The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-01-28


tender good will Of Bart and his mother, nor
against the updisturbed serenity of her daily
life: From her cheeks, too, the ashy hne OF
hAbitnaIly quiet and even reserved in manner,
yet she would ever and again light mp into one
Of those fairy smiles which can only proceed
from q heart at peace within itself.
Cecilia worked at dressmaking for the neigh
bors, at which, being an uncommonly skilful
hand. she made very pretty bit OF money, not
D little to her qualification and to the encour-
agement of Bart and herself in their ambitious
hopes and plans for the enlargement of the
farm. True, the savings-box received but
few stivers o week sometimes indeed even
nothing at all, but sometimes, on the other
hand, piece of silver. Still it's contents in
creased and when Bart came to his mothers
chamber and merrily shook the box which held
the collected savings Of their love and indus
try, the sound it gave was pleasant to the ear
ard foil of promise to the heart.
The young lover had made it his especial
business SO TO dress and decorate his mother's
house as to render it pleasant home for it's
beloved guest; and for this purpose had tasked
to the utter most his powers both of invention
and execution. In the little garden behind
the little yard he had laid out little beds,
divided by little footpaths and edged in with
ever-fowering thrift. Q1ite behind, close by
the hornbeam hedge, he had put up trellis
and it trained a bower of honey. suckle
and cemstis, with bench on either side-one
for his mother and Cecilia, tho other for Wanna
aud himsef-where Sundays after service
they would all come and sit together, and sing
and tell pleasant tales, and rejoice in calm dis
coarse over the sweet Tranquility of their life
and Gods manifold mercy aud goodness.
In the garden grew all kinds of flowers; not
only the W ell-loved lowly plants that are native
To the heaths and thickets of the Keupen Cor
Campine, an extensive moory district in the
Deig Ibor hood of Antwerp) but also many of
those which bave been naturaized from other
regions, the last present TO Bart from Frank,
the under gardener at the Manor-house.
Against the house itself bupg several bird
cages, from which necessarily resornded the
sharp, clear notes of their Inmates; and pigeons
sn tame that they would come and take their
food ont Of Cecilia's hand mad thor houses IN
the roof, AID strGMed with p,urlpg breasts
Ilung the paths at the corner of the
beds were planted upright sticks, bearIng on
thei: points little mills which turned with the
WIND, or nsures of fencers il attitude or game
keepers takiDg AHA, whose weapons ever point
ed in thb direction froni which If blew: all of
them matters which Bart had devised and
exec ated for Ceciiia's pleasure and ont Of love
for her.
Wanna had her full share in the common
happiness, which she entered into with the
careless II ht. bsartednegs OF u child, like child
too rejoicing in the felicity of the rest.
AS for Mother Ann, she over whelmed
with attentions and demonstrations of affec-
ton and rs she saw her chIldren's eyes beam
ing pleasure upon her at every glance, she
certainly would not have changed her lot with
that of the lady of the Manor. In fact, the
poor little cottage of the Chapel farm was q
very paradise upon earth.
Very different the state of things aSthe
gloomy abode from which Cecilia had been ex
PEELED, and which since her departure had
been 30 solitary and SO silent, so deathly still,
that it stood there among the trees like some
fated building smitten with the curse of
heaven. Sometimes for two days together
would the laborers who were at work the
helds ABOUT not once see the door open. The
mysterious house, with it's creviced walls and
broken wiudow-panes, inspired all the villa gers
with an uneasy fear it was only the most
courageous among them that would willingly
after n'ghtfall have taken their way through
its vicinity.
And now, for the last two Sundays Uucle
J an had rot even been out to church, aud
fhys, whom asked after him had replied that
be was confined to his bed with the guut; but,
though it WAS very we'll known that be had
occasionally Suffered from this complaint be-
fore, yet, coming from Thye, this explanation
hardly obtained universal credit. However,
old Jams TDiserly way of life had made him SO
unpopular that no one seetue2 to trouble him
self auy further about him--no one bal only
Cecilia, who had wept bitter tears at heaciDg
Of his Iluess,
be