The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-05-25
ANGELTQUE.

:" 1t is nod possib', me fren', dat 70,
ave not know hof de pctitc Angcli1uc.
Angelique is IA what you callp-
hero, chP
When the reverend Father, however
is assured that Angelique is yet un
known TO me in the flesh, he seizes mt
by an arm, quietly leads the way to tn,
cottage of the Sisters of Charity, where,
throwing wide open n door, he points
TO a corner of the room and exclaims in
the theatrical tone Of his countrymen,
"Jotla' dere is de Angelique!"
When my eyes had grown sufficiently
accustomed to the subdued light of the
apartment to distinguish objects clear.
~, | discern, seated upon a low chair
of peculiar construction, and engaged
plating small braids of straw, a slight
and delicate child Of apparently twelve
years of age. As we approach nearer,
it becomes evident that her labors are
confined to one hand, the other
being hidden under the folds of
II heavy shawl, completely concealing
her diminutive form; and that one end
OF the straw plait which she so deity
weaves is held by a notch in the low
stand at her side. a glance ut this lat
ter fixture, and certain hclplessnes be-
trayed in the posture of the child, tell
OF d~cformity; and, when the pale face
turns toward us, and sightless orbs only
greet our approrch, | am in some meas
ure prepared for the shock.
1t is Il beautiful face, nevertheless
pure white and ,emi-transparent-from
which every trace of earthly feeling
seems to have been swept, leaving only
Il rapt bcltitudc of expression caught
sometimes in pictures of the Madonna.
And it lights up with Il pathetic look of
affection and pleasure at the sound of
the Fathers voice, merging into a GER
tain reverence as his fingers stroke her
shining black hair. But when he quiet
~ lifts the heavy shawl from her per-
son, revealing Il figure shrunken, awry,
and blasted irretrievably, with an arm
wanting, and u spine curved almost into
Il semicirclc, only retaining an erect
posture by reason of cords and straps,
and the encircling arms of the chair, n
look of patient sorrow-almost Of re-
proach and protest-usurps momentari.
ly the place of happier expression, pass
ing quickly away, however, with the re-
placing of the covering.
But it is when Angcliquc talks that
her mavclous beauty of face shows un.
rivaled; and Father Allard leads her by
gentle approaches into conversation.
All, what exquisite meditation of tone!
what purity of thought and appropriate
diction! What a changing paaorumu
OF expression and Kaleidoscope hucs
of feeling appear upon that transparent
face-now grave, now gay, now tender
II pathetic, now b~etraying a resolute,
~self-contained spirit, so utterly at vari.
ancc with her twisted and shrunken
body! But, over all, those sightless
orbs cast a pathos so tender, n pity So
deep, IN appeal so intense, that the
spectator stands aghast at the terrible
force of their expression. And as she
talks on, and the softly modulated tones
fall upon the ear, and the changing fca.
lures betray the thought in clear relief
even before utterance, the blind eyes
chastcn the refined gold of her beauty
and the music of her voice, and one
seems To catch n momentary glimpse
of those invisible messengers minister
ing to men.
When Father Allard lays his hands
r~everently upon her head at last, and
with eyes turned upon the low ceiling
mutters an ~inaudible blessing, then,
crossing himself slowly and solemnly,
as If lingering over the memory of one
loved and gone before, passes from the
room with bowed head, an irresistible
desire to do the same thing tempts mt
to its performance. And when, cleal
OF the house again, the reverend Father
begins an energetic conversation in q
somewhat choked and husky voice, and
with a suspicious moisture about the
eyes, upon the merits of a certain roar
pony lately presented him by the par,
ish, | think it fails in deluding either OF
us into the belief that the animal occu.
pies any portion of his thoughts, or i,
mt all relevant as the topic of a cor
versatiOn which becomes iitful, Their
dies out altogether. Then he attempts
to sing, with a dry throat, sundry des
ultory vesper airs, which quickly at
tain a CHASTITY facility of execution, sud
denly terminated by an unclerical leap
ing OF the garden-gate, us if to dissipat,
BY bodily exercise the memory of tn,
vision we have seen. Even this fails
however, for he turns upon me with nj
the depth of his serious, tender natur,
revealed in his eyes, saying, in his owl
tongue:
"Ah, my son, you know the paintin,
OF our Mother behind the altar in m,
little chapel, and how the refraction o
the light from the chancel-window il
lumines at times the aureole about he
head9 Well, mon entant, l have some
times seen of an evening the same hal,
about the head of Angelique. And
think the Christ was with her then"
We regain the cottage in silence; and
sitting by the window under the shad
ow of the great white crucifix of tn,
chapel, amid the sound Of bees, tn
scent of flowers, the songs of counties
birds, and the rustling of the leaves il
the soft wind, Father Allard tells m
the story of Angelique:
"You have doubtless heard, my son
OF the English governor who was sho
in the skirmish on Image Plain som
fourteen years ago; and you will re
member that, after a Temporary peac