The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-09


tng-room, and an allowed bedroom
with deep embrasured windows, that,
however, excluded the unwinking sun.
light and kept an even monotone OF
shade.
Strange to say, he found il cool, rest
full, and, In spite of the dust, absolutely
clean. A wrinkled Indian woman,
browed and veined like n tobacco leaf,
ministered TO his simple wants. But
these wants had also been regulated by
DR.. Duchesne. He found himself break
fasting on single cup of chocolate i'm
stead of his usual bowl of molasses
sweetened coffee; crumbling n crisp
tortilla 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 IL WAS simple-that il was even
refreshing and consistent with the cli-
mate and his surroundings. On the 9TH
er hand, it was the frugal diet of the
commonest peasant-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 almost
ceased; / have less nightly turmoil ard
visions: my carnal appetite seems 10 be
amply modified and soothed by these
Viands, whatever may be their ultimate
effect upon the weakness of our common
ct a 1. N,4aaFl IA.
full to you If did not warn you that am
viewing with the deepest spiritual concern
a decided tendency towards sloth, and
folding OF the hands over matters that
often, l fear, are spiritual as well as tenn
poral. / would ask you TO consider, I'm
spirit of love- II IL be not wise to rouse my
apathetic flesh. so as TO strive, even with
the feeblest OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES this
sloth in othcrs-if only to keep oneself
from falling in the pit OF easy indulgence.
What answer he received is not
known, but it is to be presumed that he
kept loyal faith with his physician, and
gave himself up 10 simple walks and
rides and occasional meditation. Ills
solitude was not broken upon; Curl
osity was too active a vice, aud induced
too much eXertion for his indolent
neighbors, and the Americano's bask-
ing seclusion, though unlike the habits
of his couutrymen, did not affect them.
The shoplleeper and iankeeper saluted
him always with "A profound courtesy
which awakened his slight resentment,
partly because he was conscious that il
was grateful TO him, and partly that he
felt he ought to have provoked IN them
"A 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
belfry which reared itself beyond the
gnarled pear trees. He could not say
that il was aggressive or persistent, like
his own church bells, nor that it even
expressed TO him any religious sentI.
ment. Moreover, it was not a Sab
bath" bell, but a daily one, ard even
then seemed to be only signal to ears
easily responsive, rather thon stern
reminder. And the hour was always a
singuarly witching one.
Ii was at this hour, one afternoon,
that, with the released scents Of the
garden, there came TO him "A strange
and subtle perfume that was new TO his
senses. He laid aside his book, wen.
into the garden, and, half unconscious
of his trespass, passed through the mis-
sion orchard and thence into the little
churchyard beside the church.
He walked TO the door of the church;
to his surprise it was open. Standing
upon the threshold, he glanced inside
and stood for a moment utterly be
wildercd. In a man of refined taste and
education that bizarre and highly-col-
ored interior would have only provoked
q smile or shrEg; 20 stephen Master
tons highly emotional nature, but
artistic ineXperience, strangely enough
it was profoundly impressive. The
heavily-timbered, roughly-hewn roof
barred with alternate bands OF blue and
Indian red, the crimson han~ings, the
gold and black draperies, affected this
religious backwoodsman exactly rs
they were designed TO affect the heath.
en- and acolytes, for whose conversion
the temple had been reared. He coU'd
scarcely take his eyes from the tinscl-
Al
in white and gold and glittering jewels;
the radiant shield before the host,
illuminated by tail spectral candles in
the mysterious obscurity of the altar,
dazzled him like the rayed disc Of the
setting sun.
He was turning quickly away when
the keeper of the Tienda--n man of
sloth and sin-gently approached him
from the shadow of n column, with a
mute gesture, which he took TO he one
of invitation. A fierce protest OF scorn
and indignation swelled TO his throat.
hut died upon his lips, Yet he had
strength enough to erect his gaunt
emaciated figure, throwing out his long
arms and extended palms i'm the atti-
tude of defiant eNorcism and then rush
swiftly from the church. AS he did so
he thought he saw a faint smile cross
the shop keepers face, and whis-
pered exchange of words with a neigh