The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-01-16
CHAPTER w.

Camille is now no longer twenty. Her youth
has passed on swift wings, and white is begin
ming to streak her dark hair; but her pleasant
face preserves the repose of former days. She
has been blessed with mixed and imperfect
happiness, such every one tastes in this
world. For in this life the black squares are
never far distant from the white ones ; and in
its tangled skein dark threads are woven in by
the side of brighter colors She had lived most
happily with her husband. Together they had
laughed over their little children's gambSls,
and together wept over them In sickness. They
had brought them up with/the labor and care
which, in our day especially, accompanies all
true Christian education. Their eldest daugh-
ter, Amelia, had been married about year; ;
and they We're now very happy in expectation
of her approaching maternity the second
daughter was finishing her education in the
same convent of Benedictines where her mother
had been in her youthful days; their son Andre
was in pol ytechnic school; and their youngest,
Maurice, was pursuing his Latin studies in his
native village.
life, through days of rain and days of sunshine,
Camille had pursued thought faithfully
the grand aim which she had proposed to her
self in early life, her fathers conversion. AS
. young wife she had prayed with her husband,
for his heart beat in unison with hers. AS a
young mother, she had taught her children to
pray with her. And now, having reached the
autumn of life, she still prayed-prayed con-
stantly; but yet her prayers had received
no answer.
The old man lived with her; and every
tenderness. She watched him, and brooded
over him more like q mother than like a daugh-
ter. And it was hard indeed for her, that this
old man of siNty-siX years would not listen to
any serious conversation, would only rail at
holy things, and would learn no lesson from
either life or death. And she ever obliged
to turn his words from their real meaning, and
interpret his jcers and sarcasms, so that they
would not shock her innocent little children.
At this moment we find Camille in the
drawing groom, with her father, who is half
asleep before great fire, with the DebGt8 at
his feet. She is sewing on some linen for the
coming baby; but twice stops to read two
short letterszTeceived that morning from two
of her absent children. After Thousand de-
tails about boarding, upon the compositions in
history, upon the new piece of tapestry which
ClOthilde had just begun, upon the sermons de-
livered by q father whose name she did
not know, she went on to say: " never forget,
dear mother, TO pray with yOu-yoHlSnow why
1t seems to me that the moment is approaching
when the gentle God will answer us-as If
grandpapa was going to be astOnished that he
had been able to live so long without thinking
of GOdw
The second letter was from Andre, and would
have been unintelligible to any one who did
not possess the key to schoOl-boy's language.
But at the end there was n passage which
Camille kissed often Dear mamma, l love
you, and 1 always pray with you, just like
down with great noise, quickly awoke M
Reville, who, after rubbing his eyes, asked his
daughter; Where is Maurice ~
!" He is skating. Do you wish me to take bic
place, and do anything to amuse your
mo, thank You. But stop, You may read
instead read this discussion in the Chambers
upon the military law"
Camille took the paper and read slowly
and the old mans eyes were still closed, when
the violent ringing of the dOOr-bell woke him
up completely, and made Madame de Laval
start.