The New York herald., 1872-10-27

kept the sheep. and sat whole days doing nothing
from wear 70 year Il was settled this should be
the last or her stay at Bartres but the good people
su Was toid old q that ne next Autumn would be her last,
when the next Autumn came Bernadette was kept,
and had only been Q fortnight home when the
period in the fortunes OF the village OF Lourdes.
As have said the two soubirous sisters and their
They crossed Bridge over the Gave, went past the
mill OF n. de Lafhtte the wealthy man OF Lourdes,
PICKING UP BITS or DEAD WOOD
as they walked along and thus came to q large
meadow, the two robust girls much ahead OF the
more delicate Bernadette, who stopped to cough
irock and the white coarse woolen capulet OF the
villagers in those parts, 2 pair Of wooden shoes,
and the only thing which distinguished her from
the other poor children was q pair Of stockings.
These had been given her by her mother in con-
sideratiOn or her weak lungs. On the three girls
grotto, where they were certain to find plenty OF
sticks, for the rocks In which the excavation is
barred BY nature are overnung by short brushwood
that the wind wrenches ont OF the scanty earth in
which 1t grows. There was unfortunately mar
row stream to cross but the girls found it nearly
shoes and waded over, hopping rom stone to
stone, and laughing ct their big leaps upon stones
which were far apart.
sat down to put on their shoes Bernadette, on
hearing this, was afraid to put her small feet in the
DO throw some big stones quite close,n she
begged, shudderng on the opposite side; II should
But the two healthy girls were too busy picking
up plentiful sticks to attend to the request OF Ber
'You must get into doing as we do,n at last cried
Jeanne; "take leaps and come over"
Poor Bernadette had to make up her mind to the
dreaded water, leaned her back on a fragment OF
rock and began to pull her stockings on. She had
already thrown one down, when she heard q sud-
den swell Of the river and whirling in the air
w III
when she looked up she found the pOplars
perfectly straight and none Of the leaves shaken by
she said, looking about and then went on pulling
her other stocking Oh. The noises increased Ber-
nadette looked up, and suddenly her figure fen to-
crushed flower down she bent and remained on her
knees. She had vision. She saw
RADIANT VIRGIN IN PURE WHITE,
without jewel or coronet; nothing like what she
had fancied was the Blessed Lady; o real figure,
sn she could have % at OF
her on s s eea
smile ana make the sign Of the CROSS she did IKE
was still spell-bound to the spot long after the
"dame" had disappeared After time she looked
around her L ahe Gave close by was. was running on
ness
IN THE HOLLOW OF THE GRoTTo,
briar that she had often seen before. She could
not make out what had happened, but, deeply
moved, she hurried over the stream finding that
both Jeanne and Marie were looking at her. Her
surprise was immense on noticing they were not
"Have you seen nothing Yn she asked.
"What ?" they asked.
Nothing No onef" repeated Bernadette.
"What have you Seenp'i asked the little girls.
"Oh,n replied Bernadette, with feeling Of timid
pleasure not unmixed with fear. III you have seen
nothing cannot say.n
The two girls looked at her, and, though they
wondered why she was so pale and strange, they
went on picking up their wood. But Bernadette
could do nothing She stood In deep thought, pass
ing the vision over in her mind and looking UP.
''What did you seef'' asked the girls again.
"Well some one In white" replied Bernadette.
''Dear me, hope 1t won't hurt us. We will not
come to the grotto again, !" was all they said and
told the tale to their mother.
Nonsense" !" said Mme Soubirous, struggling her
she ha rsed the
whole scene with the description Of her vision, in
the same words as to her sister and friend.
more, was Mme soubirous conclusion. Berna-
dette returned no answer The next day was
Friday ana a. the child talked Of nothing but ner
she was like. She said she fancied she HAD seen
such faces at church. As she talked on OF the same
to allow her to 60 to the grotto on the following
Sunday, and the only restriction Madame SouDi-
rous made was that Bernadette should not be left
should stop on each side OF her all the time Ber-
nadette walked very fast and when she came to
likewise, watching her face all the time and divided
between wonder and fear
cried Bernadette. 'sThere tlere!''
Jeanne and Marie looked they could see nothing !;
but when they next turned to Bernadette the child
was transformed her face was radiant, her lips
hands.
1nf nnf
But Bernadette did not hear, neither did she
rise until they her features assume their usual
story thew had already told and % it was heard with
the same disbelief. This occurred several times,
until at length
ALL THE PEAsANTRY HEARD AND TALKED OF IT.
Among others who disbelieved were Nine.
Millet and Mile. Antoinette Peyret; but they
thought they would cross-question Bernadette
after taking her to the gr0tto themselves and
watching her. On this occasion, instead of walk
ing quietly at her usual slow pace, she took short
some difhculty in following her. When they were
in front OF the gr0tt0 they witnessed the most ex
tra0rdinary change come over the chld's face. She
appeared In ecstasy and yet In holy fear. They
were SO impressed that Mme Millet whispered =
"We should not be here"
ssY0u are to stopl' cried Bernadette, as II she
had been told to speak.
TASK WHO SHE Is,"
desired Nine. MIllet, 'or take this paper, with my
wants.
The child obeyed and the witnesses distinctly
heard her say
'.Ma Dame,' If you have anything to tell me will
you be good enough to say who you are and what
you desire.n
The witnesses heard no reply, but they saw the
child advance with paper and pencil, keeping her
gaze on the excavation, then she stopped and
listened for some time. Her features were
angelic 1t lasted for fully three minutes after the
expiration OF which Bernadette walked back, and
on being questioned related that the lady had said
she saw no necessity for writing, as she knew
Bernadette would obey; but what she wanted was
to see her every day at the grotto for fifteen days.
promising her that II she did SO she
SHOULD BE HAPPY IN A BETTER WORLD.
This is but the preliminary OF the whole story.
During the fifteen days which followed Berna-
dette was accompanied not by one, two or twelve
people. but by hundreds. All the Inhabitants OF
Lourdes followed her to witness her interviews with
the vision, and the same transformations took
place during her frances. The Prefect Of the Com
mune, Mr.. Massey, and the C0mmissaire de Police,
Mr. Jaconet, took alarm at the spread OF the agita
tion, the former came to LOurdes from Tarbes to