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1.
Miss Nary Tomei
63 Barre St.
Montpelier. Vt*
at9B11...4 a ea
A YOUNG- ITALIAN GRANITE CDTTLM
He vas one of the wildly enthusiastic crowd that filled
the bleachers on the baseball field. His Wormed face
towered a good head above his companisme* in spotless sumo.
ger linen and Immaculate white Shoes It las bard to visual-
ize his as a week day granite worker, head, rase and cloth..
lug in a film of dust. Through the brown at his son goggles
his eyes crinkled good naturedly. *It there's anythirg I
hate it's glasses.' He grinned. °I had a horror of 'en in
school* gr sister had to year 'en after a siege or measles.
I certainly pitied her. When my father and mother hinted
that I'd better have my eyes =seined, too (I'd had the
measles along with my sister), I put up such a bowl they
vnicaly let me have my own way* I still bats sun goggles.
I do mind the goggles we year in the shed. X vouldn't year
'em if it wasn't for my father. tie's part owner at the
shed. He's come around and lectured me Amity of times for
not veering tem. It's humiliating. Hie doesn't ears what
be says, and be doesn't care she's areund to hear it. I've
been sticking to them pretty regularly of late*
"Its a great day for a game, isn't it? It's about
the only attraction that draws such a Barre mooed to Mont-
pelier* Yes, I'm playing softball again this year. But
we haven't been doing uCh. Last year se played twice a
week. Some of those sweltering days I was tired out before
19858
even startinG the game.
"Then I was in nigh :7411001 I never dreamed that I'd
tor: in ny father's shed. The family vas dead set against
it. Guess I just drifted into it. The veneer after I
graduated I helped sore in the Shed office. nen fall came
I stayed an. Around Christmas tine they were short a man
for odd work, so I left the office and I've been cutting
stone over sinee. About ten years. Two or three tines
I've almost quit. Three years ace was the last tine I
lead the urge. I pronised myself then that I'd work five
years more and save as much as I could. 11 farm, that's
what I want. Country %there there's, green, and quiet and
fre .air. I menace to save quite a bit of money; I live
wiVe My people and I'm not married. I've two years to co
then I'll quit the shade.,
"I have a hunch that my father will sell his shed be-
fore lonc. I've boon, tryinr to talk him into it. .71)
eleesn't :ale the money there that he used to.He's interented in ny plans or a farm. I wouldn't be surprised if
he followod my example.
nfle'n always said that when he sale he's coinc to
tal:e a trip to Italy. c and ny mother. They've never
been back. To, they wouldn't r.lelre their heue there They
like America too well for that. father has propertd
over there, a house the house IX eas born in and a
flood otretch of farninc land. It vas left to him by my
Grandfather; ny father's oicter bee been livinc; there.
5.
When my father goes over hoes gang to give her the ProPertry
Be says she deserves it. She's marked the fields and kept
up the regaire on the house* Tess she and my father keep in
toushisitb each other* She mete last momth* The letter up...
set my father. She said her sans bets a year younger then
was sent to labaniii. In serviee She doesnit spook sell
of Mussolini. Says he's too domineering end grasping. The
letter vas pitiful* Their little village vas Seemined in
grief* Vram almost every family there was at least an* ow
preparing to leave for Albania. They live thassallvillaGe
near Mantua Lombards, they ores and they speak the iombsrdy
dialect*
*Nos I've never heard my father speak ot granite sheds
or quarries in their village. I know that be learned the
trade in Como, mr mother was from the same village* They
were married over here. In Barre* my father sent for her
attar he'd been here about four years. Pr= faitiat I hears
many Italians followed that example*
*We get a semi-monthly paper from Italy. Nos I molt
read it. I can pick out a few words, but that's all* The
only Italian I speak is the Lombardy dialect* my folks
were taught the pure Italian in schools but they hardly
ever speak it. They read every bit of that newspapers and
then pass it au to some neighbors of ours. It's interesting
to listen to then.
'ahem a half doses of them gather over drinks the talk
invariably drifts to Italy. Before the session', over they've
talked Italian politias ntil they're blue in the facies
They've praised MUsealini for his constructive prindiples
and dawned bin far his arroganess
*Delve a fellow in the shed, an ItallAn well aver 00.
Italian litles and Mussolini are meat and drink to him.
I've overheard him dose ns of times in conversation with
fellow Italians speak of Masolini as pi go gs.
But let him talk to ane of anathernationality and be praise,
Mussolini to the sky, hes the savior of julgiro the grelOberk
mind in all LuroRe. V4 played jobs onkanone nigh, Ina
beer gardens Myself* a couple of older Italians from the
shed, amd a maple at Irishmen. We were supposed to get hist
steamed up over MUesolini, and When he was going good to
motion to the two Irishmen to make their OpPlaxeme• It
worked fine, at first. Old Luke was drinking pretty hard
that night. It didn't take long to get him swearing and
cursing over MUssalini. He didn't see the two Irishman
standing behind his Chair. They were there far all of five
minutes while be damned mUssor'4,e4s Finally one of than
drawled.. 'Sarney. I thought this Mussolini was a good guy00.10
"'Surest the other chimed in, 'only yesterday yxmL were
telling me be was the best man Italy'd ever had. Vhat's
mode you Change your mind, Luke?'
*Old Luke swung ardund. His jaw 'flung in surprise.
For a moment be freers like an animal that's suddenly found
itself trapped. Then an expression of shame and self-eanp.
tempt flooded his face. He was so miserable that I couldnirt
help but feel aioa,tartab3a and guilty. In that one ndiants
I caught an understanding of his feeling's deo:liming
solini's misdeeds to a fellow Italian was like discussing
a brother's faults with another member of the family, with
80M0000 Who in the interests of the home would respect the
knowledge. But to tell an outsider was betraying your
brother and your family; to condemn MUssolini before a nom-
itallanwee to belittle the ebele Italian roes, 74e, I
was feeling sorry for him, and ashamed of rawself. But it
didn't last Ion& He turned the titles on us. Old Ii9tke
was wise. Wiser than we who'd plammed the joke. That
shamed expression vanished. He tossed down the rest of
his wine and eyed the Irishmen shrewdly. 'Lipton, you bum's'
be roared at them in his brokmalMagleh, "nes I have been
tale' Italian all night. An' eines when is it that you two
are smart enough to understan, Italian in those thick bead
of yours* How do you know but maybe it is you two I have
been call' damfool all night?'
uBut the Joke taught old Make a lesson He hasn't
been as eager to give his opinion an politics.*