Phil, the Fiddler Part 17

Phil leaned over until his ear was close to the mouth of his little comrade.

"I think I am going to die, Filippo," whispered Giacomo.

Phil started in dismay.

"No, no, Giacomo," he said; "that is nonsense. You will live a great many years."

"I think you will, Filippo. You are strong. But I have always been weak, and lately I am tired all the time. I don't care to live--very much. It is hard to live;" and the little boy sighed as he spoke.

"You are too young to die, Giacomo. It is only because you are sick that you think of it. You will soon be better."

"I do not think so, Filippo. I should like to live for one thing."

"What is that?" asked Phil, gazing with strange wonder at the patient, sad face of the little sufferer, who seemed so ready to part with the life which, in spite of his privations and hards.h.i.+ps, seemed so bright to him.

"I should like to go back to my home in Italy, and see my mother again before I die. She loved me."

The almost unconscious emphasis which he laid on the word "she" showed that in his own mind he was comparing her with his father, who had sold him into such cruel slavery.

"If you live, Giacomo, you will go back and see her some day."

"I shall never see her again, Filippo," said the little boy, sadly. "If you ever go back to Italy--when you are older--will you go and see her, and tell her that--that I thought of her when I was sick, and wanted to see her?"

"Yes, Giacomo," said Phil, affected by his little companion's manner.

"Filippo!" called Pietro, in harsh tones.

"I must go," said Phil, starting to his feet.

"Kiss me before you go," said Giacomo.

Phil bent over and kissed the feverish lips of the little boy, and then hurried out of the room. He never saw Giacomo again; and this, though he knew it not, was his last farewell to his little comrade.

So Phil commenced his wanderings. He was free in one way--he could go where he pleased. The padrone did not care where he picked up his money, as long as he brought home a satisfactory amount. Phil turned to go up town, though he had no definite destination in view. He missed Giacomo, who lately had wandered about in his company, and felt lonely without him.

"Poor Giacomo!" he thought. "I hope he will be well soon."

"Avast there, boy!" someone called. "Just come to anchor, and give us a tune."

Phil looked up and saw two sailors bearing down upon him (to use a nautical phrase) with arms locked, and evidently with more liquor aboard than they could carry steadily.

"Give us a tune, boy, and we'll pay you," said the second.

Phil had met such customers before, and knew what would please them. He began playing some lively dancing tunes, with so much effect that the sailors essayed to dance on the sidewalk, much to the amus.e.m.e.nt of a group of boys who collected around them.

"Go it, bluejacket! Go it, boots!" exclaimed the boys, designating them by certain prominent articles of dress.

The applause appeared to stimulate them to further efforts, and they danced and jumped high in air, to the hilarious delight of their juvenile spectators. After a time such a crowd collected that the attention of a pa.s.sing policeman was attracted.

"What's all this disturbance?" he demanded, in tones of authority.

"We're stretching our legs a little, s.h.i.+pmate," said the first sailor.

"Then you'd better stretch them somewhere else than in the street."

"I thought this was a free country," hiccoughed the second.

"You'll find it isn't if I get hold of you," said the officer.

"Want to fight?" demanded the second sailor, belligerently.

"Boy, stop playing," said the policeman. "I don't want to arrest these men unless I am obliged to do it."

Phil stopped playing, and this put a stop to the dance. Finding there was no more to be seen, the crowd also dispersed. With arms again interlocked, the sailors were about to resume their walk, forgetting to "pay the piper." But Phil was not at all bashful about presenting his claims. He took off his cap, and going up to the jolly pair said, "I want some pennies."

Sailors are free with their money. Parsimony is not one of their vices.

Both thrust their hands into their pockets, and each drew out a handful of scrip, which they put into Phil's hands, without looking to see how much it might be.

"That's all right, boy, isn't it?" inquired the first.

