United States or Costa Rica ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
At first he could scarcely believe that the boy, who had always been so obedient, could be guilty of such a grievous breach of discipline; but as calling and searching proved of no avail, at last, with a heavy heart, he had to admit that even good little Peppo had yielded to temptation.
We were told that we could take only hand luggage on the railways, but I took nine trunks and Peppo. I dressed Peppo in knickerbockers, made him brush his curls down over his ears like doughnuts, and carry a little violin-case. It took us eleven days to reach Naples. I got my trunks through purely by personal persuasion. Once at Naples, I had a frightful time getting Peppo on the boat.
Taking Totu by the hand, he slunk along in the shadow of the wall to the little gate, and soon the two were with the crowd out in the brilliantly lighted street. Father Somazzo was detained a short time, and when he returned to the classroom was dumbfounded to find his favorite pupil gone. He went to the window and called "Peppo, Peppo", but received no answer.
"Tell him that he is to let us come out on deck before we suffocate in this vile hole," commanded Lihoa. As soon as Peppo began to tell in English what he had been told to say, the boatswain cried out: "Ha, ha! So you are the interpreter, you little pigmy? Why, that's all right. How lucky! Come up. I am looking for you, but your pig-tailed cousins will have to stay down there.
"Thank your master for me," said Tycho, on returning the cup, "and tell him that I shall certainly repay him with some service for his good will." With this Tycho journeyed on, sought the bishopric, and told Peppo what he had done and what he proposed to do. After a full deliberation a definite plan was agreed upon, which the cunning fellow proceeded to put into action.
Bishop Peppo could wield sword and battle-axe with the best bishop, which is almost equivalent to saying with the best warrior, of his day, and did not fail to use, when occasion called, these carnal weapons.
"A week later Peppo came to me in a rage, with a paper called The American Gentleman, and showed me a page devoted to three photographs: Mr. and Mrs. Siegmund Stein, lately married in New York City, and Kitty Ayrshire, operatic soprano, who sang at their house-warming. Mrs. Stein and I were grinning our best, looked frantic with delight, and Siegmund frowned inscrutably between us.
As you know, I never sing private engagements; but to help the boy along, I consented. "On the night of the party, Peppo and I went to the house together in a taxi. My car was ailing. At the hour when the music was about to begin, the host and hostess appeared at my dressing-room, up-stairs. Isn't he wonderful? Your description was most inadequate.
Many shed tears, and Peppo, at the last moment, came flying in breathless. "Oh, Willy, Willy," he cried embracing him, "never, never shall I forget how good you were to me. Who will protect me now when they all tease me?" "Oh, but you are all here together and like each other so much," answered Willy. "Who is going to protect me from this bad man?"
Peppo could no longer contain himself: I saw how he crept down like a snake, and struck the blind man in his face, so that he lost both money and stick. 'Thou thief! cried my uncle, 'wilt thou steal money from me thou who art not even a regular cripple cannot see that is all! And so he will take my bread from my mouth." On great occasions Peppo could quit his board and straddle upon an ass.
Word Of The Day