Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-12-21
The Stone Madonna.

l III tne uayS long gone by some gooC
Cathoilc, who mnst havehad the best in
. tentions since the act brought neither
money nor fame, grateful for some boon
OF Providence, caused to be set up upon
a mountain path in Italy great rough
stone statue of the Madonna.
1t was not the work of good sculptor
ga" prentice hand had been tried upon
it; but it was not uncomely; built much
like plump, well favored peasant wo-
man the face regular enough, being
made oy one born in land where faces
have habit Of being regularly beautiful,
and where perfectly and undeniably
amongst us.
Up above the statue stood convent
below it were the poor dwellings of a
poor Italian village. But just where it
stood were only rocks and trees and
greenest grass and sweetest wild-foYers,
making it little chapel in itself holier
than any church built by hands; and
there, when the contadina's baskets of
fruits or vegetables had grown heavy,
they would set them down and kneel and
say an Ave; and there also the footsore
pilgrim would also pause, and thither
came women of Ii cher rank to say a
prayer or two and hang about the feet of
the statue such offerings as were thought
meet, until, but that the priests in the
convent above vereNkind enough to take
care of them, Our Lady would have been
over hardened with her offerings.
Women mostly came thither, Just as in
our own country they are to be found
most frequently in church and now and
then, if the stone ears could have heard
the petitions addressed to them, the stone
eyes must have wept. For, be it known,
this stone statue was dubbed our Lady
Of Pity, and was supposed to be able to
protect its female worshippers from any
evil a man might intend toward them.
Therefore when any peasant woman
was numerically beaten, she began to
cry and pray before Our Lady of Pity !;
and when any grand-dame had suspicious
of an intended Introduction of poison in
such things being common enough in
those days in that part of the world, she
brought chain or two of gold, and per-
haps a silver candlestick, and addressing
hersslf to the statue. When after this
the ill conditioned sp0Sd grew more gen
tie, or the poison was not given, the de-
votee declared another miracle to have
been worked, and so the stone Madonna'S
fame waxed greater, and her gifts In
creased in number and value.
At this time there dwelt not many
miles from the convent and the statue, in
quiet village, girl whose quiet beauty
was remarkable enough TO be spoken OF
by all who met her. Indeed it was so
great that, poor as she was, she had been
sought in marriage by many whose posi-
tion was far above her own, and might
have been rich woman had she chosen
wealth in preference to love, and been
willing, as many women are, to sell her
hand fer gold.
But Carlotta was warm-hearted crea-
ture, and had already promised to wed
one whose affection she returned-a
young sailor poor as herself, whose great
est hope was to be able to give his wife
little hut, with some poor furniture,
tinsel shrine in one corner, milch goat
or two, and perhaps pair of long gold
earrings, and silver cross to drop over
her scarlet boddice on gala days.
And, to earn this, he must toll upon
the sea long while and see his Carlotta
only at intervals-not even write to her
while they were parted, for neither Of
them could write.
"Only be true to me he whispered
when they parted, and let no one win
you from poor Beppo."
And Carlotta answered with proud
| fond look in her black ewes:
''There is no one who could make me
forget you"
And then the young sailor left her, and
she saw the white sails of the vessel that
bore him from her flee over the water like
the wings Of some great sea-bird, and
fade at last upon the horizon.
And there, kneoling upon the sands,-
her rosary in her clasped hands her
heart following her loyer, now that her
ewes could not-the Count i----hrst
saw her.
The Count was rich man. When he
coveted anything, he seldom went with
ont it. There is a price for most things,
he offered it; and, whether it were
picture or statue, or diamond, or carved
gem, he usually got it. 1t struck him
that the heart of such beauty would be
worth the having, even though she were
only contadina; and he began by prof
tcring her a pair Of silver earrings and a
compliment. Carlotta refused both
But the Count was not accustomed to
such failures. He found out her humble
home-all the spots she frequented, all
her habits and occupations,-and follow
ed her persistently Finding his charms
quite Insufficient to win her smiles, he In
creased his offers-from silver earrings
rose to diamond ones, and villa some
where And, at last as an auction-haun-
ter, in despair, outbids the most reckless
bidder, offered wedding ring, and the
title he inherited And then Carlotta,
not whit dazzled or delighted, told him
that she would not be his countess, be
cause she had promised to be the wife of
a poor sailor whom she loved and that
she would not be a queen, were forget
ting Beppo the price she must pay Tor
her crown.
1t was astonishing, ridiculous, imper-
tinent, and not to be borne. The Count
swore, with an oath, that he would have
her whether she liked him or no. Car
lotta knew that he meant it, and knew
also that there were desperate men to be
hired to do anything. If the Count had
resolved to carry her off, who could pre-