Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-29
TEXAS GIRL ABROAD
Arrival at Rome with Pilgrims
from Every Part of Italy.
The Little Pink Tickets of Invitation to
Assist in the Mass to be Read by
His Holiness, the Pope.
Elaborate Details Explained in Three state
ments-Peculiarities of the Attire OF the
Vast Multitude In Attendance.
ARRIVAL AT ROME.


Speeial Correspondence of the Gazette.
ROME, April 2s.-1t seems that we mad
arrived in Rome along with thousands OF
pilgrims from everypart OF Italy. These
pilgrims hadpaid their respects to all the
old bones and the old rags and the old
nails and all the rest of the sanity bric-a-b rac
collected under the affairs of the seven pilgrim
churches; they had kissed each step of the 50
cred stairs on their knees; had kissed the bronSe
toe of St. Peter, and now the grand climax wyasi
to come off. They were TO kiss the toe p ~
pope, and he was to read mass to thenS5fss
Peters. 1t is very seldom now that Leo MI Of
fclates in public, as he is eighty-one years old
so a high mass, read from the great hlgn altar
where none but the pope can ofhciate. that wonio
be something to see and remember; IN oraer "
obtain admission we applied to the American
college for priests, where we were most cour1e-
ously received and promised ticke It's II enough
were placed at the disposal of the college. We
came number thirty eight on their list OF appli-
cants. All the next day we waited lmpauently
for the tickets. Others from the pension had
already obtained theirs, AMI there was great
discu ssion of what to wear, and borrowing OF
black lace fchus, for black with black lace
head dress is the regulation costume tor laales
at the papal court. The mass was TO take place
on Monday morning at O'Clock. Sunday night
came and the mail came, but no PINK uckets,
saying, ''You are invited 20 assist at the mass
TO be read by his holiness in the Basllica OF st'
Peters, etc. We are just going to bed IN de-
spair. when-a knock, maid-the precious
pink billets Then great Iaking together OF
black things and night filled with dreams OF
papal toes and black gowns, and st. Peter 8,
with lace fichu draped gracefully over IT'S
dome
" PREDIcAMENT.
That next morning it seemed like some queer
masuuerading to be starting out in somebody
else's black dress and bonnet and gloves, but
then you want to feel queer and unusual when
you are going to see the pope. we smoothed
our black plumes on our lelsurely way down
1stairst nre paratory to stepping into carriage
moor and driving off in state to st. Peter S;
sl2t Behold, lot a cab was in the piazza, ordina-
Frily full from morning till night. Suddenly the
awful situation dawned upon us; it was 1850
| O'Clock and every cab in Rome was already on
its way to st. Peters. 1t seemed that a good
| many people had been equally lucky in securing
| admission. We rushed off to the omnibus sta
| ton. THAT square was fall OF ladies with DlacR
/ lace on their heads. The omnibus had not be-
| gun running. Ladies who had started an houl
| before US were still waiting. We began 10 WALL
| along with the great crowd, who had made VI
| their minds to the same thing, when cab ap,
peared. Picking up my long black skirts,
| made one wild dive after it. and hel up foul
| fingers. The bride took, the man oehlnd me
! was defeated, and for four francs we were Ia nj
| cd at the door of st. Peters. (The ordin ary
! cab fare is less than one Franco.
UNNECESSARY ANXIETY.
have given you all these details in order to
lead up to three statements: first, those precious
| mink tickets were utterly useless, for If we has
| waited we could have entered without them
second, it made no earthly difference how w
| were dressed. for if we had wrapped ourselves il
| rSinbows OF Roman sashes one would hav'
| known the difference; third, We might Just q
| we'll have spent the morning in sightseeing
iunched ieisurely, visited several churches AM
quietly strolled into st. Peters at in the after
| noon, for it was at p. m. that we saw the pope
Yes we waited on our feet. and dinnerless, 10
eipht mortal hours in order to see that frail lit
tie man pass by! And instead of pink ticket
and black lace ichus, the only things we ha
need of were a lunch and q chair. There Is no
| N a Peters
for the glory of God, not for the accommodating
of man. Now German would never be caugh
out anywhere without a lunch. am convince
that bread and cheese grows IN
German pocket. In art galleries, IN palace
in public grounds you see the German peoPl
pulling q lunch from their pocket and settlni
down sensibly to eat when the American or En-
gIish pc ople think they must go home to luncn
No bread and cheese was in our pockets tnat "a
| at ST. Peters, and yet that long wait waSswe
worth while!
On entering we wriggled our way through tn
mighty crowd until we could ,wriggie emo no more iI
self, of whose chair, and OF whose bronze eqqia
nimity we were deeply envfous People ma
| climbed up all around his chair, and had onl
been kept by watchful policemen from get
ting over the railing into his lap; others VII
must, have arrived at 9,ctoeE' ma "a
f S2eat plI ssa.' There was Foom for eis
or ten people on each pedestal. BY standing Q
ftiptoe, 1 became aware that the middle OF
\ N--'
the vatican was divided off by barriers drape
with red. and guarded by lines OF soldleri
More than third OF the nave was reserved
the barriers. yet on either side OF them was roo
for a mighty concourse OF people which did M
| extend beyond the pillars OF the nave. me
WAS a stir, aud we knew that the pope Win u
procession of dignltaries had entered; tne
arose shout, to hear which 1t was well wort
coming to st. Peters at eight in the mornln
10 be cotton compressed by that crowC
1t was q grand, full shout OF welcome
vet toned. and subdued to hit holy placS
il swept over the crowd from mouth to mouth
and rose to the mighty roof, swelling and dy IN
ike wind in pine forest, yet infinitely MOI
grand and weird than that. That was all W
knew OF the pope, till far away In the distance
white head appeared between two OF the emo
nous tapers burning on the high altar: ihe
we realized that, together with the rest of Romt
we were back of the high altar, which stanC
under the dome at the iuncture OF the transept
and that the pilgrims were at the otner END
the church. Our only hope was to see the pol
mass out, so by long effort we made our way
the barrier, and there began the eight hour
wait, Everybody said it would be short Sc
vice the pope was feeble, ETC., and every NH
ute we staid made an argument for staying u
next minute.
THE MASS WAS OVER:
there was a great stiffness, and the long lines
soldiers inside the barriers knelt while the pc
Lsent out his blessing over the va
assembly. Then pages in crimson br
| cade passed through the aiele from t
| vatican, bearing large silver platte
piIed with silver medals and soon after an 1