Show I I THE TRE RISE OF VITTORIO VITTORI BY WEBSTER Author of When Patty Fatty Went to College Etc Copyright David McKenna th gardener at Jas Jasper Jasper Jasper per Place was a Scotchman of the Scotch He was truculent when sober and actively pugnacious when dr It t may be said to his credit that he was not drunk very often oCten and that when he was drunk he was canny enough to t keep out of Mr Jaspers way But one night after a prolonged political dis discussion at Callahans saloon he was as un unsteadily unsteadily steadily steering homeward across the side sid lawn Just as young Mr Harry Jas ins Jasper Jasper per and two friends who were visiting him emerged from the gap In the hedge that divided Jasper Place from Willow Willowbrook Willowbrook brook next door The gentlemen were returning from a dinner and were clothed in evening dress dr ss They Th In no nowise noWise noWise wise resembled tramps but put Davids vision was blurred and his fighting blood was up He possessed himself of an armful of damp sods and warily ad advanced advanced advanced to the attack He was not in inu Inu Ina u a condition to aim very straight but the three shining shirt fronts made an easy mark Before his victims had re ro recovered recovered covered from the suddenness of the on onslaught onslaught onslaught slaught sufficiently to protect them themselves themselves selves he had demolished three dress suits The next morning David Dald was dis dismissed dismissed missed The other workers both at Jasper Place and Willowbrook appreciated appreciated elated the Justice of the sentence but were sorry to see him go Davids ar argumentative argumentative temper and Davids ready lists fists had added zest to social inter intercourse intercourse Intercourse course They feared that his successor be of a milder type and less en entertaining entertaining The successor came some three days later and Peter the coach coachman coachman coachman man at observing his ar arrIval arrival rIval across the hedge paid an early call calt on Patrick the coachman at Jas Jasper Js per Place to see what the newcomer was like Peter returned to Willow Willowbrook Willowbrook brook disgusted i Hes a Dago A Dago out of lot a ditch He cant talk moren ten teni i words a he dont understand what they means Mr Ir Harry picked him all allright Tight right for fa n peaceful citizen who wont be no dress suits He aint got gotI gota I la a drop o 0 fight in him Ye call him a aliar aillar alIar illar liar an he smiles an says Sank fOU Vittorio set about the weeding of his hla i lower flower beds with the sunny patience bred of love Whatever were his fall fails fallings ings in English E and the warlike arts i at least lIe he understood his business Mr Hurry Harry watched his with i pleased approval He had always ad admired admired admired mired the Italian character theoretic lally but this was the first time that he lu had ever put his admiration to the actual test and he congratulated him himself himself self upon finding at last the ideal gar gay dener with the pastoral soul that he IlIad thad long been searching Mr Harry had thad no racial prejudices himself and Iho he h took It for Cor granted that others were i as us broad broadi i pastoral soul however won wonless less 88 approval among his Peter I did not share Mr Harrys enthusiasm enthusiasm for the Italian race and Peter swayed swa ed public opinion both at Jasper Place and Willowbrook Its awful he declared the way this gettin teed up with There ought to tobe be bv a law against lettin em come In InIn InIn InIn In so far as ns he was concerned Peter refused to let Vittorio come In and the theman theman theman man was consigned to social darkness and arid the companionship of his plants He did not seem to mind this ostracism however but whistled and sang sa g at his I work with unabated cheerfulness His I baly baby English shortly became the of If ridicule but bUtas as he never understood the Jokes he bore no no nd grudge The only matter In Ih which he h showed the lightest personal prejudice I was the fact fu that theY persisted ll t In Iii calling call ng him Tony My name no Tony he would pa patiently patiEntly I explain half a dozen times Umes a aday aday aday I day My name Vittorio Emanuele same ade de king kin Tony b f w rIf fie The mans chief hIe anxiety was w to n i leant learn English En and he was grate grateful ful fut to anyone anyone who helped him The stablemen took a delighted interest in his education It Was considered espe especially dally funny to teach him scurrilous ous slang Come off oft your our perch you old fool tool was wu one of the phrases he heI I committed to memory and later repeated to Mr Ir Harry with smil smiling lug ing pride at his own progress Mr Ir Harry spoke to Peter on the sub jt Yes sir Peter agreed easily Its the language these T ri 1 ks up I cant imagine where they it sr sir that familiar ye can cant ant t pound no manners Into them Mr Harry wisely dropped the mat matter mattHo ter tr He know Peter and he thought it safest to let Vittorio work out his own Salvation Several veral of the practical Jokes j es at the theman mans man s expense should logically hove i endru in a fight Had he taken up the gauntlet even at the expense of a whip whipping ping ing they would have respected him himIn himIn