CHAPTER I

CELLINO

Lucia Rudini folded her arms across her gaily-colored bodice, tilted
her dark head to one side and laughed.

"I see you, little lazy bones," she said. "Wake up!"

A small body curled into a ball in the grass at her feet moved
slightly, and a sleepy voice whimpered, "Oh, Lucia, go away. I was
having such a nice dream about our soldiers up there, and I was just
killing a whole regiment of Austrians, and now you come and spoil it."

A curly black head appeared above the tops of the flowers, and two
reproachful brown eyes stared up at her.

Lucia laughed again. "Poor Beppino, some one is always disturbing your
fine dreams, aren't they? But come now, I have something far better
than dreams for you," she coaxed.

"What?" Beppi was on his feet in an instant, and the sleepy look
completely disappeared.

"Ha, ha, now you are curious," Lucia teased, "aren't you? Well, you
shan't see what I have, until you promise to do what I ask."

Beppi's round eyes narrowed, and a cunning expression appeared in their