The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-06-12
DONNA BIANCA'S VEIL.

DONNA BIANCA'S VEIL.
should probably never have seen
this costly bit of tlimsiness and feminine
vanity had it not been for Darwin. l
am q naturalist, and Darwin is an &C
auaintance of mine. But lest my famil-
iarity with a great name may have a
boastful sound, it may be as well to. ex-
plain at the outset that Darwin was a
Brazilian monkey that met at the vii
lage of Santa Marie del Campo, on the
Amazon.
l had stopped at the village to study
beetles. There was no hotel, but the
natives were hospitable, and competed
for the honor of entertaining me. They
followed me while sought my beloved
beetles, and anxiously inquired whether
l ate them raw or roasted. The only
individual in the procession that acted
as my escort who seemed to intelligent
lyappreciate my Investigations was Oar
win. He joined enthusiastically in the
search, and brought me several new
species. Delighted at the idea of hav-
ing a collaborator, ascertained to what
family he belonged, al took up my res.
idence in company with the little mon
key.
l had the honor of giving him his
name, which he accepted with grave ap
proval, and to which he did credit
Every thing which he did was perform
ed with the seriousness of a philoso
pher. His wizened little face maintain.
ed at all times the most intense seri.
business his wrinkled brows and scanty
fringe of gray whisker about the lower
part Of the visage added to the general
expression of astuteness, and rendered
it almost impossible for me to regard
him as mere beast. He seemed rather
some enchanted gnome or dwarf of the
human species.
l had one other friend in the humble
home under whose palm-thstched ROOT
l had been allowed to hang my ham.
mock, and this was the monkey IS owner
Philomana, a black-eyed, silent girl,
who sat all day over her lace pillow, and
worked as though her life depended or
the fieetness with which her fingers
traversed its meshes. I learned after q
time that her life did depend upon it in
measure. had not been in the vii
lage long before l was informed that
Donna Blanca Camilla, daughter of the
Baron Domingo Vasquz del Campo, the
great man of all the country round, was
to be married to a Portuguese noble.
man. She had made an announcement
to the girls of all the villages governed
by her father that she intended to be
married in veil made by one of the
iris OF her own country, as she had a
fancy to carry some of her fine work
with her to Lisbon, to compare with the
Old Spanish point which her husbands
family boosted among it's heirlooms
Six months we're allowed for the com.
pletlon OF the veil, and then, upon an
appointed day, the work would be ex.
amined by Donna Blanca, by the baron
ess her mother, and by the abbess of the
convent of Santa Maria del Campo, and
prize IN money was to be the reward
OF the maker of the handsomest veil.
Philomena was skillful worker.
Moreover, she needed money, for she
was setrothed to worthless Indian,
VINO would never be able to furnish the
small sum necessary for the installment
OF their simple menace. She told me
that she was not at all sure of winning,
for there were all the girls at the con.
vent, who could go to the abbess for pat
terms, and the nuns themselves were fine
lace-workers, and could help them if they
chose. Down the river little way was
the old mission San lgnacio. Some one
told her that there was some fine lace in
the vestry, and Philomena padded
down to the church, only to learn from
the padre that the lace capes and sur
plices and other sacred vestmeuts had
all been sent, by special dispensation.
TO the abbess Of the convent of Santa
Maria del Campo. Philomena was SO
disappointed that she gave up at once
all hope of winning the prize. but She
tnought that while she was there she
might as well offer prayer before the
SHRINE OF st. Bras to keep her from sneez-
ing through the rest of the year. While
Kneeiing, she could not help noticing
the altar cloth. 1t was very dirty and
yellow, but it was lace; not trimmed
around the edge, but one solid piece OF
lace, filled in with a pattern of palm
branches about cross. Philomena had
seen great many palm branches. and
she wondered how any one who had not
seen them-for she guessed that this
lace was made in old Spain-could have
canght the curve and dip of the long
1eatner IKE sprays so exactly. The
aboess had sent for all the lace in the
YES ny, but here before the shrine of St.
Bra :, IN the main part of the church,
was the handsomest piece of all. Philo-