The Sunbonnet Babies in Italy

by Eulalie Osgood Grover

  THE HUMPBACKED ISLAND

  "Where are we going, father?" demanded Molly, as the boat which theyhad just come aboard sailed slowly out toward the open sea.

  "And why did we climb onto this steamer 'way out here in the deepwater?" asked May.

  "Oh, this is part of the surprise for to-day," answered their father."Don't you like it?"

  "Of course we like it," said Molly. "I even like those pirates, thoughI am glad they have gone back to their cave. But please tell us wherewe are going, father."

  "Well, we are bound for the island of Capri, away off in the distance.It is about seven miles from here."

  "But why didn't this boat come to the shore and get us?" asked Mayagain.

  "Just because the water close to the shore is not deep enough for solarge a boat to sail on," said her father.

  "Did those men know you wanted to go on this steamer?"

  "Yes," answered her father. "It is their business to bring out intheir boats people who want to go to Capri."

  "Then they really are not pirates at all," said Molly in adisappointed voice.

  "No, I am afraid not," answered her father. "But they have helped youto play a real pirate's trick. How did you like it?"

  So they talked and asked questions as they sailed on over the clear,blue water, until the sun dropped suddenly behind the rim of thehumpbacked island. Then beautiful rainbow colors were poured out overthe sky and the sea and the island. But soon the rose and golden tintschanged to silver and violet, and the rocky old island looked like agreat purple camel with a double hump on its back, kneeling in a seaof shimmering blue and lavender.

  Between the humps nestled the pretty village of old Capri,surrounded by lemon groves and vineyards. High up on one of the humpsclung the little village of Anacapri, and close down by the water'sedge snuggled a few pink and white and blue houses waiting to welcometravelers who might come to their shore.

  It would be hard to tell all that Molly and May did and all that theysaw during four happy days on the island. The people of Capri seem tolive out of doors, for the warm sunshine and fresh breezes make summerand winter much alike there.

  Some of the streets of the little old town are no wider than Americansidewalks, and most of those that lead uphill have steps in them. Longago, when these streets were built, there were no horses and carriageson the island. People carried their heavy loads on their heads, or onthe backs of faithful donkeys.

  Donkeys can climb stairs almost as well as men, so they are still useda great deal on this mountainous little island, for there are only twoor three roads that horses and carriages can go over.

  _"Would the little girls like to ride on ourdonkeys?"_]

  As the Sunbonnet Babies took their first walk through the narrowstreets, they met a boy and girl coming down the hill on two smalldonkeys. The boy sprang quickly to the ground. He lifted his cap andsaid in polite Italian, with much motioning of his hands, "Buongiorno, signore. Would the little girls like to ride on our donkeys?"

  "Oh, thank you! Of course we should like to ride," answered Molly veryquickly.

  "Please may we both ride?" asked May.

  "Yes, indeed!" said the little Italian girl, jumping lightly from herdonkey. "We will take you over our whole island if you would like togo with us."

  "Goody!" exclaimed May. "Please take us first very, very high up wherewe can look 'way off over the blue sea toward America."

  "We will take you up the long stairs to Anacapri," said the boy. "Iwill get a carriage for your father and mother, and they can drive upover the fine new road."

  The Sunbonnet Babies did not understand all the boy's strange words,but they understood some of them, and they each understood the others'motion language. In a few moments Molly was proudly seated on one ofthe small donkeys and May on the other. Giorgio and Luisa, thefriendly Italian boy and girl, followed close behind them, while thechildren's parents rode comfortably along in a low carriage.

  They had gone only a short distance, however, when the two donkeysleft the smooth road and began to climb some steps cut into the steephillside. Giorgio and Luisa gave the donkeys each a sound slap tokeep them from turning back, for donkeys are lazy animals.

  _The donkeys began to climb some steps cut in thehillside_]

  Before the Sunbonnet Babies really knew what was happening, theirfather and mother were nearly out of sight around a bend in the road,quite far below the steps up which the donkeys were climbing.

