St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-09-03
ST. Peter,s Mother.
Translated for the CALIFORNIAN from book
by Stephen Liegcard. by Charles Fair
hanks ESQ of Nice France.

Translated for the CALIFORNIAN, from book
by Stephen Liegeard by Charles Fair
banks, Esq of Nice, France.
"a Travers I Engadine-La Valteline-
lie Tyrol du Sud ct les Laos de I Italie
Superieure-Le Lacde Garde-En Bateau
d Vapeur--de Riva Dasengano."
As we went aboard OF the steamer, the
collector came around to take the fare
for crossing the lake. The amount
seemed reasonable enough, but among
the passengers there was countryman,
apparently of the peasant class, who
demurred at the price and tried for a
long time to get better terms, but was
at last obliged to pay in full, though at
the cost of many signs and groans.
AS the collector went away, he MUIR
INJURED in low voice: "He is as stinpy
and mean as St. Peters mother" This
remark piqued my curiosity. ! arose,
and going near to the captain, asked him
what it meant.
What Monsieur is it possible you
don't know that tradition ?"
"Not at all, said |, will you have the
goodness, to inform me?"
Every willingly. The mother Of st.
Peter was as parsimonous and stngy,
as she was grabbed and cross.
"She never gave anything, nor even lent
anything. One day, however, when she
was washing some salad in the brook,
the swift current carried away one leaf
of it, and when she saw it go beyond
the hope Of recovery, she gave vent to
this pous exclamation: Float away,
then, in the name of God J.
But this was the first and last time
she ever allowed anything to pass out OF
her hands. When she died. the lot of all
grasping misers overlook her.
'She was refused admittance into
heaven. This decree was cruel one to
the son who holds the keys to paradise.
He prayed, he implored God to let his
mother participate in the happy eternity.
But the Father Almighty replied: You
don't consider St. Peter, you don't stop
to consider. II your mother enters into
heaven, all other souls will insist upon
entering also, and that's just impossible
st. Peter, however, did not allow him
self to be discouraged. He begged and
importuned, and returned TO the charge
so often that the merclul God finally
said: Listen to me, st. Peter; your
mother during all her long life grasped at
everything she could get hold of, and
chung to it. The only thing that ever
escaped her grasp was a little leaf of let
tuce, which was carried away by the
running brook. Ifyou can succeed, with
this leaf, in drawing her up to heaven,
very WELL she shall remain there
1.-THE excellent son leaped with joy.
Without losing moment he ordered the
soul of his mother to fasten hold of the
leaf. which was instantly done.
"Hc then began to pull with all his
might, and had almost gained his point,
when suddenly the very thing which the
good God had predicted came to pass.
A number of her neighbors-that is, their
souls in pure atory-hoping to share the
prize with her. thought they couldn't do
better than to catch at the precious let
tuce and hold on. The mother thereupon
felt her old jealousy revive within her.
She desired to enter into paradise-only
she wanted to enter alone. Therefore
she did her utmost to shake off her neigh
bors, and struggled so furiously that in
the end the leaf was torn in two, and all
the unhappy sous-the old mother in
cluded-tumbled off into space, and were
lost forever.
"Et VOLTA" Monsieur, said the Cap
tain, that was how the gate of heaven
was closed to the mother of St. Peter"