Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

280 MILITARY LIFE.
dred times the very same word, generally a word that he had
heard me read and which had made an impression upon him.
One morning, for instance, he was struck by the name Vercingetorige.
That evening, on entering the house, I found
Vercingctorige written on the margins of the newspapers, on
the backs of my proofs, on the bindings of the books, on the
envelopes of letters, on the paper in the waste-basket, every
where that he found space enough for the fourteen letters so
dear to his heart.
Another time the word ostrogoth appealed
to him, and the day after my house was invaded by ostrogoths.
One day the word rhinoceros fascinated him, and the following
morning my house was filled with rhinoceroses. I gained,
however, on another side, and it was in being able to abandon
the use of crosses made with various colored pencils on the
letters which he had to carry to certain persons, because it
was useless to
try and make him remember names, instead of
which he would say
: "This letter is
going to the blue lady
(demi-monde), this to the black journalist (who was red), and
this to the yellow employes (who was al verde, meaning short of
funds).
But while speaking of his writing, I discovered something
more curious than any thing I have yet cited. He had purchased
a copy-book, in which he made extracts from all the
books that came into his hand, the dedication of authors to
their parents, always taking care to substitute for
the latter the
name of his father, mother, or brother, to whom he fancied he
was thus giving a splendid token of his affection and gratitude.
One day I
opened this book and read, among others, the
following
dedications : Pietro Tranci (his father, a peasant),
Born in poverty, Was enabled with study and perseverance to