Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-09-19
\ COSTLY
MASS.


(From the French Of Anatole. Franee.)
St. Eulalie's Church at Melville d'Au-
mont told us as we sat under the vines
OF the w hite Horse Inn on a lovely sum-
mer's evening and drank a bottle of wine
to the repose OF \ dead man that he had
burned that morning-under a black velvet
cloth sOwn with silver tears:
my poor father (the sexton speaks) was.
when alive, a graxedtVger. He was an
agreeable man and this was doubtless the
effect of his calling, for l have noticed that
people who work in cemeteries are of q
jovial nature. T6s dead do not brighten
them; they never think of them. 1 assure
you, sir, l would as soon go into a grave
yard q into the cellar of the White House,
and II | should meet spirit It would not
disturb me. l know he would attend to
his affairs II I did mine.
II know the habits and characters of the
dead pretty we'll. l know things about
them that even the priests do not suspect.
II l should tell you half l know you would
be astonished. But it is not well to tell
even the truth at all times, land my father,
who loved to tell stories, did not relate the
twentieth part of the things he knew. In
| rot,sen8 foe III 10 Gale do,,iol bo ,,So1 IN tn11
the same stories over and over again; and
to my certain knowledge he has recounted
a hundred times the adventures OF Catherine
Fontaine.
Catherine was All old lady that he re-
meAnbered to have often seen when he was
a child. l should not be surprised if there
were not still in the country three or foar
| old people who recall her, for she was well
known and of good reputc in the country,
though very poor. She lived in Rue aux
NOnnes, the towers Of which you can still
see and In which there Is an old half-de-
| stroyed house that overlooks the gardens
seen half-effaced Inscriptions upon the
walls Of this old building. NJ. Lavasseur.
the late cure of st. Eulalie, told me that he
read there 'Lcve is stronger than death
and he added it meant divine love. Cath.
crime FOntaine lived alone in this little
house. She was a lace maker. You know
the lace OF our country was very famous.
They knew neither her relatives nor par
ents. They said that at the age of Is years
| she had loved aud been secretly betrOthed
to the young Chevalier of D'Aumont-C lery,
but the people generally did not believe 1t,
and saidtit was q fiction that had been in
vented because Catherine had rather the
air of q lady than OF a work woman; that
her face showed still under her white hair
the remains OF great beauty; that she was
very sad, and that you could see on her
finger one of those rings which the gold
smith admade of two tiny clasped hands
which fances were wont to exchange.
Catherine lived q holyNfe. She fire.
quented the church. and every. morning, no
matter what the weather, she went to early
mass ct St. Eulalie's. Que December
night as she lay asleep In her little room
she was awakened by the sound sof the
bells. Not doubling for q moment that
they rang for early mass, the pious girl
arose, dressed herself, and descended into
the street, where it was dark as night and
not a star shown in the gloomy sky. There
was such deep silence everywhere, broken
only by the distant barking of a dog, that
she felt that a universe divided every living
soul. But Catherine FoDtaine. who knew
every spot and stone so well that she could
have gone to church with her eyes closed,
reached without difficulty the corner of
the Rue Aux NOnnes and the Rue de Ia
ParoisSe, where stands a large wooden
house with q tree carved over its heavy
beams. When she got there she saw the
church doors were open and The glow from
many torches shone out into the night. She
assembled the steps and when she entered
the door she saw q great number of people
gathered together, but to her surprise she
did not recognize any Of the assistants,
and she saw oil these people clothed in
velvet and bro :ades, with plumes in their
hats and swords by their sides. There
were lords with goldbeaded canes and
ladies with lace mantillaS suspended from
jeweled combs. Cheyaliers Of st. Louis
gave their hands to danes, who covered
their painted faces with their fans so one
could Gee nothing but their powdered fore
heads and little black patches in the cor
ner OF their eyes. And all took their
places silently; NJ fOOtstep sounded on the
floor; their garments did not rustic. The
side aisles were filled with young workmen
in brown vests, bell-crowned hats and
white stockings, who held pretty, fresh
young girls with modest. dOwncast eyes, BY
the waist; and near the alter were peasants
in red skirts and laced corsages, sitting on
the ground like patient animals, while
boys who stood behind them opened great
awe-struck eyes and fumbled their hats.
And all the silent cOuntenances seemed
fixed forever with the same sad sweet ex-
preston.
"Kneeling in her accustomed place,
Catherine saw the priest advance to the
alter, proceeded by two curates. She did
not recognize the priest or the clerks. Mass
commenced. It was a silent mass, in which
one heard neither the lips that moved nor
the bells that were swung silently In the
air. Catherine felt herself under the gaze
and influence of her mysterious neighbor,
and looking around without turning the
head she recognized the young Chevalier
d'Aumont. Clery, who had loved her and
died forty-ive years before. She recos-
nlzed him by q little mark under the left
ear and by tile shadow his dark lashes
made on his check. He was dressed in
hunting costume, red with gold trimmings,
As she had . him on that day so long
ago when, meeting him In st. LAvard's
Wood, he had asked for q drink and taken
q kiss. s.
stHa uas sfill vonnU and hoaufffnl E;e