St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-27


| of one of his ears was made visible. He
passed into the bar room, swallowed no
stlngy dose of dust settler with Col.
| Cummings, and then drifted to the bill
lard room.
Settling himself into a chair, he
| lighted a cigar and was soon watching
with much interest the progress of the
| game.
''Who is hep" asked a bystander of
| Col. Cummings.
"Who is hep" echoed the colonel.
Don't you know Padre Teodoro? I'll
introduce you to him presently. l first
met him in Tombstone six years ago."
Padre, come over here"
The red-bearded man looked up,
| smiled and walked across in answer to
| the cali.
| ''Padre," said the colonel, ''here is a
| newspaper man, friend of mine, who
wants to hear your history"
| Mr.. ROuviile smiled pleasantly and
answered:
That story is pretty old now,
isn't itp''
ITS new in this part of the country,
| at all events"
"Well, there is not much to tell,
really" said Mr.. Rouville. Besides,
| Cummings knows it all, and can tell it
better than / can. Go on, colonel"
up to 1882" said the colonel, with
out further preface, "Our friend here
was the priest of the Church of Santa
Genevieve in Las Casas. The Academy
of the Visitation is also at Las Casas.
1t is under the control of the Sisters OF
Loretto. Now he is in business and has
wife and two children"
The ex-priest's visit to San Francisco
Is for the purpose OF buying goods for
his stores.
The incidents of the story the colonel
told. and which greatly disturbed the
Mexican frontier seven years ago, are
substantially as follows:
Father Theodore was the priest of the
by no means unimpOrtant church OF
Santa Genevieve in Las CaSaS.
The young French priest, with his
handsome face and fine education, COM
bined with his stern devotion to his
duties and the principles of his order,
was the idol of every maid and matron
in the devout but very feminine and
human little Mexican town. But the
young padre never looked up at faces
that the coquettish mantillas failed to
veil. The great liquid black eyes never
surprised an answering CLEAN In the
keen gray orbs of the young priest.
Even the holy sisters walking in the
garden of the Academy of the Vista
ton wondered at his stern Sanctity.
The only woman at all close to him
was the morose old sister superior. with
whom he would hold long conversations
bristling with Latin.
The feast of the blessed st. Genevieve
came. Father Theodore walked behind
the image of the Virgin in the celebrat-
ing procession, his head sheltered by
the silk canopy carried by the four
wealthiest men in Las Casas.
Behind him followed the sub-priests
and then the maids of Las CaSas, all in
white, each with her lighted taper and
her bunch of flowers for the sacred
image.
When the procession reached the
church Father Theodore turned to pro-
nounce a benedictiOn.
The leader of the white-robed girls
was just before him-Carmeiita Villa
flores, eighteen years of age, and mark
edly beautiful even in the land OF glorl-
Gus eyes and perfect features. And
this beautiful girl, with the creamy
complexion and cherry lips, was about
to leave the world that she had only
begun to see, and to become, if God
gave her strength to persevere, one of
the holy sisters of LorettO.
Beautiful Carmelita Villaf1ore5, just
entering on her eighteenth year, was to
begin her novitiate on this same day of
st, Genevieve.
Her devoted little heart did not feel a
single pang for the world that she was
leaving.
Withered old Madre Josefa was
pleased beyond expression at her daugh-
ter's resolution, and even Manuel, her
big swarthy brother, grunted his ap-
prevail from the table at the vlnata.
So, every one who had any right to
say was satisfied that La Nina Car
melita should take the veil.
To be sure there was little grum-
bling.
Los Lagartijos, the lizards-those idle
young men who had no need for work.
and whose habit of basking in the sun
at the street corners had gained for
them their cant denomination, swOre,
por Dios, that it was shame that they
should no more feast their eyes on her
graceful little form while she passed be
tween her home and the store.
That night the sister superior was
startled by the priests asking about the
novice. To be sure he only inquired of
the good sister if she thought that the
girl knew her own mind we'll enough to
decide rightly on her future life, but
then the sister could not remember
his ever asking such question before.
During her n0vitiate Carmelita'S con-
duct was exemplary. She Wed with
Padre Teodoro in religious fervor.
The evening before the day that she
was to make her final severance of all
that bound her to the world at length
arrived. Her friends had visited her
and the sisters had questioned her, and
to all she made answer that on the NOR
row she was content to take the veil.
At length she was left alone in her
room in the second story of the convent.
1t was late at night and the whole
convent seemed to Slumber.
Suddenly the vigilant sister superior
started from her sleep. She listened
and again heard the sound that had
aroused her-a football in the garden.
''Some prowler, / suppose" thought
the sister; ''but wonder why Chatto
doesn't drive him out.''
Chatto was the great dog that guarded
the Academy of the Visitation at night.
Presently the sister heard window
open.
In moment she was dressed and in
another moment she was at the con-
vent gate.
By the bright moonlight she saw the
young pIiOot LII tIlC SdiuCii CdtCu Ill Ills
arms the novice as she sprang from her
window. She saw him, with his bur-
den in his arms, hurry to the gate and
place the girl on saddled horse, jump
up behind her. and then she saw the
horse gallOp swiftly up the road.
Then the sis ter superior rushed back
into the convent and soon the great bell
was tolling.
This sound at such an hour soon
brought all Las Casas to the convent
door.
Manuel was among the first there
He had not been to bed, and staggered
unsteadily from the aguardiente he had
taken at the tavern.