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Show THE TOBOQQflN. A Talo of the Italian Fish-Ing Fish-Ing Fleet. Tjr 11KHNAKI) 11 IUIT p j N the little cottnge on the r SL T southern slope of Tele- "W J. firaph Hill, NItn wns ic- Sfl 111 I,cntlS ""'y Ave Mm ins I' trll bcfoie nn atrocious lithograph litho-graph of the Mndonnn. The fog-horn linil boon giowllng nil moiniug, nnd her fnthor nnd her lover were out with the lulling licet. For every Ave she oiTcied up for Louis, the loer, she offered two for her father, the Padione. Every one connected with. Itho fishing Industry In San Frand'co knew the Padrone, and his ndvlce was the law of the fisherhien. Even those who had incutrcd his disfnvor at times bore him no Ill-will, for the heart of that gentle, gray-haired giant was as soft as his biceps were hard. NItn loed lilm as only a potted but unspoiled un-spoiled child could. Ihon Louis was not half so dear to her as the father her method of praying showed thnt. Just nt that time Louis nnd th Padrone were gicatly In need of prayer, or perhaps more material assistance. as-sistance. A tug-boat certainly steaming steam-ing much faster than the half speed piescrllKd by law for vessels iu the fog had made matchwood out of their little boat. Louis and the Padrone plunged almost simultaneously Into the cold water just In time to noid being entangled In the debris. The tug mny or may not have loturnod to Investigate Investi-gate the damage. At any rate. It did not find Louis or the Padrone, who weie left floundering in the sea. "Hoots off, Louis," railed the Padrone, Pad-rone, almost cheerily; "wo must swim till wo reach the Islands, or till the fog lifts." He wanted to keep the younger " man from 'realizing bow hopeless was their condition. In n short time they divested themselves of their boots nnd their outer clothing, for they were both good swimmers. "This way. The Farollones are this way. Follow close, but Bac your strength." said the Padione. lie was completely lost, but there wore vol-umes vol-umes of confidence nnd hope In his voice. The men shuck out, breasting the waves with strong, sturdy btrokos. They swum foi several horns, but the fog did not lift or thin in the'least. Louis began to tire, and the Padrone beard him gasping for breath. "Courage, "Cour-age, boy, for Nita," ho tried, hut . Louis's strength was fast gh Ing out. "Put your hand on my shoulder," vontuiod the Padrone; "I con tow you." "No," panted Louis; "I can not last. Bnvo yourself." "It Is for Nita. boy. You must be saved," s-ald tho Padione, Rhniply; "In the name of God, listen! the brenkeis! There Is land ahead." Tho young man struck out desperately, desper-ately, and the Padrone, swimming bo-bind, bo-bind, with one powerful nrm pushed him forward, holding him by the hair and tho other band. A benvy roller caught tho pair, hurling Louis up on an exceedingly small nrea of sandy beach. But tho Padrono was not so fortunate. IIo was dashed against n rj high rock on one side of the beach, '0fm' nd though ho mannged to crawl over to Louis, his left knoo was painfully crippled. They lay bieathless on tho nnd for some time. Apparently they weie In n little gully, with walls running perpendicularly, perpendicu-larly, nnd tho lloor sloping upward nt b sharp angle. "Iloly Slaryt" whispered tho Padrone. Pad-rone. Out of the mist abovo came .tho shaip bark of tho seal. Louis was too much exhausted to realize what It meant. But the Padrone know. ' Tho seals would soon become nlarmed nnd comp sliding down that narrow slope seeking the water, after their custom when alarmed. Several mote commenced to linrl The Padrono looked upward In ' t.ilr, .Several feci nbove, on one of tho walls, a little ledgo of rock Jutted outward like n shelf. "Thank God!" mutteicd the Padrone: I "I can save you for NHn. Yes. tho old