Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-09-01


Suddenly Helen exclaimed: "Well,
/ declare! If that girl hasn't gone and
changed her dressw
"Yes, and fixed her hairw
"And put on clean pair of glovesr
"And changed her bootsF'
1t was all true. Miss Bella had ell
deavOIed to shroud these treasons in
her duster and hat, but it was useless.
She was indeed pretty sight, as she
stood there, with one dainty foot upon
the step. Even John was moved. He
reflectively spat on the nigh side, and
made room for her TO sit by him. Miss
Bella sprang into the seat. .Iohn was
better than nothing. And as they
spun along the road, she laughed at
hiswell-wOrn stories, admired his skill as
a driver, and when he turned tolOok at
her would drop her eyes. And John?
Well, he chewed tobacco. 'Tis won
derfully soothing, in any form, is the
maligned weed.
At last the little town was reached.
and John dashed up TO the college
gates in style. The ladies descended,
crossed the wide and dreary-looking
campus, and applied for permission to
see the old mission church and the col.
lege buildings. 1t was granted them,
and an olive-skined Italian priest was
detailed to show them over the place.
He was gentle and courteous in man.
ner. handsome in face, and there was
a certain dignity about him which i'm
pressed even the giddy Bella at first.
But not for long.
They passed into the old mission
church, with its quaint statues and
curious paintings. The peculiar real
ism which seemed TO impress the Latin
mind only revOlted them, and the i'm
age of the Savior upon the cross, the
bloo1 trickling from the crown of
thorns and from the wound i'm his
side, only made them turn away i'm dis
gust. The strange frescoing over the
altar, too, did not impress them; they
laughed at the four-and-twenty elders
seated around the Great White Throne.
with ''SanctO, Sancto, Sancto" coming
from their mouths, while the monkish
artists attempt to represent the Deity
shocked them. Then they went into
the college, and saw the laboratory. and
the philosophical apparatus, with its
strange electrical machines, globes, and
what not. From there to the library,
where Father Augustine showed them
the quaint old books from which dead
and gone monks had chanted Yesper
and matin song. Huge volumes were
they, of parchment leaf and leather
cover, with giant clasp and hinge; odd
looking notes in red and black, squatty
and square. flor they were Gregorian,)
climed over curious staff-lines. The
girls tried to make out the words, but
the lettering was strange TO them, and
had 1t not been so. the language would
have been. So Father Augustine read
out some of the lines, the Latin sound
ing less harsh in the mellow Italian
way than they had thought. And then
they looked at the shelves, where i'm
posing tones held between their covers
the writings of the early fathers of the
church-those early fathers who were
so early that they have had to father
all later creeds. Many were the strange
characters. many the tongues in which
these books were written.
"And can you read all these dread
ful languages, father?' asked Miss
Bella.
mo, not ALL" he replied, "but many;
and Brother Anselm, who is the libra
rian, can read them ALL"
"Can he read that, FatherY" said
Carrie Bunner, with wide-open eyes,
turning over a curious looking volume.
ayes, my daughter" said the monk.
smiling, that is only Hebrew. Even
can read that"
The library exhausted, Father Au-
gustine asked them if they would like
To ascend to the observatory, where
there was fine view of the surround
ing valley. Miss Bella was the first to
speak:
"Oh, girls" said she, "I'm tired. Il
don't think / care TO 60. But since
the Father has been so kind. some of
you 60"
But the other girls were tired, too.
And so Miss Bella, with an appearance
of great self-abnegation, declared that
she would go, although Father Angus
tine politely protested that the climb
was tatigueing, and, if tired, she should
not attempt it, But opposition only
made her more determined, so they
went together.
"Oh, what lovely viewP' cried
Miss Bella, as they gazed over the fer
tile valley. "Oh, Father, I'm ever so
much oblige1 TO you for inducing me
10 come"
at is indeed well worth the trouble"
replied the priest.
Father" said Miss Bella, fixing her
brown eyes upon him, "what is the
reason you say my daughter To Miss
Bunner, ant not 10 the rest of usY'
because" replied the priest. gravely,
''she Is Catholic, and the others are
heretics."
"Iow do you know she is Catho-
licy"
because she bowed TO the Host
when in the church, which none of the
others did"
so | am hereto, too, 1 supposeY"
said Miss Bella, with a pretty pout.
Yes" said the priest calmly.
"Am l so dreadful, then?' said the
girl, archly.
NO." he replied, flushing slightly,
"but-thRt is"
Ah, wicked Bellal you have pierced
the priestly armor.
Come, Father" said she coaxingly,
"call me daughter too. feel as if 1
were a leper OF something. Ughp
And she shivered, and then laughed
merrily.
"Very well-my daughter" said the
priest.
Miss Bella was as pleased as is vic
torious general. But she was not con-
tent. She leaned out from the window,
and as she did so she dropped a glove
upon the floor. When she turned the
glove was gone.
Miss Bella could have hugged her