv int<")l o;i tracing railway line-, on a map in an old timc-iablc that 1.0 had become po^c-sed ot. '• I don't see l/mr, my boy ; but I do wi-h you could. f.>r they're your own. and Dodo told u-* he ouirht not to ha\ c brought you out here. It wjs-n't lii^ name they go by, i.nd I don't s-ee how you could, find them. Of course you can go to Italy eis-y en'>U'jh, nowadays, with a ticket str.i ght to the place : but, my poor buy, I'd grieve to ha\ c you los*" yo'irseli and your nionjy, and yet into trouble^ again," urged the old man. '• I wouldn't talc* more money than T wanted," rejoined Pedro ; and Jean t-aw that the id^a was settled in the noy's lnnid. and that it nius-c betairied out. To one who had never been tc^s-ed on the sea ot life this might have been too bold an adventure ; but to Pedro it was a pleasant pastime, with bright anticipations. (To he continual.)

Father Francis B'lrnum, eminentS.J., tlic Alaska explnivr, who has ju-.t Ijofii appointed to Washington, his also been appointed librarian at Georgetown College. He has lately come into a fortune of ahouL '2~k ( 'o!> (101 l »r-i. aid hLs prosencj in Washington is required for the settlement of the estate. F.ither Ban\utn is aKo enu'i»e lin compiling a grammar and dictionary of the Eskimo Luiguage, works which he liope-. to complete during the coming winter, with the a»tiistance of skilful ethnologists coiinc.-ted with the Smit.h>onian. Institute. IIr» sailed from Siika on July iS, an I will reach Georgetown next week. Just at this particular tmio Father liarnnin's coming is of unusual interest. lie is oi\p of the btst living authorities on the natural resources of Alaska. Before the present goM fever about the Klondike region ha-1 broken out, Father Harnum liad written many interesting stories in. Tin .h w n,/ r of the S.trrril I [curt anl other Catholic publications, predicting the wondrous wealth ot this apparently barren country.