The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-13

MS love Tor nature MS keen observation
and innate sense of beauty, delighting in
colors and grand scenery.
You should have seen the frs and oak
trees growing half way up the mountain
top, there are no finer in Italy. he cried
tine and again indeed it looks as II some
CT them had watched St. Francis come and
so TO this sanctuary.
We spent an enjoyable evening listening
70 Cardinal Pecci. who was in a romiuis-
cent mood. His tour i'm the mountains had
called up memories Of his youthful days.
when he spent every moment he could
spare from his studies in Gods temple. as
he expressed himself.
Next morning we found that the tenn
perature had undergone a sudden change.
1t had grown cold for the season and the
rain came down in torrents. There was 10
use Of trying TO get away. neither was
there anything we could do save hearing
mass and looking out of the window. for
the monks possessed no library. and, the
majority of them being uneducated men,
didn't know how to make conversation.
Cardinal Pecci did not like it al all; TO
waste a whole day I'm idleness without
amusement or mental recreation of any
sort seemed sinful to him. We were feel
ing uncomfortable, besides, being dressed
for the summer. while a cold wind was
whistling through the windows and cracks
i'm the doors.
Observing the plight we were i'm. the alb
bot finally ordered the fires lit in the great
hall and invited us to gather about the
chimney places, where immense logs
burned, filling the air with the sweet fra
GRANGE Of pine. Cardinal Pecci then asked
the monks 10 snow us specimens of their
handicraft. and we killed some more time
by admiring the botanic and stone collec-
tions some of the brothers possessed. But.
luncheon over. the question, What shall we
begin? presented itself anew and Cardinal
Pecci then began TO get really impatient.
Every little while he jumped up. went TO
the window and looked out And as he sat
down again he would murmur half to him
self. Imprisoned for good-not an inch of
blue heaven.
PROPOSING A GAME.
at last somebody have forgotten who
proposed game of cards. looked at my
friend. famed and even a little feared for
his severity and strictness. but the SUI
preme pontiff that was to be had only the
kindllest of smiles for the man who at
E
not?' he said before anybody could protest.
Any amusement is preferable to idleness.'
At the same time he looked inquiringly at
the abbot, but the reverend gentleman
shook his head. 1t was against the regu-
lations to keep playing cards or other
games in the monastery. But 1 will ask
the lay brothers. he said anxious to please
his Eminence; one of them may know
7 nh 81
few minutes later he returned with n
novice, who said that a grocer named
Perdutto living lower down the noun
tain and reDuted to be passionate gam
pler. could probably oblige the distin-
guished party. While the young man went
to see Perdutto the cardinal inquired of
those present what games they knew. AS it
happened. the two bishops and myself had
| repeatedly INDUCED in poker, at that time
something quite new-in Italy, at least
The American game cried Count Pecci
of which L have heard so much And
addressing me- ne added: You must ex-
plain it to me. I know most other games
and would like to try my hand on ths!'
Il talked straights,' Pushes full
hands, -four of kind and four straights
open at both ends for half an hour and
the cardinal paid as much attention to
me as if 1 had been explaining some great
/ scientific problem. 1 didn't finish until
our messenger was back. who brought
the most disreputable pack of cards that
it is possible to imagine 'Zoundsr cried
| Cardinal Pecci. whose good humor had
returned. if it was not dire blasphemy
I should imagine they had been in use since
| the days of ST. Francis
| PLAYERS WORE GLOVES.
Saying this. his Eminence put on his
| gloves. the rest of US making haste to fol-
low his example.
well, the cards were dirty, they smeled
rank, but were serviceable and we got some
good fun out of them. With their aid
| We passed a most pleasant afternoon, and
! when night came sat down to supper with
keen appetites and bright wits. Cardinal
Pecci especially was in high glee, he had
won almost every game and talked about
/ value of the hands, 'jack-pots,' cutting
and 'fuIls' like veteran.
HOW HE PLAYED.
How did he play?" repeated his emf
nence; like he does everything-has done
| everything throughout his long life I. his
/ teacher in the poker game. became his
/ pupil almost the moment we took up the
cards. Whether he always played correct
| ly do not know. 1 never was an expert
but do remember that, rightly or wrongly,
| he played with such an air of mastery
that all submitted To his rulings without
| protest.
His whole mind seemed to be i'm the
/ game. he never uttered an unnecessary
word while we were playing and his sug-
gestions and announcements were almost
| like orders. When we had finished he
4 took waste basket from under the library
| table, emptied his pile in it and handed
it TO the abbot with the words, For your
/ poor, Father Angelina
Cardinal ParocchO concluded as follows:
/ "All told. the future Pope won six games
out far from attracting him, this remark
able success induced him to shun that
sort of recreation ever afterwards He
played poker once and never again; he told
me himself years after our meeting at
the hOspitable sanctuary. I got too much
interested he said. and there being so
many useful things 10 do, could not afford
/ TO let the thing grow on me. The busy
man will do we'll 10 abandon a sport that
engrosses his mind after he is through
with it. L. AUGUSTUS.
THE OLD RHUBARB JAR.