man will save her Louis for bis little girl." Ho dragged himself quickly to his foot, though tho sharp pain In his kneo ttado him wince. The seals wcro thoroughly thor-oughly aroused by this time, Rapidly gauging tho distance with his eye, tho Padrono seized tho unconscious young mnu In his arms and tossed him . boflly up on tho lodge. '"mtf '-Tho Padione could hoar the sound ", 0f tho Heals' flippers as tltoy began their descent. He bowed his head to receive re-ceive death, with a piajor on his lip'. Hut In tho kaleidoscopic flashes of ssssssssssssssssssHlsi recollection that come to men nt such' times, came the momentary remcni-brnnce remcni-brnnce of the dajs when ho stood shoulder to shoulder with tho red-shlrtod red-shlrtod men In itnly to leceivo the charges of Pio Nono's troops. He lifted his head with fierce pride nnd shook his fist defiantly. "Vhn Garibaldi!" shouted the Padrone, Pad-rone, raising the old battle cry with his last bieath. Tor the seals slid down upon him In a fienzled mass, crushing blm to death aniLrolllug his body Into tho son, The story of Louis's rescue covered nearly a page of a certain enterprising enterpris-ing Journal, for ho was found nnd brought back to San Trauclsco in a specially chnrtoied tug by two of their rcporteis. After they had photographed and Intel lowed him to their henrfs content, ho hurried off to Fisherman's Whnrf. "Where Is the Padrone?" was the first Inquiry bulled nt him fiercely. "Dog! Cownrd! Where Is the Pad-roue?" Pad-roue?" And the fishermen gathered nbout him with their lists. Louis seemed not to see or fenr the angry looks. IIo had been thinking of the oulcnl of facing Nita with the new s. "It was at the little cove on Saddle Itoek," ho replied doggedly. "I was half dead, and he thiew me up on the ledge. Then the seals slid down and killed him." "Dog! Benst!" cnino the nngry cl'oius. "How dare jou como b.ick to tell It. Denth to tho cowaid!" And several knhes wore diawn. Manuel, a tall, wiry Italian, who, next td the Padione, held highest authority au-thority over tho men, pushed Louis into n shed, whole the fish were stored, and blocked tho dooiwav. "Walt!" ho cried sharply, "Listen to reason. Wo will lenvo the matter to tho daughter of the Padrone. If she doshes It, we will send him to her. If not we will punish. Pedro go and find whnt she wlsbes." A stalwart joung fishcrmnn quickly started on tho en and, nnd returnee with nn epiess!on of snvnge Joy In his swaithy face, for be had been an ndmlrer of NItn. "She says that she does not wish to sop him again," bo panted. A cry of nppioval roso from the crowd. "Death to tho coward!" they Insisted. "It is decided, "then," said Manuel, calmly. "Wo will take lilm back to Saddle Itock, to dlo a coward's death, whore ho might hnvo died u innn's. We want no cownids In the fishing fleet. Pedro, wo will go In your boat." Tour fishermen, tinned executlonecis, glided out through tho Golden Gate in Pedro's bont. Louis, lay In the bottom bound, sullen nnd silent with bitter lcslgnntlon. A .fresh northeaster brought them to Saddle Itock Just before be-fore sunset. "Good," said Mniiuol, eagcily. "the seals nro theie. Quick, boys, before they become f lightened." The "sail clutteied down, nnd Iwo of the men licnt to the oars. Manuel picked up the helpless Louis and hurled lilm up on tho beach Willi .ill his strength, then pushed off with his leg. Tbp men backed desperately with the oars, and tho little craft dicw off, none too soon, for the foremost seal collided forcibly with the bottom of tho bont. When tho men looked at tho little beach again It was deserted. In the little cottage on Telegraph IH1I, Nita offered Acs to the Madonna's Ma-donna's plcluio for the icpopc of her father's soul. No one pinyed for the soul of Louis, whoso only crimp was Ill-luck. San Francisco Aigonnut. |