The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-17

! day L Gle-
/ She ended with wave of her hand
/ like one that cheers q Well beloved
flag wien the victorious troops are
/ coming in. The woman interested me
vastly. She also spoke like one who
had fought and triumphed.
The warder spoke again.
Her husband goes free She speaks
/ the truth. He is indeed suspected of
/ being a free cOmpaniOn-but that IS
small crime among these barbarOus
/ hills till a man is caught. l saw him
I in the market place today with con-
| tadina-a country madden
What? Say that again!" shrieked
! the woman, springing forward. Her
/ eyes We're deadly and defiant all at
The man went on without taking
any notice.
I with maiden of 10 or Il years
very beautiful; in truth, a Madonna
! child"
All, my little Margheritar cried
the woman, laughing a little, but with
/ the tears running down her cheeks,
why did l fear? 1t was my own little
lass-but ali, misericordia, they will
not come and see me-the prisoner the
murderess."
She dashed her bare hands up to her
cheeks, and with the sallOw, prison
blanched fingers she hastily brushed
away the running tears.
But it is better not-a felOn mother
-ah, God, one fOrsaken of the saints.
She viii think me that, and she viii
not even remember me in her White
pra yerS.'
! motiOned the warden to shut the
door. l could not abide her grief The
inspector dragged me on to its close.
Tier after tier, corridor after corridor,
l passed in review; but do what 1
could, 1t was not in my power to shut
out that lovely tear-stained face, into
/ which had not yet come that look of
quick-coming age which arrives so
early for our southern women. The
eyes haunted me, and I caught myself
wishing that l might again behold
Maria PerrOne, the murderess. wife Of
Leo the bandit and free companion.
However, 1 resisted the desire 10 re-
turn TO her cell, being we'll aware that
the officials of an Italian prison would
set my interest in the woman down
to another motive than a disintereSted
desire 10 investigate prisoners com
plants.
Presently, weary of the babble of
SyndicS and councillors, / excused my
self and sauntered out into the town.
Groups of broad-hatted country folk
were scattering homeward. Every
road out of the little city was filed
with the small Wide-hOrned Apulian
oxen, dragging slowly the OK carts,
with their straw tanks like great cups
mounted upon them, into which be-
ribboned girls and laughing lads
crowded with jest and infinite laugh
tiers.
As 1 proceeded I saw that there was
a great stir in the direction % the
cathedral. Women stood chattering
about the doors, beggars We're edsing
and Glowing for places nearest to the
entrance, Vergers were striking a.
them with their official slaves. as often
as the unlicensed encrOached on the
sacred pavement space of the porch
1t was evidently d great ceremonial,
and, though mostly l am of the SCI
dier's religion, which, they say, is that
OF the girl he is counting. I had not
lost my interest IN the noble ana i'm
presSiVe pOmpS with which Mother
Church keeps her hold upon the chill
dren of the SOuth-lOVerS Of color and
tinsel every one.
Dofing my soldiers hat, 7 went in
The evening sun streamed through rich
and ancient loZenges. Colored marble
Of delicatest inlaid work Slittered with
gold and silver. Laps laZul and
veined porDhyry overlaid the tawny
traVerrine Of the pillars like jewels on
q brides neck.
A great procession was sweeping up
the aisle toward the aItar-the Car
dinal Carrara, prince of the church,
nephew of the pope. bowling his keen,
aScetic churchman's face over his
princely scarlet. Foster son of the
hereto Waldense valleys as I was.
Gallo in any religion as the req shirts
of Sicily had made me- Z soon found
myself on my knees. All. [ am wiser
now. I think more of religion and its
utilities now than I did in the sixties.
Religion comes TO most healthy men
with the stiffening joints, or the first
touch of lumDagO in the back.
l leaned against a pillar and watched.
As the sun sank, it shown more di-
rectly in through the great western
window. The broad golden stream put
out the candles, so that it was only
in the chapels that one could see them
dot the gloom with their pale silver
flakes. The organ pealed out The
young voices il the choir mounted
higher each as it were climbing UP OF
the shoulders of the other till theF
seemed to break q way through the
seven heavens up to the throne Of
very God. Then deeDer voices some
where in the dusk behind chanted the
Miserere, and a wind. scented with
incense, passed over the bowed heads
Of the worshippers. All these rcmps
passed me by, like a tale heard when
one IS asleep, till my eyes rested on a
man who stood by the next pIller to
Accustomed to command as I was.
knew as soon as my eyes rested upon
the man that here before me stood a
man accustomed from his youth to the
mastery of his fellows. A mere peasant
ne seemed-tall, swarthy, with strongly
arched, Well-baSed, rather thick RO-
man nose Of the provinces, dark eyes
that flashed dangerously from beneath /
bushy eyebrows which almost joined in |
the midst, strong hands which grasped /
the pillar as though, like Samson. 10
bring the temple of the Philistines I
about our ears. He was dressed in dark /
corduroy, and iG the hand nearest TO /
me he held a plumed hat whose eagles /
feathers swept the floor.
When once 1 had permitted my eyes
10 rest upon the man l could look at /
nothing else, so greatly did his per- /
impress me.
But as | continued to gaze I saw
that the strong, rugged face outlined /
against the pillar was convulsed. He |
was not watching the priests as they
moved to and fro before the altar. /
The red-robed priest of Holy church |
sat thrOned above him, and he never
9ianced his way. But the mans eyes
are on the great hanging cross and on
the agonized figure of the crucifled on
the altar.
His liDs moved. His hands twitched
conNulsively. His plumed hat dropped
on the floor. Clearer and
clearer rang the voices of the choris-
ters.
The duomo darkened. The night was
settling in gloomily with cloud and
wind from the gulf The splashed pur-
pie and scarlet from the west window
I