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


when they took off her white habit she
moaned and looked scared and frightened,
and she would not part with it-she chung
to il and carried il with her in a little
parcel. She and the Mother entered the
diligence together, they looked back to
give one parting look to the weeping
crowd, to the sorrowful face of the old
Priore and they saw the convent gates
wide wide, open, even the cloister door
door open to any who chose to enter, and
the Mother threw herself back in her seat
aud hid her FACET seemed more than she
could bear.
Mother" said Assunta presently,
Mother, what are soldiers ?"
The Mother Superior looked at Assunta.
1t could not be only fancy-had the shock
of the last few days increased yet more the
mist which surrounded herr Oh, if she
could but defend and save her from and in
the world
Soldiers are men whom you must al
ways fly and avoid, my child said the
Mother. They are trained and exist to
fight each other. You must never speak
10 them
Would they hurt me, Mother ?"
God will defend His own, my child"
am so cold
It was very cold the bitter bise blew in
through the diligence and froze their blood.
Some driving showers of hail fell they
were worn out with sorrow and cold and
exhaustion before they reached the inn
where they were to sleep that night.
They slept together. The Mother was
awakened by Assunta moaning.
What is it. child"
cannot find my cross, my wooden
cross, Mother"
You have taken it off with our con-
vent habit. Go to sleep-go to sleep and
forget"
But the moaning woke her again.
:" l cannot find my rosary, Mother, and
have no veil"
f Patience, Assunta, it is the will of God"
" But God will not know me. He will
not know who il is without my dress.
What shall do? He will not know that
it is Assunta."
God will know, child, ami the Guar
dian Angel is with thee. Go to sleep"
The Mother was worn out and slept at
last heavily. And late in the morning
when she awoke Assunta was not by her
side. She started up and dressedin sicken-
ing anxiety No one had seen or missed
her. Where was she? What had become
OF her?
The world lay under a fail OF snow; it
was very cold. The Mother Superior hired
a little carriage, having a strong idea in her
mind that Assunta must have started on
the road back to the Santissima Annun-
ziata, and that she would soon oyertake
her. She confided her story 10 the kind
ears Of the padrona of the little inn, who
promised to help in every way, and then
she mounted her little carriage and drove
slowly back all the way that she had come,
looking ont right and left, asking every one
that they passed whether they had seen
slender woman in black clothes, with
dreamy eyes, wandering along the road.
But no one had seen or heard of Assunta.
The Mothers heart died within her. What
had then become of the most helpless child
of all her most helpless little hock2
It was quite dark when she reached San
Martino and the tired horses pulled up at
the door of the Priores house, great
cloud of steam rising from their smoking
tanks in the bitter frosty air. The Priore
was not within, he had been summoned
late to sickbe6, but his house keeper
kissed the cold hands Of The careworn
woman, in her long black sh@wl hardly
recognizing the Mother Superior, to whom
she had looked up with such reverence.
The streets were all alive with noise
shouting and singing. Montanellps regi
ment had taken up their quarters in the
town. Half q dozen of the soldiers were
now in the little cabaret, drinking and sing
ing Justify. At 10 o'clock the rappd
marched through, and from every side the
staggering soldiers fell in and took their
way to their new barracks.
1t IS the will of God that ! have come
back, " said the poor mother. It is His
will shat ] should drink the cup of hu-
initiation to the dregs,"
But where was Assunta2 In the middle
Of the bitterly cold December night Assunta
had risent from bed softly, gently, not to
awaken the sleeping form of the Mother
Superior. She was lost, all lost, in this
wide world-the one thought was ever in
her mind. At the Santissima Annunziata
was the gate of heaven; she must be there
waiting in her white robes, or God would
not know her, and the angels would pass
her by.
The door of the inn was only on the
latch. With her little bundle clasped in
her arms Assunta glided out. 1t was cold.
very, verv cold, but her hands and her
brow were burning, and only one thought
possessed her, to get back, back home again.
She walked on through the day, and when
any carriage or cart came along the road
she hid herself behind a hedge or tree
anywhere quite out of sight; carriages and
carts were things of this world, and might
intercept her on her rapid way to the gate
of heaven.
Then the dusk gathered round her-she
/ was but halfway on her road her feet
were torn and bleeding. She could only
| 90 very slowly. she was so unused to walk
| ing. She crept into a little dry ditch all
| full of the rustling brown dead leaves Of
! the past, and she burrowed down in among
! them, and made the sign of the cross, and
| fell asleep with the stars shining down on
! her white upturned face. She was awak-
eued by the bitter cold of the early dawn.
! She could hardly rise for the sharp agoniz-
| ing pains that shot through every limb rs
she slowly threw of their torpor. But she
! dragged herself on.
! By and by the sun came out and shed its
warm rays over her, and Assunta spread
out her arms and let the warmth shine on
J her breast, and she toiled on. She passed a
! cottage where two little children sat on the
doorstep eating their cakes of chestnut
bread. She stopped and looked wistfully
at them One Of them came forward tim
| idly and put his cake into her frozen hand.
| She ate It eagerly, ravenously the child,
! hall frightened, ran indoors and cried TO
his mother to come out. The kindly con-
| tadala came out, and reading the cold and
| hunger in Assunta's eyes, she brought her
| big bowl of warm goats milk.
Drink and eat in the name OF the Holy
Mother of Jesus, poor child" she said.
When Assunts had finished she rose up
and put her hands together. Shall ] sing
for your" she said gently
" Yes poor thing if your songs are good
! but not if they are the devils songs, not fit
for the children's ears"
Assunta looked at her wistfully.
must hasten, hasten" she said. God
/ does NOT know me in this dress 1t is EVIL
dent, for even the eyes of those who are
! giving me aims in this house are blinded"
She began to sing
Jesu dulcis memoria,
Dams vera cords gaudia
And the sound was so lovely that the chill
! dren thought it must be an angel singing
and the contddiaa sank on her knees. Be
! fore she had finished her hymn she was 60
ing on her way singing still til the exquis.
tie music died away in the far distance
and those who were left behind to their