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The Little Princess of Tower Hill

Page 28

by L. T. Meade


  CHAPTER III.

  GLAD TIDINGS.

  "I must not leave my barrel-organ in the street," said Antonio to thechild; "will you let me take it home first, missy? and then I can take youback to your father."

  Little Mona, holding Antonio's hand, and walking by his side in the midstof the rabble, was a totally different child from Mona, standing by herselfunder the street lamp.

  "I shall like to see your home, organ-man," she said in her sweet voice."Do you really live in an attic? Marcia and her mother live in an attic inItaly, too, and Marcia likes it."

  Then they walked through the streets together, and Mona went upstairs withAntonio. She seemed quite contented in the funny little place, and sat downon a low seat with a sigh of satisfaction.

  "I am so glad I met you, organ-man, and I like your home. I would muchrather live here with you than go back to Janet. I am dreadfully afraid ofJanet, and I sometimes think my father will never come. I wish I could livewith you, organ-man," continued little Mona in a piteous voice, "for youcould talk to me about Italy, where my dear mamma died, and oh! organ-man,you do remind me of Marcia."

  "I once had two Marcias," said old Antonio in a grave and troubled voice;"the little one is with God, and the wife whom I love, I don't know whatshelter she is finding for her gray hairs. It troubles me to hear you speakof Marcia, missy. It brings back painful memories."

  The child had a thoughtful and serious face; she now fixed her eyes on oldAntonio, and did not speak.

  "And I must take you home," continued the old man. "I should like to keepyou with me, my little bright missy, but suppose your good father hasreturned, fancy his agony."

  "If I could think my father had come, how glad I should be!" said littleMona, and she went over to Antonio and took his hand. It was not a verylong way from Antonio's attic to the house in B---- Square.

  Antonio was too old and too feeble to carry the little girl all the way. Hewould have liked to do so, for the feel of her little arms round his neck,and her soft brown cheek pressed to his, brought the strangest peace andcomfort to his heart.

  Antonio had not had such a good time since he left Italy, and he could nothelp feeling, in some inexplicable way, that he was going back to Marcia.

  At last they reached the house, and the old organ-man's ring was speedilyanswered. Immediately there was a shout of delight and a great bustle, andlittle Mona was almost torn from her companion and carried into adining-room, which was very bright with firelight and gaslight.

  Antonio, standing on the hall-door steps, heard some very tender and lovingwords addressed in a manly voice to the little girl.

  Then he said to himself, "The dear little one's father has come and herheart will be at rest." And he began slowly to go down the steps, and toturn back to a world which was once more quite sunless and cold.

  But this was not to be, for little Mona's voice arrested him, and both sheand her father brought him into the house and into the warm dining-room.There Mr. Sinclair shook his hand, and thanked him many times, and tried toexplain to him something of the agony he had undergone when he had listenedto the terrified Janet's confession, and had discovered that his only childwas gone.

  "I too have lost a child," said old Antonio. "I can sympathize with yourfeelings, sir."

  "But you have got to tell my father all that story of the Marcia with grayhair," said little Mona. She was a totally different child now, hertimidity and fear were gone, she danced about, and put Antonio into a snugchair, and insisted once more on his telling his story.

  When he had finished, Mr. Sinclair said a few words: "I believe God'sprovidence sent you here to-night in a double sense, and I begin to see myway to pay you back in some measure for what you have done for me. Theyoung girl who so devotedly nursed my wife during her long illness wascalled Marcia. We wished to bring her to England, for my child loved hermuch, but we could not induce her to go away from an old mother of the samename. She often told us what hard times this mother had undergone, and howher heart was almost broken for her husband, who had gone away to Englandto seek his fortune, but had never come back. Now, can it be possible thatthese two Marcias are yours, and that the man who said your child was deadwas mistaken?"

  "It may be so," said old Antonio, whose face had grown very white. "Oh!sir, if ever you go back to Naples could you find out from that Marcia withgray hairs if the husband she laments was one Antonio, an old man, whoplayed Italian airs?"

  "My child and I are going back to Naples next week," said Mr. Sinclair,"and suppose you come with us and find out for yourself, Antonio."

  CHAPTER IV.

  AT LAST.

