Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-01-22

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MY darlings, 2 said the countess, at is
time for you to gosto bed"
t The three children-a boy and two
| girls-arose and came forward to kiss
their grandmother. Then they said good
night to NJ. lie cure, who had dined at the
castle, as was his won't on Thursdays.
1 The Able Mauduit sat two Of them
J upon his knees, passing his long, black
robed arms behind the necks of the chill
dren. Bringing their heads together
with paternal movement, he kissed
/ them upon the forehead with long, ten
der kiss. Then he put them down again,
and the little ones withdrew, the boy
i leading, the girls following.
You love children, NJ. lie cure?" said
/ the countess.
VERY much, madame"
/ The old woman raised her clear eyes
! to the priest.
And your solitude has never weighed
heavily upon you
Yes, sometimes" He stopped, hesi-
tated, then added, But was not born
/ for ordinary life.
How do you know :"
oh, I am sure of it. was made for
"a PRIEST have followed my vocation"
The countess still gazcd upon him.
Come, NJ. lie cure, tell me about IT,
! Explain to me how you came to decide to
renounce all those things which make
us love life. all which upholds and con-
soles us. What is it that inpelled you to
Il leave the great natural road of marriage
\ and the family? You are neither hys-
teric, nor fanatic, nor somber nor mel
ancholy. Was it some great grief which
persuaded you to pronounce the eternal
& vows ~
The Able Mauduit rose and went close
to the fireplace. Then he lifted toward
\ the flames the heavy shoes worn by coun-
Il try priests. He seemed to be hesitating
Il before answering.
He was large old man. with white
hair. who for 90 years had been minister
ing to the commune of Saint Antoine du
Iiocher. The peasants used to say OF
him, .sssAh, there's fine man"
He was. in fact, fine nan-~beneyo-
lent. benign, approachable. Like ST.
Martin, he, would have cut cloak in
two He laughed easily and cried at
slight provouasion, like woman, fact
which rather lowered him in the minds
of his Congregation.
The Countess of Saville. who had re-
tired to her chateau to educate her grand
children. cherished a great affection for
her cure and would say Of him. There S
a heart
, He came every Thursday to pass the
evening with the chatelaine. aud they
were bound together in frank and
z wholesome friendship not uncommon "a
old people.
she Insisted Come, NJ. lie cure con,
fess in your turn.
He repeated: Il was not born for IN
7. life Of the world found this on u
4 time, luckily, and have often ASSURED
myself that | was not mistaken.
My parents. who were we'll to q,
:. shopkeepers of yerdiers. cherished ainbi
very young Few people know what
child can suffer in u college in the lnpr
fact of his separation, his isolation. Thi
= life Of routine uniformity, destitute .
tenderness. is good for some, aetestah
for others. Little children often have
more sensitive henri han their elders be
{ lieyc, and when shut up too early IA
! from those whom they love they often de
velnp to excess Il sensitiveness which he
comes high strung, diseased and danger
$ Gus.
{ Il had no comrades: passed my tim,
$ in longing for home: / wspt at night il
/ my bed; | hid my bead in the pillows e
9 reca,ltlre my recollcctions, insignificant
t recolloe,ions of little things, Of littlt
j facts .lwet increasingly upon ali thai
h i Ind left there. | slowly became hyp
{ ochonslrac for whom the ightest mis-
adventures were frightful catasrrophes.
Mithal | remained silent, shut VI
within myself, without expansion, with
/ out corltidants. This mental eNaltation
oiscurey but certainly did its work. 1he
{ nerves Of Children are quickly asitated
i They should be guarded SO as TO live IN
profound peace until their development
j is almost complete. But no one eyer
imasines that for some college boys
4 an unjust punishment may be rs great
/ a sorrow as later will prove tile death
] of a friend Who interests himself III
Knowing that certain young souls expert
ence terrible emotions about nothing and
soon become sick souls, incurable souls:
Such was the case with me. The facult,
: of grief developed itself within me in
such a manner that my whole existence
became Il maityriom.
Il did not talk about It. | said moth,
! ing but little by little my sensiiiveness
. increased until my soul resembled al
!, open wound Everything that touched il
: produced an agony of suffering. Happy
the man whom nature has panoplied
with Indifference ard armed with stole
ism.
II was nov lt;. An excessive tirnidiry
had resulted from this aptitude for suf
fering Feeling myself naked agains,
the attacks of chance or of fate, ! feared
J, all contact. all approaches, all advances
| lived awake as if under the constnn1
menace of some unknown and always
expected sorrow. dared neither tall
nor be myself in public. had n sensa
. ton that life WAS battle, frishtfu
: struggle, in which one receives terribl,
!, blows painful and mortal wounds. In
stead of cherishins as others do happ!
hope for the morrow, ! felt only vagu,
fear of it. n wish TO hide myself TO avois
this combat. in which / should be van
' pushed and BILLED.
My studies being finished, was giyel
! six moaths Of vacation in which t
, choose a career a very simple even
{ caused me suddenly to see clearly int,
: myself, showed me the diseased state o
my mind, made me understand the dan
ger and decided me to fee it.
'Nerdiers is a little town surrounded
. with plains and woods. In the mair
: street lay my parents house. I nov
. passed my days far from this dwelling