Lucia Rudini: Somewhere in Italy

, Maria walked slowly back to find her mother, and Lucia afte

e road, it would be the nearest to the Austrian guns. Personally Lucia scorned the very idea of the Austrian guns, but she could

er eyes with her withered old hand, and staring in

ully. "They were a fine lot, eh? I guess they will

ed Nana, "what

been captured, and our soldiers are retreating. In to

before, when Austria had crossed the mountains and entered Cellino, she had been a young girl. Now in her old age they were to come again, and there was n

last, and her decision was so unexp

come of our things?" she exclaimed. "Surely we ha

What do those boys who swagger about in men's places know about the enemy? There is not one that

n her grandmother's eyes, and realized with a sh

she asked. "I will

plied. "Call him, I will

e she had left Beppi a few hours before. She saw the flock

hurried on, believing h

ve something exciting to te

but still no

wn into the tall grasses, but there was no sign of Beppi. There were no trees or houses in sigh

ngly, then she went over to the

gone after her," she said aloud in

was busy tying up the household trea

he afternoon wore on slowly and a bank of rain clouds hid the sun. Lucia's conf

xclaimed. "I am frightened

s, I suppose," she replied. "He is always disobeyi

eyes f

am going to find him and I am not coming home until I do. If you are afraid to stay here

house and down the road towards the footpath. She had no idea of where she was going, but fear lea

west, an echo of the guns. Lucia took the path that she had taken early that morning, and as she climbed up the steep

ils, she branched off to the left. It was hard climbing, and af

sun out of sight the fall air was damp and cold. She

she must have come this way in the hope of finding grass. Up above, and a little over to the left, there

o be seen, nor was Garibaldi. Lucia stopped, discouraged. Fear and helplessness were getting the better of her, and she would most likely have given way to the t

d off up the tiny trail that

she was not discouraged for the guns were making so much noise

mbled on regardless of the danger, hoping against hope that she had chosen the right path, and that each step was bring

but unmistakabl

a,

out the weather, at no very

f Lucia laug

waited eagerly for a reply, but none came. She

a!

mbed up the steep rock as fast as she could. Garibaldi

she stepped a little to one side, and Lucia saw Beppino curled up on a bed of dry leaves sheltered and

He opened his eyes, and a dazed

rosspatch Garibaldi and I, so I found this nice little place, and I

eppi deserved. She picked him up in her arms, and hugged and ki

ht you have given me! But we are safe now, and we will wait unti

im again, "and they looked so fine with their shiny hats. It was while I looked at them th

ia asked gently. "I should have brough

pocket of his little tunic h

long ones. Here's yours and here's mine. Garibaldi

a drink of milk. Then Beppi snuggled down in

he said, "the one about

ght. The guns were silent, and only occasi

er and spoke to her. But the cross girl was feeling very mean indeed, and she teased the soldier and made him very unhappy. But later on in the

d itself from the other night noises. Beppi was sound asleep, and she rolled hi

p staccato hammering, muffled

rept softly to the

t outlines. She crept back into the shelter, believing that she had just imagined what she had heard, but she had not taken her place b

ned again. Muffled sounds too indistinct to recognize came to her. Whatever t

g over and over again that if it was a sound made by men, those men were surely Italian soldiers, but her arguments

whole mountain tops, that she had heard from the sol

, and was sleeping soundly. Lucia looked at him

two rocks, until she was on the roof of the cave. It was flat and the ground seemed to stretch out level for quite a distanc

. At first she heard only the rain and the wind, but after a little wait there was a muffled

was fortunate that she was as sure-footed as her goats, for th

tion. Two thoughts stood out clearly and beyond doubt. First, the enemy was doing something of which the Italians were unaware, and secon

ed formidable and wellnigh impassable barriers between one range and the next. Lucia had seen the troops disappear that morning, as if the great rocks ha

l. Throughout the night she tried to think and plan as she sat up with her back against the rock listening

stole softly away from the sleeping Beppi and Garibaldi, and crept down the tiny path to the plat

r milk in the morning, surely the mysterious hand that left the penn

o wait. The sun rose east of Cellino, and she watched it as it climbed ove

so fresh and sweet that Lucia took long grateful breaths of it. She was just wondering how long she would have to wait, when a stone rolled down besi

o caution silence, and his smile c

it?" he

oise," Lucia warn

at she had discover

ou say?" the soldier qu

I crawled out and listened

show me t

ere, but it is a slippery climb." L

"Never mind that

g the rocks, choosing the safest footholds an

ssy plateau, she stopped and po

in silence. When they reached the cave she poi

before he could enter, but he was very careful to

him excitedly. By the expression of his fac

here you thought you heard t

he forgot that he could not climb as nimbly as she could, and

d of her, crawling along the ground, his helmet shin