TEF, Vol 1 No. 1

Page 42

he wandered among the shivering passengers of" the rescue ship~ but he could not find heTo His faith in the wonderful place called ".America" unda.unted9 Yamberic finally saw the ~catue of Libertyo Reverently staring through his tear-filled eyes~ he was thrilled beyond expectations. -But the image of the woman who might have been beside him clouded his joy with longing emptinesso With the few coins he had left in his pocket,Yamberic got _ a job as a street cleaner in New York City. There he ~orked through · the lonely hours until he was ei.igible for ci tizenahip. The long-awaited day dawned brightly and from some- where belaw his Window, the song of a bird rose above the roar of the waking oi ty and stirred him with memorieft-Dlemories of a tiny cottage in a fertile field, a tender smile, and a hand he loved--to ·touch • . Furiously he hurled against the wall the small book thp . authorities had given him to study. Not without her, lie~ wept. Not without my Yoleta. 'rt means nothing now t But then h~ stop~ed. No, he sighedJ it is what she would ~ave wanted. It was o~r dream and a -dream half-fulfilled is: 'better th~ none. · Putting on his tattered coat, he carefully picked up the __little bookg walked out to the street, and through the hurrying oravds. The vague image of a beautiful, soft~spoken WJman flashe~ through his mind as he entered the large grey building to fulfill his dream~ "Save your copeks and go- to· America," she had said.

Stan-d ing in the ·midst of - the other hopeful immigrants, mechanically repeated the words. "I pledge ~rlegianee- · ..tQ" __ the.. flag.; •" Glancing around the :r9om~ nis · eyes te11·· ·-upon .faoeB. ~ ~~r~ happy -{;han his, and he lo~ed for- t h-at :hand _. that might have been resting confidently 12pon --hi-s- -arm. -' Sudd~nly. his lips became imrtu:Tbile as-- ·h-e- stared acrose the _ro-om. A spark scr long mitatherecr·by ·the lonelr h-ours burs~ fort~ in his heart as he gazed unbelievingly into a face more beautiful than that of any image--a faoe Y~~eric

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