The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-11-07
A LIFETIME LOVE.

story, which illustrates the peculiar H.
tensity, especially in matters of the
heart, which marks the Breton charac-
ter. The tale was related to her by one
of her friends, the daughter Of the hero
inc, whom / will call Emma Rosilis.
She was not perfectly beautiful, but
her face had an Undesirable charm.
Her eyes had the most exquisite s~oftness,
and her delicate eyebrows almost seemed
to possess a soul, while her skin was so
fine that it betrayed the slightest agita-
ton by fugitive bushes.
Little Emma Rosills went regularly to
church with her book of hours, and the
truth is that toward the age of 16 or Il
there was no place in her little soul but
for one young man, Of about 90 or %,
whom she saw often, and whom I will
call Emilien.
Emma had known Emihen ever since
she had known herself. Moreover. she
dreamed what she did not think, until it
happened one day that she found Emil
len was occupying the entire cavity Of
her little heart.
The young ma whom she loved had a
good, though not a strong. nature, but
his simplicity, his absence of all pre-
tense, were most pleasing to Emma.
She had not known any young man su-
perior to him, and indeed in the little
world where she moved she had not met
many young men of any kind.
This love Of Emma's soon became most
absorbing. During entire days she would
remain motionless, almost as though she
were in a trance, dreaming of her be-
loved. Naturally she said nothing Of
what she experienced either to the one
she loved, or to her relations, or to her
companions. Her discretion was SO alb
solute that no one knew anything of
what filled her.
While Emma lived only in her love for
Emilien, he thought little Of her. He
found her pleasing, as did all the world,
but he never thought of telling her SO.
He was a commonplace and passive be-
ing, and then, after all, was he to blame?
Emma was so modest that she could
scarcely be distinguished from her
friends-you would have said she sought
only to hide herself.
One day, while she was talking with
her companions at a little reunion at the
foot of the garden, many things were
spoken of. The news which had a fresh
ness for all was of the approaching mar
rage of Emilien to Anna Nj. 1t was
spoken of as a certain thing. Emma
heard it all. Such was the control which
H. loJ ox-o L1~.nle ln-Ya-n- that ~1
one suspected that a poniard had en-
tered her heart. She was quiet, arose a
little while after and retired without
giving any sign of the frightful wound
which she had just received.
Another bit of news was circulated a
few days after, in the company of the
same young people, assembled in the
same garden. Emma had entered as
novice into the community of Ursulines
of the little village of l.! AS she
was very pious, this surprised no one.
Her secret had belonged S exclusively
TO herself that no one ~reproached her.
The idea occurred to no one that the
marriage Of Emilien was the cause OF
her consecrating herself to religion.
The convent of the Ursulines admitted
divers degrees of religious vocations. By
the side of the sisters bound to the order
by a perpetual VOW there were pious per
sons wearing a costume which was like
that of the order, minus the veil. Thess
practiced the same o~bservances without
assuming any permanent obligations
The greater part took the vows at tn
end of some years, but there was NOR
than one example of devoted sisters VIII,
re-entered the world after years spen
In the convent.
Lit was into this class of sisters tina
poor Emma entered. Everything was a
usual in her admission, in her novitiate
In her conduct in the convent.
She became a devotee of the most pei
feet regularity, pious as the others, neve
In fault, esteemed by her superiors. He
pale face in the white linen which SUI
rounded it had the beatifc calm char
acteristic of the sisterhood. Assiduor
in prayers and in all other pious exel
cises, she yielded quickly to the religion
habits of the cloister. At the end &
some days the slow and monotonor
routine of the regular convent life Ina
dulled her sensibilities, and her ordinar
state became a kind of gentle sleep.
Had she succeeded in driving from hi
heart the image which had captured b,
whole being?
After a fashion-yet she had not eve
tried. The suspicion came not to her (.
an instant that her love was culpabl
1t was, as in the canticles, "a bouquet
myrrh in her BOSOM" She would ha,
doubted God rather than her right
this sentiment which filled her. s.
distinguished not her love from b
piety 81 her piety from her love. s.
even tasted in her austerities an ado
tional charm. She found in woundi,
herself q sort Of delight. She expe,
enced an intense Joy in believing til
Ehe suffered all this for the one she love
and In saying that she saw no 9th
man but him. Such were the innocen
ind purity of her imagination that new