Eulalie Osgood Grover

“ Nearly every afternoon they sat by a small table under an orange tree, or beside the blue water, or on a city sidewalk, and had nice things to eat and drink.
The people were always kind to them and the sky was nearly always sunny. It is a land of sunshine and flowers and fruit, like our own sunny Florida, though Italy is much more beautiful. It is hardly twice the size of Florida, but nearly one-third as many people live there as live in the whole of our great United States. It is a crowded, happy, lovely country, and Molly and May will never forget their wonderful journey through it. ”

“ The road finally left the shore and climbed up over the green hills that separate the Gulf of Salerno from the Bay of Naples. It led through large vineyards and through groves of orange and lemon and olive trees, until at last it reached 86 the beautiful town of Sorrento. But Pippo did not stop his horses until he had taken his party to the prettiest and quaintest little whitewashed hotel in the town.
The nicest thing about the hotel was its garden. It seemed as if all the fruits and flowers Molly and May had ever heard of were growing in this garden. ”

“ There was a strange old Clock Tower which has been standing there since the time Columbus discovered America. Two big bronze men stand on top of the tower and strike the hours on a great bell with their heavy hammers. First one man raises his hammer and strikes the bell and then the other man strikes it, until the right hour has been struck, from one to twenty-four o'clock, which is midnight.
It seemed strange for Molly and May to go to bed at nineteen o'clock instead of seven, but that was what they did in Italy, for there the clock faces have twenty-four hours on them instead of twelve. ”

“ May we have them?" they cried all together
"I should rather sell flowers than write letters," said Tessa.
"So should I!" exclaimed May. "Look at the beautiful roses that man has to sell. He wants us to buy some. Please stop, Pietro!"
But before Pietro could stop his horses, the man had sprung up onto the low step of the carriage and was holding a big bunch of beautiful roses right in front of the three happy children.
"Oh! oh! oh! May we have them? How much are they?" they cried all together. 46
"Una lira, signorine, una lira," said the man, smiling and lifting his cap. ”

“ Already the Sunbonnet Babies had learned that in Italy a public square is called a piazza, and their driver told them that this square was the Spanish Piazza.
"It should be called the Flower Piazza!" exclaimed May. "It looks like a big flower market. May we buy some of those lovely cherry blossoms?"
"Yes, indeed! Buy all you want," said their driver. "This is only one of our flower markets. There are many others in the city."
"Why are the people waiting on those great stone steps?" asked Molly. "And why do they wear such odd, pretty clothes?" 119
"It should be called the Flower Piazza!" ”

“ And so, with a hoe, the man scraped away two or three inches of loose gravel, and there they saw hot sand boiling and bubbling just like a hot pudding. A cloud of black smoke rose 35 from the boiling sand, and a very bad odor made Molly and May cover their noses with their handkerchiefs. May tried to pick up a small stone near her feet to carry home with her, but it was so hot she dropped it very quickly.
"Oh! oh!" cried May. "Is the world going to burn up?"
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Where are we? Is this a volcano?" cried Molly. ”

“ Two small boys carried strings of onions over their shoulders
Soon the road led through a village where the people seemed very poor indeed. The little children were ragged and dirty and hungry, and there were, oh, so many of them! Most of the children were too small to earn money, but they were not too small to beg for it.
"Oh, I never, never saw such poor little children!" cried May. "Where do you suppose they all come from? See, they are running after our carriage and begging for un soldo. Let's give them some pennies, Molly." ”

“ Giorgio knows the way."
"They are going the long and easy way, while we are going the short and steep way," Giorgio said, with much motioning. "If these donkeys are not too lazy, we shall be there first," and he gave them each another quick rap on their backs with his hand.
"You should not strike your donkeys, Giorgio," Molly said. "We can make them go without your help."
"All right," said Giorgio, laughing. "You may try it, but you will never reach Anacapri."
"Oh, yes, we shall!" answered Molly. "Just watch us. Come on, May!" ”

