The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-10

the old mission. 1t had even a small
garden of its own-if strip of hot wall.
overburdened with yellow and white
roses. dozen struggling callas. bank
OF heliotrope, and an almond tree could
be called a gardner. 1t had an open
doorway. but SO heavily recessed In the
thick walls that 1t preserved seclusion,
a sitting room, and an allowed bed
room with deep embrasured windows.
that. however. excluded the unwinking
sunlight and kept an even monotone of
shade.
Strange to say. he found it cool. rest
full. and, in spite of the dust, absolutely
clean. A wrinkled Indian woman,
browed and veined like "a tobacco leaf,
ministered to his simple wants. But
these wants had also been regulated ny
DR.. Duchesne. He found himself break
fasting on a single cup Of chocolate in
stead OF his usual bowl of molasses
sweetened coffee: crumbling crisp tor
tilla instead of the heavy saleratus
bread. greasy flap jack. or the lard fried
steak. and, more wonderful still. COM
pleting his repast with purple grapes
from the mission wall. He could not de-
ny that II was simple--that 1t was even
refreshing and consistent with the cli-
mate and his surroundings. On the
other hand. it was the frugal diet of the
commonest pea sant-and were not those
poems slothful idolators?
At the end OF the week.-Mrs. corre-
spondence being also restricted by his
doctor to a few lines to himself regard
ing his progress-he wrote to that ad-
wiser:
The trembling and unquiet has al
most ceased; have less nightly turmoil
and visions; my carnal appetite seems
to be amply modified and soothed by
these viands. whatever may be lneir ul-
innate effect upon the weakness of our
common sinful nature. But | should
not be truthful to you II did not warn
you that am viewing with the deepest
spiritual concern n decided tendency
towards sloth. ard folding of the
hands over matters that often. l fear.
are spiritual as well as temporal. l
would ask you TO consider, in spirit of
love. II II be not wise to rouse my apa-
thetic flesh. so as to strive, even with
the feeblest exhortations-again this
sloth in others--if only to keep oneself
from falling in the pit Of easy indul-
gence.
What an answer he received in not
known. but it is to be'presumed that he
kept loyal faith with his physician, and
gave himself uc to simple walks and
rides and occasional meditation. His
solitude was not broken upon: curiosity
was too active aY vice. and induced too
was to active q vice, and induced TOO
much exertion for his indolent neigh
bors, and the Americano's basking Sc
Clrsion. though unlike the habits of his
countrymen, did not affect them. The
shopkeeper and innkeeper saluted him
always with a profound courtesy. which
awakened his slight resentment, partly
because he was conscious that II was
grateful to him. and partly that he felt
he ought to have provoked In them n
less satisfied condition.
His afternoon meditations and the
perusal of his only book-the Bible
were regularly broken in upon at about
sunset by two or three strokes from the
cracked bell that hung in the open bel
fry which reared itself beyond the
gnarled pear trees. He could not say
that it was aggressive or persistent,
like his own church bells. nor that 1t
even expressed to him any religious
sentiment Moreover, 1t was not a
sabbath bell, but daily one, and
even then seemed to be only a signal to
ears easily responsive, rather than a
stern reminder. And the hour was al
ways singularly witch.ng one.
1t was at this hour, one afternoon,
yr.it hn al nf. nf ha
garden, there came to him a strange
and subtle perfume that was new to his
senses. He laid aside his book, went
into the garden, and half unconscious
of his trespass, passed through the mis-
sion orchard and thence into the little
churcl1yard beside the church.
He walked to the door of the church,
to his surprise 1t was open. Standing
upcn the threshold. ne glanced inside
and stood for moment utterly bewil-
dered. In man of refined taste and
education that bizarre and highly col
ore,l interior would have only provoked
a smile or shrug; to Stephen Master
tons highly emotional nature, but ar
tistic inexperience. strangely enough,
1t was profoundly impressive. The
heayily-timbered. roughly-hewn roof.
barred with alternate bands of blue and
Indian red, the crimson hangings, the
gold and black draperies, affected this
religious backwoOdsman exactly as
they. were designed to affect the heath
en- and acoiytes for whose conversion
the temple had been reared. He could
scarcely take his eyes from the tinsel-