ent and secluded. The good fellowship of
two lads a little younger than he, both giving him friendship and
confidence, laughing at his errors of speech in perfect good nature and
without ridicule, and at their own foibles as well, compelled the
Italian boy to like the country of his adoption much better than he had
before. This he expressed to Gus:

"You like me--no, I mean I you like. Yes, that is making to laugh, eh?
Funny, very. Well, I mean to say it, you and Bill very much also. Why
not? You love the live. You love the study. You make the happiness. You
have the great--the large, eh? the big heart. All to you is nice and
fine and it is equal to the doing, but you say it, it is worth the
while. This makes good-will and kind thoughts to others, also by
others--no; from others. You are like one _dolce_ picture in my home. It
is by two little birds fabricating their nest and all the time thus they
are of song, singing, gay with living and working, helping so much
always also to make all the country, this old world happy and
satisfy--content. So, to my--to me, you are really it, eh? You are the
real thing."

"If Bill had heard you say all this, Tony, he'd declare you're both an
orator and a poet," said Gus, laughing.

"And neither am I. But of my country there are many of such, and of
learning also, science, the great learning. Many large men of the
yesterday and many of the to-day also. In this work, too, the first, for
is not Marconi----"

"Say that name to Bill and hear him shout some praises."

"So? And will Bill speak good--noble--high of Signor Marconi? Then I,
too, can speak noble of Signor Edison, the American. But what say now if
I can tell it to you that my father, he is one sure and big friend of
Signor Marconi. Our home, in Italia, what you call--the estate of us, it
is not much a great distance from Signor Marconi of his estate. Often I
have seen him. And so you understand?"

"By cracky! Radio must have been in the air over there and you caught
it!" declared Gus. "Nobody could have it down any more pat than you
have. Bill and I have got some dandy ideas from you."

"That we have," agreed Bill, thumping in. "What is it now, Gus, that our
friend----"

"Why, Bill, Tony knows Marconi! Just telling me about it." And Gus went
on briefly to repeat that which the Italian had related. Bill, to use a
terse but slangy term, proceeded to go up in the air.

"Why, holy cats, Tony, you are from henceforth the c