“ Molly and May walked along a narrow path close beside the glass wall, and watched the queer fish chase each other about in the water or lie lazily under the shadow of a big rock.
At last Molly said, "Why, the bottom of the ocean looks very much like the top of the earth. There are hills and valleys and rocks and sand and green things growing everywhere." ”

“ Anita said. "It helps to keep their little legs straight. And see, Giorgio's bands are fastened with red and green ribbons. Red and green are the Italian national colors, you know."
"Doesn't he like to play and to kick with his feet? Our babies do in America," said May.
"Oh, no!" answered Anita. "He isn't big enough yet to know that he has any feet. But see, he can smile for you."
"Mother is going to give baby a bath in the canal now," said Maria. "He thinks it is lots of fun and so do we. Would you like to watch him have his bath?"
"Oh, we should love to!" exclaimed Molly and May. ”

“ It would be hard to tell all that Molly and May did and all that they saw during four happy days on the island. The people of Capri seem to live out of doors, for the warm sunshine and fresh breezes make summer and winter much alike there.
Some of the streets of the little old town are no wider than American sidewalks, and most of those that lead uphill have steps in them. Long ago, when these streets were built, there were no horses and carriages on the island. People carried their heavy loads on their heads, or on the backs of faithful donkeys. ”

“ Molly and May paid him a whole lira for the fun they had in watching them.
As they were about to leave the market place they heard a clear, beautiful whistle which made them stop and listen.
"It is my blackbird, signorine," called a little boy. "See, he is here in this cage. I caught him in the field and taught him how to whistle. Now he can whistle better than any other blackbird in Florence. Would you like to buy him?"
"Why, yes, of course we should! But we cannot take care of a bird while we are traveling. He will be happier with you. ”

“ One woman stood on an iron balcony, lowered a basket by a long rope
As Molly and May watched the preparations for dinner on the little balcony, May suddenly cried, "Look! Look! They have a big dog up there!"
"No, that is not a dog, it is a goat," said her father. "I suppose it lives up there with the family and gives them milk every day. That family must have more money than most of the people who live on this street. They eat snail soup for dinner, they have a balcony in front of their window, and they keep a goat." ”

“ The road took them first through a short, dark tunnel, not far below the monastery where they had spent the night. It then clung to the sides of the steepest mountains the children had ever seen. Wonderful stone bridges led across deep gorges, and dark tunnels took them inside the mountains.
On one of the bridges which crossed a great crack in the mountain side the Sunbonnet Babies begged to get out of the carriage.
"Very well," said Pippo. "You will see an interesting old fishing village in that gorge."
"What! A fishing village in that dark place, Pippo?" exclaimed May. ”

“ The noise and the strange faces and the stranger language might have frightened even the Overall Boys just a little, if they had been with Molly and May.
But no one needed to be frightened. The men in Naples are fine drivers, though they do like to make a great show about it. And the nervous little horses enjoy dashing through the streets to the sound of cracking whips. 19
Everybody was jolly and happy, so the Sunbonnet Babies soon forgot their fears and began to enjoy their first drive in Italy. The carriage passed along a busy street where there were many small shops and handsome stores. ”

“ Soon Amalfi was overcome by the people of Pisa, 83 who were jealous of its power and trade. And two hundred years later a terrible storm and earthquake swept away nearly all of its fine beach and harbor, leaving only a small group of houses clinging to the steep mountain side.
So Amalfi changed from being one of the most important towns in the world to one of the least important, except for the beauty of its location.
Thousands of people from all parts of the world still go to Amalfi every year, but not to buy and sell. ”

“ We are going to have bread and honey and delicious hot chocolate for breakfast," said Molly. "And best of all, we are going to eat it under this lovely orange tree."
While they were enjoying the sweet taste of the bees' honey and the sweet smell of the orange blossoms, a more wonderful sweetness came to their ears. It came from a tall, dark tree near by. It was the sweetest bird's song the little Americans had ever heard.
"O Maria! Please tell us the name of that wonderful bird," they begged the pretty Italian maid who brought them a fresh pot of honey. ”

