TWO PRETTY STORIES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1613, 28 January 1903, Page 17

TWO PRETTY STORIES

Among the Neapolitans—and, indeed, most Italians of the peasant class —coral is regarded as the bringer of good luck and the charm against all danger. Ten grains of it; given to a first-born child m milk, are supposed to preserve the infant from fits. No self-respecting Neapolitan of the old school would be without the tiny coral horn, or better still, the carved hand which renders innocuous the Evil Eye, that bugbear of the Southern European. Whenever an Italian sees or passes one of those unfortunate beings who are credited by popular superstition with the possession of the Evil Eye, he clasps two middle fingers into the palm of ins hand, and points the first and fourth finger outwards, feeding confident that by this sign ho repels tne sinister power that would otherwise work him harm. But as it is not always possible to he sure that someone is not casting upon you from behind cho dreaded * final ■ occhio,” the Neapolitan—ever lazy enough to prefer to do Ins exercising without much personal trouble —thinks tba>t to carry about ■with him & hcind &i----ways in the correct position is by far Urn safest and most convenient plan. Queen Margherita of Italy possesses a coral amulet which has a romantic history. When she was a child, she had u maid who, although attached to* the person of so exalted a little lady, was on.y a peasant girl, betrothed to a Neapolitan sailor. Poc-r Caterina had her troubles, for her lover was somewhat wild, and apt to involve himself in quarrels and brawls. Wherefore it unfortunately fed out one day that lie was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Bathed in tears, Caterina came to pour out her woes to her young mistress, who interceded so effectually for the excitable lover that he was allowed to go free. Then ho married his faithful Iposa, who left tne services*) f the Princess, though the affection between her and her former mistress remained unimpaired. When Margherita was about to become a bride, the faithful woman came to her with a wedding gift—a tiny image carved in red coral. “Dear lady,” she said, “I have brought you something that will make yo*a fortunate all the days of your life. Itis an image of the Blessed Virgin, and my old man’s people have had it in the family for three hundred years. If we had been blessed with children, I could not have given it ,up, not even to you, my beauty; hut as we have none, \ve want you to wear it as a token of our gratitude, for we owe you the happiness of our lives.” So the “Pearl of Savoy” always wears round her neck the gift of her old nurse. It is fastened to a tiny string of pearls, not large enough to inconvenience her when she is in “en grande toilette,” by the priceless pearls of her necklace. Queen Margherita, indeed, wears two necklaces day and niglit. The second is the string of coral beads that her son bought for her when lie was a little boy. It is so arranged that sire can undo the clasps and slip it into the bosom of her gown when she does not wish it to show; but parted from it she will never be, because it is a proof of the self-denying love of her child. The King while Crown Prince saw the beautiful trinket in a shop one day, and said at once, “That’s just the necklace for my mother. She loves coral': I shall buy it for her.” When he marched in and hear a. the price far above his means it proved—he was not discouraged, hut said to the dea.er: “Very well, 1 will buy five beads today; keep the rest for me and I will save up my money ana buy them by degrees. It will he all right; I’m the Crown Prince, you know, and I want them for mamma.” It took two years of saving before the hoy was able to present the offering to his beautiful mother, who said, with tears in her eyes,-“This is the most precious of all my ornaments. I will never lot it leave me.” ‘ . jy&&Xy indeed* aJ>cw“e tba-fc of rubles is the value of the simplest gift that is offered and welcomed by love! —Pauline, in “The Lady.”