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

the servants of heaven-so their creeds
profess, yet they give themselves the
airs of statesmen and beg to decline the
offices of their profession! Have you
forgotten your vows, sirrah? Have you
forgotten to what service You are conse-
Grated? Nay, then, | will have you
you and none other. See that You move
on before me-" He made as if to impel
the monk by grasping his arm; but the
touch of that hard hand so affected
Friar Lorenzo that he reeled and would
have fallen had not the man released
him.
"What-what would your worship
have Of meP he stammered family.
"You go to shrive sinner" and with
that answer his guide halted before a
lofty mansion whose overhanging bal
comics Swallowed the street. The somber
cavalier pushed open the great zaguan,
or entrance door, without knocking, al
though, as Friar Lorenzo marked, there
was knocker of peculiar design, quite
distinct from the conventional clenched
hand or lions head-for this was bat
tie ak, falling upon buckler, and the
two glimmered quite strangely clear in
the gloom. The tunnel-like arch of the
zaguan was all in densest darkness,
save where a dim ray of light filtered
out from the crack of a door on the left
hand, whittier the way was led by the
man who had captured the friar.
This was the apartment usually as
signed as door porter's lodge in great
houses, but here it seemed of dimensions
more spacious than was common. The
dark walls seemed to absorb rather than
reflect the pale rays of the candle, yet
enough of brilliance fell to flash CLEANS
of keen color from the jewels of one who
lay on rough cot in corner, draped
over with a coverlet of rich brocade,
glinting back the candle light from the
golden threads of its embroideries.
The stern man pointed to the out
stretched figure: "Do thou confess her
quickly"
The friar drew back with a start and
shiver when he had bent over the
woman, for she was fast bound to the
rude bed, made moveless by harsh cords
that held her beautiful naked arms out
stretched by her sides and dashed hel
feet, too, closely. An observer of more
worldly knowledge than Friar Lorenzo
would have guessed that she had beer
borne hither from some scene of gala
and rejoicing, for on her delicate wrists
and on her exquisite neck, and in the
soft masses of her dark hair blazed
splendid jewels; and the zone of hel
corsage, 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
teri" stammered Friar Lorenzo, draw
back to her despite his fear, less by hi
sense of duty than by the appeal in he
eyes, full of great despair and a might,
terror He turned, when she made
a sign of assent, toward his captor, il
intimation of the privacy due to a con
fession, but that somber figure onl,
laughed, albeit most harshly, and drew
somewhat aside, toward the doorway
Then Friar Lorenzo, bending low abov
the woman, shaken between his fear
and his pity, listened to her confession
But she had not yet finished when tn
grim watcher strobe forward, caugh
the friar by his lean, trembling arm
and cried. "Have done! thou art max
ing pretexts! Too long this wretche
woman has lived already" and SC
against her wild entreaties and tn
friars protests, he dragged the ministe
away and thrust him forth into tn
street.
The friar, half stunned yet half DIES
perate with the thoughts awakened b
his forebodings and the tale heard fror
the woman, called, prayed and knocked
beating his frail hands on the heav
bronze bossed portal in very frenzy
But the massive wood gave back onl
the sound of his blows, and that bu
duly. At last, despairing, he hastene
from the spot with so hurried and III
certain step that the few wayfare1
who now began to appear in the stree
shrunk aside from him with more c
awe than reverence, and murmuret
"Oh, the poor padre! his many penance
have made him mad"
Friar Lorenzo was half distracted
most of all with doubts as to his divide
duty. Did his priestly vows as to tn
inviolability of confession exact silenc
as to what had happened? Did the d,
ties of humanity and justice deman
that he give up to investigation an
punishment the doer or would be doe
of what he was convinced was for
crime? And so, seeking to temporiz
for guidance, he would fain tell h
beads to temporize and calm his giddie
sapsas RIlt his rosary S1yupo not ot h