“ Men 11 are digging away the ashes and cinders now, so we can see just how the people used to live."
"Pompeii must be right over there," said May
"Pompeii must be right over there near the foot of the mountain," said May. "Isn't it strange to think that those trees and farms may be growing on top of an old, old city?"
"Look at the big city just ahead of our boat!" cried Molly. "It is Naples. We are almost there!"
"Why, the city is the shape of a big, new moon," said May. "It curves right around 12 the shore of this lovely, blue bay, and climbs up the hillside to meet the blue sky. ”

“ The poorer people of Venice have polenta and boiled fish for dinner nearly every day. Perhaps once a week they have meat and a fresh vegetable, and sometimes macaroni with grated cheese sprinkled over it.
Molly and May liked the polenta and boiled fish very much. It was nicely cooked, and they were hungry. When they had eaten all they wanted, a basket of ripe red cherries was placed on the table. Antonio had brought the cherries home as a special treat for the Sunbonnet Babies and his own little girls. ”

“ Now he must go back to his pillow in the courtyard while I get our dinner. We want you little girls to have dinner with us."
"Thank you!" said Molly and May. "We should like to very much. This is a lovely kitchen. Do you keep all of your dishes on the walls?"
"Oh, no, indeed!" Maria answered, laughing. "Mother keeps only her best brass and pewter dishes on the walls. Some of them are very, very old. When Anita and I are married, mother will give them to us and we shall put them on our kitchen walls. We think they are beautiful." ”

“ Suddenly a little boy who was rolling a hoop began to race with the goats. He ran along beside them, driving his hoop as fast as 57 he could make it go. The goats did not want to be left behind, so they trotted faster and still faster, but the little boy with his rolling hoop kept up with them.
The Sunbonnet Babies began to be a bit frightened, they were riding so very fast. May pulled on the reins and cried, "Whoa! whoa! stop! stop!" The small Italian goats did not understand English, so they ran faster than ever. They were enjoying the race, and so was the man who owned them. ”

“ I don't know," said Molly, laughing. "I guess the Capri donkeys could come up here all right, but I think I'd rather be on my own feet. A donkey might get tired and lie down, or turn around and go back."
"Well, here is a resting place for us," said her father. "We have climbed as far as the base of the great dome. We can walk around the gallery now and look down into the church where we stood only a little while ago."
"How tiny the people look 'way down there! And how high the great dome still is above us!" exclaimed May. ”

“ Many of the fish that are caught alive in the Mediterranean Sea are brought to this aquarium, so people may study and enjoy them."
"I feel as if I had really and truly been to the bottom of the sea," said Molly. "I am glad I am not a fish. I should much rather be a little girl and have a ride in that goat cart. Those Italian children have just had a ride. 55 See, they are each paying the man a penny. O sir! Please may we ride next?"
May shook the reins and away they went
"And please may I drive the goats?" asked May. "I know how to drive my pony." ”

“ She is knitting with long, crooked needles. Her cap looks like a white handkerchief laid over her black hair. Perhaps they think father and mother are artists who want to paint them in a picture."
"I will tell them that my little daughters are the artists," said the Sunbonnet Babies' 121 father. "It does not take you so long to make a picture as it does most artists, so I think they will be glad to pose for you."
And they were. When the camera had been snapped, Molly and May each gave the little girl a soldo and said they hoped a real artist would paint a beautiful picture of her soon. ”

“ People do not live in the ruined city now, for the houses have no roofs. But father says they have the cunningest little inhabitants he ever saw. They are part of the surprise, so I must not tell about them now."
"Is the picnic basket ready, mother?" asked Molly. "Is it brimful of good things to eat?"
"Yes, everything is ready, and Pietro will take us to the station just as soon as you have had your breakfast."
After a short but very rough ride the train stopped at a small station, and a man called, "Pompeii!" ”

“ It was morning, and they passed a milk man delivering his milk in a flat-bottomed boat.
"That is a new kind of milk cart," exclaimed Molly. "In Naples they have live milk carts, and in Holland they have dog carts, and here in Venice they have boats."
"And see! There is a man with a boat load of vegetables," said May. "He has just sold a string of onions and a cauliflower to the woman standing in the doorway. If she should step out of her door she would step right into the canal. ”