Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-09-12

broken condition was evidently not
much frequented. The building stood
apart from ali other habitations in a
large open piece Of ground, fenced In
by a high stone wall spiked at The top.
Roses climbed thickly among the
spikes and almost hid their sharp
points from view, and from a perfect
nest of green foliage the slender spire
of the convent chapel rose into the sky
like a white finger pointing TO heaven
Ny coachman drew up before the
heavily barred gates. / alighted and
babe him take the carriage to the
principal hosiery at Castellamare and
wait for me there. As soon as he had
driven off I rang the convent bell. A
little wicket fixed in the gate imme-
diateIy opened and the wrinkled Wis
age OF a very old and ugly nun looked
a She demanded in low tones what
I sought. ! handed her my card and
stated my desire TO see the Countess
RomanL. If agreeable to the Superior
ess. While / spoke she looked at liz
curiously. my spectacles, i suppose,
| excited her ~wOnder-for / had replaced
these Disgusting glasses Immediately
= b4 ffAf ALN NN2C va NHN 49, -
needed them yet a little while longer.
After peering at me a minute or w
with her bleared and aged eyes, she
shut the wicket in my face with q
smart click and disappeared. While
/ awaited her return / heard the
sound of children's laughter and light
footsteps running trippingly on the
stone passage within.
"Fi done, Rosies' said a girls voice
in French; la bonnie Mere Marguerite
sera tres tres fachee avec tot"
"Tais-toi, petite sainte!" cried an
other voice more piercing and silvery
in tor 'Je veux voir qui est la,
C'est III homme, je sails ~bien-parce
que la vielle Mere Laura a rough
and both young voices broke into a
chorus Of renewed laughter. Then
came the shuffling noise of the old
nuns footsteps returning; she evil
IDENTIFY caught the w %truants, who
ever they were, for l heard her expos
tulating, scolding and apostrophizing
the saints all in a breath as she babe
them go inside the house and ask the
good little Jesus TO forgive their
naughtiness. A silence ensued, then
the bolts and bars Of the huge gate
were undone slowly-it opened, and
/ was admitted. I raised my hat as
/ entered and walked bareheaded
through a long. cold corridor, guided
by the venerable nun, who looked at
me no more, but told her beads as she
walked and never spoke till she had
led me into the building, through u
lofty hall glorious with sacred paint
ings and statues, and from thence
into a large, elegantly furnished room,
whose windows commanded a fine
view of the grounds. Here she mo-
toned me 10 take a seat, and without
lifting her eyelids said:
Mother Marguerite will wait upon
you, instantly, signor."
1 bowed and she glided from the
room SO noiselessly that | did not even
hear the door close behind her. Left
alone in what l rightly concluded was
the reception room for visitors. | look
ed about me with some faint interest
and curiosity. l had never before
seen the interior of what is known as
an educational convent. There were
many photographs on the walls and
neutrality-suspicious. Of girls, some
plain of face and form. others beauti-
Iul-uo uOuUI lHey udU All UeS1 sent
to the nuns as souvenirs Of former
pupils. Rising from my chair l ex-
amined a few OF them carelessly. and
was about to inspect a fine copy of
Murrillo's Virgin, when my attention
was caught by al upright velvet frame
~surmOunted with my own crest and
coronet. In it was a portrait Of my
wife, taken in her bridal dress, as
she looked when she married me. /
took it 70 the light and stared az the
features obviously. This was she
this slim, fairy-like creature clad in
gossamer white. with the marriage
veil thrown back from her clustering
hair n child-like face--this was the
thing for which two mems lives had
been sacrificed. With a movement OF
disgust | replaced the frame in its
former position; l had scarcely done
so when the door opened quietly and
a tall woman, clad in trailing robes OF
pale blue with a nuns band and veil
OF fine white cashmere. stood before
me. / saluted her with deep rever
ence; she responded by the slightest
possible bend of her head. Her out