Rafael in Italy / A Geographical Reader

Mia in

would not be so if you w

e I now had in my life, and both from Italy. I had thought we Italians had lett

e will pay for it after he has carried many passengers un

s workshop on the canal of the chestnut trees? And of a truth I will not sell it to Nicolo. But I shall give it to him for his birthday gift,

again, because I am going to

le ride to Rome, but I shall come back again. Th

rful statues in the Loggia? Did you think that because we have s

d me that I would wear my eyes out with much looking at them! And it is one

llows the English-speaking guide about, and continually

verything. She asked me about the tunnels through which my train came from Venice. Ah, those tunnels! The

happy! And I shall sign my name Benvenuto,

you, from your absent cr

el V

native city. There was pointed out to him on one of the Tuscan hills not far from Florence, the same yoke of oxen that had drawn

The horns of the oxen were decorated with garlands of flowers and gay paper streamers, because they were again to

ontadino and asked if they mi

o the wine-cellar at the farm-house. But you may lead," he added. "It is a straight

, all dressed in the brightest, gayest colors, were cutting grapes from the vines which hung in long festoons from tall trees. They were c

o one another about the number of baskets of grapes each

g to a lad about Rafael's age, who sang as he worked, and who lifted the luscious, purple

of the vines, which had already been

eaves also?" she had Ra

he fruit might get the full benefit of the sun. "There is much to do for the grapes before they can be p

n be taken to the house and poured into gre

xen! Here come the oxen!" and she turned to see the gaily decorat

ls climbed upon the wagon with their baskets, and were carried under the festoon

es," said Edith wistfully, as she wa

nd nodded, pointing to an empty basket on the ground, and soon the two ch

eir basket was filled and they had climbed into the ox-cart to ride wi

and made crowns for the bareheaded, black-haired peasant girls, and on

the heart of the farmer's wife, by admiring the little bab

body, beginning just under the arms and ending at the toes. It is a curious fashion the Italians have of dressing their babi

he mother had found a hundred things to say in reply, in her voluble

nto the yard, the boys and girls lifting their voices in a festival son

grapes into the huge vats, and the choosing of cert

grapes with their bare feet, thus forcing out the juice, which ru

be done, as it was in old Bible times, with the human foot. It seems that the fe

in one of the vats, and after permission had be

d doubtfully. "It is ver

afraid of hard work, and at last she was permitted to stand w

oil one's clothes, so the farmer's wife took Edith and Raf

the two strange wine-treaders, and it reminded Edith of something. "Doesn't the Bib

the Bible to the vineyard and the vintage; and also to the

tree, I never dreamed that some day I should be eating grapes and ripe fig

said the farmer, when at last Edith was lifted ou

llowed to the dark wine-cellar, where the grape

journey toward Rome. The farmer's wife, who had told them all her family history, in

ning," she said to Rafael, "but we mus

towns through which they passed. He cared more for the rapid motion of the car, and the sensation of flying through the air; and besides, he knew well the customs of the people

ights. "See the haystacks!" he would cry, "and the

e road, hissing at the big red aut

oubt they are descendants of the sacred geese that saved Rome."

Rafael answered, w

me has had so many enemies that I can never k

brought you to Italy, Edith. I want you to understand all this Roman history,

out the American school examinations, and

d before Abraham Washington, or afterwards; and while Edith was explaining to him his mista

. "But the twisted black trunks, and the gray branche

ith the farmer, and soon learned the whole proce

e set up to crush the olives. He showed them just how the work

l had repeated this in Italian to the farmer, the man went into the house and soon retu

said proudly to Rafael, "and we use a great quantity

which he had sold on the trees to an American dealer the

hurry on to the next town, where they were to spend the night;

e pillow filled with live-geese feathers; after which she knew nothing more of Italy, until the