THE GONDOLIER'S HOME
Every day Antonio, their gondolier, came to take the Sunbonnet Babiesand their parents for a ride in his graceful boat.
Antonio usually wore blue trousers and a white shirt, open at the neckand fastened with a large red tie. But some days he dressed all inwhite, with a bright red sash around his waist. Then he looked veryhandsome indeed.
One morning Antonio invited the Sunbonnet Babies to visit his home andsee his little girls. Antonio had lived in America seven years andcould speak English quite well.
"My little girls want to see you very much," he said. "I have toldthem all about your pretty blue eyes and your big sunbonnets. Will youcome with me to-day?"
So it happened that Molly and May were soon gliding through narrowcanals into a part of Venice they had not seen before.
It was morning, and they passed a milk man delivering his milk in aflat-bottomed boat.
"That is a new kind of milk cart," exclaimed Molly. "In Naples theyhave live milk carts, and in Holland they have dog carts, and here inVenice they have boats."
"And see! There is a man with a boat load of vegetables," said May."He has just sold a string of onions and a cauliflower to the womanstanding in the doorway. If she should step out of her door she wouldstep right into the canal. O Antonio! Is that the only door into herhouse?"
"Oh, no!" said Antonio. "Nearly every house in Venice has a canal dooron one side and a footpath door on the other side."
"See the woman up there on her balcony," said Molly. "She is loweringa basket by a long rope. What is she saying, Antonio?"
"She wants a cauliflower and a string of onions, too, but she thinksthe man is asking too much for them. She has put a lira into herbasket and she is telling the man that he must not touch it unless heis willing to give her a good cauliflower and a long string of onionsfor it. The other woman had to pay a lira and a half for them. We willwatch and see what happens."
_He put them into the basket and look out the lira_]
"The man talks as if he didn't like it," said Molly. "But see! He isputting them into her basket and is taking out the lira. Now he haslaid a red rosebud on top of the onions. He is lifting his hatand smiling at her while she pulls up the basket."
"I knew she would get them," said Antonio. "She is a good businesswoman."
As they glided along under the arch of a low bridge, May asked, "Howcan your water streets always look so clean, Antonio? Don't peopleever throw things into them?"
"Oh, yes!" answered Antonio, "But our canals are all washed out twicea day. The tide brings two or three feet of water into every canal inVenice, and when it goes out it carries all the refuse away into thesea. It is very easy to keep our city streets clean."
"But, Antonio, why did the people want to build a city 'way out herein the water? Why didn't they stay on the land?" asked Molly.
"Well, it was because, thirteen hundred years ago, the Huns came downfrom the north and drove many of the Italian people away from theirhomes and spoiled their towns. The only safe place for them seemed tobe out here on some small, low islands, so they came and began to makenew homes for themselves. They soon liked it here and builtbetter homes and fine ships. They sailed their ships far away andtraded with many people. They built their houses and beautiful palacesand churches on great wooden posts which they brought from otherlands. After a while their city became the richest and most beautifulcity in all the world. We are not so rich now, but Venice is just asbeautiful and we are very proud of her."
"Of course you are," said May. "It is like living in a wonderful,great picture book. I should like to live here always."
"Well, this is where my little children live," said Antonio, as hestopped his gondola in front of a low door just above the water'sedge.
"Anita mia! Maria! Come quickly! Here are two little friends for you."
As he called, two little girls about as tall as Molly and May camebounding to the door. They had large brown eyes and brown, curly hair,and their cheeks were as pink as roses.
Molly and May thought the little Italian girls were lovely, but Anitaand Maria never had dreamed of such beautiful blue eyes and suchlovely golden hair as they found under the two pretty sunbonnets.
_They led the Sunbonnet Babies into their house_]
They took the Sunbonnet Babies each by the hand and led them intotheir house. It was a large, stone house, and they lived on the firstfloor, not much above the canal.
The little guests were taken through the large hall, which was theparlor, too, out into a small courtyard beyond. Though this yard had astone floor, it looked like a real little garden. There were longboxes of vines and blooming plants on the walls, and two or threesmall trees in large pots. Lying on a pillow in a shady corner was adear little baby boy.
