St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-04-04

sIfl!E
ffNE%nzwI1II- ARION ARMITAGE
afEKRYfpAA opened her eyes
f@ SHH on Easter morn
4 ~ ~ ing and found
~ ~ that the steamer
on which she was a 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 beats 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 a fisherman in a
red shirt. whose sunburned face was
like the pictures of scriptural type, and
who was lazy enough TO be. o survivor
d his Gallileean prototypes. As the
pal>,v landed they were greeted every
whefs with the Easter sa1tltation:
e "Surrexito He is risen). 81
And they joined in the antiphonal
response.
'Vere surrexit" (He is risen, indeed).
= For this was their Sunday of joy, the
queen Of festivals. Bel1s were ringing,
.salutes were fred 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 honorea for
nearly 1000 years, and Marion, who
had visited st. Marks on d similar oc-
casion, felt that this union Of elements
in such. an atmosphere of symbolic
worship, combined with an intense,
rapt deviation, had in it sincerity
which the service Of the great ca
thedraIs lacked ssssssts
81 In Palermo, Easter seemed enshrined
as. In her own stronghold, and when the
little party entered the old English
church empowered in its tropical verd-
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.
II anyone had whispered to her that
like the tabled bird Of the Persians she
was about to find the winged mate of
her wingless soul, heneeforth ito sail
through all the heavens widet' 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 ehanted 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 notdisturb her. The good
woman had not noticed the proximity
Of the agreeable stranger and was ready
to sfrown him down, and was as tactless
I'm her methods as hehead of the school
procession who turned to her young
ladies with the command:
Don't Iookl Shut your eyes and
keep them closed There's q 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 connatriot. And
he was charming man to knoW-ine
manners and a devotional spirit. SO he
won both aunt and niece. There was
only this day to see Palermo and it's
wonders, and Philip Neff accompanied
them 10 the steamer and said good-by.
And they did not know whether he was
q single or a married. man, ard Marion
had only q bunch OF flowers and alava
which he had bought for
triffe, and dropped into her lap. with
siiSs W aossefs Do haa lsdstefs 0fIefing.f#
- on have made g joyful Easter for
me, he had said, and asked permission
to call upon her. when he returned in
q years time to his home ID America.
was IN the great city where She
lived herself.
7 will expect You next Easter she
bad said. gayly, and with that they
parted.