The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-04-04


on which she was a passenger he.d an
ehored in the beautiful Bay of Palermo.
Dressing herself with hurried care, she
went on deck and saw the City of the
Sun, with its 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 ehaperon 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 a survivor
of his Gallileean prototypes. AS the
party landed they were greeted every
where with the Easter salutation:
'SurreXit' (He is risen).
And they joined in the antiphonal
response.
We're surrexit" (ITe 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. It was
the day the Sicilians had honored for
nearly 1000 years, and Marion, who
had visited St. Marks on a similar &C.
casion, felt that this union of elements
In such an atmosphere of symbolic
worship, combined with an intense,
rapt devst ton, had in it a 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 uncovered in its tropical verdi
ure, with roses and oranges clustering
together, Marion felt an indescribable
peace steal into her heart, as if she had
reached the summit of happiness.
If anyone had whispered to her that
like the tabled bird of the Persans she
was about to find the winged mate Of
her wingless soul, henceforth "to sail
through all the heavens wide in per-
feet union, she would have believed;
therefore, when a devotional man, an
American like herself, moved to make
room for her, then shared his book with
her and chanted a 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
10 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 a 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 a townsman of her
own, and he introduced him on the
strength of being a compatriot. And
be was a charming man to lnow-fne
manners and a 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 10 the steamer and said good-by.
And they did not know whether ne was
a single or marrieA man, ard Marion
had only a bunch of flowers and a lava
ornament. which he had bought for
trife, and dropped into her lap with
the flowers as an Easter offering.
"You have made a joyful Easter for
me-" he had said, and asked permission
to call upon her when he returned in
a years time 10 his home In America,
which was in the great city where she
lived herself.
- win expect you next Easter" she
had SAID, gayly, and with that they
parted
A Jetr-how short, "Why, IL WIS