The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-06-09
THE GOOD CANON.

The canon of Marineda resided in the
same house with his sedate and elderly
housekeeper, and he had a cat and a
thrush-one of those which are called
maloises II Galicia, that whistle and
trill in the most remarkable manner and
can initiate all the other songsters.
The canon's residence was not only
plain. but even poverty stricken, and
showed no signs of the scrupulous neat
ness usually the chief characteristic of
those who wear priestly garb, for
Won must know that the canon's house
keeper, Dona Ramona VillardoS Caba-
leiros, had formerly been a lady of rank,
and therefore she was resolved to do as
little homework as possible. She was
fond of dwelling ON the past and of Civ
ing herself completely up to doleful rec
elections, ignoring the fact that there
were such things as sweeping and cook
ing to be attended to.
Such scenes as the following were
therefore of frequent occurrence at the
priests dwelling: He would come in
after saying mass, and while he hung his
cloak ana lat Oh nail his stomach
would clamor loudly for nOurishment, re-
I1iinding him that IL was time to take his
cup OF chocolate. Fortified by prospect
OF this comforting beverage, he would
sit down to wait until that nutritious
beverage should be brought to him.
But. alasl quarter of an hour would
elapse, and then another, without any
signs of his breakfast. Finally lie would
timidly and gently call to the house
keeper:
"Dona Ramona Dona Ramona"
At the end of ten minutes a doleful
voice would reply:
What do you want?
"Ah, where is nay cup of chocolate?'
Alas calculated the suffering du-
ena, Il cannot attend to anything today.
Do you know what day it is:''
''Yes, Thursday, Feb. 6, ST. Dorothy
and st. Reyocata."
''Just so-the anniversary of the day
on which 1 felt so happy and was sud-
denly shocked by receiving the news
that my brother-in-law, the major, had
died of yellow fever in Cuba. Alas, may
the Lord grant me patience 10 bear up
under my afflictionp
w ~
dared to ask the dame whether the fact
that her brother-in-law had died of yell
low fever was any reason why her mas
ter should be starved to death. He
would meekly open the cupboard in the
kitchen, take out piece of chocolate
from its greasy wrapper and nibble at it
awhile, washing it down with glass of
water Then he would endeavor to
comfort Dona Ramona, who was usually
shifting on the sofa, with her face tied up
in a handkerchief.
''Dona Ramona, you should be resign
ed to your lot. You ought not to rebel
against God. Come now; if you keep OH
crying we shall no longer be friends"
And so on, sometimes for hours az a
time
Occasionally the canon, with those
very hands which shortly before had
raised the consecrated host, would be
compelled to perform the humble office
of washing potatoes or preparing vege-
tables for his broth.
However, these things did not worry
him as much as his lack of oratorical
gifts and his failure to console the trou-
bled housekeeper's spirit, for if the
worthy canon ever had any longing it
was to be eloquent. He would have
given his right hand in order to be able
to compose a striking sermon. Every
time that q silver tongued Jesuit would
ascend into the pulpit and deliver fiery
address railing against the irreigious
theories of Draper and of Strauss, who
were totally unknown IN Marineda, or
some young priest cut after the pattern
of CASTELAR, would discourse about ''Ju-
daical hard heartedness" and the ''epoch
OF the reconquest' or 1.-The light Of civ
iization spread from Golgotha," the
worthy canon was not consumed with
envy, for he was incapable of such a
weakness, but he would become pain
fully conscious of his own deficiencies
and would lament his own incapacity
for preaching.
If we Were TO gather together his dis
jointed reflections they might read as
follows: 80 my Lord, it is evident that
/ am good for nothing. am not worth
my salt. 1 am as dumb as a fish. 1t
was folly on my part to desire, as have
done, that 1 might be sent to preach the
Gospel to the heather in the wilds of
Africa, where a rich harvest of souls
might be CLEANED. y nice apostle ]
should make, with my faltering tongue,
my commonplace remarks, my croaking
voice and my ordinary appearance, Q
Lord, why hast thou withheld the power
of speech from me-"
AT the confessional the canon encoun
tered the same difficulty. He never wa:
able to make use of those bitter sweet adj
nonitions which soothe the conscientious
scruples of the devotees, nor illuminate
those scathing apostrophes which touch
the hardened sinners heart.
Therefore Angelica Ramos, the presi.
cent of the Daughters of Mary" the
Marchioness of Venailes, the founder OF
the Roperito, the wife of Marshal Cells
in fact, the creme de la creme of the de-
vout church goers of Marineda-
agreed that the canon was a prosy
preacher, while Father Incienso wa,
very popular, and they liked the way il
which he delivered rhetorical phrases
interviewer with mystical observations