Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-12-28


cipitation seeming to say all the time:
Hurry Hurry! The sooner we are
through, the sooner we shall be at the
tablet" The truth was that every
time the bell jingled, the priest for
got his mass and thought of nothing
but the reveill0n. He saw before his
eyes the bustling in the kitchen, the
great freplaces, the steam escaping
from half-open dishes, through this
steam, magnificent turkeys, fairly
bursting with stufhng.
In MS heated imagination, he fol-
lowed the pages into the dining-room
10 delights! there were the immense
tables, loaded and glittering; peacocks,
decorated with their own feathers;
pheasants, spreading their brown
wings, ruby-colored flaskes, pyramids
of fruits shining among green leaves,
and those wonderful fish spoken of by
Garrigou (Ah, yes; GarrigouD lying
on bed of fennel, their scales as
pearly as when they were taken out
of the water, with punches of odorous
herbs in their monstrous gills.
marVels that it seemed to Dom Bala-
guere as if all these dishes were serv-
ed up on the embroidery of the altar
cloth, and two or three times, in place
of DOminus yobiscum he found him
self saying the Benedicite. With the
exception of these slight errors, the
worthy man went through the first
mass very cOnscientiOusly, without
skipping a line or emitting a kneel-
ing. Two more remained to be said.
for as every one knows, on Christmas,
the same priest has to say three
consecutive masses.
"One.' said the chaplain to him
self with a sigh of relief. then, with
cut the loss Of a second, he motioned
10 his clerk, or the one he supposed
to be his clerk, and Ting ling.
-ling!" went the little bell.
The second mass was begun.
At the same time, began Dom BaIa-
guere's sin. Quick! quick. hurry"
cried the sharp voice of Garrigou's
| little bell. and this time, the unfortu-
nate priest, devoured by the demon
Of gluttony, rushed at the missal and
deVOured its pages with the avidity of
an OVer-eXcited appetite. Frantically,
he bowed, raised his head. made the
signs of the cross, the genufexions. 1t
was a mad race between himself and
his assistant to see who could get over
the pages the quickest. Words, pro-
nOunced without opening the mouth,
m ,1n11
| time, ended in unintelligible muir
murs. Like vintagers Fastening to
empty the fruit into the vat, both
| plunged through the Latin of the mass,
| sending splashes in every direction.
All the time the accursed little bell
| kept tinIling in their ears like those
| fastened to the ears of post-horses to
make them gallop the faster. At
! this mad pace, as one may readily
imagine, low mass is soon said.
"TWO!' said the priest, quite out of
breath; then without taking time to
collect himself, red and perspiring,
he FASTENED down the steps of the
altar and, "Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-Iing-
ling" the third mass was begun.
Only a few steps separated them
from the dining-room; but, alas! in
proportion as the time of the reveil-
lon approached, the unhappy Dom felt
himself seized with fury of i'm
patience and gluttOny His visions
! became more and more vivid; the
! golden carp. the turkeys, the trout
were there, then, he could touch them;
! 1e,-O the smoking dishes, the spicy
wine; the little bell cried excitedly:
Faster, faster, faster still"
| But how could he so any faster?
dis lips scarcely moved. He no longer
Attempted to pronounce the words.
To cheat the good Lord outright, to
steal one Of his masses from him, was
what the unworthy priest attempted!
tie began by skipping verse. then
two Then the epistle was too long;
he did not finish it; he just touched
The gospel, passed the creed without a
glance, leaped over the Lords Prayer,
and thus by jumps and bounds, hast
ened to eternal damnation, followed by
the infamous GarrigOu, who seconded
MIN with a wonderful completely, lifted
his ch8Suble, turned the leaves two at
a time, tipped over the desks. upset
the chalice, and shook the little bell
harder and harder, faster and faster.
One should have seen the consterna-
ton on the faces of the audience!
Compelled to follow by the priests
gestures alone, this mass of which
they did not understand a single
word some rose while the others
knelt, sat while the others stood, 60
inG through this singular service in
the greatest variety of attitudes.
The father goes too fast; we can
not keep up with him." murmured
the old dowager in disapprovaI. Mas
ter ArnotOn, his great steel-bowed
Ispectacles on his nose, fumbIed his
prayer-book, seeking the place in vain.
All the good people in the back OF
the church, however, themselves
thinking of the reveillon, were not
sorry that the mass travelled at this
rate of speed: and when Dom BaIa-
guere, with a beaming cOuntenance
turned to the audience and cried al
the top of his voice: tie missa est
with one accord, all responded with a
Dec gratias so joyful, so heartfelt
that one could imagine himself al
i ready at the table at the first toast OF
the reveillon.
III
Five minutes later, the throng were
seated in the banquet hall
the chaplain in their midst. The cha
teau resounded with mirth, and the
II L..