In so far as Irishmen can respect an Italian but nothing could goad him into action He swallowed insults with witha a n smiling stalling zest as though he liked their taste jaste This unfailing was as held tobe to be the more disgraceful in that he was a strongly built fellow quite capable of standing up for his rights He aint so bad looking Annie the parlor maid at Willowbrook commented one day as she and Peter strolled up to the hedge and inspected the new gardener at work with the clipping shears hears And at least hes tall There usually so little them Huh flUb said Peter size aint no merit The less there is of an Eye Ey tallan the better His bigness dont help Ip along his courage none Yere a oward coward Tony Ton Dye hear that Their comments had been made with perfect freedom in presence while he hummed a tune from Fra Frs in smiling unconcern Unless one couched ones insults In kindergarten ten language and fired them straight Into his face they passed him by un Yere a coward Tony Ton Peter re repeated repeated pea te 1 Vittorio broke off his hissong hissong hissong song and beamed upon them thorn with a slash flash of ot black eyes and white teeth How you moan moon No un understand understand understand A coward Peter patiently ex ox explained explained is Js a man afraid to tp t fight like you are coo COv ards They dont dare stand up man manto manto manto to man an take comin com In to cm em When got a grudge to pay they creeps up in the night an sticks a knife in yer back bein a cow coward coward ard artL The Insulting significance of this es escaped escaped Vittorio but he clung to the word delightedly cow ward he repeated to fix the syllables syllable In his mind Nice word Sank you Then as a glimmering of Peters In Insinuation Insinuation insinuation finally penetrated he shook his hla head and laughed The charge amused him Me no he declared No afraid fight but no fight Too hard work He shrugged his shoulders anc an spread out his hands More easy take carea flower The Tile of this explanation was lost upon Peter and the tle two went wen their ways the one happily engaged with his weeding and his pruning the other looking on across the hedge con contemptuously contemptuously contemptuously scornful Peters ideal of the highest human at attainment attainment attainment was to become a true sport sorL His vocabulary was intensive rather than extensive and the thc few words It ft t contained meant much The term true sport port connoted all desirable qualities Abstractly It t signified ability daring Initiative force it meant that the bearer attacked th world with easy conquering grace and surest test of all that he faced defeat t no less than success s with a high heart Concretely a true sport could play polo and ride to hounds could drive a motor car or ora ora ora a or sail san a boat could shoot hoot or swim or box All of these things and several others Mr Harry Jasper asper could do It was from observing him ilm that Peters definition had gained such precision The billiard room mantelpiece at Jas ins Jasper Jasper per Place held a row of silver cups relics of Mr Harrys college days The mil hall at Jasper Place Pl ce testified to Mr Harrys prowess with a rifle A moose moosehead moosehead head lead decorated the arch a grizzly bear beat bearskin bearskin skin stretched before the hearth and anda a crocodiles head plucked from the mud of ot its native Nile emerged grin grinning grinning grinning ning from the chimney piece Some Someday Someday day lay Mr Harry was going to India after atter a tiger skin to put over the couch In inthe inthe the he meanwhile he contented himself with duck shooting on Great South Bay Bayor or an occasional dip into the Adiron Adirondacks Adirondacks dacks lacks Patrick had accompanied him on the thelast thelast last ast of these trips and it had been a longstanding promise that Peter should go jo on the next Their camp was to be ben beIn bein In n Canada this year as soon as tho open season for caribou arrived Peters heart icart was set on a caribou of his own and ind as the summer wore to an end his practice with the rifle was assiduous Mr Harry had set up a target down on the Jasper beach beacha a long strip of muddy gravel which the Inlet at low lo Io tide left bare and had given the men permission to shoot One Saturday afternoon Patrick and Peter and Billy the under groom were gathered on the beach amusing them themselves themselves themselves selves with wl h a rifle and a fresh box bog of f cartridges The target was a good OO yards away With a light rifle such as the men were using it was a very vel velpe pretty pe tYs snot shot ot to hit one on ol o 0 the outer rings r 1 the through anything but a lucky fluke being almost Impossible sible sibie b Mr Harrys givin us a run un for our money mone Peter grumbled after splash splashing splashIng splashing ing the water behind the target several times in a vain attempt to get his range better keep out Billy BlUy This aint no easy steps stops for little feet But Billy with his usual aplomb in insisted Insisted insisted upon trying After his second shot Peter derisively shouted Look out Pat It aint safe to stand behind him hes likely to hit most anything except the mark Billy good retired and en engaged engaged engaged himself in keeping score The