Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-12-20

Yes, my lord, in your folds"
How much do you earn"
THAT depends. Three sous a day
poor season"
rs that all?"
we live on that, my mother ard I,
or, rather we do not quite waste
away"
Poor people," escaped the lips of
the young girl.
There was so much kindness in her
tone that the boy Francois was great
ly touched He gazed earnestly at
the fine young lady. who felt for them
such ready sympathy, and thought how
greatly she must be beloved. The
storm ceased suddenly. 1t hardly
seemed to rain at all. so fine was the
fall and so gentle. The marquis call
ed to his coachman, who brought the
carriage to the doorstep. the lanterns
We're relit and all was ready for the
departure.
Come, Jeanne my darling" called
the marquis. Let us return to the
castle"
Jeanne mufled herself again IN
her fur mantle and lace hood but be-
fore leaving the poor abode of ia
Margaridetto." she pressed into the
hand of Francois a piece of gold-the
first that had ever glittered in that
wretched howell The next day and
the next Jeanne de SicaTd, daughter
of the lord of Palificat. went to see
the poor sick woman, and there was
no longer any lack of care or com
fort at the cottage. But Marguerite,
l. - fgl~ h,1n
sufferings and privations. could not re-
cover, and a month later died in the
arms of her son. Francois, and left
him an orphan.
Francois swore an oath of eternal
gratitude to Jeanne. Thanks to the
charity of the young girl his mother
had not died in the black misery which
had killed her. but surrounded by all
the comforts of those better off. On
her side, Jeanne. touched by the
gentle manners. the courtesy of the
young shepherd, did not mean to neg
lect him, and placed him, through
her father, in the convent of the ia
collins at Toulouse, where he was
made oblate,-the highest Office given
at that time to young peasant. He
would be educated in the convent,
and later according to his own wish
es and intelligence. would become a
lay brother or a priest.
During the winter of 1889. which
followed the admittance of Francois
to the convent, Jeanne de Sicard came
to live at Toulouse. Every Sabbath
she attended high mass at the chapel
of the convent, where great crowds
gathered to hear celebrated preach
nd to h., NH nb
were celebrated with a pomp which
could be witnessed in no other con
vent in the city Francois performed
his role of acolvte or of thurifer in
these ceremonies, carrying the great
candelabra or balancing the cen
SER whose fumes filled the chapel
with delicious odor. Often also he
accompanied the priest whose duty
it was to take the collection from the
congregation. In passing Jeanne dc
Sicard the young oblate could moi
resist glancing at his young benefact
or, and she herself made a sign, i'm
perceptible to others, but which die
not escape the young man.
Each Sunday during the winter this
little by-play was repeated, but wheI
spring came again Jeanne returned t.
her castle at Palificat at Croix-Dau
rade, and the poor little monk passed
and repassed in vain the church war
denis pew which she had occupied
he did not see her again, and HI
felt a great sadness. so much thu
more acute because he could not con
fide it to any one.
The month of February, 1890, arriv
ed, and with it the decree of the con
stituent Assembly, which repealed
ecclesiastical vows and opened wild
the doors of the convent. A grea
number of priests were eager to prof
by the liberty offered them by tn
Revolution. They broke their vows
shaved their boards and threw asid
their robes to enter civil life.
Francois, who had been receive
as a novice having reached his lot
j year, did not feel strong call to re
J ligious life, and so he also left tn
convent, and found himself, one beau
tiful March day, on the streets o
J Toulouse, free, possessing only tn
few francs that had been given t
each monk forsaking the order.
But what could he do, without pal