New Ulm review., 1901-08-21
IN GRANADA
The Story
of SouIIess Child.
BY MADELEINE YALE WYNNB.

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"Pepita," said I, "do tell me a story. .
"Senora Maria Madalena, would you
,, like to hear about Seraphita? She was
born in Granada. That was 100 years
ago. She was born in a high place.
Her mother was of a great family, and
her father was great, too, but he was
very wild, and Seraphita was the pref
tiest thing that ever was born in Gran
ada. Everybody said so, and her moth
er used to think that the sun rose on
the east side Of her little bed and set on
| the west.
'The days ran merrily till Seraphita
was 4 months old. Then she died.
Her mother had so much heart grief
| that she lost her wits. For one whole
day she sat, cold and still, without a
tear, and then she cried aloud and be-
gan to tear out handfuls of her smooth
black hair, and it was great pity, for
her hair was black and long and glis-
tened like satin. She was called the
satin haired. But she forgot how
beautiful she was. and she would not
eat anything or even sleep.
| Two nights after Seraphita died and
was lying as white and beautiful as an
angel, with wax candles at her head
/ and feet and with a white flower in her
hand. her mother went quietly into the
room and sent the old nurse who was
watching over Seraphita away. Then
she closed the door and threw herself
on her knees and prayed so hard that
her prayers could not get up to heaven,
for they were more like curses than
prayers, and, Sonora Maria Madalena,
it is not good to pray like that. One
must not send up prayers that are not
fit to go to heaven, for then st. Peter
shuts the gates of heaven, and the
prayers go wandering up and down in
the great spaces of air, where there Is
no one to answer them.
s0The devil, who is everywhere but in
heaven, came to her and asked, with a
very sweet voice, for he can use any
voice he likes, What is it that Seraphi-
ta's mother is praying for?
L want my child back. I want her
in my arms that are so empty and my
/ heart that aches so.'
"And then the devil told her. I do
not know exactly how he told her, but
he made her know that he could give
Seraphita back to her just as she had
been, with her rosy cheeks and her
black eyes and her pretty black hair,
/ which was going to be like her moth
er's. He could do this, only he could
not give her soul back. She must be
always without soul.
"And Seraphita's mother talked with
the devil, for her wits were gone, and
she did not know right from wrong,
and she promised anything if he would
only give her baby back to her again,
even without any soul. And the devil
very politely said he did not want any
thing to be given to him., He was glad
to give the child back so long as she
did not ask for the soul.
"And then while the mother looked at
Seraphita the pink came into the ba-
] by's cheeks, and she smiled, and then,
because her joy was so great, the moth
er cried out loud, and her voice could
be heard way down in the street. Then
everybody came running in to see what
was the matter, and the father was so
/ happy he carried Seraphita again to the
church, and they had another ceremo-
ny, and this time he paid even more
gold, and there was great fiesta in
/ Granada.
'fYou see, nobody but the mother
knew that only Seraphita's body was
there, that she hadn't any soul and new
er could have one; only the mother
knew, and she could not be happy.
.She grew very thin, and her smooth
satin hair turned white on top just
where the devil had laid his hand, so
she wore a veil, even in the house, and
she hid her eyes as if she was afraid,
and she prayed day and night. Nobody
knew what she prayed, because she did
not dare to tell even her husband.
| "By and by she grew so afraid and
sad because Seraphita somehow didn't
seem to her any more like her own
child. She was like a beautiful wax
doll, but she was not wax, and she
| looked just like herself to everybody
else, only to her mother she seemed
strange, and she could not get the
warm love back into her heart, even
though she pressed Seraphita to her
bosom night and day.
The little baby grew in spite Of that,
and she grew prettier and prettier all
the time. Everybody loved her except
her mother, and that was just what the
devil wanted.
The day Seraphita was a year old
her mother could not bear it any lon
ger, and she went to her priest and
confessea to him all about it, and then