Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-25

gait, the hands Joined modestly under her
long sleeves, her head bowed down shaded
by the creamy white of her veil. Softly
she crossed the cloister; it was dark, but
the delicate tracery OF each twisted column
with the intricate foliage work of its cap
ital was just discernible. But Assunta
started there was another change-the
door up stairs TO the dormitories was also
open. She went on.
Assunta's step was on the stair, when
she paused in sudden fear, for a step was
coming down from above, sounding,
ringing step such as she had never before
| heard, waking the echoes of the convent
cloister. She stood at the foot of the stairs
one hand on her breast, the other raised
affrightedly, and down straight in front OF
her appeared soldier descending.
Assunta shrunk back with little cry OF
anguish. She would have fed. but her
limbs refused to move She could only
hold out her trembling hands with mute
appeal for mercy.
Maria Santissima !" cried the soldier,
one of the good Sisters here? Do not be
afraid, my Sister it is only l."
| Attn sound OF his voice she ventured TO
look up. he was a very young soldier,
beardless, with round fresh face and
brown eyes-surely he could not be so ter
| rible as what she had imagined. He took
her hand very respectfully and kissed it.
lam come home to die" said Assunta
very softly: g May go up to my own cell?
| will not disturb any one; only let me go. u
The young soldier looked embarrassed.
"a But it is impossible he said. " You can
not stay here, my Sister. I will do what |
| can for you; but if the Lieutenant or some
of the others saw you they might not re-
spect you as l do; they do not love the Sis
| ters."
All, then God has sent you to meet me !!
Let me go in"
a can only do this for you, my Sister
1t is my duty TO see to the mules. The sta
BILE is very dark, but the hay is warm if
| you have no other home, in Gods name
sleep there tonight, and | will bring you
food"
But Assunta now could hardly move or
stand. In terror lest his work of mercy
should be discovered. the young soldier
| half led, half carried her back through the
| cloister and around to the convent stable
| There was an empty stall-he threw down
several trusses of hay under the manger
and helped her to lie down.
There, my Sister," he said, 81 will
bring you some fooi-you are worn out.
Santa Apostolic, but your hand is burning,
yet you shrink with cold"
/ Assunta was murmuring to herself
" They will find me here They will know
me when they come. 1t is all right"
Yes, it is all right" said the young
soldier. And you will not leave this
place? 1t would be dangerous for you to
go out after all, the Holy Mother herself
did not disdain stable. Promise me you
will not go"
He went out, closing the door behind
/ him.
Assunta lay quite still on the hay She
could hear the slow movement of one of
the mules in the stall next to her own it
put its brown. patient head over the parti-
lion that divided them and looked down
upon her. The moon streamed in through
| the lattice window and lay brilliant and
silyery on the floor; reflection of shadowy
leaves and ivy fell upon it, and it seemed
as if the light and shadow moved backward
and forward.
In the silvery light Assunta saw shad-
owy, heavenly vision. 1t seemed as if
there lay in the midst thereof a wonder
ousiy beautiful child-the brown mule
moved restlessly and bent down its head
with a strangely solemn look in its eyes
and there were shadowy, wiDgiike move
ments in the air visions vanishing before
her eyes could distinguish them.
Assunta rose TO her knees and Rnelt, and
it seemed as if another knelt now in the
moonlight, one with marvelously beauti-
ful face, with clasped hands, and golden
haired hesd bowed in alteration
Then Assunta heard a sound of music
swelling around her, and she began to sing
1desse, hdeles,
| Ls5ti tTiuInpbantes,
Venite, Tenite in Bethlehem.
Nahum videte Regem Angelorum,
/ Q10TpmTTE ndOrpmus
adoremus,
DOminum.
II was Christmas Eve. Ali the soldiers
were in the barracks, most of them asleep
in their long dormitories when the clock
struck twelve.
But some of them were awakened by a
sound of distant music, and they aWoke
each other and sat up in bed, their hair
rising on their heads in terror, so strange
so marvelously beautiful was the sound.
1T is true what my mother used to tell
US, there are, then. angels, said one, cow
ering under his bed clothes and beginning
rapidly bis long-forgotten prayers.
Colonel Montanelh alone recognized the
sound, and he rose from the Mother Supe-
rior's cell, which he occupied, and hastily
dressed himself and went in search of his
Lieutenant, whom he found sitting up in
bed, white with the eerie feeling that he
was close to the unseen world
Fazio," he said, it is the nun who
sang so wonderfully"
THAT is to say, it must be her spirit,
said Fazio. No human voice could sing
like that"
Both men stood silent; itrose once more
that wonderful food of sound:
venite adoremus; vemte adoremus venitt
adoremus, Dominum.
Then low, soft, like sound sobbing it.
self away on the dying wind, came the
deep Amen" and all was silent, a silence
SO profound that Moutanelli pushed the
damp hair from his brow, and shook BIN.
self to throw off the cold, numbing chill
Of fear.
This must be seen to, he said. " Ge
up, Fazio; we must take lanterns and
search out this mystery I will have nc
ghosts in my barracks"
Fazio dressed himself quickly even took
down bis sword and put it on as kind OF
pracaution.
The two men went out into the passages
together; the quiet moonlight filed them
with light There was q sound of moving
about and talking in the soldiers quarters
at the far window of one stone passage 6
young soldier stood, fully dressed, looking
out.
CONT, SAID the Colonel quickly, who
has been singing, and where is the singer?'
Cont saluted. Il can only conjecture
my Colonel" he said. q If | thought you
would not blame me-"
will not blame you or any one who
will prove to the satisfaction of all that the
voice was human voice and the singer q
living woman" said Montanelli.
Fazio behind him gave sharp shiver
! Was il cold or superstitious fear2
I can explain, my Colonel" said Cont
turning his young, fresh, ingenious face
toward his superior. THE voice came from
the stable; there is poor, frightened, ter
rified refugee there. 1t is she who has been
singing-but she is silent now" he added
with a hushed, awe-stricken look. The
dead silence seemed to throb, it was Sc
still
"Per Bacco p said Montanelli. y was
L