CHAPTER XIII
THE MARONIS
It was on this day, too, that Agnes received a letter fromBloomingsburg. Kitty Robelle wrote a long and "newsy" letter, forKitty had been one of Agnes' most cherished friends.
Kitty lived right next door to the house in which the Kenways hadlived so long, so she had all the news to impart of the oldneighborhood. One item interested the four Corner House girlsimmensely.
"Little Tommy Rooney has run away and his mother can't find out what'sbecome of him. He swapped his Indian suit with Patsy Link for a cowboysuit, and has been gone a week. The police, even, can't find him."
"There now!" cried Tess. "What did I tell you? I _knew_ I saw him gopast here in the rain."
"Oh, but, Tess," said Ruth, "you can't be sure. And how could he everhave gotten to Milton?"
"I don't know," said the confident Tess. "But he's here."
Dot agreed with her. "You know," the latter said, gravely, "he said hewas coming to Milton to shoot Indians."
"The foolish boy!" exclaimed Ruth. "Indians, indeed!"
"Did he expect to eat them after he shot them?" demanded Agnes. "Howwould he live?"
"Perhaps he's hungry, poor boy," said Ruth. "I wish you girls had runafter him that day--if it was Tommy."
"He looked awfully ragged," said Tess, with pity. "Boys must be a_naw_ful burden. Isn't it lucky we haven't any brothers to look after,Ruth?"
"Very fortunate, I think," agreed the oldest Kenway.
"Well," sighed Dot, "Tommy was a real bad boy, but Mrs. Rooney thinksjust as much of him, I s'pose, as though he was a girl."
"Not a doubt of it," chuckled Agnes. "And if we find Tommy, we'll sendhim home to her."
Having made a promise to Mrs. Kranz, Ruth was not the girl to neglectits fulfillment. She was doubtful, however, whether or no she shouldfirst see Mr. Howbridge.
The lawyer was a busy man; perhaps he would not thank her for bringingsuch complaints as this of the grocery store-keeper to his attention.Agnes said:
"He's got troubles of his own, you may be sure, Ruth. And, honest--Idon't see as Mrs. Kranz has any business to bring her complaints tous."
"But I said I'd see what I could do."
"Of course. And I'll go with you. I'm awfully eager to see this JoeMaroni and his family--especially the 'kinder like steps,' as Mrs.Kranz says."
Ruth agreed to let only Aggie go with her after the younger girl hadgiven her word not to laugh. "It is nice to have a sense of humor, Iguess, Ag," said the older girl, "but you want to have tact with it.Don't hurt people's feelings by laughing at them."
"I know," sighed Agnes. "But Mrs. Kranz was so funny! To hear her sayshe did not like foreigners, when she can scarcely speak Englishherself."
"You might be a foreigner yourself, Ag, as far as speaking correctlygoes," laughed Ruth. "You're awfully slangy. And Mrs. Kranz has livedin this country for many, many years. She happens to be one of thoseunfortunate Germans who can never master English. But I know she has akind heart."
"She's dead sore on Joe Maroni and his tribe, just the same," declaredAgnes, proving the truth of her sister's accusation as to herslanginess.
The two older Kenways walked the next afternoon across town to MeadowStreet. It was in the poorer section of Milton, near the silk mills.Although the houses were not so tall, and were mostly frame buildings,the street reminded Ruth and Agnes of Essex Street, in Bloomingsburg,where they had resided before coming to the old Corner House.
Mrs. Kranz had given them her number; and it was not hard to find thethree-story, brick-front building in which she kept store. Mrs. Kranzhired the entire street floor, living in rooms at the back. There weretenements above, with a narrow hall and stairway leading to them atone side. The cellar was divided, half being used by Mrs. Kranz for astore-room.
The other half was the dwelling and store of the Italian, Joe Maroni,whose name was painted crookedly on a small sign, and under it hisgoods were enumerated as
ISE COLE WOOD VGERTABLS
Joe himself was in evidence as the girls came to the place. He was alittle, active, curly haired man, in velveteen clothing and cap, goldrings in his ears, and a fierce mustache.
"A regular brigand," whispered Agnes, rather shrinking from hisvicinity and clinging to Ruth's hand.
"I'm sure he's a reformed brigand," Ruth laughed.
The girls' own nostrils informed them that part of Mrs. Kranz'scomplaint must be true, for there was a tall basket beside thevegetable and fruit stand into which Joe had thrown decayed vegetableleaves and fruit. It was a very warm day and the odor certainly wasoffensive.
Joe came forward smiling, as the girls stopped at the stand. "Want-ada orange--da pear--da banan'?" he asked, in a most agreeable way.Agnes immediately reversed her opinion and declared he was actually_handsome_.
"Nice-a vegetables," said Joe, eager to display his wares. "Allfre-esh."
Ruth took her courage in both hands and smiled at him in return. "Wehaven't come to buy anything this afternoon, Mr. Maroni," she said."You see, our Uncle Peter gave us this house when he died. Our name isKenway. We have come to see you----"
"Si! Si!" cried the Italian, understanding them at once. "You da litlaPadrona wot own all dese," with a wave of his hand that was bothgraceful and explanatory. "Me, Joe, me hear-a 'bout de litla Padrona.Grazias!" and he bowed and lifted his cap.
The children had appeared from the cool depths of the cellar as if bymagic. They _were_ like a flight of steps in height, and the oldestwas a very pretty girl, possibly as old as Agnes, but much smaller.Joe turned swiftly to this one and said something in his own tongue,nothing of which did the visitors understand save the child's name,"Maria."
Maria darted down the steps again, and immediately Joe fished out abasket from under the stand and proceeded to fill it with his verychoicest fruit.
"For you, Padrona," he explained, bowing to Ruth again. "You mak-a mever' hap' to come see me. Grazias!"
"Oh, but Mr. Maroni!" cried Ruth, rather nervously. "You must not giveus all that nice fruit. And we did not come just to call. Some--someof the other tenants have complained about you."
The man looked puzzled, and then troubled. "What is that 'complain'?"he asked. "They no lik-a me? They no lik-a my wife? They no lik-a mychil'ren?"
"Oh, no! nothing like that," Ruth said, sympathetically. "They onlysay you do not keep the stand clean. See! that basket of rottingvegetables and fruit. You should get rid of it at once. Don't thecollectors come through this part of the town for garbage?"
"Si! Si!" cried Joe, shrugging his shoulders. "But sometimes comefirst my poor compatriots--si? They find da orange with da speck; deyfin' potato part good-a--see?" All the time he was showing them thespecked vegetables and fruit in the basket. Although his hands weregrimed, Ruth noticed that he was otherwise clean. The children, thoughdirty and ragged, were really beautiful.
"W'en da poor peep' go, then I put out-a da basket for da cart,"pursued Joe, still smiling and still gesturing.
Up the steps at that moment came a smiling, broad Italian woman, witha gay clean bandanna over her glossy black hair. She was a prettywoman, too, with the same features as little Maria.
"Good-a day! good-a day!" she said, bobbing and courtesying. Then sheadded something in Italian which was a friendly greeting.
Joe smiled on her dazzlingly. She wore heavier earrings than Joe and agreat gilt brooch to hold the neck of her gown together.
"She no spe'k da English mooch," explained the man. "But dakeeds----Oh! dey learn to spe'k fine in da school. We been in discountry six year--no? We come here fi' year ago. We doin' fine!"explained Joe, with enthusiasm.
Agnes was already hugging one of the toddlers, and trying to find aclean spot on his pretty face that she could kiss. "Aren't they littledarlings?" she said to Ruth.
The older girl agreed with her, but she was having difficulty herselfin forming the request she wished to make to the Italian. Finally shesaid:
"Joe, you must let the city men take away your spoiled fruit everymorning. You can pick it over yourself and save what you think yourpoor friends would like. Although, it is very bad to eat decayed fruitand vegetables. Bad for the health, you know."
