The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-09-06

vain" she said, with somewhat of Won
der breaking through the composure of
her bearing; "this house has long been
vacant"
Friar Lorenzo turned in sort of rage
upon her, his meekness overborne by his
distress of body and his souls solicitude.
"Wouldst say lie, impious one? Shall
priest not know where he has heard
confession? But it was here, l tell ye!
Open! open! nor tarry for her prating,
lest the crime be done within our very
hearing"
The woman's dark face flushed. She
seemed decent body, and her counte-
nance was full of intelligence beyond
the common, as she replied, with protest
as positive as respectful:
NAY, his reverence, she were in
deed bold and irreverent woman who
would dispute the word of Friar Loren
zo-aye! know his fame for holiness,
as who does not among the humble ones
of Mexico? But his reverence is less
young than he once was, and these day
break lights are uncertain, SO that to
mistake one house for another is easy.
Humbly do l assure we that never once
has this door been opened in the fifty
years that | have lived across there, and
my mother, who was FORTRESS before me,
has often said that never in her time
had the house tenant"
But openl open" Friar Lorenzo
shouted. Then the officer, impressed in
spite of himself by this strange excite
ment and insistence, babe his men take
up a massive viga, or roof beam of cedar,
that lay where some workmen had been
repairing an azotea, and, posing it
among them, the patrolmen again and
again dashed the heavy timber, in the
guise of battering ram, against the
door leaves, whose heavy planks crashed
loudly at the impact; then the bolts
sprung open, and into the Zaguan poured
the gathered gazers. No sight or sound
of life greeted the incursion.
Once inside the zaguan it was no hard
matter to shatter the heavy, antiquated
paddock that held the door leading to
the side room; that clumsy defense was
indeed half eaten away with rust and
verdigris, and down from the corners of
the door head swung veritable curtains
of venerable cobwebs, thick and velvety,
the ancient tapestry. The door fell in
ward with crash of rotten, honey
combed wood, and every soul there but
one retreated step or two from the IN
knownness before them. Only Friar
Lorenzo pushed forward, with an eager
ness that vanquished his decrepitude,
and then, from the farther corner, came
his voice:
"Said not SO? And will We doubt me
longer unbelievers? This was the place
indeed! They have taken away the hap.
less lady; We must seek her, but the
proof of the place show ye! Here it is
among pile of rubbish, mine own deal
rosary, made of olive stones from Geth.
semane," and he came forth, as the chief
of the patrol caught cresset from the
hand of huckster and blew into pun.
gent blaze its sluInbering bit of ocotl
(Mexican pitchpine or lightwood), and
went forward to rake curiosly with his
short sword among the shapeless heaI
that the friar had abandoned.
"This rubbish-why, lads! Here is 6
wristlet, rings, a great breadth of brocadt
incrusted with gold and gems-a collet
of major diamonds-aye! we have found
bonanza! and-what is this?' He
clapped his hand upon a long mass
black as jet in the red light, and will
one swift sweep held it aloft, as high a.
his head, whence it fell to the knees O.
him. Then he dropped it with gaspins
cry of terror. "'Tis hair! a woman
hair. And-gracious God! See that
the hair of dead womanp For, as h
stirred that dense black veil from tn
coils and couchings where it had lain TO
unknown years, a smallish skull, Ion.
kept in position by its once crown o
glory, rolled forward and touched hi
, russell boot. And from the dread crumb
ling relics now arose "a dire odor of MOI
tality, whose warning of dissolution an,
decay sent the stout soldiers and thei
commander rushing, with one accord
/ away from the bones and the diamonds
F hustling the peeping mob before them.
"Aye, Padre Friar Lorenzo!" Gale
. the alcalde; "now, what blessed thin
it is we have holy man among Us
Father, en- ell nombre de Jesus, Maria
Jose lin the name of Jesus, Mary an
a Joseph), purge and purify us of thi
a vile contactw and he would have kneI
before Friar Lorenzo; but a sturdy art
I san, who had just sent his great red col
! per kettle rolling across the dankl
> messed stones of the court as he droppe
! it in the effort to catch the sinking fig
a ure-this grimy Christian called GU
a "Stand back! Give him the good God
! air, we doughty soldiers! All, no;
. helps not! his eye is fixed, his face
! ashen-his body grows a dead weigh
, Aye, seniors, see you not that tn
! sainted Friar Lorenzo is dying, for nevt
yet lived through the day priest WI
q confessed one already dead-and no
I many years think we have lain yonde
whittier he led us, the mortal parts ,
r the poor lady ye cried out that ye ha
a found THEREBY. H. Adds in Argonau
The Passing of Italics.
q After an existence of much utility
q about 400 years it is noticed that ital