San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-05-05
VISION OF PARADISE.

Ny friend Armand was married day
before yesterday at st. Clotildes church.
When l arrived there was a great crowd,
and the ceremony was going forward. l
managed to slip in. The priest was finish
ing his little harangue, and wound it up
with this sentence:
"TherefOre be united on earth until you
are eternally united in heaven"
could not restrain slight eXclama-
ton. Armand's bride was not a young
girl-he was marrying the pretty little
Countess Jeanne de Charmelieu, the widow
of my friend CASTOR de Charmeleu.
This charming widow was destined to
make my friends happy. After CASTOR,
Armand. On earth nothing could be
simpler; but above, in heaven, there
would be two aspirants for the eternal
union: CASTOR and Armand, the first and
second husbands.
fell into brown study. The sentence
used by the priest probably appeared in
all the short sermons that conclude the
wedding services. So five years ago, Of
course, the same promise was made to
CASTOR; he was told that if he lived and
died like Christian, he would meet his
little Jeanne again in paradise among the
and powers. Meantime there was great
stir going on around me. Mass was over.
The great organ gave us Memberships
march. followed the crowd, which bore
me to the vestry room. ! shook hands
with the bride, and shook hands with the
groom, but said not single word. l was
very careful not to speak, for l had piece
of folly at my tongues end, and if l had
spoken at all, / don't think l could have
restrained myself from saying to Armand:
''Did you take in the full meaning of
that sentence about the eternal union?
There'Q be two candidates, my dear fell
low, for that eternal union"
left the church, 1 made some calls,
rode my horse, dined at the club, l went
to the opera, and still that idiotic perpleX-
ity haunted me:
Chow will Armand and Castor settle it
some day in another and better world?'
l went to bed and to sleep, and here the
dream begins A dream, bear that well
In mind nothing but dream.
was in Paradise, at the station. Trains
were going in and out; the cars started
empty, and came back more or less well
filed.
ST. Thomas was the station master. I
Ghatted with him, and he very civilly ex-
planned the working Of the system.
"The trains, said he, "start from the
Earth, touch at He'll, touch at Purgatory,
and have their terminus in Paradise We
are very crowded just at present. The
pope has been having rather a bad time Of
1t for the last few years." this was in
1870, during the occupation Of Rome0
s'and there has been little atmosphere
of persecution surrounding religion that
has braced up the tottering and confirmed
the indifferent. We have reason to be
very well satisfied; for the last few
months there has been a constant in
crease in the number of our passengers for
Paradise; every day there is demand for
more cars. Smallpox has something to
do with it, but the revival Of faith has
more. You can judge for yourself. All,
seventeen. The express is due. Yes, we
have an express that comes right through
from the Earth. Do you hear the
whistle? Here's the train. Our company
is large one which issues shares by pub
lie subscription; the bonds are guaranteed
by Heaven. Our tTu2k lines are finished.