  There came a warm day, full of light, and life, and color; a day over whichthe blue sky of Italy smiled. Beside an artistically arranged fruit stall aslender and handsome Italian girl stood. Behind the stall, on a low seat,sat an old woman; she was knitting, but her restless eyes took eager countof every passer-by.

  "Did you observe that old man, Marcia?" she said in her rapid Italian tothe young girl.

  The girl turned her beautiful and pitying eyes full on the old woman. "Hewas not my father, mother. Ah! dear mother, can you not rest content thatthe good God has taken my father to himself?"

  "Fifteen years," muttered the old Italian woman. "Fifteen years, with thelove growing stronger, and the heart emptier, and the longing sorer. No, Ihave not given him up. Oh! my merciful Father in heaven, what--who isthat?" A little group was coming up to the fruit stall, a child who dancedmerrily, an old man with a bent white head, and a gentleman on whose arm heleaned.

  They came up close. The child flew to the younger Marcia, the old couplegazed at each other with that sudden trembling which great and wonderfulheart-joy gives, they came a little nearer, and then their arms were roundeach other's necks.

  "At last, Marcia," said old Antonio--"at last!"

  THE END.

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  "Brimful of adventure, of humorous and interesting conversation, and vivid pictures of colonial life."--_Schoolmaster._

  Julian Mortimer: A Brave Boy's Struggle for Home and Fortune. By HARRYCASTLEMON. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  Here is a story that will warm every boy's heart. There is mystery enoughto keep any lad's imagination wound up to the highest pitch. The scene ofthe story lies west of the Mississippi River, in the days when emigrantsmade their perilous way across the great plains to the land of gold. One ofthe startling features of the book is the attack upon the wagon train by alarge party of Indians. Our hero is a lad of uncommon nerve and pluck, abrave young American in every sense of the word. He enlists and holds thereader's sympathy from the outset. Surrounded by an unknown and constantperil, and assisted by the unswerving fidelity of a stalwart trapper, areal rough diamond, our hero achieves the most happy results. HarryCastlemon has written many entertaining stories for boys, and it would seemalmost superfluous to say anything in his praise, for the youth of Americaregard him as a favorite author.

  "Carrots:" Just a Little Boy. By MRS. MOLESWORTH. With Illustrations byWALTER CRANE. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.

  "One of the cleverest and most pleasing stories it has been our good fortune to meet with for some time. Carrots and his sister are delightful little beings, whom to read about is at once to become very fond of."--_Examiner._

  "A genuine children's book; we've seen 'em seize it, and read it greedily. Children are first-rate critics, and thoroughly appreciate Walter Crane's illustrations."--_Punch._

  Mopsa the Fairy. By JEAN INGELOW. With Eight page Illustrations. 12mo,cloth, price 75 cents.

  "Mrs. Ingelow is, to our mind, the most charming of all living writers for children, and 'Mopsa' alone ought to give her a kind of pre-emptive right to the love and gratitude of our young folks. It requires genius to conceive a purely imaginary work which must of necessity deal with the supernatural, without running into a mere riot of fantastic absurdity; but genius Miss Ingelow has and the stor
y of 'Jack' is as careless and joyous, but as delicate, as a picture of childhood."--_Eclectic._

  A Jaunt Through Java: The Story of a Journey to the Sacred Mountain. ByEDWARD S. ELLIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  The central interest of this story is found in the thrilling adventures oftwo cousins, Hermon and Eustace Hadley, on their trip across the island ofJava, from Samarang to the Sacred Mountain. In a land where the RoyalBengal tiger runs at large; where the rhinoceros and other fierce beastsare to be met with at unexpected moments; it is but natural that the heroesof this book should have a lively experience. Hermon not only distinguisheshimself by killing a full-grown tiger at short range, but meets with themost startling adventure of the journey. There is much in this narrative toinstruct as well as entertain the reader, and so deftly has Mr. Ellis usedhis material that there is not a dull page in the book. The two heroes arebrave, manly young fellows, bubbling over with boyish independence. Theycope with the many difficulties that arise during the trip in a fearlessway that is bound to win the admiration of every lad who is so fortunate asto read their adventures.

