New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-31
ST. PIRAN.
AND THE PLEASANT STORY OF THE VISTA
TION

wall where he nightly improved the folks man
ners and discovered tin for them ana taught Ihem
CdntimpIatin'. This was fifty years before he
grew old and some while before any olg rush
Of saints began to pour into tne 1ha, tbev
sprang up thick as backberrleS among us' DO
that in way twas st. Plrans own iaurs inas
his idle ways grew TO be scandal Ny comparison
with these bustling fellows. . H.. Ill Al
The old man had never h2,don d .ha End d w e
holy men from Rome TO the Lands L II were
holding up their hands over ms case, G s"o I'D
his cottage above the sands at Perranzapuloe ana
dozed to the hum Of the breakers. In Charity WIN
all his Pensioners to whom MS nloney was 20
free as the salt wind. This sleeping P'i,nei, ,;dp
in the tin-strcaming trade brought HIM IN udy
sum every year, and growing one lor nls Jtni s;
partner st. Chynoweth, was pushing .he u"si.
ness wonderfully. And the folk knew ,da I'LL II
ever they wanted spiritual COUNSEL uheS liz" oiiiy
to knock and ask for It,
But one fine morning, an hour before noon,
the whole parish sprang 10 lts ieeo au at and
of ho The sound was a|lce r tbs sands anu
IT'S the blessed Saints cow-horn, they W u
each other Sure, the dear man must De IN TN, ,he
article Of death" And they hurried Oh 70 h ,av
wears at least since the horn had Deen sonnuGu.
They found St Pran in his Armenian, s ioIn-
ing good for another twenty years, put cohsluei-
ably fustered, and win the cow-horh III Ills
ANDREW Penhaligon," said he TO the first man
that entered 60 you out ana ting 'ne '""''"
The man ran off But, blessed father OF u.s. u.s.,
said one or two. "we're all here. There's no caii
to ring the church bell. seem you ic nei' ~
nor aire, bessamercy!"
"Oh if yoa're all here. that alters the case:
for its only proclamation | have 10 give you, ~
present. Tomorrow m0rnin De ~ ~ di,,ino
~ ton in the forenoon / give warnln that divine
service will take place in the parish chuIcn: an
SO you'd best set TO and clean out the e1ihce, JOE
I'm thinkin' he added III re neSn noo uS S.
"Yau're sartin you're not feeiih Poofly' S''
Piran. dear?" asked one of the women
. "risn't that at all, the Saint answered, pus
I've had a vision
HIM but this was particular VISION or may
be bit of a small bird came ana wnlsPered i 10
into my ear IA Any% %at ali the saints were sttin'
together at Bodmin and plottin' against us lhere
was St Petr9c in the chair an E En- @q rrUs
Teath. ST. Wen, st. Veryan, st; Probus, 81
Kevcrne. St Just-the whole passel OF EN- AN
they were agreen there was no noe es pis said
St. Neot when his turn came TO speak, put t ms
state o. things ought to be exposed hes as pl3
that miracle over the fishes. and recSons he can
dsparage an old man who was maxim mllfstones
TO float when he was just able 10 suck corai.
But the upshot is that they're goln' to pay us
visitation tomorrow by surprise. And. II only
d ioI '"' p'''''' ''S
'' st. Piran only lapscd into his native Irish when
But he had hardly done, when Andrew Penhali-
gon came running in ,rho,o. IN,
be hanged to me- if ] can find the church at all -
WAITS become of ut? ?" cried the Saint, sitting
up ' How " do I know? But devil a trace can
It was there. I'll he sworn said St Piran:
That's a true word, said the Old man., ZOE
remember il well. An elegant tower ~ ndu' dn
sSpalSe up, now said the Saint; glaring around.
hwhch nv yes gone so an m Isl sad my i
any worse than carelussnuss-at laste noo yet-a"
bit" ,.,.
hut the faces of all were clear OF gulI@ ihey
trooped out TO search.
Now the sands by Perranzabuloe are for ever
shifting and driving before the northeriy and nor
westerly gales and in time had heaped themselves
up and covered the building out OF sight. ~ aLd
not take the Saint long to guess TINS out tho
plty was that nobody remembered exactly where
of tall mounds along the shore, and all OF height
more or less equal, there wa, no knowing where
10 dig. To uncover them ali was job to last
till dOOmsday.
Buran-agers. but it's ruined ann cried ST.
Piran. And The Visitashqn no further away
then caught mp n spade and began digging away
at haphazara like ma! mailman: ,.,.h ,,n.,,,.
all the night through. but came on never slgu
Of the missing church
:" If it only had spire," they said 1--WE might
have some chance But as far as could De Ie"s"
u was az sunrise that ST. Piran. worn out snN
heSrssjck. spoke from of the tall mounds
where We had been DIGGING Tor an honr.
"MvShildrcn," he said, and they all uncovered
their /fads. we going 10 be disgraced, this
day/an' the best we can DO is to pray that We
naI bear it like men. Let us pray
A., llnelt on the great sandhill. and the men
and Women around went their knees also. And
then ~ Piran prayed the famous prayer that
has mad\his name famous all the world over
Hear ~ o Lord, he said, and be debonalr;
for nurS il "A very particular we not
like the mh of St Neot those Of ST. Cdy, who
are botherng Thee with supplicatIons and prayers
occasion 1t is only with great cause that we
bring ourselves, as now, to trouble Thee There
fore regard US and help us now. Amen
There was silence for moment or two as ne
ceased; and then the kneeling parishioners lifted
their eyes toward the top of the mound
ST Piran was nowhere TO be seen!
They stared and looked at each other. few
of the women began 10 sob.
HulIo! Hush a bit and hearken!" cried
Andrew Penhaligon suddenly.
A muilled voice was calling as it were from tho
0%f Fetch n ladder it said fetch ladder.
I've found en- sonnies-Fvc found EN-"
They brought ladder and set il against the
mound. Three of the men climbed up. AT tho
top they discovered large round hole. from the
lip of which they scraped the sand away, un-
covering patch of shinge roof, through which
1t. Pran-whose weight had increased with age
had broken and tumbled into his own church.
Three hours later, when the Visitation arrived
it found the parish deserted Every cottage door
was fast closed nor could any amount Of knocking
elicit an answer. ST. Piran's small hut empty.
mcagre breakfast Of herbs was set out on the
table. and a scourge lay. somewhat ostentatiously.
beside the platter Outside the beach stretched
away beside the breakers with not human shape
in sight
The visiting saints paced the sand in some won.
der. They still wondering, when duh.
rhythmical sound arrested their feet.
What earth--"began st. Neot.
" 1t sounds, said st. Petroc. who had been lis
tening for some moments with his head one
side, il sounds very like hymn
They proceeded a few PAGES and the noise grew
louder 1t led them at length to an enormous
mound of sand from the top of which the chant
nlIrin usG rn frnu n rIhn sainfa