The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-12-31
NUMBER ~.
M i S : : r !!
FROM THE ORIGINAL FLEMISH OF
HENDRIX CONSCIENCE.


CHAPTER I.
face of nature, like the pail upon . maideu's
bier; moors end felds lay in deep reposes
every thing slept, bnt In q slumber so peaceful,
40 full OF promise for o joyous awakening, thet
| the scene, monotonous and lfsless ~ it Wsz,
made the heart beat high with instlnctiv0
gladness. t
And what wonderf Above, In the clear blae
vault, brightly shone the winters sun, chow
ering down his beams upon that Silly world Z
from the endless expanse each fake flashed
back the rays 90 that the whole shOwod ~ be-
strewn with thousands of sparkling gems; ana
so joyously glistened the brightness that re-
sulGed from this reflection, that 1t was 90 81
the snow had been Informed with life and
colors of it's own.
Far aud near the wilderness was unbrckeu--
for church, village aud farm were hidden. as g.
were, under the folds of earth's wintry rohes
unbroken but by the sombre foliage Of the %.
trees, which reared their dark green pyramids
from amid the snow, and stood motionleas
there, like 30 many sentinels keeping guard
over q sleeking army.
But If the world Of nature had thus envoa-
oped itself in silence aud rePose, the world 81
man tOiled on with unremitting diligenooe
From every farm, from every cottage, cazas
forth notices and voices in endless variety
Here the threshing-foor resou nded heavily %
the fail, there the cOrn-mill pursued ita impa.
tient clatter; farther on might be heard ehe.
sharp, rapid blows Of the fax crusher or tA~s
dull plash of the churn.
And above all these the pleasant song Of the
maidens and sharp whistle of the men, ard
kbeD the neighinR of the horses, the loving q
OF the COWS, the sweet and plaintiVe bleat of
the sheep.
'~o1, ineff4ble cong of praise, which ascends
TO God, aud tells him that his creatures rejoiOe
in their lAbors and thank him for their lot
upon earth!
Nevertheless, one house there was which,
amid this Babel of varied sounds, remained
duh and silent as the grave. 1t atood some few
hundreds of yards apart from the body OF eh0
village, and was evidently the remnant Of Q
convent or monastery. of which the greater
portion had been destroyed by fire or the hand
of man for the broken foundations Of mas
siVe buildings might still be traced in tha
ground all round about.
This habitation consisted simply of one wing
of the old buildings which had been left stand
ing, with it's Gothic Windows rudely bFtoked
up with fragments from the ruins. House and
aud garden were entirely enclosed within high
walls, supported by projecting bnttreSses.
But 1t was not all this that IN ade the passeR-
by stay his steps beside this singular house
and led him off into a melancholy train OF
thought
There lay over this m ~ terious abode-pitifuS
remnant OF antique prosperity and PoMer-S
tone of decay and desOlarIoa which panied the
beholder to the very heart. All about it the
gIound seemed given up to wRste. Great
heaps Of rubbish aud yaw aing vaults rendered
IL almost inaccessible. Time and weatheI
had sorely worn tho walls, which were here
and there traversed by long hHsureS; the bnt-
tregses were in many places partially brokon
away; Some of them even lay proatrate on the
gronnd at the foot of the wall which they
should have supported. Nowhere could b
trace of any attempt at reParation
or ma ntenHnce.
From the stiffness which Teigned here, one
should have judged this house wholly untn-
hablted, had IL not been for q beaten track
through the Snow which led from the door In
the direction of the village ill 10 was lost In q
broader pathway. With closer ob5ervhtionI
the smaller prnta of woman's foot might b
distinguished from among the larger impress
sions
Within, under q projecting mantel piece, in
total silence, their feet on the hearth their
heads sunk between their shoulders, as though
onilled into insensibihty by the cold, rat two
persons over against one another Toe one
" as an old man with gray hairs, sunken eyeas
and pale hollow checks, has back bowed with
: ears, his hands, whenever be moved theDs
man of some forty yeSrs of age, still in the full
vi ger of life, whose irregular features bore
upon them q strange aud ineLplteAble expreas
zion, which 1T the first sight could hardly fail
10 inspire distEuSt or aversion. His lttslo Gs1y
ewes were buried, rs it were, beneath . high
forehead and heavy overhangiDg bfoWs, ana
gIsamed out from their Fecesses like glow
worms in g dark night; his spreading nOstEtle
vibrated with each breath he drew bis month
MAS wide, cleft almost to tho middle OF th0
,heek, and the unpleasant emile that played
lpon bis thick lips told Of gluttOny end ytess
more odious still. His oouutenance thus bore
lpon it's upper half the expression OF IN.
Drincipled cunning, not without SOmeWhoe ~
,cute Intelligence TOO; In lite lower bali, SbaS
II blind animal appetite and the Feaalt OF en9
produced = whole sufficiently III
i0vored in its material forms, bat dOubIy 80 ~
r. moral signi6oAnoe.
The room IN which they sat, and everything
bout them, accurately karmOniBea With to
,sPeoe end teRPeE Of the no silent hzqses y