_Lying on a pillow was a dear little baby boy_]
Anita and Maria were so proud of their baby brother they wanted toshow him to Molly and May the very first thing.
"His name is Giorgio," said Maria. "He is only three months old. See,I can hold him in my arms."
"Where are his little feet?" asked Molly. "Why is he tied up sotightly?"
"Oh, we always do our babies up in long linen bands," Anita said. "Ithelps to keep their little legs straight. And see, Giorgio's bands arefastened with red and green ribbons. Red and green are the Italiannational colors, you know."
"Doesn't he like to play and to kick with his feet? Our babies do inAmerica," said May.
"Oh, no!" answered Anita. "He isn't big enough yet to know that he hasany feet. But see, he can smile for you."
"Mother is going to give baby a bath in the canal now," said Maria."He thinks it is lots of fun and so do we. Would you like to watch himhave his bath?"
"Oh, we should love to!" exclaimed Molly and May.
So they watched Giorgio's mother unwind the yards and yards of linenbands which held his tiny legs so stiff and straight. When the littleclothes were all off, the mother fastened a soft cord loosely aroundunder the baby's arms. Then from the stone steps in front of her door,she lowered her baby very gently into the water of the canal. Upand down she dipped him, up and down, while he laughed and splashedlike a real boy.
_Up and down she dipped him_]
"Just see him kick!" cried May. "He does know that he has feet, Anita,and he knows how to use them, too. Isn't he having a good time?"
"And isn't he cunning?" said May.
At last the splashing and rubbing were over, and Giorgio's mothercovered him with a warm shawl and carried him into her kitchen. Shelaid him on a high table, and wound the long linen bands aroundthe little legs once more.
"When Giorgio is a bit stronger," she said, "I shall loosen his bandsso that he can kick and play. Then it will not be long before he willbe wearing little pants. Now he must go back to his pillow in thecourtyard while I get our dinner. We want you little girls to havedinner with us."
"Thank you!" said Molly and May. "We should like to very much. This isa lovely kitchen. Do you keep all of your dishes on the walls?"
"Oh, no, indeed!" Maria answered, laughing. "Mother keeps only herbest brass and pewter dishes on the walls. Some of them are very, veryold. When Anita and I are married, mother will give them to us and weshall put them on our kitchen walls. We think they are beautiful."
"Yes, they are lovely," said May, "but what an odd stove you have. Itlooks like a part of the wall."
"It is built right into the wall," said Anita. "Our dinner is cookingin the two black kettles hanging over the fire. It will be readyvery soon now."
There was boiled fish in one of the kettles and corn meal mush, orpolenta, in the other one. The poorer people of Venice have polentaand boiled fish for dinner nearly every day. Perhaps once a week theyhave meat and a fresh vegetable, and sometimes macaroni with gratedcheese sprinkled over it.
Molly and May liked the polenta and boiled fish very much. It wasnicely cooked, and they were hungry. When they had eaten all theywanted, a basket of ripe red cherries
was placed on the table. Antoniohad brought the cherries home as a special treat for the SunbonnetBabies and his own little girls. And how they did enjoy them!
After dinner Antonio took Molly and May back to their father andmother in the hotel. Anita and Maria went, too, for they liked to ridein their father's fine gondola, and they wanted to be with theirlittle new friends as long as possible.
"I wish we had something nice to give them, so they will neverforget us, May," whispered Molly, as they stepped out of the gondola.
_Anita and Maria liked to ride in their father'sgondola_]
"I know what we can do, Molly. Let's give them our sunbonnets. Motherhas two more in her trunk, and we are going home soon, you know."
In another moment the two pretty sunbonnets were changed from thegolden heads to the brown. Molly tied her pink bonnet over Anita'sbrown curls and May tied her blue bonnet over Maria's brown curls.
"Now there will always be two Sunbonnet Babies in Italy," they said,laughing. "Thank you for our happy, happy day. Addio, little ItalianSunbonnet Babies! Addio!"