Books › The Red Book 1912-07: Vol 19 Iss 3, 1912 › scan 90
Scan 90
The Red Book 1912-07: Vol 19 Iss 3, 1912
58 lines. Read by computer on 14 September 2026. Printed page 473. See the scan on archive.org.
1TOMASO AND THE WHALE
3his chin began to play a few soft notes. At the touch his face paled; he turned the instrument over and gazed at it in wild surprise, his lips trembling.
5"Where then did you get this?" he cried at last, turning upon the children; "this that is mine, my violin!"
7"Id is the violin of our fathaire," said Marianna, gravely.
9The second-hander seized her by the shoulder—he almost shook her. "Thy father?—his name, carina, his name?"
11Marianna was frightened but she was firm.
13"Id is Giacomo," she said; "Giacomo Cusano, the shucker of oysters, thad lifed once ad Naples, in Italy, where I was born; I and nod Tomaso and Dino, who are American bambini."
15The old Italian laid down the violin; he drew the little girl into his arms. "And thou," he said, tremulously, "thou art Marianna, my granddaughter. Dio mio, my son who ran away in anger is not lost, for my son's son is found."
17Tomaso gazed at him keenly. "Id is our grandfathaire, Marianna," he said suddenly; "our fathaire said alway that he weared goggles."
19This convincing argument carried away their fears. Marianna and Tomaso accepted the old man gladly, but Dino began to cry for food.
21Andrea Cusano wiped away his tears. "Is the bambino hungry?" He looked sharply at Marianna. "Is it that your father left no food?"
23"Our fathaire has been fourteen days in a whay-al," replied Tomaso. "As for us, we do nod eat this day."
25The second-hander snatched up the wailing Dino and made the other two come into the kitchen. He had food there, a brodo of meat, some Italian bread, a little fresh fish. The children ate eagerly, the old man watching; and once in a while he wiped away a tear.
27"Seven years he has been lost to me," he said to himself. "Seven years he wrote no word, and now I find his bambini. Dio mio! Marianna, tell me of thy father, where went he but now?" he added, leaning on her chair to listen.
29Marianna told him.
31Tomaso pushed aside a bit of fresh fish. "I do nod desire to eat my fathaire in a whay-al," he said.
33Dino began to cry.
35The old man sat down and took the crying child upon his knee.
37"Hush, Dino mio," he said kindly, "we—you and I—will make that whale give back the Babbo. Perbacco, do I not remember, thirty years ago I held your father so upon my knee and he was as small then as you!"
39"Our Babbo? Small lika Dino?" Tomaso, eyes widening, suspended a mouthful in mid air to gaze; "my, aint he growed sinze!"
41"He is awful tall," said Marianna, "and he's got whiskers, mos' nize and black."
43"Yours is sort of weedy," observed Tomaso thoughtfully, "but mebbe you can't help 'em."
45"He's our grandfathaire, Tomaso, and you is nod polite," corrected Marianna severely, "as for me—" her lip quivered—"I desire to see my Babbo—my fathaire!"
47Andrea Cusano took off his spectacles and wiped them carefully. "Your father went to shuck oysters in the morning, you say, and returned not?"
49Marianna nodded.
51"The whay-al swallered him," explained Tomaso.
53"It may be he is hurt, or sick of the sun, and in the hospital," said old Andrea; "so it may be, who can tell? But you I have. Perbacco, I am lucky! This morning I was alone, now I am rich. Together we will find your father, little ones, the Babbo will come back, that I know. Did I not hear a grillo (grasshopper) on Ascension Thursday? To hear one sing then is luck. We'll find your father!"
55Marianna clasped her hands. "Id will be thad he comes from the treasure island!" she cried, with perfect faith.
57But Tomaso shouted. "I knows—I knows, my grandfathaire, he means to catch the whay-al—the whay-al of Signore Jonasio!"
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