Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-12

49,
samptuOusi The ministers II God
the servants of hea<en-so their ereeds
profess. yet rney give themselves the
airs II st.tssIasa and beg - 4ecline' the
Offices Il their profession! Have You
forgotten year vo<Ss. sarrshy Have yo0
forgotten % what service you are coalse-
crsted2 Nay. then, l VIII have you
yea and none other. See that yon move
on before me" lie made - II 60 impel
the monk BY grssfang his axn; but the
touch OF that hard hand 50 affected
Friar Lorenzo that he reelsd and would
have fallen had not the man released
Lim.
~WhaE-what would your worship
have OF usf" he -ssInmeFed family.
lyon 20 % shriye sinner. and with
that Answer MS guide halted before
lofty mansion whoss overhanging bal
comics Swallowed tise street. The somber
cavalier pHshed open the great Zagaan,
or entrance door, without knocking, al
though, a. Friar Lorenzo marked, there
was knoeker Of peculiar design. quite
distinct nom the conventional clenched
hand or lions besd-fOr this was a bat
tie az. falling upon buckler, and the
TWO gimmered quite strangely clear IN
the gloom. The tunnel-iike arch a the
zaguan was all ia densest darkness,
save where dam ray Of hight filtered
out from the crack Of door on the left
hand. whittier the way was led by the
man who hae captured the friar.
This was the apartment usually AS
signed as a door porter's lodge IN great
houses, but here IL seemed of dimensions
more spsseioas tiAan was common. The
dark walls seemed TO absorb rather than
reflect the pale rays of the candle, yet
enough II brilhanco fell 10 fash CLEANS
II keen color from the jewels of one who
lay on a rough cot in a corner, draped
over with a coverlet of rich brocade,
ghntins back the candle light from the
golden threads OF it's eInbrolderies.
The stern man pointed 20 the out
stretched figure: DO thou confess her
quickly"
The friar drew back with start and
a shiyer when ne had bent over the
woman. for she was fast bound 10 the
ANt4C Dfsit i1ttlf itlONFttN0 Nv litkt III
that held her beautiful naked arms out
stretched by her sides and dashed her
feet, too, closely An observer of more
worldly knowledge than Friar Lorenzo
would have guessed that she had been
borne hither from some scene Of gala
and rejoicing. for on her delicate wrists,
and on her exquisite neck, and in the
II .Harlr hafr l.la,..I
splendid Jewels; and the zone of her
corSagc, showing above the coverlet.
roughly wrapped around her, showed
that the stuff of her garb was of exceed
ing richness.
"Wouldst thou confess, my daugh-
ter7' stsmmered Friar Lorenzo, drawn
back TO her despite his fear, less by his
sense Of duty than by the appeal IN her
eyes. full of great despair and a mighty
terror He turned, when she made a
sign of assent. toward his captor, in
intimation of the privacy due to con-
fessiou. but that somber figure only
laughed, albeit most harshly, and drew
somewhat aside, toward the doorway.
Then Friar Lorenzo, bending low above
Tic NDItiAu. clldAtu Dtt"CtA IttbkS
and his pity, listened TO her confession.
But she had not yet finished when the
grim watcher strobe forward, caught
the friar by his lean, troubling arms
and cried: Have done. thou art MAX
ing pretextsl Too long this wretched
woman has lived alreadyr' and so.
against her wild entreaties and tho
-. l.. h.
away and thrust him forth into the
street.
The friar. half stunned yet half des-
perate with the thoughts awakened by
his forebodings and the tale heard from
the woman. called, prayed and knocked.
beating his frsil hands on the heavy
bronze bossed portal in a very frenzy.
But the massive wood gave back only
the sound OF his blows. and that but
duly. At last, despairing. he FASTENED
from the SPOT with so hurried and IN
certain a step that the few wayfarers
who now began TO appear in the street
shrunk aside from him with more OF
awe than reverence. and murmured,
"Oh. the poor padyei his many penances
have made him mad"
Friar Lorenzo was half distracted,
most OF all with doubts as 10 his divided
duty Did his priestly vows as TO tho
inviolability Of confession exsct silence
as TO what had happened? Did the du-
ties of humanity and justice demand
that he give up 70 investigation and
punishment the doer or would be doer
Of what be was convinced was a foul
crime? And so. seeking 10 temporize
for guidance. he would fain tell his
beads to temyorize aud calm his giddied
senses. But his rosary swung not at his
side. and flash of thought reminded
him that he had laid it upon the couch
BESIDE the doomed woman. That de-
cided him No fragment Of the divine.
thrice ssnctiiied trne cross must not be
left 20 the unhsllOwed hands of that
,risly. soothing monster.
Thus Friar Lorenzo set off with eager
though trembling speed for the Palace
If Justice that stood then. a. II stands
now. fronting on the great square 10
Gallo. or main plaza. and at night angles
~ he cathedral and sagrario. On the
bridge spanning the canal before the
pslscio be met = patrol Just setting ont
on the last round before sunrise. The
friar halted before them, and with
knotted tongue and parchei. stammer-
ing nps gssped forth his story. The
officer of the patrol sped back % the
guarlro0rn to summon the alcslde. and
"A moment later the squaf was rafflipg