What
little money they had taken in they dared not spend for food, for fear
the _padrone_ would whip them! Their tale roused no little indignation
in the old Squire and grandmother Ruth.
What with the food and the warmth the little Italians soon grew so
sleepy that they drowsed off before our eyes. We made a couch of
blankets for them in a warm corner, and they were still soundly asleep
there when Addison and I went out to do the farm chores the next
morning.
We kept the little image peddlers with us for several days thereafter.
In fact, we were at a loss to know what to do with them, for a cold snap
had come on. With their thin clothes and worn-out shoes they were in no
condition either to go on or to go back; and, moreover, now that their
images were broken, they were in terror of their _padrone_.
One of the boys was slightly larger and stronger than the other; his
name, he managed to tell us, was Emilio Foresi. The first name of the
other was Tomaso, but I have forgotten his surname. Tomaso, I recollect,
had little gold rings in his ears. His voice was soft, and he had gentle
manners.
Under the influence of good food and a warm place to sleep both boys
brightened visibly and even grew vivacious.
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