Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1880-09-15
AZ do NOT know. NJ. le Cure.

at do not know, nj. 10 Cure"
"Why IL it that We see her no more?"
my opinion Ia that she Is up to some
wickedness," replied Noun, gru1iy.
Eight days passed and Mathurine had
not appeared. At the end Of sixteen days
she had saved 81 sotls. Her treasure
was accommodating. Every evening, by
the light Of the moon, she counted it
with trembling hands, her eyes brilliant
a. stars. When she had replaced the
great stone with the fagots above it, she
danced In her jotfHlness,
II any Of the villagers had seen her
they would i1deed have said, Mathurine,
the, s~orcekess'
How changed she was! A brilliant
CLEAN in the shadow Of her thought
Taught her much which had been before
unknown to her. She remembered the
few whom she had loved and the many
whom she had hated. In seeing others
work she had acquired a taste for labor.
and looked Upon the prosperity of the
village she called home, she became
ashamed OF her misery. When she re-
memhessd this little she had earned, and
what it had cost her in hard toll, she be-
gan family 10 comprehend the goodness
Of the kind cure, vino for SO long a time
had nourished her.
The evening before Christmas, Mathu-
rine, AZ var her ctistoia upon entering
her kut, raised the great stone. There
was nothing there! Nothing! 1t is not
possible! Wildly she searched every
corner of the hiding place, but it availed
naught; all her treasure had been stolen
from her.
Whom did she suspect Noun and
his daughter. They we're the only ones
in her mind associated with such on
action, All her hate returned. Just
then rang out the Angelus:
"Dingl don! Noun has stolen il
from me! Ding! don! Noun and Lisa
Ding! don't The white bonnetl Ding
don! I will have vengeancel Ding
| donl"
She ran like a gleain in the night TO-
ward the church, without any plan
without any project, without knowing il
the least what she wished to do; only
because the bells were ringing, sht
thought Noun to be there.
The wind blew violently from thu
mountain; the icy earth creaked at ever,
step, and the long frosty needles sw
from the branches of the pines. Thu
moon was obscured by drifting clouds
and in the village all was silent. Nour
had left the church, but before taking
his departure he had Lit the small lamr
in the chapel Of the Virgin.
Standing on tip-toe Mt an open win
dow, Mathurine could see this twinklinf
light, and the chancel filed with flowers
adorned for the great Christmas festival
f, Her hate became more violent. To he
the church represented only Noun, Lis,
and the bells, she did not think of til.
cure. If she were to do evil to thu
church, she would be revenging hersel
upon those whom she hated.
Trembling, pale, ~disheveled, and Will
chattering teeth, she passed through the
window a long branch of dry wood. Sht
held it for an instant in the flame of tn.
burning lamp suspended near the wall
and then placed the burning brant
against the pine boards which incloset
the church and belfry.
In Ave minutes the building was sur
rounded by flames. Mathurine ran fleet
~ away, and from a safe distance, hid
den among the rocks, she watched til.
incendiary CLEAN. She believed hersel
proud Of her work, she trembled-sh,
could have wept for Joy.
Suddenly the church bells rang on
into the night:
"Dingl don't What have I done
Ding! don! It is a crime! Ding! don
Noun was wicked to me! Ding! don
He was kind to me! Ding! don! 1t is
crime! Ding! don! Oh! bells be 81
lent!"
Half crazy Mathurine returned to thu
village. The church existed no longer
The beams of the bellfry had burned
apart, and the bells, in falling into the
ruins below, had sounded their last peal
Before the ruins stood the cure witt
clasped hands, Watching the destruction
Of all that remained of the house of God
That holy dwelling which he had loved
30 long, for which he had saved anf
cared with so tender an affection. anl
where he had so often offered PRAYER
Great tears gathered in his eyes ant
chased each other down his cheeks.
Mathurine, frightened by his tears
gazed at him an instant. In that ON,
moment her soul was opened to knowl
edged, to faith, to repentance, to affec
ton. She made q movement as if Il
throw herself ut the feet of the cure. ant
cried out to him:
Forgive me! forgive mel"
Then rising quickly she suddenly dis
appeared without awaiting for his reply
Six months afterward Mathurine ex
changed her black bonnet for the whit,
cap OF the Sisters of Charity. Then hel
life belonged to the poor, the sick, tn,
humble and the uncared for little ones
And now, when the Angelus sounds
Mathurine no longer clasped her hand
over her ears.
ding! don! Ring belll Ding! don
Thou art a voice from above! Ding
don! Ny God forgive me! Ding! don
Forgive mel"