The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1839-10-17

the abbess. who had covered over the
copuS deficit with a cloak. ssBishor
BonIface, my dear sisters so she be-
! gan, ''has offered us gross insult, ir
sending to us, with request to re
pair certain injuries it is alleged tc
have suffered, apiece of clothing, the
very name Of which a modest nun will
not allow to pass her lips, much less
take the article itself into her hand"
With these awful words, she remov-
ed the cloak that covered the monster.
The nuns uttered shrek Of horror.
and fled.
The abbess however, called them
back, assured then-to allay their
tears--that the Objectionable black
silks had been aguin covered up
They returned doubtedly, but held
their fingers before their eyes the
whole time. The question was SUBJ
mltted to the female conventicles,
what was to be done in this ticklish
business. The opinion of a large ma
jority was decided, that though it
would never do to make an enemy of
the bishop, still nothing should tempt
them to take hold of the unmentiona-
be monster. After long discussion
the abbess conceived the idea of Civ
ing the job to novice named Anto-
ma, whose year of probation was not
half out, and, consequently, being less
sacred than her sisters, might be, per-
haps, induced to perform so worldly
an office.
Antonio was tue daughter of a rich
farmer, a tenant of the bishops, who
had sent her to the convent because
she was bent on marrying the son Of a
poor neighbour. The young lady had
not yet lost her love for the world,
and sighed sorely to get back to it.
When the abbess brought her down
and stated the work she was wanted
to do, she conceived faint hope that
it might be Of some advantage to her;
SO she unhesitatmgly agreed to do it.
The nuns laughed, and whispered to
each other, as Antonio, as coolly as
possible, took the breaches under her
arm, and retired to her cell. The re-
pairs, which had produced such COM
motion in the convent, We're very
slight and might have been done in
five minutes. But Antonio was think
ing Of other things than sewing. As
soon as she had finished, she pulled
out concealed inkstand, and began
to write letter to her Frederick, the
] presence of the brooches acting like
that of a familiar spirit. TO keep away
all intruders. Just as she was at the
end of the epistle, the heavy tread Of
the old abbess was heard along the
corridor, coming nearer and nearer.
If she should be caught writing a love
letter! Antonio hardly knew, in her
confusion, what to do with the billet
dour, SO she slipped it into one Of the
pockets of the breaches, took them
on her lap again, and began to sew,
zealously. $3.50 d,
The abbess asked, as she came in,
''Arc you ready, child?' mot quite
yet. gracious lady," was the answer.
-''How, you lazy one!" said the lady
abbess, and clapped her huge specta-
cles on her nose to examine the work.
''The torn place is repaired, is not
that al?'' ':There-there are some
buttons loose besides, madam" ':We|
have no call to fasten them on.-No-
thing is gained by excessive ZEAL
So saying, she snatched the breeches
away from the damsel's lap, and hid
them under her cloak.--Antonia anx-
ious to recover her letter, insisted on
carrying them for the abbess, and was
SO Jealous in her politencss as almost
to use force; but it was in vain, the
abbess prevailed.
The next day happened to be the
bishops birthday, on which he gave a
grand entertainment, to which all the
prelates and mobiles round about were
invited. The cups Went round fast
and full, for his reverence loved to see
his guests merry, and merry enough
they were, when our old acquaintance
Joseph the shrewd servant, came in,
bringing neat little basket of flowers
which he said had been left with the
porter, as q birthday present, by some
person or persons unknown.
The bishop smiled as he looked att
the delicate texture of the basket, and.
said, 81 wish | was us sure of card-'
nails hat as | am that this is con-
vent present. You see, gentlemen l
am in the good graces of the venera-
Bile sisters. There is some pretty pre-
sent below the flowers, I'll engage
He turned out the flowers, and soon
came to solid body, pinned up in sill
yer paper. He showed it round the
table in triumph, and called his guests
to guess it's contents. Each one pro-
phesied something prettier than his
neighbor, till the bishop opened the
paper, and out came-his old breech-
| esi-The roars of lauuhter with which