Public-domain ebook
The Sunbonnet Babies in Italy
Language: en414 downloads on Project Gutenberg
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In: Children & Young Adult Reading·Adventure·Travel Writing
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #47177.
The opening · free to read
The Arrival at Naples
"See that smoking mountain, Molly! Look! I believe it is a volcano. It is Mount Vesuvius. Yes, I know it is Mount Vesuvius!"
May, the Sunbonnet Baby, was talking with Molly, her little Sunbonnet Baby sister. They were standing on the deck of a great ocean steamer. They had been sailing on the steamer for days and days. They had sailed more than four thousand miles away from their home in America. Now they were almost at the end of their journey. They would very soon be in Italy.
The big steamer was moving slowly up the beautiful Bay of Naples, straight toward the busy, noisy city of Naples. Rising from the shore, not far away, was the smoking mountain of Vesuvius, about which the Sunbonnet Babies' father had told them such strange stories.
He told them that Mount Vesuvius was like a great kettle full of boiling rock, that sometimes the fire under the kettle becomes so hot it boils over, covering the mountain sides and even the plains with melted rock and hot ashes. Such mountains, he said, are called volcanoes.
Molly and May stood on the deck of the steamer eagerly watching the smoking volcano, wondering if it would ever boil over again.
"I almost wish it would boil over now!" cried Molly. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to see red-hot rock come right out of the top of the mountain and fall down all around it!"
"Yes, it would be wonderful," said May, "but I am sure I don't want to see it. The hot ashes might even reach us here on the steamer."
"Father says he will take us to see the old city of Pompeii, which was buried by Vesuvius nearly two thousand years ago. Men 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 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 the shore of this lovely, blue bay, and climbs up the hillside to meet the blue sky. Our boat is sailing straight in between the long points."
"O May! Do you suppose it is snowing at home to-day? It seems like summer here, but it is really the middle of March. The trees and the grass are all green. And there is a boat full of oranges and lemons just being unloaded."
"See that basketful of beautiful roses! I hope we can go ashore quickly. I want to buy a lovely red rose for mother to wear."
Not many minutes later the happy travelers were hurrying from the big steamer. There were other travelers going ashore, too, and a crowd of noisy, jolly people seemed to be waiting for them. Most of the women and little girls were bareheaded and wore gay-colored dresses and aprons. They were very much interested in the strange travelers, especially in the two little Sunbonnet Babies.
A smiling, brown-eyed Italian girl ran along beside them, peeping at the two happy faces hidden under the big sunbonnets, and talking very fast in a soft, sweet voice.
The Sunbonnet Babies could not understand one word she said, but they knew she liked them because she smiled so sweetly.
If it had not been for this kind little girl, Molly and May might easily have been frightened. A great many men and boys were standing close about them shouting and swinging their arms, trying to get passengers for their carriages. Even the Sunbonnet Babies' father did not quite know what to do, so many men wanted to carry his bags for him.
The little girl, seeing his trouble, looked up with a smile and asked him to follow her. She then took Molly and May each by the hand and led them through the crowd to a long line of carriages. In a moment a smiling, brown-eyed man was beside them, bowing and offering to drive them to their hotel.
The little girl called the man il padre, which means "father," and he spoke to her as Tessa mia, which means "my Tessa." Indeed, the little girl looked so much like the brown-eyed man, it was easy to guess that she was his own little daughter. They had the same bright smile, the same soft voice, and the same kind manner.
The travelers gladly stepped into the man's low carriage and told him where to drive them, saying a pleasant grazie to the little girl whom they were leaving behind. Yes, they did something more than just say "thank you." They each took a big brown penny from their bags and dropped the pennies into Tessa's hand.
Then they all three said grazie again, and laughed and waved their good-bys. The driver cracked his long whip, and the horses dashed away up the busy street.
The First Drive
The Sunbonnet Babies were now really frightened. The streets were crowded, and the drivers all seemed to be trying to get ahead of the carriages in front of them. They cracked their whips, they shouted to one another in loud voices, and they drove their horses as fast as they could make them go.
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.
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.
After a few minutes Molly said, in a somewhat disappointed voice, "Why, this street looks like the streets in our city at home. I thought it would look different in Italy."
"Look up that side street," said her father. "Did you ever see a street like that in America?"
"That is not a street, father," said Molly. "That is a long flight of stairs. But why do they build stairs out of doors?"
"Yes, that is a street, and a very popular one, too," said her father. "Naples is built on the side of a hill, you know, and many of the streets that go up the hill are flights of steps like this one."
"O father, may we get out and walk a little way up the street?" asked Molly. "I want to see what all those people are doing."
"And I want to take some pictures with my camera," said May.
So they quickly got out of the carriage and began climbing the long flight of steps. It was about noon, and some of the people seemed to be eating their midday meal.
One poor old man was sitting on a step eating some hard bread and olives. Near him were two barefooted boys who had just bought a plate heaping full of macaroni. A man stood in an open doorway cooking the macaroni over a queer little stove and selling it to the people.
The boys had no knives or forks to use, but fingers were much better. They lifted the long white strips of macaroni high above their heads, then they opened their mouths very wide, and down it slipped. They didn't bite it, they didn't chew it, they just sucked the long pieces down their throats as fast as they could. They seemed to be racing with each other to see who could swallow the most in the shortest time.
Molly and May watched the boys anxiously until the macaroni was all gone. Then how they laughed and clapped their hands! They thought it was the strangest dinner and the strangest game they had ever seen.
The boys thought it was a fine dinner. They were business boys. That morning they had sold more brushes and fans than usual, so they were celebrating by having some delicious macaroni for dinner.
These boys made their own brushes and fans, and went about the streets selling them. Of course Molly and May each bought one of the fans, for they wanted the boys to have another good dinner the next day.
As the little party walked on up the steps they saw many things that were strange and interesting. Little children were leaning out of the high windows, talking and laughing with other children in the houses across the way.
Women were hanging out their washing on ropes stretched from one window to another, and talked loudly with people who were on the steps below.
One woman stood on a narrow iron balcony in front of her window and lowered a basket by a long rope. When the basket reached the steps, a small boy ran to it and took out a covered bowl in which he found two big copper pennies.
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