Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-05-08

1I1OhODAE MAY ., 1900.
moment she grew pale, and crossed herself
in silence.
The face of Agnes suffered no change, for
nothing, indeed, could add to it's habitual
melancholy; but her voice evinced bitter
qualification as she said she was glad her
sister was proven capable of fear, if not of
contrition.
After moment, however, flash of joy
Enlightened the cheek of Elthea, and having
SAID that some sister of the convent must
have passed from death unto life, she took
up the melody where it had been broken off,
and renewed her preparations with cheerful
serenity.
''Hush p said Agnes, lifting up her hand;
81 hear the mountain wind coming angrily
down the roof-tree shakes it's last leaves
off to battle with it; saints protect us! it
will be a fearful nightp'
AS she spoke the rain dashed against the
roof as if a thunder-cloud emptied itself all
| at once. Then Agnes began to cry aloud,
as child that is lost in the dark but Ell
thea said, "God, who holds the whirlwinds
in his hand, will keep us, and we shall not
die. Why do you fear, my sister? doth he
not love us the same when to our weak vision
on the way of his providence seems dark p
And still the bell tolled mournfully, the
winds drove dismally, and the rain beat
heavily. It was enough to make any soul
afraid that could not draw light into the
darkness from the sunshine of a past life of
pious cheerfulness ond resignation.
'Have mercy on us, good saints !'' cried
Agnes again and again, wringing her hands
i'll dismay.
''Our Father, we thank and bless thee
for the fire that makes us warm, and for the
roof that shelters us, and for our trust in
thee that no storm can beat down." prayed
Elthea.
Directly, in lull of the storm, there was
heard a knocking at the door, and Elthea,
smiling, made haste to open it, for she said,
'It is perhaps some poor wayfarer whose
life is mercifully given into our keeping" "
But Agnes reproved her with fowns, say
ing, ''Stir not for your life it is some mur-
derer who seeks our blood, or at best rob-
ber who takes, advantage of the Storm
And when she saw that Elthea would not be
hindered from opening the door, she hid
herself III the darkest corner of the house,
rrt,or the cloth that was in her loom. and
her trembling shook the floor beneath FL
thea's feet, as her steady hand unlatched the
door and set it open wide.
elbow blessed art thou of the Virgin!
dreamed not these rude hills held so fair a
blossom. Thy goodness, for I am sure thou
art good, shall be my shield as we'll as thy
roof. Bring me straight to thy royal mo-
ther, that [ may kiss her hand"
The youth and stranger had crossed the
Threshold as he spoke, and now stood wait
ing meekly before Elthea in the light of the
burning fire.
"You honor me above my deserts, gentle
friend" replied Elthea, her confusion show
ing all the more for the bushes in which it
tried to hide. "We are but poor girls, the
children of weavers, and our parents are
dead"
"Children p repeated the stranger, turn
ing his fair face towards the dark corners of
the room: Il see only thyself''
Then Agnes came forth from beneath the
cloth of the loom, and said, turning her
dark face toward the stranger, sMy sister,
Ia giddy and thoughtless maiden, as you
may Judge, has spoken truly. We are in
deed poor, weaving all day long for our
bread, which at the best is scanty enough, +"
and she broke the small loaf in two pieces
as she said this, and offering one piece to
Elthea, began to eat the other, for she hop
ed to drive the stranger away by showing
him that they had nothing to spare.
But Elthea forgot her long fast, which
she was used to keep all day, and remem-
bering the stranger, who had been beaten
by the rain, and must be tired and famish-
ed, she offered him what bread was left with
out tasting any.
The stranger accepted the bread, bowling
so low that all his golden locks fell down a
bout his face, and seeing what he did, Ag-
nes not only frowned, but asked, in accents
sharp and reproachful, how the poor could
work without food. AS she spoke, the piece
of bread the stranger held seemed to grow
into whole loaf, and the part he gave back
to Elthea was more than the whole she had
given. And as they ate, the rain drove,
and the wind blew, and the great bell of the
monastery tolled and tolled. When Agnes
spoke she could hardly hear her own voice
for the noise of the storm. Nevertheless,
she said she believed the tempest had we'll
nigh ceased and a favorable time was offer
cred for wanderers, if any were abroad, to
seek shelter in the neig ghboring convent
The stranger seemed not to hear or to un-
derstand her words for he continued to eat
his bread quietly as before.
'Had we never SO much charity" con-
tinued Agnes, eve could neither shelter
nor lodge wayfarer, even though we knew
him to be pious priest, let alone vaga-
bond of minstrel, such as are likeliest to
trespass on the poor"
Now the stranger wore the habit of min