CHAPTER XXII.--A BIT OF OLD ITALY.
It was August 22, Miss Campbell's birthday, although she herself hadquite forgotten it, this being a celebration she was careful not toremember.
The girls had been planning for a long time to give her a birthdayparty. It was to be a surprise picnic wherever they happened to bebetween Sacramento and San Francisco. It was Evelyn who chose the spotfor the party and who guided them to a lovely vineyard planted onterraces up the side of a mountain with a little valley smiling at itsfeet.
"The owners of the vineyard are Italians, all of them," said Evelyn,"and you will certainly feel that you are in Italy when you get there.They are so simple and adorable. And there is a kind of an inn where wecan stay. They call it the 'Hosteria.' Oh, you will love it, I know."
The picnic was to begin in the morning. Miss Helen, prepared for an allday trip, was properly surprised when Billie turned the Comet into alittle mountain road running between grapevines now heavy with fruit.
Men and women were gathering the grapes in baskets, singing while theyworked.
At the top of the mountain was the tiniest little village imaginable,all stucco houses on a dusty street with a church at one end. Next tothe church was the inn and standing at the door of the inn was thelandlord and owner of the vineyard, Pasquale.
"Buon giorno, Signorina," he cried. "I giva you the gooda welcome. Ihave receive the letter of the Signorina. All isa prepared."
Across the entrance of the hosteria ran a legend printed in red letterson a white background:
"MAN RETUNS TO HAPNES THIS DAY--AUGUS. TWENTY-SEC. SIGNORA ELEANORA CAMEL."
Miss Campbell read the inscription over twice before she could make outits meaning.
"Absurd children," she cried delightedly, "you are giving me a birthdayparty. I knew you were suppressing something with all your giggling thismorning. And here I had quite forgotten I was a year older to-day."
"Not a year older, dearest cousin, a year younger," cried Billie. "Itwas Evelyn who knew about this fascinating little place, and we thoughtwe would entertain you here instead of at one of those tiresome hotels."
Pasquale rubbed his hands together and smiled broadly with his head onone side.
"La Signora, she isa surprisa," he exclaimed, as pleased as a child.
He led the way to the back of the house, through a low-ceilinged roompaved with red tiles. At a small door at the end of the passage hepaused and placed his fingers on his lips with an expression so arch andcrafty that the girls laughed out loud in spite of his motions forsilence. Then he flung open the door grandly and placed his hand on hisheart, heaving a deep and dramatic sigh.
It was not to be expected that our tourists who had come through everyvariety of scenery, grand, sublime and beautiful, should be veryenthusiastic now. But the Italian knew that he had something very fineto show. Just as an old picture dealer knows when he has a good pictureand a good audience. The girls fairly danced on the grassy terraceoverlooking the exquisite little valley at the foot of the mountain. Andthere, on the lawn, stood a table covered with a white cloth.
"The ladies willa eat breakfast at what time?" asked Pasquale. "Thefesta, she commenca at two. You willa come--not so?"
"Oh, yes, we will see all of it, Pasquale," replied Evelyn.
Pasquale lingered.
"The ladies willa pardon. They have no objec to two others who also etahere?"
But the ladies were not in the humor to object to anything. They weretoo much engaged in admiring the little valley and the olive groveopposite which clung to the hillside like a soft gray mist.
"It's just like a little Italy," cried Billie, enthusiastically. "Itlooks like Italy. The people are all Italians and so are the houses andthe terraced vineyards. Isn't it sweet?"
"Wait until you see the festa," said Evelyn, "and Pasquale's daughter,Lucia. She is out now gathering grapes with the others, I suppose."Pasquale now appeared bearing a big soup tureen, followed by a gracefulyoung Italian boy who carried a dish of grated cheese. There were platesof ripe olives on the table and in the centre a pyramid of fresh figsand grapes. How charming it all was! Down in the vineyard below came thesound of singing, which grew louder as the young men and girls climbedthe mountain to the village.
They were very happy and jolly, and Miss Campbell made a little speech.
"Sweet, lovely girls," she said, "do you know how very dear you are tome? We have been through so much together, through so many, dangerswhich we will forget, and pleasures which we shall always remember; uphill and down dale--across mountains--"
"And prairies," suggested Nancy.
"Yes, across these interminable prairies, that I feel, now that we arecoming to the end of it all, how lonesome I am going to be without you.I hope you will all marry, my dears. There is no one in the world solonely as a spinster--"
Evelyn's face flushed. The subject of marriage was a painful one to her,because, although she had written twice to Daniel, not one word had shereceived from him since she left Salt Lake City. And deep in her heart,she was wholly and utterly miserable. No one but Billie noticed thetears that glistened in her eyes, and under the table, the two girlsclasped hands for a moment.