rivalry between Peter and Patrick was Va keen The latter was the older hand at rifle shooting but Peter was the younger man and possessed the keener eye As soon as they became accustomed accustomed accustomed tomed to their distance they pulled into line and the contest grew spirited Pres Presently Presently Presently Vittorio garden hoe In Ih hand came loping across the meadows at attracted attracted attracted by the shots When he saw what was toward he dropped down on I the bank and interestedly watched th match Patrick had been ahead but tut buthis buthis his last shot went wild and splashed the water to the left of the target Peter made the Inner ring and pulled the score up even He was In an elated frame of mind Hello Tony he called with unwonted ed affability as as he paused to reload See Sep that shot Pretty near hit the bulls bullseye bullseye bullseye eye You dont know how to shoot no use knives Americans use guns Vittorio smiled back pleased at be being being being ing so freely included in the conversa conversation conversation conversation tion I more good dat You no straight no hit middle His tone was not boastful he merely dropped the remark as an unimpassioned unimpassioned statement of fact Peter had raised the rifle to his shoulder shoulder der he lowered it again to stare What are ye givin us he de demanded demanded demanded Ye think ye can shoot bet tern me Vittorio shrugged He had no n desire to hurt Peters feelings but at the same time he saw sa no occasion to lie Course I more good dat he responded genially I long longtime longtime longtime time You no learn how me Here said Peter stretching the therine rifle rine toward the man let me see ye yedo yedo e edo do it then Either put up or shut nip Ill show ye e that it aint so easy as as It looks t Vittorio sprang to his feet with an anair anair anair air of surprised delight You leta me shoot Sank you Sank you vet ver er moch He Ho took the rifle in his hand and caressed the barrel with witha a touch almost loving His eyes ees were eager as a childs Here you Tony Peter warned dont get funny with that gun Point It at the target Vittorio raised the rifle and squinted along the barrel then as an idea oc occurred to him he lowered It again and faced the three men with his always sunny smile He had a sporting proposition proposition proposition to tg make You more good me my m name Tony I more good you my name Vittorio Emanuele de deking d dking deking king You call me Vittorio I under understand understand understand stand I come YOu Yu Y u call me Tony I Ino Ino Ino no understand no come Peter whatever his prejudices was true to his Ideals Its a bargain Tony Ye beat leat eat me and Ill call ye any loomin thing ye e please I can twist me tongue to It eyes sought Patricks He lIe removed the pipe from his mouth and grunted 1 Alla la right said Vittorio We Wo free fre time First me den you den me again like dat Without more ado he be threw the gun gunto gunto gunto to his and scarcely seeming to sight fired and snapped out the t e empty cartridge As the smoke cleared the three strained forward in open openmouthed openmouthed mouthed astonishment He Be had ht hit the target squarely In the center By gum hes done it Peter gasped I then after an astonished d silence but luck he cant do it again GI me the gun sun Peters surprise had not steadied his nerves his shot went far astray and he silently passed the rifle to Patrick atrick l Patrick laid down his pipe ipe planted his feet firmly and made the inner ring He passed the rifle on to Vittorio and resumed his pipe Patrick was a phlegmatic phlegmatic phlegmatic matic soul it took a decided shock to rouse him to words Lets se ye do It again said Peter Vittorio raised the rifle and did it again His manner was entirely com composed composed composed posed he scored as a matter of course I Peters feelings now were too complicated complicated for words He studied the non nonchalant nonchalant nonchalant Vittorio a moment in baffled bewilderment then stepped forward without t remark to take his turn He sighted long and carefully and scored the outer ring He offered the rifle to Patrick who waved it away Im out Dont back down said sald Peter Yeve got two more tries If ye let him beat us hell be so darned cocky there wont be no livin with him Patrick copied the Italians shrug and passed the rifle on Vittorio advanced for his third turn under the th keenly sus p 0 E I 1 I i iI I Ii IiI 4 j S I 1 k V c I I I II I Ye think ye can shoot me t scrutiny of six eyes They could not divine how such shooting could be accomplished by trickery but still stillmore stillmore stillmore more they could not divine how howit It could be accomplished without Vittorio sighted more carefully this time but buthe buthe buthe he made his bullseye with unabated unab ted pre precision precision precision Dat free time he observed relinquishing the rifle with a regretful l sigh Guess Ive Ie had enough said Peter Youre Vittorio Emanuele de deking deking deking king all allright right We dont appear to trot In your class class Howd ye learn 7 All Italian mans know how shoot learn In ir de army anny I shoot tong long time Afric Africa said Peter You been In Africa Two time Vittorio nodded What ye shoot there lions no no lion Hon Vittorio raised his shoulders with a |