  Wrecked on Spider Island; or, How Ned Rogers Found the Treasure. By JAMESOTIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  A "down-east" plucky lad who ships as cabin boy, not from love ofadventure, but because it is the only course remaining by which he can gaina livelihood. While in his bunk, seasick, Ned Rogers hears the captain andmate discussing their plans for the willful wreck of the brig in order togain the insurance. Once it is known he is in possession of the secret thecaptain maroons him on Spider Island, explaining to the crew that the boyis afflicted with leprosy. While thus involuntarily playing the part of aCrusoe, Ned discovers a wreck submerged in the sand, and overhauling thetimbers for the purpose of gathering material with which to build a hut,finds a considerable amount of treasure. Raising the wreck; a voyage toHavana under sail; shipping there a crew and running for Savannah; theattempt of the crew to seize the little craft after learning of thetreasure on board, and, as a matter of course, the successful ending of thejourney, all serve to make as entertaining a story of sea-life as the mostcaptious boy could desire.

  Geoff and Jim: A Story of School Life. By ISMAY THORN. Illustrated by A. G.WALKER. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.

  "This is a prettily told story of the life spent by two motherless bairns at a small preparatory school. Both Geoff and Jim are very lovable characters, only Jim is the more so; and the scrapes he gets into and the trials he endures will, no doubt, interest a large circle of young readers."--_Church Times._

  "This is a capital children's story, the characters well portrayed, and the book tastefully bound and well illustrated."--_Schoolmaster._

  "The story can be heartily recommended as a present for boys."--_Standard._

  The Castaways; or, On the Florida Reefs. By JAMES OTIS. 12mo, cloth, price$1.00.

  This tale smacks of the salt sea. It is just the kind of story that themajority of boys yearn for. From the moment that the Sea Queen dispenseswith the services of the tug in lower New York bay till the breeze leavesher becalmed off the coast of Florida, one can almost hear the whistle ofthe wind through her rigging, the creak of her straining cordage as sheheels to the leeward, and feel her rise to the snow-capped waves which hersharp bow cuts into twin streaks of foam. Off Marquesas Keys she floats ina dead calm. Ben Clark, the hero of the story, and Jake, the cook, spy aturtle asleep upon the glassy surface of the water. They determine tocapture him, and take a boat for that purpose, and just as they succeed incatching him a thick fog cuts them off from the vessel, and then theirtroubles begin. They take refuge on board a drifting hulk, a storm arisesand they are cast ashore upon a low sandy key. Their adventures from thispoint cannot fail to charm the reader. As a writer for young people Mr.Otis is a prime favorite. His style is captivating, and never for a momentdoes he allow the interest to flag. In "The Castaways" he is at his best.

  Tom Thatcher's Fortune. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  Like all of Mr. Alger's heroes, Tom Thatcher is a brave, ambitious,unselfish boy. He supports his mother and sister on meager wages earned asa shoe-pegger in John Simpson's factory. The story begins with Tom'sdischarge from the factory, because Mr. Simpson felt annoyed with the ladfor interrogating him too closely about his missing father. A few daysafterward Tom learns that which induces him to start overland forCalifornia with the view of probing the family mystery. He meets with manyadventures. Ultimately he returns to his native village, bringingconsternation to the soul of John Simpson, who only escapes theconsequences of his villainy by making full restitution to the man whosefriendship he had betrayed. The story is told in that entertaining waywhich has made Mr. Alger's name a household word in so many homes.

  Birdie: A Tale of Child Life. By H. L. CHILDE-PEMBERTON. Illustrated by H.W. RAINEY. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.

  "The story is quaint and simple, but there is a freshness about it that makes one hear again the ringing laugh and the cheery shout of children at play which charmed his earlier years."--_New York Express._

  Popular Fairy Tales. By the BROTHERS GRIMM. Profusely Illustrated, 12mo,cloth, price $1.00.

  "From first to last, almost without exception, these stories are delightful."--_Athenaeum._

  With Lafayette at Yorktown: A Story of How Two Boys Joined the ContinentalArmy. By JAMES OTIS. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  The two boys are from Portsmouth, N. H., and are introduced in August,1781, when on the point of leaving home to enlist in Col. Scammell'sregiment, then stationed near New York City. Their method of traveling ison horseback, and the author has given an interesting account of what wasexpected from boys in the Colonial days. The lads, after no slight amountof adventure, are sent as messengers--not soldiers--into the south to findthe troops under Lafayette. Once with that youthful general they are givenemployment as spies, and enter the British camp, bringing away valuableinformation. The pictures of camp-life are carefully drawn, and theportrayal of Lafayette's character is thoroughly well done. The story iswholesome in tone, as are all of Mr. Otis' works. There is no lack ofexciting incident which the youthful reader craves, but it is healthfulexcitement brimming with facts which every boy should be familiar with, andwhile the reader is following the adventures of Ben Jaffreys and Ned Allenhe is acquiring a fund of historical lore which will remain in his memorylong after that which he has memorized from text-books has been forgotten.