"All right," answered Phil, wondering at their munificence. He only antic.i.p.ated a few pennies, and here looked to be as much as he was generally able to secure in a day. As soon as he got a good chance he counted it over, and found four half dollars, three quarters, and four tens--in all, three dollars and fifteen cents. At this rate, probably, the sailors' money would not last long. However this was none of Phil's business. It was only nine o'clock in the forenoon, and he had already secured enough to purchase immunity from blows at night. Still there was one thing unsatisfactory about it. All this money was to go into the hands of the padrone. Phil himself would reap none of the benefit, unless he bought his dinner, as he had purchased supper the evening before. But for this he had been severely punished, though he could not feel that he had done very wrong in spending the money he himself earned. However, it would be at least three hours before the question of dinner would come up.

He put the money into the pocket of his ragged vest, and walked on.

It was not so cold as the day before. The thermometer had risen twenty-five degrees during the night--a great change, but not unusual in our variable climate. Phil rather enjoyed this walk, notwithstanding his back was a little lame.

He walked up the Bowery to the point where Third and Fourth avenues converge into it. He kept on the left-hand side, and walked up Fourth Avenue, pa.s.sing the Cooper Inst.i.tute and the Bible House, and, a little further on, Stewart's magnificent marble store. On the block just above stood a book and periodical store, kept, as the sign indicated, by Richard Burnton. Phil paused a moment to look in at the windows, which were filled with a variety of attractive articles. Suddenly he was conscious of his violin being forcibly s.n.a.t.c.hed from under his arm.

He turned quickly, and thought he recognized Tim Rafferty, to whom the reader was introduced in the third chapter of this story.

CHAPTER XIII

PHIL FINDS A CAPITALIST

To account for Phil's unexpected loss, I must explain that Tim Rafferty, whose ordinary place of business was in or near the City Hall Park, had been sent uptown on an errand. He was making his way back leisurely, when, just as he was pa.s.sing Burnton's bookstore, he saw Phil looking in at the window. He immediately recognized him as the little Italian fiddler who had refused to lend him his fiddle, as described in a previous chapter. In his attempt he was frustrated by Paul Hoffman. His defeat incensed him, and he determined, if he ever met Phil again, to "get even with him," as he expressed it. It struck him that this was a good opportunity to borrow his fiddle without leave.

When Phil discovered his loss, he determined to run after the thief.

"Give me back my fiddle!" he cried.

But this Tim was in no hurry to do. As he had longer legs than Phil, the chances were that he would escape. But some distance ahead he saw one of the blue-coated guardians of the public peace, or, in newsboy parlance, a cop, and saw that Phil could easily prove theft against him, as it would be impossible to pa.s.s himself off as a fiddler. He must get rid of the violin in some way, and the sooner the better. He threw it into the middle of the street, just as a heavy cart was coming along. The wheels of the ponderous vehicle pa.s.sed over the frail instrument, crus.h.i.+ng it utterly. Phil ran forward to rescue his instrument, but too late. It was spoiled beyond recovery. Phil picked up the pieces mechanically, and took them back with him, but he soon realized that he might as well cast them away again. Meanwhile Tim, satisfied with the mischief he had done, and feeling revenged for his former mortification, walked up a side street, and escaped interference.

Phil had come to one of those crises in human experience when it is necessary to pause and decide what to do next. The fiddle was not a valuable one--in fact, it was a shabby little instrument--but it was Phil's stock in trade. Moreover, it belonged to the padrone, and however innocent Phil might be as regarded its destruction, his tyrannical master was sure to call him to heavy account for it. He was certain to be severely punished, more so than the evening before, and this was not a pleasant prospect to look forward to. The padrone was sure not to forgive an offense like this.

Thinking over these things, a bold suggestion came into Phil's mind.

Why need he go back at all? Why should he not take this occasion for breaking his fetters, and starting out into life on his own account?

There was nothing alarming in that prospect. He was not afraid but that he could earn his own living, and fare better than he did at present, when out of his earnings and those of his comrades the padrone was growing rich. Other boys had run away, and though some had been brought back, others had managed to keep out of the cruel clutches of their despotic master.