Umbertina worked constantly, never missing any time in the store or in the fields at Muskieville except for her confinements after each birth. Then the babies were kept in the store with her while she worked; later, when she was past nursing them, Serafino would look after them or take them for walks.

There was only one fly in the ointment as far as she was concerned and that was Domenico Saccà, who kept sounding off his complaints and quarrels with the powers-that-be like a bothersome gnat in their midst. First he had to grumble because they sent their children to the parochial school instead of to the public schools where the American children went. Did they want to increase the power of the Church over them so they’d never be free, he asked. Didn’t they realize that finally they had free, open schools paid for out of their property taxes—not like Castagna, where they paid taxes and got nothing back. But they just nodded and said, “Father Di Simeone is our friend; we can’t go against him.” For who knows, they thought, when we’ll need such a friend.

Then, because Domenico was educated and could read and write and got the Italian paper from New York, L’Eco d’Italia, sent to him, he would always be ready to tell them of the latest catastrophes that had befallen their countrymen.

“Now they are rounding up the poor Italians of Buffalo,” Domenico would report, “calling us undersirables and demanding that immigration from Italy be stopped. They say that we all carry weapons, that we’re all part of the Mafia, as if we had anything to do with the Sicilians.”

Umbertina would frown and mutter “A diavolo, disgraziato” when she saw Domenico coming toward them, for she was sure there would be more preaching and more listing of calamities. But Serafino respected him and always insisted that he be invited to their baptisms and confirmations. Domenico was like the leader of the little band from Castagna, which was yearly increasing. He it was who could be their eyes and tongues, writing home for them and relaying back the messages from family they’d never see again.