gi his name it is--why you
think he comes on this school? I will say he comes to spy to me. Perhaps
you think this is absurd quite, but not so. In Italy his people and my
people are at fighting--no, you call it 'scrap,' eh? We make war, by
family. My mother's people, one of the years long ago, kill one of this
fellow's people at the town _festa_ and they seek to kill all her people
and my father's people take no part--know nothing. But when my father
meet my mother and they are declared to marry, then the Malatesta fight
with him and his people. Is it not strange and very ridiculo?

"And now I am come to the family war because no more longer a little
child and this Luigi he swear he look after me here in America, and
already I see the poniard lifted to strike at my breast, but I shall
dodge and then maybe use my own, though hating the vendetta--feuds. Why
shall all this be? How have I made anger and strife with these
assassins? But to reason with them is to invite a more insult than
death. You understand my telling?"

"Sure I do," said Bill. "It is what we call in this country a feud, but
it is rotten. Why don't you go to the Doctor and----"

"Oh, no! My friend Bill, you cannot intend so. That would be
poltrone--coward! We fight without people stopping--to end, if must be."

"But a fellow like that--to come to school here just----"

"Oh, but he is smart, Luigi Malatesta, and to him learning is also good,
though some of his people are low and many years ago they were of the
banditti. And some were of the boat builders and some were rich."

The boys had reached the shop and were still alone. Bill forgot his
loved problems in trying to comprehend this state of affairs.

"But I can't understand how such a thing could really be," he said. "We
have the black hand, it is true, but----"

"Ah, no, this the black hand is never!" declared Tony. "This is of
families--not to rob, though maybe they do rob in time and ask of
ransoms. Such was done by some Malatesta of my mother's cousin and he
was lost to us, never returning."

"But, confound it, Tony, here he wouldn't dare----"

"Here he will dare more than in Italy, because there all who make family
wars are suspect and many such quit and have become friends when time
goes, but other forgetta never. This Luigi he forgetta never, and maybe
you will see. We--my father thought we had left behind this fighting,
but to this country also come Malatesta, for small is the world an