The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-01-25

Sake is some way on ahead, but she will !
not venture to address herself to him
until he has put off his surphcc.
" Ma mere, says one Of the men kind |
ly, q is it any one belonging to YOU that
we have been laying thcrc?"
" But no. | thank You, my friend, for !
yOnr kind thought. l anna stranger Just
arrived from TrOchu, and | thought |
would pray for the departed one; that is
all. Au reYOlr, my good FRIEND"
She mods and falls into the rear. Her !
poor stiff knees tremhle, but still the
gladnesS is in hcreyes. Soon, very soon |
now, she shall reach the hospital and be |
with Jacques.
"Thcy can nurse him better than
can" She says, dragging one weary foot
after It's fellow, and painting in the tree
lesS road, " but my jacques will love
dearly to see me. He loves his mother
and tries to comfort her, does my poor
JacqucS.'
Her kind friend, Mr.. Martin, stands at
tn" door as she goes in. She makes him
Il deep courtesy.
"HOW i'll he looks--and yet he has not
had nearly so long 4 journey rs have.
All it IS rs the good cure says, the back
| is always made for the burden"
MIR. Martin had come ont to breathe
! 'AI' f''lA anu t&JlNNll HIS ullIu from lilt
terrible sights and suffering hehad been
| MISUNDERSTANDING which only insen-
| slhl}lty could alleviate, which only death
could cure. He ShudOrrcd us he leaned
against the open doorway, in thinking
! OF the physical pain that was being en-
dWod over almost the whole OF France.
And this is not all; there is mental
agony still greatcrm thedcSolate homes,
widowed mothers and their little ones.
| That poor creature now he smiled as
she cOurtcSicd-" how will she find her
| son? Perhaps suffering the tortures of
those poor fellows | have Just left; per
| hapS more mcrcifully dying; and yet
how hard f0rherto have taken that long,
devoted journey just to see him die :"
Meanwhile the old woman waited pa
| tiently in the small boarded space which
served as entrance. Presently the man
who had spoken to her on the road came
close up to where she stood
Well. my mother he said, whatare
you looking fOr?"
Pardon, but have a letter here from
m'sieur the chaplain, and he tells me to
ask for him and he will take me to the
person l am come to see.
" In good time, my mother; then you
Will do we'll to come with me. | am go
ing to find the father himself"
He opened a door in the wooden par
titiOn and held it while she passed into
the hospital. The patients lay on straw
on one side OF the long, narrow shed,
some with covcrlets over them, but the
greater number had tossed these off in
their feYerish movements. Bandagcd
legs, and arms, and heads were every
where; and in some faces. where there
was no apparent injury, the expression
Of agony was terrible. The mother of
Jacques was full of the thought of her
: son, but she could not pass unmoved by
this line Of haggard sufferers.
, Poor man! poor boy" she mlumur-
ed; and once OrtWicc she bent down and
; strovc to place the cOverlet over a suf-
, fercr who had thrown it off in his rest
less struggles.
! end, and she found herself in the open
air again, facing another of the long low
5 sheds.
J Dr. L. stood here. He was speaking
| eagerly to priest. lie only wore hi,
cassOck now, but the old woman recOg
: nized the Pcre SAKE. Her conductor
} stood waiting, but Dr.. L. had heard thciI
approach, and he looked up quickly.
t But yes, father,' he said to the prizes
= here is 4 good woman who came from
, o. this morning. You have charg'
Of her son, it seems. Will you take he
G to him."
!. Her heart tllrobbed fast. TillnOw he
n quiet faith had kept her calm, but th
1 neamess Of coming joy was harder t.
= bear in patience than the long Suspens
1 had been. Pcre Sake lookedvery kind,
:, at her. " have already seen you tli
a morning"
4 She cOurtesied; but erknCcS trCmbled
+ Can you tell me your sons number
I fear we have but few names in thi
It ward"
/ Hcopens the door. The wardisIighte
and more cheerful looking than tina
" through which she has passed. Their
Il are fewer patients, and their beds loo
more comfortable. The bed dnearest tn
: door is empty.
"Will you tell me the number!7 re
:. peats the priest.
/ Number seven, at your service, mo
T pere."
). The Sister is at the farther end Of tn
l. room, and DR.. L. has gone on to look q
e her patients. She comes up quickly t
Pcre Sake while the old woman speaks
- then she too speaks and looks to tn
II other end of the room.
Il "FOllOW me-" says Monsieur Sake.
IT The mother of jacques gives strair
'e ing, WiStful look at every face as sil
? passes, but she sees no one like her hanC
e some boy. The men who lie here are a
bearded, and look as if they had serve
d in many campaigns, though their face
" are so pale and blOOdlesS. PCrc SaH
st halts before bed and looks round fC
1t her, but she does not hurry forward &
ir he expects. 1t is youth, it is true, WI
lies there, but it is not her son. 81
le shakes her head.
q "This is not, then, number seven
s. the priest says to the Sister.
1T "NO, my father, this is number sever
IN teen number seven .. The SlstC
N does not end her sentence in words. TT
1t cheerful smile fades from her broad fax
ye aud leaves IL look of sad sympathy !;
e she glances on to the empty bed next tt
D. doorway. lie PerG SAKE looks sad to
es but he hopes to save the mother
ut jacques from thus suddenly lCaInir
Ds the truth.
ht "Come with me-, my good mother" ]
III says, and he leads the way out Of Il
ii ward.
d, The mother of jacques does not spca
ut She looks from the face of the Sister
T. that Of the priest, and she learns all tn
as they arc mercifully trying to withh0
hit from her. She does not cry or sink dow
lis under the shock. Very quietly she fO
as lows the priest till he reaches the foot
ly the empty bed by the door, and the
ts hands over her face, hnt there is no so
re bing burst of grief. Only the pere,
ed he stands pityingly beside her, sees tea
ly tricl1le through the trembling finger
r. He bends down and whispers, He w
nd so patient and good, your jacques; ~
i'm You prayed for him this morning. Z
he last wish was that YOU should knC