  "Father! Father! Where are you going?" called May.

  "We are going to the same place you are. We are going to Anacapri,"her father shouted back. "Let us see who will get there first.Giorgio knows the way."

  "They are going the long and easy way, while we are going the shortand steep way," Giorgio said, with much motioning. "If these donkeysare not too lazy, we shall be there first," and he gave them eachanother quick rap on their backs with his hand.

  "You should not strike your donkeys, Giorgio," Molly said. "We canmake them go without your help."

  "All right," said Giorgio, laughing. "You may try it, but you willnever reach Anacapri."

  "Oh, yes, we shall!" answered Molly. "Just watch us. Come on, May!"

  Then they each pulled quickly on the short reins, but the donkeys didnot stir. They patted the donkeys' necks and urged them to go on, justas they did with their ponies at home, but the donkeys only turnedtheir heads and looked with sleepy eyes at their strange littleriders. May's donkey even began to nibble the grass at the side of thepath. It acted as if it had no thought of going up the hill, whileMolly's donkey winked its eyes and stood very still, in spite ofall her efforts to make it move.

  _May's donkey began to nibble the grass at the side ofthe path_]

  "O Giorgio!" she cried at last. "What are we going to do? I never sawsuch stupid animals. We shall never reach Anacapri. Father and motherwill think we are lost."

  Giorgio and Luisa wanted very much to laugh at their anxious littleriders, but they were too polite to do so.

  "You see," Giorgio said, "our donkeys do not like strange ways. Theydo not like to have anyone but Luisa and me drive them. Theyunderstand what we mean, and our blows do not hurt them."

  "Then please drive them now," said May. "I don't want to sit here anylonger."

  So Giorgio and Luisa gave the donkeys each a sound slap on theirbacks, which made them swing their tails and start on up the longsteps. The donkeys stopped often to rest, but they were reminded eachtime that their young master and mistress were close behind them.

  At last they reached the top of the steps, and Giorgio and Luisa drovethe donkeys to a lovely garden where small tables were set under thegreen trees.

  "What a lovely place for a tea party!" exclaimed May. "Let's have oneready for father and mother when they come."

  "Yes, let's have it at this table close by the wall, where we can lookdown and see the lovely water. My! It must be 'most a thousand feet'way down there! See how tiny those boats look, and what a wonderfulcolor the water is! It looks as if an artist had painted it that way."

  _"What a lovely place for a tea party!"_]

  "Let's plan our tea party before mother gets here," said May. "Whatfun it will be to surprise her!"

  So they asked the waiter to please bring some grape juice, with breadand butter and little cakes, enough for six people, for Giorgio andLuisa were to share the party with them.

  The carriage soon drew up to the garden gate, and the Sunbonnet Babiesran to meet it, calling: "Hello! hello! See, we are here first! Ourdonkeys were so funny climbing up the long stairs. They almostwent to sleep, but Giorgio and Luisa kept them moving. We are going tohave a tea party now. Come quickly, and look over the garden wall. Wenever, never were so high up above the water before!"

  _A young Italian boy and girl began to dance_]

  As they were drinking their grape juice, a young Italian boy and girlran into the garden and began to dance. Their mother made music forthem on an instrument that looked like the head of a sma
ll drum, withlittle bells fastened all around it. She tapped the instrumentsharply with her fingers and jingled the little bells.

  The dancers were dressed in gay, pretty costumes. They seemed to betelling each other a happy love story by motions, glances, andgraceful dancing. It was the famous tarantella dance which the peopleof Southern Italy love so much.

  When the dancers had finished their story, Molly and May gave themeach some grape juice and little cakes. Then they rode back down thehill on their two sleepy donkeys.

  The next day the Sunbonnet Babies were given a wonderful boat ride allthe way around the island of Capri. In many places the shore rose fromthe blue water very steep and high. Gay-colored jellyfish floatedabout, and little forests of red coral clung to the rocky wall justbelow the water's edge.

  When they had sailed nearly around the island, their steamer stoppedquite suddenly, and they were told they must all get into some smallrowboats that were waiting near by.

