The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-22
punNhd by Special
DON GESUALDO.
1885; All Rights Reserved
A SKETCH BY "OUIDA."
Author
"CHANDos," "a RAINY Popular
PART III.

ITOm LHOSe TWO extremes Oh pdSSlOuI no lel
her with apprehension and panied sense of his
own impotence. She promised him that she
would provoke Tassilo no more that night, and
this poor promise was all that he could
wiring from her. It was late when he
left the mill-house. He feared Can
dida would be alarmed at his unusual
absence, and fastened, with trouble on his soul,
| towards the village, lying white and lonely un-
derneath the midsummer moon He had so
little influence, so slender power to persuade
or warn, to counsel or command; he felt afraid
| that he was unworthy of his calling.
II should have been better in the cloister, y
he thought, sadly; Il have not the key to hui
man hearts"
| He went on through starry world of fire.
flies making luminous the still uncut corn. and,
entering his presbytery crept noiselessly up the
stairs to his chamber, thankful that the voice of
his housekeeper did not cry to him out of the
darkness to know why he had 80 long tarried.
He slept little that night and was up, as was his
wont, by daybreak.
1t was still dark when the church bell was
changing above his head for the first office.
1t was the day of Peter and of Paul. Few
people came to the early mass. Some peasants
who wanted to have the rest of the day clear;
| some women, thrifty housewives who were up
| betmes; Candida herself; no others. The love-
| ly morning light streamed in, cool and roseate;
| there were few lilies and roses on the altar;
some red draperies foated in the doorway; the
! nightingales in the wild-rose hedge sang all the
| while, their sweet voices crossing the monoto-
| nous Latin recitatives. The mass was just over
| when into the church from without there arose
late and yet uproarious; it came from
the throats of many people, all
screaming, and shouting, and talking,
| and swearing together The peasants and the
| women who were on their knees scrambled to
their feet, and rushed to the door, thinking the
earth had opened, and the houses were falling
| Gesualdo came down from the altar, and strove
| to calm Them but they did not heed him. and
| he followed them despite himself. Tie whole
village seemed out-man, woman and child-the
| nightingales grew dumb under the outcry.
| What is itF asked Gesualdo.
Several voices shouted back to him: '"Tasso
Tassilo has been murderedP
! ''Ah!"
Gesualdo gave a low cry, and leaned against
the stem of cypress tree to save himself from
falling. What use had been his words that
night!
The murdered man had been found lying un-
| der the canes on the wayside, not rood from
| the church dog smelling at it had caused the
| body to be sought out and discovered. He had
been dead but few hours; apparently killed by
| q knife thrust under his left shoulder, which had
1
tion in the people was unimaginable, the uproar
deafening. Some one with grain of sense re-
| naming had sent for the carbneers, but their
| picket was two miles off, and they had not yet
| arrived The dead man still lay where he had
| fallen; every was afraid to touch him.
| docs his wife know2 said Gesualdo, in q
| strange, hoarse voice.
His wife will not grieve," said man in the
| crowd, and there laugh. subdued by awe
and the presence of death and of the priest.
L 6n or CHI of
held up his hand in horror and reproof, then bent
over the dead body where it lay amongst the
| reeds.
Bring him to the sacristy," he said to the
men nearest him. He must not lie there like a
beast uncean, by the roadside; 20, fetch hur-
| die, sheet, anything"
| But no one of them would stir.
''If we touch him they will take us up for
| numbering him." they muttered, as one man.
"Cowards! Stand off; 1 will carry him in
doors" said the priest.
you are In full canonicals!" cried Candida,
twitching at his sleeve.
But Gesualdo did not heed her He was
| brushing off with tender hand the flies which
had begun to buzz about the dead mans mouth.
| The flies might have stung and eaten him all
| day through for what anyone of the little crowd
| would have cared; they would not have stretched
a hand even to drag him into the shade.
| Gesualdo was weakly man; he had always
tasted long and often, and had never been strong
| from his birth; but Indignation, compassion and
horror for the moment lent him strength not
| his own; he stopped down and raised the dead
| body IN his arms, and staggering under his bur-
den, ne bore it the few roods which separated
the place where it had fallen from the church
| and the wears house.
| The people looked on open mouthed with won
der and awe. 1T is against the law" they NUT
tered. but they did not offer active opposition.
Gesualdo unmolested for the cries of the
old housekeeper carried his load into his own
house and laid it reverently down on the couch
| which stood in the sacristy. He was exhausted
| with the great strain and effort: his limbs shook
under him, the sweat poured off his face, the
| white silk and golden embroideries of his cope
| and stole were stained with the clotted blood
/ which had fallen from the wound in the dead
mans breast He did not heed it, nor did he
hear the cries of Candida mourning the dsig-
| ured vestments, nor the loud chattering of the
| crowd thrusting itself into the sacristy He
stood looking down on the poor, dusty, stiffen.
ing corpse before him with blind eyes and think
| ing in silent terror: "IS it her workF
In his own soul he had no doubt
Candida plucked once more at his robes.
1.-THE vestments the vestments! You will ruin
| them; take them Off"
He put her from him with gesture of dignity
! which she had never seen in him. and motioned
the throng back toward the open door
II will watch with him till the guards come -
he said; go send his wife hither."
Then he scattered holy water on the dead
! body and kneeled down beside it and prayed
why was he SO still and cold, ahd why did he
seem so stunned and stricken9 If he had
screamed and raved, and run hither and thither
purposely, and let the corpse lie where it was in
the canes he would have acted naturally, in their
estimation. They hung about the doorways
! half afraid half angered: some of them went to
the mill house eager to have the honor of being
| the first bearer of such news.
No one was sorry for the dead man, except
some few who We're in his debt and knew that
now they would be obliged to pay up, with heavy
interest what they owed, to his successors
With the grim pathos and dignity which death
imparts to the commonest creature, the murder
ed man lay on the bench of the sacristy, amidst
| the hubbub and the uproar of the crowding peo-
pie; he and the priest the only mute creatures in
the place.
Gesualdo kneeled by the dead man in his
| blood stained, sand stained canonicals; he was
praying with all the soul there was in him, not
tor the dead man, but the living woman.
| The morning broadened into the warmth of