  Lost in the Canyon: Sam Willett's Adventures on the Great Colorado. ByALFRED R. CALHOUN. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  This story hinges on a fortune left to Sam Willett, the hero, and the factthat it will pass to a disreputable relative if the lad dies before heshall have reached his majority. The Vigilance Committee of Hurley's Gulcharrest Sam's father and an associate for the crime of murder. Their livesdepend on the production of the receipt given for money paid. This is inSam's possession at the camp on the other side of the canyon. A messenger isdispatched to get it. He reaches the lad in the midst of a fearful stormwhich floods the canyon. His father's peril urges Sam to action. A raft isbuilt on which the boy and his friends essay to cross the torrent. Theyfail to do so, and a desperate trip down the stream ensues. How the partyfinally escape from the horrors of their situation and Sam reaches Hurley'sGulch in the very nick of time, is described in a graphic style that stampsMr. Calhoun as a master of his art.

  Jack: A Topsy Turvy Story. By C. M. CRAWLEY-BOEVEY. With upward of ThirtyIllustrations by H. J. A. MILES. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents.

  "The illustrations deserve particular mention, as they add largely to the interest of this amusing volume for children. Jack falls asleep with his mind full of the subject of the fishpond, and is very much surprised presently to find himself an inhabitant of Waterworld, where he goes through wonderful and edifying adventures. A handsome and pleasant book."--_Literary World._

  Search for the Silver Ci
ty: A Tale of Adventure in Yucatan. By JAMES OTIS.12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  Two American lads, Teddy Wright and Neal Emery, embark on the steam yachtDay Dream for a short summer cruise to the tropics. Homeward bound theyacht is destroyed by fire. All hands take to the boats, but during thenight the boat is cast upon the coast of Yucatan. They come across a youngAmerican named Cummings, who entertains them with the story of thewonderful Silver City, of the Chan Santa Cruz Indians. Cummings proposeswith the aid of a faithful Indian ally to brave the perils of the swamp andcarry off a number of the golden images from the temples. Pursued withrelentless vigor for days their situation is desperate. At last theirescape is effected in an astonishing manner. Mr. Otis has built his storyon an historical foundation. It is so full of exciting incidents that thereader is quite carried away with the novelty and realism of the narrative.

  Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy. By HORATIO ALGER, JR. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  Thrown upon his own resources Frank Fowler, a poor boy, bravely determinesto make a living for himself and his foster-sister Grace. Going to New Yorkhe obtains a situation as cash boy in a dry goods store. He renders aservice to a wealthy old gentleman named Wharton, who takes a fancy to thelad. Frank, after losing his place as cash boy, is enticed by an enemy to alonesome part of New Jersey and held a prisoner. This move recoils upon theplotter, for it leads to a clue that enables the lad to establish his realidentity. Mr. Alger's stories are not only unusually interesting, but theyconvey a useful lesson of pluck and manly independence.

  Budd Boyd's Triumph; or, the Boy Firm of Fox Island. By WILLIAM P. CHIPMAN.12mo, cloth, price $1.00.

  The scene of this story is laid on the upper part of Narragansett Bay, andthe leading incidents have a strong salt-water flavor. Owing to theconviction of his father for forgery and theft, Budd Boyd is compelled toleave his home and strike out for himself. Chance brings Budd in contactwith Judd Floyd. The two boys, being ambitious and clear sighted, form apartnership to catch and sell fish. The scheme is successfully launched,but the unexpected appearance on the scene of Thomas Bagsley, the man whomBudd believes guilty of the crimes attributed to his father, leads toseveral disagreeable complications that nearly caused the lad's ruin. Hispluck and good sense, however, carry him through his troubles. In followingthe career of the boy firm of Boyd & Floyd, the youthful reader will find auseful lesson--that industry and perseverance are bound to lead to ultimatesuccess.

 



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