"Si! Si!" exclaimed Joe, smiling right along. "I understand. It shallbe as da litla Padrona command. Eh?"
"And let me go down into the cellar, Joe. For your own sake--for yourchildren's health, you know--you must keep everything clean."
The woman spoke quickly and with energy. Joe nodded a great deal. "Si!Si!" he said. "So the good-a doctor say wot come to see da bebe."
"Oh! have you a baby?" cried Agnes, clasping her hands.
The woman smiled at the eager girl and offered her hand to lead Agnesdown the broken steps. Ruth followed them. The cellar was damp becauseof the ice blocks covered with a horseblanket at one side. Beyond thefirst partition, in a darker room, there was an old bedstead with uglylooking comforters and pillows without cases. Right down in one cornerwas an old wooden cradle with the prettiest little black haired babyin the world sleeping in it! At least, so Agnes declared.
Mrs. Maroni was delighted with the girls' evident admiration for thebaby. She could tell them by signs and broken words, too, that thebaby was now better and the doctor had told her to take it out intothe air and sunshine all day. She could trust some of the olderchildren with it; Maria was big enough to help at the stand. _She_ hadthe housework to do.
The Italian woman led the way to her other apartment--if such it couldbe called. The rear cellar had two little, high windows looking into adim little yard. They had no right to the yard. That belonged to thetenants above, and Ruth could see very well that the yard would be thebetter for a thorough cleaning-up.
"Perhaps Mr. Howbridge will say we have no right to interfere,"thought the oldest of the Corner House girls. "But I'm just going totell him what I think of this place."
The cellar was not so dirty, only it was _messy_. The Italians'possessions were of the cheapest quality, and they had scarcely adecent chair to sit on. Whether it was poverty or a lack of knowledgeof better things, Ruth could not decide.
The little Maria came close to her side and smiled at her. "You speakEnglish all right, don't you?" asked Ruth.
"Oh, yes, Ma'am. I go to school," said Maria.
"Do you know the lady who has the store up stairs?"
The little girl's face clouded. "Yes, Ma'am. I guess she's a niceGerman lady, but she is _so_ cross."
"I do not think she'd be cross with you if she saw you in a cleandress and with your face and hands washed," said Ruth, with a suddenidea. "If you will make yourself tidy, I will take you up stairs withme, and we can call on Mrs. Kranz."
The child's face brightened in a flash. She said something to hermother, who replied in kind. Maria ran behind a curtain that hung inone corner, and just then Joe came down.
"You want-a me to feex up, Padrona?" he asked. "I no ask nottin' sincew'en I come here. De walls much dirt'--eh?"
"If they were whitewashed I think it would be ever so nice and clean,"declared Ruth. "I shall speak to Mr. Howbridge and see if I can gethim to supply the whitewash. Will you put it on?"
"But surely--si! si!" exclaimed the man. "I lik-a have nice place. Ikeep good-a fruit--good-a vegetable. Da wife, she clean an'scr-r-rub--oh, yes! But poor man live in da cellar not lik-a da reechdat live in da fine house."
Ruth sighed. With such little experience as she had had, she knew theman's words to be true. The Kenways had lived among poor peoplethemselves and knew how hard it was to keep an old tumble-downtenement in nice order.
Maria came dancing out in what was evidently her gala frock. It waspretty and neatly made, too. She ran to the sink and washed her faceand hands. Then she came to Ruth for her approval.
"You're a pretty girl," said Ruth, kissing her. "You can help a lot,too, by keeping your brothers and sisters clean."
"Oh, yes, Ma'am! I make them wash up every day before they go toschool. But there is no school now," said Maria.
The visitors went out of the cellar with Maria. The other childreneyed them curiously, but smilingly. Poverty set well upon theseItalians, for they smiled at it!
"Now we shall go in and see Mrs. Kranz," said Ruth to Agnes. "Goodnessonly knows what she will say to us. Come, Maria," and she took thelittle girl's hand.