The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-11

up, as if in t6ken of readiness in the eve be-
longing to it to open at the slightest notice. He
coughed slightly; the eye opened instantly, and
SO did her mouth, with the prompt inquiry
whether he did not lie comfortably, or would
like to have her move him. He asked heI
whether she was sleepy she of course prompt
ly denied the Charge when he suggested that
he was not either, could not make himself SO
and should be glad to have her talk to him
She was all obliging readiness, and disposed to
begin with converting him, but could not pro
coed far in that direction, before he treated her
in return for' her motherly care-ungrateful
fellow Ito little fl..l sauciness.
She informed him, with much fervor, that the
very night before she found him, the Virgin
Mary had appeared to her in a dream, with the
North Star in her hand, and foretOld to her
that the very next day she should fall in with a
young hereto, born under that star, who should
be saved by her nursing from immediate, and
by her teaching from eternal, death.
The device was so temptingly transparent
that on the spur of the moment he could no,
help rejoining that on that very night, though
he owned he could not now remember it, he
was sure that St. Peter must have appeared to
him, and told him that the Pope had stolen his
keys, and that before he could get them back
again, Herman must make an excellent Protest
ant of an excellent Sister of Charity. An old
one--not a young one!" he calculated, with q
frightened after-thought, heaping insult in
suit to poor Sister Mary, in his anxiety lest she
should imagine that he enteruained any present
designs against the faith of his lady-love Then
perceiving the unintentional rudeness into which
he had been betrayed, he colored pteouly, and
was mute, and quite confounded
Sister Mary told her whole rosary before she
looked at him, which probably, if she was angry
answered the same purpose as counting 8
hundred before she spoke; for though, wher
she had done, she shook her head at him, il
was very spontaneously. He begged her par
don for his levity, but added in sober earnes
that he thought it hardly fair that he should
hear his creed attacked, unless she would prom
| Use him in return candid hearing of all his
arguments in its defence, which she could not
do, because they were temptations of the OLD
boy, my son !" Their theological conference
therefore, ended where it began; but there were
collateral matters about which he was eager to
ask and she to tell, though she might have
chosen to taboo them in the presence of the
younger and discontinued devotee. She was
the first .y'etigie,ase with whom he had ever talk
ed; and he was much struck with the specimen
of active, ardent joyous benefcence, and ami
mated, vigorous, occupied age, which she pre-
scented. He begged to know what was the
most common motive with those who embraced
her profession. He was too delicate to ash
what her own had been; though he longed to
do So for she bore in her intelligent face the
remains of much beauty, her temperament was
evidently peculiarly cheerful one, and he be
heved that without some property she could
not have secured admission to her order.)
"Well, my SON. she replied crossing herself
devoutly "of course there may be subordinate
motives in many cases. of many sorts and kinds.
Some Sisters may have been crossed in love, i
dare say !; we don't talk about those things
much but / hope the chief motive, in all cases,
is the wish to serve the Lord. 1t ought to be y
She paused "you want to say something"
Il did wish to ask something; but / am
afraid YOU would think it was of piece with my
impertinence just now.n
| "No; | shouldn't think any more about it.
| Ask away"
Cannot women serve the Lord without for
saking their domestic duties?" He expected
the stereotyped and, as he thought, generally
perverted reply, "Whoso loveth father or moth
er more than me, is not worthy of me-" but
he did not get it. Right or wrong, Sister Mary
had, upon that subject, some notions of hei
! own.
Her smile was little bitter but with kind
of tonic bitterness, Ikea NORWOOD cordial, as
she replied, "What the Protestants are always
/ saying behind our backs, no doubt! Many
thanks to one of YOU for saying it to my face
and giving me a chance to answer it A CIR
may go aud get married--no matter how many
duties she leaves behind her, nor how much
she's wanted in her fathers house--and 90 to
the worlds end with her husband; and, if he
rich her friends haven't word to say; and il
she really can be spared from home and loves
him, l haven't either; for marriage is an hon
orabe and holy sacrament, appointed of God
H. L. i. L
back her hand from him, to turn it to the ser
vice of the church, Satan might tempt her
with dreadful regrets and bookings back, which
won't do at all, for our rule requires zeal and q
single heart. If she don't like her husband
though, | must thnk-whether say it or not
that she'd have done better, instead of marry.
ing him, and setting up another private misery
factory of her own, where there were plenty OF
EN- already, to devote herself to God, and go
about helping the numberless troubles that
have sprung out of just such marriages. But
if she wants to do that, all her friends find
their tongues at once, and set up terrible out
| cry about her domestic duties
| when was out In the world, and read vain
books, there was a story in one of them about a
sort of fairy-Peri Banon, seems to me, was
her name-our Lady forgive me for remember
ing such stuff SO long but she had a tent that
would stretch out to fit thousand people, OF
shrink up to fit one, just according to the mum
| Der it had to fill it. Now, when hear that
sort of talk about domestic duties, I'm apt to
think they're just like that tent. One woman
if she has good head and pair of hands of her
own, and servants enough, will keep house for
ten men; but if there's only one man in fam
| lily, and ten women, twill take 'em all Just ex-
actly the same to keep house for him and not
one woman of 'em all can be spared, except it's
to be married, do something else that's the
fashion, from the stretchy domestic duties"
But do not the different women in a family
owe some duties to one another?" E
"Of course they do, while they stay in the
family; and of course. if they can't be spared,
they ought to stay in il, and not leave it to be
married, nor anything else but what have to
say about it is only this If one of 'em can be
spared from it at ALL and is going to be, isn't it
fair she should be allowed to take her choice be-
tween leaving it for the service of Gods poor or
| the world?"
1t would seem so, indeed. 1 never thought
of that before"
Yes" pursued the old lady, warmly and
volubly, but she mustn't do that, whatever she
does 1t would be SO undutiful so unnatural.
and so FORTH But, if she's rich, she may stay
where she is, and do nothing, and welcome; and
when she's got so tired of that she can't stand
1t any longer, she may marry a man she
doesn't love, and learns to hate and if she
passes the rest of her days dismally, in rearing
Disconnected hayward, wicked children-who
would never have been born to sin and suffer
ing but for her-for a tyrannical father, in a
home of strife, and manages, with all her efforts
to undo tenth part of the mischief she's done,
by and by when she dies, somebody'il write a
beautiful obituary for her, and put in, She hath
done what she could I've read enough of such