Macon beacon., 1896-04-04

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OH which she was passenger had an
chored in the beautiful Bay of Palermo.
Dressing herself with hurried care, she
went on deck and saw the City of the
Sun, with it's great gateway, higher
than the highest houses, and the white
marble marina outside with its great
length stretching towards Pellegrini,
and the picturesque boats dancing in
the harbor, besieging the steamer for
custom.
The chapcron of the party, Mrs. For
tune, was also the aunt of Marion, and
she engaged one of the boats, after
much haggling with fisherman in a
red shirt, whose sunburned face was
like the pictures of Scriptural type, and
who was lazy enough to be survivor
of his Gallileean prototypes. AS the
party landed they were greeted every
where with the Easter salutation:
"Surrexit" Gle is risen).
And they joined in the antiphonal
response.
"vere surrexit" Ole is risen, indeed).
For this was their Sunday of joy, the
queen of festivals. Bells were ringing,
salutes were fired in the streets, the
flowers were in full bloom and the joy
of resurrection was in the air. 1t was
the day the Sicilians had honored for
nearly 1000 years, and Marion, who
had visited st. Marks on a similar oc.
casion, felt that this union of elements
in such an atmosphere of symbolic
worship, combined with an intense,
rapt devotion, had in it sincerity
which the service of the great ca
thedrals lacked.
In Palermo, Easter seemed enshrined
as in her own stronghold, and when the
little party entered the old English
church embowered in its tropical verdi
ure, with roses and oranges clustering
together, Marion felt an indescribablc
peace steal into her heart, as if she had
reached the summit of happiness.
If anyone had whispered to her that
like the fabled bird of the Persians she
was about to find the winged mate OF
her wingless soul, henceforth ito sail
through all the heavens wide in per-
feet union, she would have believed;
therefore, when devotional man, an
American like herself, moved to make
room for her, then shared his book with
her and chanted musical second to
her responses, she was not surprised
she seemed to have been waiting for
him all her life. Her aunt's frowns of
propriety did not disturb her. The good
woman had not noticed the proximity
of the agreeable stranger and was ready
to frown him down, and was as tactless
in her methods as the head of the school
procession who turned to her young
ladies with the command:
Don't look! Shut your eyes and
keep them closed. There's u horrid,
handsome man coming this way"
The man was really not handsome,
but he had the strength, the magnet
ism, that is more than manly beauty;
he was almost another Sir Launcelot.
Was Marion to be Elaine, and "love him
with the love that was her doom?" We
hear of such fatalities in the comedy Of
life.
Mrs. Fortune, the aunt, was really
obliged to recognize the stranger, for
the clergyman was townsman of her
own, and he introduced him on the.
strength of being a compatrfot. And
he was charming man to know--fne
manners and devotional spirit, SO he
won both aunt and niece. There was
only this day to see Palermo and its
wonders, and Philip Neff accompanied
them TO the steamer and said good-by.
And they did not know whether he was
a single or married man, ard Marion
had only a bunch of flowers and lava
ornament, which he had bought for
trife, and dropped into her lap with
the flowers as an Easter offering.
"You have made joyful Easter for
me-" he had said, and asked permission
to call upon her when he returned in
years time to his home in America.
which was in the great city where she
lived herself.
Il will expect you next Easter" she
had said. gayly, and with that they
parted.
A year-how shorti "Why. IL was
only yesterday" we say, and now it is
Easter again. And we are sorry, with a
transient human pain, for some who
have missed it, MS If the more typical
keeping of Easter could compare with
that Easter which they have entered
upon.
:" Our lilies bloom and pass away.
But theirs shall live and bloom for ave-"
Marion had made very curious DIS
covery after the steamer had left Pal
crmo. She had found In the folds Of her
dress, as II It had been dropped there,
an antique rlng-a curious arrange-
ment of ancient gems, set in silver,
which she had noticed on the hand of
the American, Mr.. Neff. Her first inn
pulse was to show it 10 her aunt; her
next, to keep 1t as bond between them
until she could forward it to him. Then
the idea occurred to her that he might
have given it 10 her purposely--but no,
she did not think he would have ven
tured 70 do such thing love was
daring, and Marion ended the matter by
forgetting II until she reached home
After that she wore IL as souvenir OF
travel, intending TO return II when It's
owner came home.
But strange thing happened before
that time. During the Lcnten season