Lucia Rudini

Lucia Rudini, by Martha Trent

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Title: Lucia Rudini Somewhere in Italy
Author: Martha Trent

Release Date: February 2, 2006 [eBook #17666]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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RUDINI***
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LUCIA RUDINI
Somewhere in Italy
by
MARTHA TRENT
Illustrated by Chas. L. Wrenn

[Illustration: Cover art--Lucia Rudini.]

[Frontispiece: "My pet, see how you frightened the brave Austrian
soldier"]

New York Barse & Hopkins Publishers Copyright, 1918 by Barse &
Hopkins

DEDICATED TO
R. J. U.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I
CELLINO II MARIA III BEFORE DAYBREAK IV LOST V IN THE
TOOL SHED VI GARIBALDI PERFORMS VII THE BEGGAR VIII

THE SURPRISE ATTACK IX THE BRIDGE X GARIBALDI,
STRETCHER-BEARER XI THE AMERICAN XII A REUNION XIII
AN INTERRUPTED DREAM XIV THE FAIRY GODFATHER XV
EXCITING NEWS XVI THE KING XVII GOOD-BY TO CELLINO
XVIII IN THE GARDEN XIX BACK TO FIGHT XX AN
INTERRUPTED SAIL XXI THE END OF THE STORY

ILLUSTRATIONS
"'My pet, see how you frightened the brave Austrian soldier'" . . . . . .
Frontispiece
"The Soldiers came and chattered and laughed"
"Together they drove the goats before them"
"Lucia and Garibaldi toiled up the hill, each one using every bit of their
strength"

LUCIA RUDINI
CHAPTER I
CELLINO
Lucia Rudini folded her arms across her gaily-colored bodice, tilted her
dark head to one side and laughed.
"I see you, little lazy bones," she said. "Wake up!"
A small body curled into a ball in the grass at her feet moved slightly,
and a sleepy voice whimpered, "Oh, Lucia, go away. I was having such
a nice dream about our soldiers up there, and I was just killing a whole
regiment of Austrians, and now you come and spoil it."
A curly black head appeared above the tops of the flowers, and two

reproachful brown eyes stared up at her.
Lucia laughed again. "Poor Beppino, some one is always disturbing
your fine dreams, aren't they? But come now, I have something far
better than dreams for you," she coaxed.
"What?" Beppi was on his feet in an instant, and the sleepy look
completely disappeared.
"Ha, ha, now you are curious," Lucia teased, "aren't you? Well, you
shan't see what I have, until you promise to do what I ask."
Beppi's round eyes narrowed, and a cunning expression appeared in
their velvety depth.
"I suppose I am not to tell Nana that you left the house before sunrise
this morning," he said.
Lucia looked at him for a brief moment in startled surprise, then she
replied quickly, "No, that is not it at all. What harm would it do if you
told Nana? I am often up before sunrise."
"Yes, but you don't go to the mountains," Beppi interrupted. "Oh, I saw
you walking smack into the guns. What were you doing?" He dropped
his threatening tone, so incongruous with his tiny body, and coaxed
softly, "please tell me, sister mine."
"Silly head!" Lucia was breathing freely again, "there is nothing to tell.
I heard the guns all night, and they made me restless, so I went for a
walk. Go and tell Nana if you like, I don't care."
Beppi's small mind returned to the subject at hand.
"Then if it isn't that, what is it you want me to do?" he inquired, and
continued without giving his sister time to reply. "It's to take care of
them, I suppose," he grumbled, pointing a browned berry-stained little
finger at a herd of goats that were grazing contentedly a little farther
down the slope.

"Yes, that's it, and good care of them too," Lucia replied. "You are not
to go to sleep again, remember, and be sure and watch Garibaldi, or she
will stray away and get lost."
"And a good riddance too," Beppi commented under his breath.
He did not share in the general admiration for the "Illustrious and
Gentile Señora Garibaldi," the favorite goat of his sister's herd. Perhaps
the vivid recollection of Garibaldi's hard head may have accounted for
his aversion. Lucia heard his remark and was quick to defend her pet.
"Aren't you ashamed to speak so?" she exclaimed, "I've a good mind
not to give you the candy after all."
"Oh, Lucia, please, please!" Beppi begged. "I will take such good