Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-30
BELLS OF MECHLIN.
How Good Saint Rombaut First Rang
Them in the Night.
TALE UF A RACE Of HUNCHBACKs.
Patient Villagers Who Make Lace as Fine
as the Spiders Web.
A STORM SPOILS THE WALKING TOUR

CORRESPONDENTS OF THE DISPATCH.1
MEcHLIN, November IA. Ready,
march, said Mimi; she is something of
grenadier. but We set out to see St. Rom
baut's. Mechlin without St. Rombaut's
Church would be a claret cup without the
claret. Without the chimes it would not
even be on the map.
First, there is St. Rombaut's.
1t stands in the center OF the town, and it
is gray and gothic and time-eaten. It is
built 'four-sguare. after the fashion of
famous city. At each corner is a tower,
haunted by pigeons.
"Aren't they lovely?" exclaimed.
"But," Mimi said, this is ST. Rom
baut's church. 1t was built in the twelfth
century with the treasure found in the
tomb of the saint. People who came and
touched the saints bones were cured of all
sorts of ills and sins and lett gold in the
shrine. This is ST. Rombauts, of which the
dome is superbly illuminated and
The bells of Mechlin have rung day and
night for ages Every five minutes they
ripple out few soft notes; at the quarters
they sound dainty chime; at the hours they
DuDDle over III NloTdHt, Rolueu iuelOuy.
They have an unpleasant way of reminding
one that time is flying, and as Mimi SAYS
when one is--but that is another story. Time
is always passing or making it next"
The villagers pay no heed to the bells.
The bells were a-ringing before they were
born; they heard them in the cradle; they
hear them as they barter and make love
and lie and do all other human things; the
bells ring their lives in and out-they are
common as sunlight.
WHAT IF THEY STOPPED.
But if ever the bells stopped ringing!
Iithat happened Mechlin town would know
the worlds end was at hand. But it never
could happen. Good st. Rombaut would col
lect his bones, and get out of the grave
and ring them himself if human hands
failed. AS matter of fact he did that
same thing once on time. Glocklen, who
is the little hunch-backed verger and bell
ringer rolled into one-hali, told me the date
OF the affair, but always forget dates-a
woman's privilege, believe.
"Come with me, beautiful lady," he said,
land I will show you and tell you all about
it,
"No," said Mimi, who thought he was
speaking to her (by the way, 1 didn'D, Il
don't want to hear such nonsense"
"Of course will CO." Thus /, and I
went. This is what I saw: In the South
nave is an altar, and there stands porphyry
virgin with arms outstretched-but empty.
This is odd. Looking closer one sees that at
some time or other these clasping arms
once held the Infant.
Beautiful lady," said the bell-ringer-
he was really fne man for o huuchback
and very discerning-"Beautiiul lady"
said he, ''the Beguins had just established
their order here and built the little house in
the street of the Corps de Jesus. You have
seen it? 1t is the gray building to the lett
as one goes toward the river. There is a
little postern gate with grated window.
One night woman knocked there. She
was fine, big woman, larger even than 1
am" the little man went on putting himself
up, "5ut sne was travel-worn and poorly
clad. Perhaps she was a gipsy from the
black lands in the North. For she spoke
with a tongue that made no sense to the
ears of the good Begun nuns. But they
gave her food and warm drink. At dusk
she went away"
WHEN THE BELLS DIDN'T RING.
"Where?" asked.
"Bea uti ul lady, was about to tell you,"
said the bell-ringer. Really a very cour-
teous man, intelligent above his station.
SIN these days." he continued, "the bells
of Mechlin were not rung at night. The
belfry tower was made fast, but the door of
the church was left open. Late this night
the strange woman crept into the church
and I'D t. the altar where one candle burned.
She took the infant Jesus from the Vir-
gins arms and laid her own in its place.
Did l not say she carried baby under her
cloak? Pardon an old mans forgetfulness,
beautiful ladyi
"As she did this the bells of Mechliu sent
forth q mighty peal of alarm, aud it was
the blessed ST. Rombaut himself who rang
the bells. The people gathered in haste.
This was what they saw: The Christ statue,
dropped by the woman in her terror at the
clamor of the bells, lay in fragments on the
floor. In the Virgins arms was living
child that screamed and kicked, aud then of
a sudden rolled over and fell to the floor-a
crushed, inanimate little wretch. And the
bells of Mechlin ceased ringing"
"And the poor baby-was it dead?"~
"No, beautiful lady, it lived, though
hum backed and deiormed. 1t was reared
by the holy fathers of st. Rombaut, and
years after became the bell-ringer of the
church. Ay, the child was my great-great-
great-grand lather."
This is the story and it is absolutely
true. And 1 could prove it, too, if old st.
Rombaut were alive.
And the bells go ringing.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE TOWN.
They will clamor over MechIiu town mill