The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-26

gave back to earth all that had made her
life happy. Armand and she had Deen De-
trothed so long, their wedding day mao Deen
so near, and now Armand had been taken
from her so strangely and so suddenly. so
while the 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 Nine. Hamel.
hearing as if they were spoken afar of the
words Of the priest But now that even the
priest was terror-stricken and covering, Fe-
1icie stood up, no longer clnging to Armand's
mother. and looking up into the 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 if in answer, the thunder when
had not ceased to roll crashed yet again, and
the echoes rolled back from the cape ana
died slowly away in the distance ana all
was silent And Felicie spoke again, but
the lad could not hear what she SAID, ana
size bowed her head.
Again the thunder answered. majestic
peal--yet not to make those who heard 1t,
afraid But Feiicie said nothing more. She
stood with her face turned TO the dark SKY
as il III expectation.
For an instant only dared the boy look; then
he clasped 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
the great brightness, smiling, and above her
was a great rift in the clouds. Further than
ever before could the lad see on high then
lie pressed his hands to his eyes, and sank
upon his knees, and cried aloud in terror.
When the lightning had dim, and
the thunder had died away, came the ram.
In torrents it fell, and all sprang up, forget
ting Armand almost and Felicie, thinking
only that the drought was broken, and re-
iocing. Bat when they saw Felice they re-
membered everything, and stood sui, as IL
abashed.
Felteie stood at the bead of the grave.
Her hands were casped before her; her iace
was lifted up, and she was smiling. what
she looked III, 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, "Fellcie.
As if 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. Tue people moved nearer and looked
| at her, almost with terror.
At last the maiden lowered her eyes ana
| looked toward the priest; he looked her 1uiI
| in the face, and his cheeks paled.
| "Felicie," he said, implnrIngly, do you
see me? Dou you hear me?" But still she
| made no answer.
|
| hOarsely and Edmond, the half-witted boy,
.Fathrr," he said, touching the priests
arm, 'Felcie has seen God and heard Nun
| speak, and spoken to biHl do not think,
| father that she can see you or hear you ;
| your face is no. bright enough for her eyes
| to see: your voice Is not loud enough Tor nef
| TO hear"
the priest turned to the lad suddenly,
| and the boy stepped back abashed; but the
| priest held cut his hand and the boy took
! 1t and held it.
My children" said the priest. and at his
words the crowd knelt in wonder on the
earta, no longer dry; and the priest spoke:
THE Lord hath spoken in the the thunder
10 Feiicie; lie hath appeared to her IN the
lightning. What ears have heard the Lord,
them hath he sealed; what eyes have seen
the Lord, them hath he closed; what tongue
has spoken with the Lord, that hath he 81
fenced Not on earth can those ears hear,
those eyes see, that tongue speak.
Listen, my children: Felcie hath heard
God, and she is deaf she hath seen him in
his glory, and she is blind; she hath spoken
with him, ana she is dumb. But 1t is no
grief to Felicie that this Is so; for the words
of the Lord have comfOTted her inner sorrow
and made all earthly words unit Ter her to
hear; his glory makes dark all mortal things
to her; the tongue that has spoken with God
must speak with no mortal man. Blind,
then, is Felicie, deaf and dumb yet pity her
not. my children, for the hand Of the Lord
is upon her gently; he hath honored her
above all women, save only one, and to-day,
more than ever. before is she happy; to-day
is she in very truth Feicie."
In silence the people heard the priest, and
when he had spoken the tenedicti0n III
silence they went TO their homes, thinking
much. Then old Xavier Hamel and his
wife Philomene took Feliee to their home,
and she was as their daughter; and the peo-
pie thought of her as one unhappy, but as
one honoTed greatly by God and chosen out
to have her sorrows turned TO JOY. But
Felicie neither saw nor heard nor spoke
again on earth, and in Coos time she fell
asleep, to meet, awakiug, Amanda. \.
Trevor in Harper's " eekly.