"--a spinster past middle age," went on Miss Campbell, looking socharming and appealing that the girls were obliged to rush from theirseats and embrace her.
And in the midst of this scene of affection, comes Pasquale, smilingaffably, and bearing an immense bouquet of roses.
"For La Signora Cam-el," he said. "A gen-man presents with compliments."
"But who--what gentleman?" demanded Miss Campbell.
"I cannot say, Signora. They are of Sacremen'--these roses here. Theycame thisa morning by express, in the diligenza from the valley."
"Where is the gentleman?" asked Billie.
Pasquale shrugged his shoulders almost to his ears and spread his handsout apologetically. Then he disappeared into the inn and presentlyreturned with bouquets for each of the girls. Evelyn's was as large asMiss Campbell's, of roses, and the younger girls were smaller bunches ofheliotrope, which gave out a delicious fragrance.
"Is he here at this inn?" demanded Nancy, burning with curiosity.
"No, signorina, the gentleman, he coma after the flowers."
"Mystery of mysteries," exclaimed Miss Campbell. "Who can it be?"
"It's just like Mr. Ignatius Donahue," said Elinor.
"It's more like papa," put in Billie.
Evelyn would have liked to add--"It's more like Daniel," but she couldnot bring herself to mention his name when he had treated her so coldly.
"How did anyone know we were here?" asked Miss Campbell.
"The hotel clerk knew," replied Billie, "because we asked him about theroad."
At last, after finishing off with fruit and cheese and cups of blackcoffee, the delicious birthday luncheon reached an end, like all goodthings, and the ladies went forth to see the festa.
Down the street came some forty young men and girls singing a wildSicilian pastorale, each verse of which ended in a weird turn. Many ofthem were crowned with grape leaves, like Bacchanalian dancers, and someof them carried baskets filled with the fruit. It was the end of thegrapecutting season, and each year, Pasquale, the great man of thevillage, gave a festa at this time.
In front of the inn was a long narrow table whereon stood jugs of wine,plates of cold meats and ripe olives, dear to the heart of every trueItalian. The table fairly groaned under the weight of food--cheeses andlong loaves, salads, figs, oranges and grapes.
A gentle old priest with a humorous, kindly smile, came out of thechurch and welcomed the motorists.
"You will enjoy the festa," he said. "It is a pretty sight not oftenseen out of Italy."
The feasting and singing lasted until late in the afternoon. Then thedancing began in the yard of the inn. Pretty Lucia, Pasquale's daughter,and a young man with fierce black eyes, danced a tarentella together andan
other man and woman danced a Sicilian dance wilder even than thetarentella. Finally everybody began dancing and the girls joined in,leaving Miss Campbell and the old priest seated in a pergola at the sideof the house, absorbed in an interesting conversation.
As darkness descended torches were lit, but it was difficult todistinguish faces and no one noticed two men in dark slouch hats drawnwell over their faces who mingled with the crowd. Evelyn Stone, standingalone on the outskirts of the crowd, watched her four friends waltzingamong the dancers.
"How much happier Lucia is than I am," she was thinking. "How I wish Ihad been born just a simple peasant girl. Money means so little incomparison."
But her reflections were rudely interrupted. A black scarf was thrownover her head and she was lifted off her feet and carried out of thecircle of light into the darkness.
Owing to the unusual festivities, supper for the guests at the inn wasvery late that evening, and not until well past eight o'clock didPasquale announce that the ladies would be served on the terrace.
"Where is Evelyn?" asked Miss Campbell anxiously when they had gatheredaround the table.
"Perhaps she has gone off with Lucia," suggested Billie.
But Lucia was waiting on the table and had not seen her. Pasquale sent aboy scurrying around to search for her while the others ate theirsupper. They were quite sure she had wandered off with some of thevillagers whom she had known before.
Night deepened and the moon came up, flooding the valley with its goldenrays. It was very chilly, and they put on their ulsters and sat in a rowon the terrace, waiting. From the inn yard came the sound of music andthe beat of the dancers' feet on the hard ground.
At last the waiting grew unbearable. Miss Campbell went to confer withthe old priest next door and the girls hurried down the village streetto search for their friend from house to house. Men were sent down themountain road to the valley below. Others hunted through the vineyard.Somewhere in the village a clock struck midnight. The music ceased. Thedancers crept off to bed, cold and tired.
The Motor Maids climbed upstairs to their small bedrooms under theeaves.
Nothing could be done until morning, the priest said. And while itseemed impossible to sleep, they agreed they must take some rest.
Tired out with the long day, they did sleep however, and the sun washigh in the heavens before they waked.