The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-04-02

chored 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, aud the white
marble marina outside with it's great
length stretching towards Pellegrini,
and the picturesque boats dancing in
the harbor. besieging the steamer for
The chapcron of the party. Mrs. For
tune, was also the aunt of Marion, and
she engaged one of the boats, after
much haggiing with a 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:
''Sur1exit" (He is risen).
And they joined in the antiphonal
response.
"Vere surrexit" Gle is risen, indeed).
For this was their Sunday of Joy, the
queen of festivals. Eells were ringing,
ea]utes 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 q similar &C.
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 OWL stronghold, and when the
little party entered the old English
church EMPOWERED in its tropical verdi
gre, 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 Persians she
was about to find the winged mate Of
ller wingless soul, henceforth ITO 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
to frown him down, and was as tactless
I in her methods as the head Of the school
procession who turned to her young
ladies with the commands:
. Don't looki 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.
Z Was Marion to be Elaine, and ''lovc him
!. with the love that was her DOOM" We
hear of such fatalities in the comedy Of
life. 49,.
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 4 compatriot. And
he was charming man to know-fine
manners and 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
. single or a married man, and Marion
had only bunch of flowers and lava
ornament. which hn had bought for q
trifle. and dropped into her lap with
the flowers as an Easier Offering.
4 ''..You have made .. joyful Easter for
me- he had said. and asked permission
to call upon her when he returned in
sa years time to his home in America,
which was in the great city where she
Z lived herself.
81 will expect you next Easter" she
4 had sad. gayly. and with that they
parted. -... 80.
pa year-how short! "Why, it was