St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-06-02

SlHOu, mere ANA lllrrc, III lle EililSlIllc
looking down toward the open door o
the Catholic church. 1t was the day o
tie great procession. Anl now the bell
sounded, and the procession became visi
BILE under the Gothic vault, and poured
out into the street. In front were Ill,
orphan boys with black crosses in thci
hands; brhInd thcm the Sisters ci Mrr
cy III white caps; then the various town
schools ; and finally, the whole mlpglc,
train OF town and country p,op!c-mcr
and women, children and "ray-hairc,
mcn-all singing, pray ing; dressed il
their best e; men and boys barc-hcadcd
holning their caps i'll their hands. Over
their hca'i-, ut regular intervals, towcrc,
the colossal church imagcs-Christ on til,
Mount OF Olivc1; Christ mockcd by th,
soldiers; and i'll the midst, high over all
the dreadful Crucilix AMI last. the Holy
Scpulclwc.
The la,lla5 of tn. town did not acncr-
ally take part in this public solemnity
Veronica >at, half dressed, ut Il toilet
table in her sleeping room. Before her
lay open small giIt-cd@ed Catholic Tcs-
tamcnt. She seemed To have lost her
self in the reading, for her lon". black
hair lay unbound over her white wrap
per, while her hand, holding lha tortoise
shell comb, lay idly in her lap.
As the noise Of the approaching pro-
ccssiOm reached her ear, she raised her
head and listened. 1t grew ever louder,
the heavy tramp OF feet, the mcnoton-
ously chantcd prayer, ''IIoly Mary, moth
CT OF mercy :" sounded before the win
dow, and from the procession behind
came, solicncd by the distance, Pray
lor us porr sinners, now and in the hour
of death :"
Veronica mnrmurcd the colsecratc,l
words. She had pushed bacl, her chair,
and stood with her hands hanging by
her side at the back part Of the room,
her eyes steadily fixed on the window.
New people constantly passed, new vol
ccs sounded, enc ima"c after another was
carried by, til! suddenly 4 hcart-picrcing
tone rang through the air. The cbhuul
doLo!is approached, with the sound of
trumpcts, surrounded by people, follow
cd by the priests OF the highest position,
with their attendants in robes of ceremo-
ny. The strcamcrs fluttercl. the black
Grape OF the canopy tloated in the air ::
beneath, ON bed Of flowers, lay the I'M
ace of the Cruciiitd. The brazcn sound
of the trumpets wa. like Il summons ON
the dav of iuJomcnt
Veronica still stood ,notinnl,.. her
knees trrmblcd; beneath her clearly
marked black brows her eyes seemed to
have lost all their life,
WLen the proce..inn L,J n,ssoJ .bo
SINK dawn Inv IN. ch.,;r in which sh, hod
been sitrinr. and. covering her fac. with
bo;h hands. She cried ont the word, in
Luke, FEATHER, have ,inucd against
hcav en. and am nn more worthy 10 be
called thy child -
r,,,. ,...>.,.,...,.,,..
line lawyer himself w"' II" Catholic,
but he lett his wIir tree IN the h'h''- OF
her youth AMI her early h"m', IN cNFrc-
tati"n, PrrIIaP-, that She would gradually
Shake oil their letters voluntarily
p"rinS inc '"' years since her n.ir-
rih.r' h"w''tr' rrnh''a had zone +"
Hnd i""rn 'hr sacrament only
1T tht f.aHtcr season, which had now
a@arn returned. H'r husband had be-
fore noticed that at tho times She n'v-
ed about ihr hon,t In'y''y' and appar-
emily unll'i'rr'Icd III What passed, - that
i.e d"I not deserve tiia' thc drawn" pr;'r-
ur', 80 z'aIouIiy kept "p before, ceased
alter that evening walk. Bat time laSS-
ed the Mny sun h"amrd warm INTO the
room, and Veronica SLill delayed ""ln@
to confession. lie could not but >rr, nj
last thut her check ,rrrIv r,IIsr anil n, I.r