Evening journal., 1890-02-17

Poor teliciel thought Edmond. "She IS |
very young, and SO little.n
Slowly the old priest read the words Of |
committal, and then the poor red coffin was
lowered into its place.
As the coffin disappeared from sight thun-
der began to roll. The distant hills, the |
great cape were lit up by flashes of light |
ming, and far away the rain could be seen
falling heavily. As yet, however, no breath |
of itsfreshness reached the kneeling habitans.
A movement nm through the crowd as wind
sweeps through standing grain. Women and
men looked up timidly; children looked
around boldly Even the priest hastened his
utterance, to finish before the storm should
brock.
Still the thunder rolled. 1t had not begun
suddenly, but slowly, majestically at first
afar Off, but ever coming nearer; not a sui
len roar, not the i'll humored crashing that
some thunder is, but awful and grand
The crowd rose; the priests voice was no
longer heard in the noise of the thunder
Perhaps he had stopped his prayers.
Then suddenly from the black cloud that
hung directly above the congregation burst a
fash of lghtning-not the forked lightning
that strikes down dwellings and crops and
men, but great broad flash, so bright and
glorious that all fell again upon their knees
and hid their faces in their hands; so won
drous and awful that they dared utter no
sound, but remained silent and motionless
Only two stood upright-Felce and Ed
mond Felcie had lSneeled, weeping on the
shoulder Of Nine Hamel while the priest
gave back 20 earth all that had made her life
happy Armand and she had been betrothed
so long, their wedding day had been so near,
aud now Armand was taken from her so
CO
priest read the sacred sentences, and the
people who had loved Armand stood about
his grave, she whom Armand had loved
kneeled and sobbed, hearing not at all the
murmured words Of Mime. Hamel, hearing as
if they were spoken afar Off the words of the
priest. But now that even the priest was
terror stricken and covering, Felicie stood
up, no longer clinging to Armand's mother,
and looking up into heaven she spoke to the
| thunder.
'My father she said, or so it seemed to
| the lad who stood almost by her side
And, as il in answer, the thunder, which
had not ceased 10 roll, crashed yet again, and
| the echoes rolled back from the cape and died
slowly away in the distance and all was
silent. And Felcie spoke again, but the lad
| could not hear what she said and she bowed
her head
Again the thunder answered, a majestic
| peal, yet not to make those who heard it
| afraid But Folicie said nothing more; she
stood with her face turned to the dark sky,
as il in expectation.
Then came a binding flash Of lightning
For an instant only dared the boy look; then
he clapped his hands over his eyes and fell
upon his knees. But In that instant he saw
| Felicie standing in the midst of the glory Of
A.,
was great rift in the clouds Further than
ever before could the lad see on high; then
he pressed his hands to his eyes, and sank
upon his knees, and cried aloud in terror
When the lightning had become dim, and
the thunder had died away, came the rain.
In torrents it fell, aud all sprang up, forget
ting Armand almost and Felicie, thinking
only that the drought was broken, and re-
iocing. But when they saw Felicie they re-
membered everything, and stood still, as if
abashed.
Felicie stood at the head of the grave. Her
hands were clasped before her; her face was
lifted up, and she was smiling. What she
looked at, what she saw, no one could tell.
The priest approached her almost timidly
''Felicie, he said, but she made no answer
"Felicie, he said, more loudly And again
more loudly STILL "Felicie."
AS il he feared that she had been STRUCK
dead, the priest laid his hand on her arm
She moved, and he gave sigh Of relief.
"Felicie, come with me-" he said; but the
girl moved not, nor made as if she heard him
The people moved nearer and looked at her
almost with terror
At last the maiden lowered her eyes anC
) looked toward the priest; he looked her full
in the face, and his checks paled.
ttTfa1f.fa ka ff,,r,iorfpf-ir .-nt, 60
met Do you hear mesn But still she mad
, no answer
! "Whnt is thisln murmured the priest
t hoarsely; aud Edmond, the half witted boy
answered him;
Father he said, touching the priest
I | arm, "Felicie has seen God, and heard hir
q speak, and spoken to him. do not think
/ father, that she can see you or hear you
D your face is not bright enough for her eye
! to see; your voice is not loud enough for he
/ to hearn
{ The priest turned to the lad suddenly, an
. the boy stepped back abashed; but the prize:
! held out his hand. ami the boy took it an
held it,
b "My children said the priest, and at b
o words the crowd knelt in wonder on Il
/ earth, no longer dry: and the priest spolzi
, ''The Lord hath spoken in the thunder
e Felicie; be hath appeared to her in the Ugh
n ming. What ears have heard the Lord, thel
hath no scaled; what eyes have seen u
Lord, them hath he closed; what tongue hi
, spoken with tho Lord, that hath lie silsnce
o Not on earth can those ears hear, those ey
q see, that tongue speak
a Listen, my children. Felcie hath heal
in Cod and she is deaf; she hath seen him
q his glory, and she is blind; she hath spok,
with him. and Sue is dumb. But 1t is
Ie grief 70 Felicie that this is so; for the wor
y Of the Lord have comforted her inner sorro
IA and made all earthly words unfit for her
y hear: his glory makes dark all mortal thin
,r to her; the tongue that has spoken with G.
must speak with no mortal man. Blind, the
il is Felicie. deaf and dumb; yet pity her nC
g my children, for the hand Of the Lord
s. upon her gently; he hath honored her aho
le all women, save only one and today, mo
Of than ever before, is she happy today is S
sn in very truth Felicie.n
In silence the people heard the priest, al
r. when ne had spoken tho benediction in silen
i they went TO their homes, thinking muc
M Then old Xavier Halnel and his wife Phi
ri | meme took Felicie to their home, and she "
~ as their daughter; aud the people thought
Il. her as ono unhappy, but as one honored grel
IA ~ by God and chosen ont to have her sorro
turned TO joy. But Feiicie neither saw n
he heard nor spoke again ON earth, and in Go
,ir time she fell asleep, TO meet, awaking,
an mand-R. n. Trevor in Harper's Weekly.
ey Never reserve your good manners for co
Ice pany, but be equally polite at home a