  "What is the trouble?" asked May excitedly. "Is our boat sinking?Have these men come to rescue us, father? The shore is much too steepfor us to land here, isn't it?"

  "_There is a man who wants to take us in his boat_"]

  "Oh, no!" said her father. "Our boat is not sinking, but we are goingto take a look at the inside of the island. The Overall Boys saw theinside of a glacier up in Switzerland, you know."

  "Oh, goody!" exclaimed Molly. "See, there is a man who wants to takeus in his boat. Please, can't we hurry?"

  _They had to keep their heads low to slip through theopening_]

  A few moments later they were being rowed straight toward a low holein the steep shore. The hole was not more than three feet high andthree feet wide above the surface of the water. It led into a narrowpassage about fifteen feet long, which was just large enough for arowboat to slip through if heads were kept very low.

  "Oh, my! Where are we going?" whispered May, as she lay very still inthe bottom of the boat. "This is more dangerous than going insideof a glacier. I know it is! I wish the Overall Boys were here!"

  "Heads up!" called the boatman. "You are now in the beautiful BlueGrotto, the most wonderful chamber in Italy."

  The next few moments no one spoke. The Sunbonnet Babies were sure theywere dreaming, or that they had fallen asleep while lying in thebottom of the boat and had wakened in the land of the water nymphs.

  Molly peeped gently over the edge of the boat, hoping to see a prettynymph swimming about in the wonderful greenish-blue water. Just then aslender figure sprang from a narrow ledge at the farther side of thecave.

  "Look, Molly!" whispered May. "It _is_ a nymph--a really, truly nymph!It has gone way down under the water. The water is so clear and lightwe can see everything in it. It looks as deep as the sky."

  "See, the nymph is coming up now!" said Molly eagerly. "What abeautiful color it is! It is diving and splashing and playing, justlike a real boy."

  "_Look! It is a nymph!_"]

  "And it is a real boy," said their father. "He is showing you thewonderful light and color in the water."

  "Oh! Would I look as beautiful as that if I should swim in thiswater?" Molly asked eagerly.

  "And would I?" cried May.

  "Put your hand into the water and see," her father answered.

  In a moment four little hands were splashing in the clear water. Theywere no longer the rosy hands of Molly and May. They looked likewhite marble hands, softly tinted with blue. The drops of water thatfell from their fingers were like strings of lovely opals andsapphires. The children wanted to catch some of the drops to carryhome, but the boat-man said they would look just like any other waterdrops out in the sunshine.

  _The drops of water were like strings of lovely opals_]

  "But what makes them look so strange and lovely in this grotto?" askedMolly.

  "Perhaps because most of the light that comes into the grottoshines through the water," said her father. "In some way the red andorange and yellow rays of the sunlight have been lost, but the blueand green and violet rays seem to be all here. So everything lookscool and blue instead of warm and rosy, as it does just outside."

  "How was such a great cave ever made under this island?" asked May."Did the Italians make it?"

  "No, indeed!" answered the boatman. "The sea made it ages and agesago. This cave used to be a resort for the Roman emperors and theirfriends two thousand years ago. One emperor about that time builtwonderful palaces on the island, and on hot summer days he and hisfriends would come down into this cool grotto to swim and to rest.Since then the island has sunk a little, so the water in the grotto ishigher than it used to be. But even now the walls of the cave areforty feet high and a hundred and seventy feet long. It is almost aslarge as a good-sized church, you see."

  "But the door is only three feet high," said Molly. "What would happenif a big storm came up while we were in here?"

  "We couldn't get out," said the boatman. "Boats are not allowed tocome into the grotto unless the sea is perfectly quiet. When it isrough it is very dangerous to be in here. We are allowed to stay onlyfifteen minutes, and our time is up now."

  So they tossed a shining silver piece to the little boy who had madethem think he was a really, truly water nymph, and their boats slippedquickly through the narrow passage back into the bright Italiansunshine.

  In the City of Rome]