The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-16

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There are arches over the principal Streets COW
cred with color, with flowers, with notices with
flags and evergreens. Flags are in motion on
every side, and the maple garland displays Itself
in tireless perspective.
Michel stretches up his neck to gaze at the
allegorical groups in the arches. He is happier
and much more exhilarated than ii he were IN
the midst of Sunday dance, The Iru-
deaus and Polettes still push along together lt
is not more than half past o'clock, ana Inc
great procession will not move until 3, But
there is everything to see there are the shrines
in Notre Dame to be visited, and, finally, stand
ing-room to be struggled for on the cathedral
plaza or steps.
Michel keeps beside Zelie and amidst joyful
sounds of music, tongues feet on flag stones,
rafting wheels and street-cars-the roar OF
multitude added to the usual roar of a clty-he
drops many Canadian French sentence at
zelie's ear. He might help his parents
carry that wallet of black sausage and
cheese with which hunger is to be
STAYED off from the family of Trudeau st
Rosalie! do you think father Trudeau could
put his hand in his pocket and take out enough
Canada quarters to payfor the filling OF all those
mouths, besides the beer with which he must
pledge his friendsq But Michel has some silver
of his own and he resolves to see that Zehe's
thirst is quenched before his sisters, Angelique
and Marie, can call upon him for brotherly Of
fees. So dead to family ties are young men In
Lowell And there are things to be bought on every
hand; holy red and blue pictures, bead brackets,
A man cannot bargain however, with all his
relatives staring at him and at the probable re-
cipient of his gift and Michel continues up
Notre Dame street
When they mount the Cathedral steps, he is
still near Zelies elbow Zelie and he make their
way through one of the many aisles, and, paus-
ing midway under the star-fecked blue arches,
kneel, and cross themselves with their faces IN
the direction of the great altar.
The candles are lighted, and one or two priests,
wearing their white capes, pass and repass,
making obeisances to the pinnacled and glitter
ing object. A crowd Of women kneel IN front
of st. Joseph's shrine. The base OF the Virgins
pedestal is kissed by thousands of passing lips.
The holy apostles, standing in dim religious
light around the altar bear with unmoved aspect
the squeaking of shoe-leather. Great dark pic
lures gloom along the walls, ranged between the
many confeSsionals.
Having bowed her forehead to the floor, Zelie
Polette must NOPE from shrine to shrine, pos
turing with the unmeasured devotion OF
French Canadian. And Michel must keep her
well in sight while he says his own prayers
There is nothing reticent or shame faced about
their religion
Yet ears most devoutly stopped would be
superhuman if they could not hear the approach
Of music betokening the procession.
Michel tries to squeeze passage for Zelle to a
place by one Of the great pillars which support
the front of Notre Dame She is just behind
him. The first of the alegorical cars begin to
pass and he nstinctively stretches up to see 1t
his blood Jingle But this will never do. He
must place Zelie, and he turns to help her on,
but the crowd has swallowed her. He fights
backward and forward, yet Zelie cannot be
seen. Perhaps her mother seized upon her
elbow. Perhaps she saw sudden opening and
reached some remote good place herself.
Michel is anxious and disturbed He does not
care to take the pillar by storm, but
stretches up on tiptoe dividing his gaze between
the pageant and nervous search of the crowded
porch. Afterwards he could not recall the
order of the procession. The first house in
Canada swan past him. log hut, having its
tree in front and its kettle slung up betwixt the
tree and forked stick There were the Cana
dian discoveries, with their unsafe vessels rest
ing on the canopy above them; wigwam
decorated with totems bows and shields, and
the native savages smoking beside it. Desala
berry was represented as if still in the fesh and
Dalland and his men; and there was Jacques
Cartier, of heroic memory standing before
Francis 1 to receive his commission as dis
coverer. There, even, was La Grande Hermine,
one of Carriers ships-and how puny, when you
compare it in your mind with one of the ocean
steamers down by the pier. What courage
had Jacques Cartier, to take to the uncertain
Atlantic in such cookie shell as this!
Michel knows something of all these things
and feels the pride of race quicken within him
But the quickening would be fuller and stronger
il Zelie Polette stood by him.
There goes Champlain's fortress at Quebec
looking like pile of masonry and turrets sur
When Duvernay's bust is hoated past Michel
takes off his hat and shouts. An there is a
grand man--that sondateur Of st. jean de- a'til
Car Zelie Polette see well from her standing
place that fine and noble headR Michel is re-
called from another eye-search after her by pair
after pair of horses all nodding with plumes and
led by pages in trunk hose and rich cloaks and
doublets Music, which dies away at intervals
as the floats disappear down Notre Dame street
revives in full blast before this pageant. 1t
is time for Michel to make the sign
of adoring reverence This is the young st.
Jean de Baptiste, half-clothed, and holding his
majestic cross and legend Beside him is his
lamb He is a beautiful child with curls cover
ing his neck and BOSOM He stands in small
temple, and behind and before him float the
national flags. A canopied slope stretches out
at his feet, and here Canada's emblem, the
beaver has its house. Blessed be the patron
saint of all Canadian Frenchmen.
Then come the chevaliers as crusaders, on
prancing horses, bearing sword and lance. They
come in columns, in hollow squares, casting the
flash of their arms, and the gorgeous colors of
raiment into beautiful shapes. There are
trumpeters with this cavalcade. 1t is enough to
wake all the dim ancestral recollections which
can possibly Turk in a country youth from st.
Hyacinthe
At intervals betwixt the ranks are displayed
the arms of France, of Anjou of Artois and
Normandy, preceded by dignitaries and pages.
There is the orihamme of st. Denis. And finally
comes that salnted king, Louis TX accompanied
by falr youths, his horse led by pretty pages.
The chevaliers following him are paled by his
glory. What better sight can man ask for
than all these living pictures2 They are real
enough to Michel, He is brought up to revere
emblems and symbols. He is not fastidious
enough to find fault with the plump young king
who is made up to personate that lean faced dew
otee, the sainted Louis.
Michels head is stuffed with color and sound
and though all the pageant has passed it does
not disappear from his eyeballs. He can exclaim
tO ar md haa wit
approval, but there would be cold comfort in
that. His shoulder neighbor is another young
Canadian Frenchman, just back from Chicago,
where he has had degree of energy knocked
into him. But what has he to say that would
compare with Zelie Polette's comments on St
Jean de Ba'ti'p
Where can she bel It is high noon Michel
is hungry, and the wallet of black sausage and