Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1883-04-28

Il0r C06LH were ClluClou.
"Do you know what 1 would have
done to him?" she went on. II am a
Corsican, and the blood runs hot in our
veins when it is stirred by wrong-vap'
The brief passion was spent. 1t was
succeeded by calm even more full of
meaning. Cora waited until her friend
could trust herself to speak.
They parted then and there"
Madame Blanchet went on, in a low
tone. He did not defend himself.
He simply laughed at her-my poor,
heart-broken, humiliated child. He
said she was too innocent for the times
she lived in. And so she was. bon
Dieu, too innocent. She put all of
this into one last letter to me, and she
tied-fled into the night"
"And now?" the young girl said,
after long silence.
Now she is at peace" the mother
answered, quietly. 1.-The Holy Church
received her in its bosom. Leonie is
one of the sisters of the con-
vent of the Sepolte Vive. For
some time past / have bsen laying up
money in order to take the journey to
Rome, but until recently it was all 1
could do to live here, and to go away
from my employment meant starva-
tion. Oh, if 1 could but have seen
her, l would have starved-yes, gladly
but that is impossible. All l can do
is to visit the outside of the convent
upon her day Once a year each sis
ter has day, when she is allowed to
throw over the convent wall flower,
in token to her watching friends that
she is still alive, but that is all. l
know what flower my Leonie would
chOose-a bunch of fresh white lilac -
'SepOlte Vive'-buried alivev the
young irl repeated, sadly. A shadow
seemed to fall over her life, and her
budding happiness.
A few months later saw the Roman
spring unfold in all its glory. A party
of tourists were visiting that relic of
medieval days, the convent of the Sc
polite Vive. Most Of them turned back
disappointed at the threshold, but a
group of three people fingered until
the rest of the sightseers, after colo
guy held through a revolving barreli in
the wall of the convent, had reluctant
ly dis ersed. Over this barrel was
traced an inscription: "Who would
live content within these walls, let her
leave at the threshold every earthly
care " Upon these lines woman
dressed in black, standing apart from
her two companions, kept her eyes
fixed, while her lips moved in prayer.
The order If nuns who have thus
condemned themselves to a living
death subsist on charity. 1t is only
when their supplies are totally ex-
hausted that they are allowed, after
twenty-four hours starvation, to ring
a certain bell, which the outside
world interprets, 1--WE are famishing"
Two Lents are observed by them dur
ing the year--the one common to all
Catholic Christians, and another held
between November and Christmas.
In the intervals the sisters receive and
partake of whatever food may be be-
slowed on them by visitors.
Two of the three loiterers were
young and handsome, radiant with ill
disguised happiness. That they were
new-made husband and wife none
could doubt, and it was pleasant
sight to see the wife order to be brought
from carriage awaiting them a
hamper of abundant dainties, and with
the aid of her husband proceed to un-
pack their store. To gain answer from
the convent the young man knocked
briskly upon the barrel-head. which,
slowly turning, revealed a shelf with
in.
"What wilt thou, stranger ?" came
voice, faint and far as the note of an
Eolian harp. So strong was the
sense of remoteness and of desolation
produced by this sound that involun-
tarily the young wife clasped her hus-
bands arm in shuddering.
"Oh it is too sad," she whispered
in his ear. 81 think / will go back to
the carriage and leave Madame
Blanchet with you-may L nOt?"
Nonsense, darling. Who is it who
has contrived and carried out this
little expedition, l should like to
knowP Come, cheer up, and bestow
your bounties upon the good sisters
within. Depend upon it. they will
relish them"
Their presents were given, and in
exchange our visitors received series
of cartolini, or tiny slips ofprinted paper
folded like homeopathic powder papers,
and intended to be swallowed whole
by the believer, who might thereafter
hope for cure of any mortal ailment
possessing him. As their colloquy with