American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-05-27
ANGELIQUE.


expression of surprise and perplexity a
he turns suddenly upon me, saying:
1t is nod possib', me fren', dat yo
ave not know hof de petite Angclique
Angelique is a-a-what you calle-
hero, eha
When the reverend Father, however
Is assured that Angelique is yet I'm
known to me in the flesh, he seizes m
by an arm, quietly leads the way to tn
cottage of the Sisters of Charity, where
throwing wide open door, he point
to a corner OF the room and exclaims il
the theatrical tone of his countrymen
"Iottd! dere is de Angelique!"
When my eyes had grown sufficient,
accustomed to the subdued light of tn,
apartment to distinguish objects clear
ly, 1 discern, seated upon q low chat
of peculiar construction, and engaged
plating small braids Of straw, q Sigh
and delicate child of apparently twelv,
years OF age. As we approach nearer
it becomes evident that her iabors arr
confined to one hand, the Other
being hidden under the folds Of
heavy shawl, completely concealine
her diminutive form; and that one end
OF the straw plat which she so deity
weayes is held by a notch in the low
stand at her side. A glance at this lat
ter fixture, and certain helplessnes be-
trayed in the posture of the child, tell
OF deformity; 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 beautiful face, nevertheless
pure white and semi-transparent-from
which every trace of earthly feeling
seems to have been swept, leaving only
a rspt beatitude of expression caught
sometimes in pictures of the Madonna.
And it lights up with 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
ly lifts the heavy shawl from her per-
SON, revealing figure shrunken, awry,
and blasted irretrievably, with an arm
wanting, and spine curved almost into
a semicircle, only retaining an erect
posture by reason of cords and straps,
and the encircling arms of the chair, a
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 Angelique talks that
her marvellous 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 panorama
OF expression and kaleidoscope hues
OF feeling appear upon that transparent
face-now grave, now gay, now tender
and pathetic, now betraying resolute,
self-contained spirit, so utterly at vari-
ance with her twisted and shrunken
body! But, over all, those sightless
orhs cast a pathos so tender, a pity SO
deep, an 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 fea-
lures betray the thought in clear relief
even before utterance, the blind eyes
chasten the refined gold of her beauty
and the music of her voice, and one
seems to catch a momentary glimpse
of those invisible messengers minister
ing to men.
When Father Allard lays his hands
reverently 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 me
to its performance. And when, clear
OF the house again, the reverend Father |
begins an energetic conversation in a |
somewhat choked and husky voice, and |
with suspicious moisture about the
eyes, upon the merits of a certain roam |
pony lately presented him by the par
ish, l think it fails in deluding either of |
us into the belief that the animal occu-
pies any portion of his thoughts, or is
at all relevant as the topic of a con-
versation which becomes fitful, then
dies out altogether. Then he attempts
to sing, with dry throat, sundry des-
ultory vesper airs, which quickly at
tain ghastly facility of execution, sud
denly terminated by an unclerical leap
ing of the garden-gate, as if to dissipate
by bodily exercise the memory of the
vision we have seen. Even this fails,
however, for he turns upon me with all
the depth of his serious, tender nature
revealed in his eyes, saying, in his own
tongue:
All, my son, You know the painting
OF our Mother behind the altar in nv
little chapel, and how the refraction of
the light from the chancel-window il
lumines at times the aureole about her
headp- Well, mon e,sfosss, 1 have some
times seen of an evening the same halo
about the head of Angelique. And 1
think the Christ was with her then"
We regain the cottage in silence; and,
sitting by the window under the shad-
DIV of the great white crucifix of the
chapel, amid the sound of bees, the
'cent of flowers, the songs of countless
birds, and the rustling of the leaves in .
he soft wind, Father Allard tells me
he story of Angelique: