Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1901-06-22
very soon she died. because she had
kept her secret SO long it had Just burn
ed her heart ont


ed her heart out.
after that, no one knew how it hal
: lpened, but pretty soon everybody bega
Ito whisper and look queerly at Sert
Iphita when the nurse carried her int
the street, and her father seemed tror
bled, and he talked with the priest an
wanted to pay some more money to tn
church, but they wouldn't have an
more ceremonies for Seraphita, and tn
priests tried TO make the people sto
talking. What they said was mon
sense But it was not nonsense, AM
30 they went on talking among them
selves, and they would take their owl
children out of the way when seraphit,
was old enough to play about.
$50 she grew up all alone except 20
her father and her nurse and the prizes
who went to live in the house, which
showed that the church thought therl
was something in 1t, else why should &
priest 90 and I've ln tns aQpse2
zone day when Seraphtta was out
walking she came across some ltttle
boys who were stoning black kitten
to kill it, for everybody knows thai
black cats belong to the devil And
Seraphita Fan right in among the flying
stones, and not one of them hit her, fol
the devil held his hand between her
and the stones, and she caught up the
devils kitten and Rugged it tight, while
the stones fell at her feet, and the boys
cried out: Devils brat! DEVILS catl' y
"Pepita," said l, "she seemed to me
to have been very nice, soft hearted
little girl"
ooh, no, Sonora Maria Madalena! You
see, black cats belong to the devil, and
If she had had any soul she couldn't
have taken one in her arms.
"She carried It home, and she used to
feed il, and she had to hide it away, be-
cause, of course, nobody wanted to
have devils cat around, and the cat
would run and jump into Seraphfta's
arms whenever she came near, but it
would fly like mad and its hair would
all stand on end when any one else
came around, which shows does 1t not,
that something was wrong? And an
other thing showed that all was not
right with Seraphita: the priest began
to teach, and she learned faster than
any child should. There was an evil
spirit that whispered the words into
her ear, so that she did not have to
study.
"She had power over horses, too, and
If she just put her lips to a horses ear
he would turn and rub his nose on her
face. You see, horses have no soul, and
they knew that Seraphtta hadn't any.
"And, besides that, she always looked
very old and grave when anybody was
near, but when she was alone in the
fields or In the woods she would laugh
out loud, and they could hear her talk
with the birds, for she knew bird Ian
guage, and she would lean over the wa
ter and talk to herself or to the fishes.
Oh, it was true, she had no soul!'
''Well, what became Of herr" / asked
as Pepita paused to emphasize her
statement.
"She grew up so beautiful that siren
gers would stop IN the street and look
at her as she passed, but of course ev-
erybody soon found out all about her,
and then they would not look at her-at |
least they would not look her in the eye
they had charm on"
"Do you mean that she had the evil
eyer"
''Oh, yes! Why, she could make any
one have bad luck just by looking at |
them, and she could make flowers grow |
and blossom and. be more colors than |
any other flowers. She knew she had
the evil eye foT she never went any
where or visited the sick or the poor,
though she had plenty of money. She. |
used to send the priest with food or |
clothes. You see, she knew"
"And what became of poor little Ser
aphitaT
"Why, you see, when she was about
20 years old she was very ill again, and
she lay in trance for three days. The |
doctors wouldn't go near her. and her |
own old nurse had died, and they |
couldn't get any one to take care of her
ill finally the priest sent to the convent
FOR one Of the sisters. She was very
9OOu "Ohluhs anu SAAC WOAS " (AC
house, and, creeping on her hands and
knees so that the devil could not get
hold Of heE, she went right into the
Dom and prayed all night Her pray
rs went straight up to heaven, and she
prayed that Seraphlta might die and
hat before she died her soul should be
given back to her.
"And, Sonora Maria Nadalena, just
Is the sky began to grow pink In the
east and the white mist blew across
he vega and the birds began to call
what do you think happened?
"A beautiful white dove few, into the.
window and alighted on Seraphita's
,reast and, laying IT'S bill close to her
mouth, it breathed soul into her, and
hen the dove Just vanished, and Sera-
Ihita was dead.
'Then, because God had been good to
i'm and had given Seraphfta a soul
gain, her father BUILT an orphan asy-
I'm and called it after her, The Sc
aphita,' and you can see it over there,
nth the SUN shining on It. It looks like
old