New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-04

with wink at his blushing sister. The
sworn knight was Lieutenant Thomas
Cummings, at that moment bravely fight
ing for his country before Vicksbure.
Miss Patty tossed her pretty head, but
her eyelid Guivered little, and she did
not look ar her father. This somewha,
l irasclble old gentleman did not at all ap
prove of Lieutenant Tom Cummings. He
did not approve OF soldiers in general, no,
of Union soldiers in particular. In his OWE
country the venerable Gibson was known
as copperhead, whatever :ha. may have
I been.
If Miss Patty had not been ''infatuated,'
as her mother called l.. With Tom Cum
mings, and if her father. as a copperhea1
mad not found things quite uncomfortable
l in the patriotic town OF Oshkosh. the Glib
con family never would have gone to Eu
rope. and you and would have never
known OF Miss Patty Gibsons strange ad.
] venture.
You would have fixed Patty Il YOU had
known her. Possibly. such is the unreason.
| able Righteousness of the human race, yOu
would have liked her better If her name had
not been Patty. In fac: tina. unfortunate
name, bestowed on her in baptism. when
her father was only foreman OF the Empire
lumber mills, had cost poor little Patty
many secret tears. While school girl, de.
! vouring 1.-THE Sorrows of Weriher" and the
| charming tales of Mrs Radcliffe, ahe had
tried various expedients of disguise. The
I mOderniZed form of ''Patte' pleased her
/ right well nutil malicious plavmates called
her "Oyster Pattie,' when she relinquished
it with great Indignation.
PATTY you are. and Patty you must re
main" was the stern tat Of her mother, who
| finally added, as years and wealth came on;
l - hly haa 4, ..rl h
| and now your pas forehanded. It won.
make SO much difference, allow
The Patty of Exchester cathedral whom
| We are glad to know, had outlived these
| girlish weaknesses. She was a fresh bright
young woman, with all her wits about her.
| well bred. well poised. and with confines
that could not be outshone in fourteen
| counties of Wisconsin-which is saying
much. That 1.-THE, agile girl, pacing the
sonbre aisles OF Exchester, gazing with
revential awe at the stony saints ard sln-
ners overhead or on the marble monuments,
was not h0t-hOuse flower. She was good
skater, and Tom-poOr old Tom in the hard
fighting Union army had SO well taught
her to row that Fred offered TO back her.
against the stroke oar OF .,is own college
club.
All this was very far of new, and PATTY.
as she sauntered down the cIoisters, thought
u !o" cummings VIII llttie panS. Her
indulgent father, and fat. fond mother,
were dear to her: they loved her as OTHER
animals love their young. And oven Fred,
when he was rot too much Occupii with
gun. dogs and cigar, was d good fellow,
But she thought that whea he brought I'D
the one little family trouble about Tom he
was too provoking for anything.
Miss Patty chOked down bit of sigh
and looked into the beautiful chapel of ST.
IhOmaa with faint trot 10 Oh
She would not acknowledge to herself that
there was something like sugges ton in
the name of the gentle saint to whom this
chapel was dedicated. But i. was nice
name for all that. and if sho dearly loved |
that name, why-buc Fred was SO very
rude. She must really see the chapel.
The rest of the Gibson family grumbiei !
and found fault with the tiresOmeness of |
their journey about the cathedral Papa |
Gibson wished the sun would go down, so |
they might walk back to the Jun comfort. |
ably. Fred thought it hard ease that |
smoking was not allowed in Exchester
cathedral. ut would purify the old she.
bang" he thought: and his mother calmly
wondered what they would have for dinner
Miss Patty, having exhausted the other
attractions Of the chapel of ST. Thomas. sat |.
down before the monument of u knightly
crusader. 1t was an upright tomb, rich in |
tracery and paneIing, and bearing in quaint
letters the name and deeds OF the knight |
whose etiigy, scnlptured in stone, Law re-
cumbent on the SLAB which formed the TOP.
The wOrdy epitaph set forth how Thomas
lie Comeyn, Norman. knight, went TO the
loIy war in 1889: how he took part in the
'iege OF Acre; how he slew many intidels
with his own hand; how he died in the
riumphs of faith. and now besought .Jesu,
ION OF Mary to pray for his soul.
This brief story OF The crusaders iife-a |
ife spent so far away in time-touched the
'oung girls heart AS she sat down at the |
,ase OF cluster of columns and regarded
he sleeping figure of the knight. His et.igv |
eemed pathetically human as It lay there
xtended on the stone, with praying hands
neekly appraised across the breast. Help
hss enough now is clustering, fighting Sir
'homas de comeyn. Norman and crusader.
lie tills little space in the world. Only 2 |
ew feet OF carved marble, a handful of |
she's. remain of the doughty warrior who |
ought with Richard the Lion. hearted, and.
onbtless, made much noise in his time.
Miss Patty Gibson thought there was
Dmething appealing in the crusaders att- /
lue, lying there Will, his battered legs
tretched ont SO very awkwardly. There :
'as great dint on his corselet, which was | {
OF made by any Paynlm lance; one of his
larble toes was broken off. and his manned | {
'ot did not enhance the dignity of lis f. ! L
re. The young girl laughed quietly to
erself as the grotesqueness of her Tom 4
yer being laid ont in stony state like this: 2
om's regimentals would not look pictu.
sque IN marble. BUT, on second thoughts. a
onld not Tom have been kindly and i!
,ble knight and soldier if he had lived in a
lose old days! She was certain shat he | X
Ouid; and she busted herself with think. f,
e OF Sir Thomas at the tourney. under his
dy's window with song, sweeping on to Il
g Holy Land in the glorious train OF Rich. b
d The Lion-hearted, or mingling in the Il
val procession made by the weak and | "
cke6 King John through his dominions t.
Were these old days SO much better than d.
r own! Where is the high emprise. the tt
lty chivalry, and the noble prowess of b
Q gallant gentlemen OF Sir Thomas de u
'meyn's time! Our American girl tel.
at she belonged to q cheaper age and as
untry, as. sitting there in her sheltered
Ok. she looked out upon the middle ages. si
% silent figure before her called up pan.
anna crowded with gay pageants. tented al
lds. brilliant tournaments, and castled | ri,
mp and pride. 1t was a noble age that
the de Veres, de Courcys and de ST.
meyns. 1t is pity that it has gone But |
re was no fresh, bright Wisconsin girl III
de- Comeyn's time: and Patty thought hu
re could have been no more gallant
waller than Lieutenant Thomas Cum ce
lSS. VIZ
lxchester cathedral is cool, bu. a"storied Fir
ldow richly dight warns the nook il, Nj
ich stands SIR Thomas de Comeyn's gu
nument. Miss Patty was tired; her on
rney about the vast building had wearied A
Z. and its awful majesty somewhat op- tai
ssed her. 1nsensiby confusing Tom with me
mute crusader before her. and half won. .
ing II she were in the ninth or nineteenth | the
Jury she settled herself comfortably Ion
inst the stone shaft. behind her. and of
It the sleep of the innocent. !.
low long she slept she was never quite de