Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-01

- tken Is ~ NSnss llSnlA an
Nary~ia ed fsishtcaesI like two Wild pr
txikiEeA
On \ CERTAIN eveaing they wesc spinning
Arn,p hy shs, ii.shs at rsinoux branches
vhsrh hs.s..sst il tho fire faer The night
outside w-ss lighted e;sty by oecsional
stars. and ss.. sss,w fell Theoretically. Al
Intervals tke s.,ssis raised clouds At slees
that tan,.ss a1si.,ss the Windows like
swarm. II frssshs,,i mas h~ ~s~king refuge.
And. lels..lss. a. nsi.ins.;at approached
came the ssasl.sI Of church bells. confused
and muisssd
The or.eh hans looked ut one another sur
pris.,f The. ho4s feasfs of the calendar
they knew hy ises1i. as,i surely rome fell
. ur..a this particular day. much less II this
hour Of The night
.withoa. y sieri,t we have but imagined
thai we heard the bell" they said 10 each
other. Bus na The heiis rang. and their
! voice, beautiful and sad. tlosted languidly
On the iimpii air like y bark on the water.
since the Lord calls, he must be oheyed
Let MS gos"
| And the tive friends in haste covered
with laml,skia their trembling shoulders
and departed.
The church, filed with the faithful. waa
aSlow vita the light OF many taperS The
orphans felt their hearts freeze within
them when they saw I this multitude
was standing absolutely aante and notioa'
less. There wss anlens them none OF the
parishloners whom they knew. but only
strange faces terrible in their aspect. Al
| hast the Young girls recognized a few, but
they were those of people already dead.
! Shiveriny with fright, Mania and Marysia
| with arI N,Ar tn he'd
| the sinister assembly.
| The great door opened. and before the
| high altar appearei the officiating priest
| When he turned Tow ard the worsiipers. the
| Young girls could see his long white beard.
| descending 10 his waist, aud his hair stream
| ing over his shoulders. They recognixed
| then a holy pastor who had heen dead =
| hundred years and whose portrait hung GU
the wall Of the presbytery. 1t was he, just
| as he appeared in the painting. feature for
| feature On bis yellow skin. however, ap-
peared something dull, like ancient mold
Mania perceived near them her dead god
mother, and little fart her along her own
dear mother. The latter remained indif-
| ferent, like stranger, without even seeing
| her child, but the godnother bent toward
| the orphan and said hastily in her ear:
why did you cone here, little one' Fly,
for the love Of Godi Fly quicklyl And If
YOU are followed throw all that you can
behind you, or yun are LOST
| Hearing this, Mania and Marysia strove
| 10 gain the portal and began to run swiftly
| along he road, but the crowd Of the dead
galloped after them and almost overlook
them. First tie girls threw slipper be-
hind them and then another, followed by
the pretty little aprons. The dead satiated
their wrath for an instant on these objects;
their creaking fingers rent them; their
| grinding teeth tore them spitefully. Then
| the pursuit recommended The vast arch
| of the dark sky embroidered now with sill
very stars had the air of funeral cloth
! above the winding sheet of snow stretched
over the sleeping plain. The haggard eyes
| of the two fugitives seemed To see running
before them the couvulsed silhouettes Of
| the bushes, and at their heels sounded the
steps of the horrible and fantastic throng.
Mania and Marysia threw away their
| skirts. and their finely worked "hoschula,"
and their beads, and holy medals, They
reached at last their "hata,' half dead
| from fright and cold.
1 Then, as one of them bolted the door, she
\ heard all understandable voice say these
| words:
| "lou are saved, my pretty ones, you are
saved, but it will not become You to remain
llng among the living, after having assisted
| at the sacrament Of the dead"
And indeed they did not remain long.
| They never arose again from the bed IN
which they sank trembling in fever
caused by the fright and cold Of that awf'
| night Two weeks aftcrward they botn
died and went to REGION ia the cemetery
the army Of the dead.
| Th-s they atoaed for having by their
preseace protaned the mystery OF the dead
tho solemn and dreadful mystery Of Il
i 4. u