Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-10-26

Tie Gsseey - pssei0l IsQssA q
naDAscls selsessAsd Vns6nz. - No
dassa dslls 0sAia, RIa1Ds ~ esssp-
Sies 60 tAsse d0sje sDoa4 shs Ioniiaa
hills Seasnhls hermit enllsd Fsshee
Bernardo. /. rssovssA fer widen ssl
goodness. end visited by many for Cd
vice and conssisssse- As ofsen remark
ed faas thoaxh his solitude vas deep,
vet he bal too danshs~rs. one that
spike 10 ham and one that was dumb.
Nos the FIRST wxs the daughter Il vino
dresser. named Mary. Who dearly loved
the old man. and often hrousht him
presents and eheered him uifh loving
words and cxre>ses- Bat lie dumb
daughter Vas an odd oak that sheltered
Ms hut with its branches. ami in the
beat II summer BarnArao broagLt va
teT n It's thirsty roots. aaa ts nd-l and
talked 10 IL - II nc could feel Al
usorninx and evening he fed the birds
thai lived in its branches, and. in re-
tarn. Vas eheered by their songs.
Many time soms voSdman b III desired
to IT dosn this oak but the PRAYERS of
the old man deferred him from the
deed There Came q last O terrible
winter when the mountain. were laden
wIfh heavy snov, and then the sun
shone warm. and fearful freshet. came
dosn like torrents. and swept away the
focks and trees and even hamlets in
their course, after the worst hsd sub
sided, Mary aud her father went TO see
how II had Jared With the good hermit,
fearing he had persisted. But his dumb
daughte: had saved his life; for when
the thav had come on he had sought
tue roof Of his hut. and as he lifted his
ewes in prayer il seemed as il the Limits
of the oak Fad beckonsd him to come to
them. Then he climbed with confidence
among the branches, and there he
stayed three days, while below him his
hut and every thing else was swept
away. But he had only few crusts
to eat, and when Mary arrived he was
fainting and ready to die from cold and
exposure. Then his talking daughter
comfo'ted him and took him to her home
until his hut could be rebuilt. And
now with great fervor, Bernardo thank.
ed God for his preservation and called
down blessings upon his two children
who had been instruments in his de-
liverance. and he prayed Heaven to
distinguish them some way from the
other works of his hand.
Years passed on and the hermit was
lai to his rest, his hut was in ruins
for ever, and the oak was converted in
to wine casks for Mary's father. One
day one of these casks was in an arbor
where Mary, now o wife and mother,
sat with her two boys. As she pressed
her baby to her breast and watched the
elder one at play, she thought of the
old hermit and wondered if his blessing
would ever be fulfilled in her or these
children; just then the older one ran
toward her with stick to which he had
fastened cross; and, ct the same time,
q young man approached, whose large
dreamy eyes were such as feast on beau
ty, but his air. was that of one restless
and weary. And he was so; for he had
long been seeking mode to assist him
in painting picture of the Blessed
Virgin and her son, which Hoated be-
fore his vision just real enough to
haunt his thoughts continually, and
just natural enough to refuse to be
rendered by his brush. This was
Raphael Sanzio d'Orbino. Now at last
as he gazed on Mary the wish Of his
heart was realized. But he had only q
pencil On what could he draw? Just
then the smooth cover of the large
wine cask presented itself to him, and
eagerly he drew upon it the outlines
of Mary and her babe. This he took
away with him, and rested not till with
his very soul he had painted his won
drous madonna della Sedia." Thus
was the blessing and desire of the old
munk realized, and together his two
daughters were distinguished for all
time.