The Calumet news., 1912-07-19
OF AUDIENCE
Pen Picture Of Pope Plus x.
Shows His Kindly Nature.
Little Girl at Vatican Who Feared
PentITs Admiration OF Her Bam-
y blno, a Replica Of the
Infant Christ.

Rome.-A delightful picture OF Pope
Plus X, illustrating his profoundly ge-
NAL nature and exhibiting his love of
childhood, is given by John Savile Judd
in an account of an audience with the
pope, one OF those gatherings to which
large contingents OF the faithful are
admitted. Among those waiting In
the audience chamber was little girl
OF perhaps six years old; she stood
next to her mother. who held on a
metal dish figure OF the infant Jesus.
wrapped around as the Italian pea
santry wrap their children today.
The effect of It." said Mr.. Judd.
twas rather as II doll had been
stuffed into a white satin embroidered
pincushion and a cardboard halo add
ed. But the care that had been taken,
the reverence In the care to produce
a bamblno worthy OF a blessing, was
beyond all reproach and abundantly
evident. since the big eyes of the little
girl were constantly raised to the dish,
and now and then little hand reached
up to touch It as IL to make sure that
1t was still there.
Suddenly a chamberlain made a
sign for all to kneel and Plus X. en-
tered, followed by a clerical chamber
lain in a purple cassock. He walked
slowly along the side of the room on
my right and the eight people In the
row that he would come to last were
motioned to stand.
81 scarcely saw his face at first; he
walked as an old man would walk, his
head bowed. He Is seventy-seven
years old. Straight, soft and nearly
| white hair came an inch over the col
| lar of his waste cassock. He gave
such person his hand; each kissed his
ring. He stroked the curly head of
a boy in a sailor suit.
when he walked down the row OPP
posite still could not see his counte-
nance, for the kneeing figures were
facing me and he bent to each OF them
ministeTing.
Then he turned to the row at right
angles to me and came to the woman
holding the metal tray with the bam-
bino In her hand. He touched the poor
embroidery work as If in admiration.
He asked a question, evidently Who
helped to work it?' for he stopped to
the little girl and petted her on the
cheek.
Then he took up the bambino and
asked another question. The mother
got red and made an expression of
acquiescence. But No. no. came from
the little girl. He had surely asked
is this a present that you have
brought for me?' At the child's No,
no. he turned round and threw back
his head and laughed.
what a humorous laugh! I never
knew that a man could laugh so sweet
| ly. He looked old no more. He has
teeth set far apart, lucky teeth. And
his eyes have the kindly wrinkles
about them and love Of children in
them. There, too, was the understand
ing that found ready answer In the
great eyes of the child.
"She smiled back at him; Il was a
joke about taking her bambino: she
had known 1t all the time: she could
trust that face, now grown so calm
and grave as he bent down to her that
she might kiss his ring.
Then the pontiff passed to the two
rooms beyond for few minutes and
came back to us. He noticed specially
as he passed girl of fourteen, and he
stopped and spoke to her, as II to
make up for having made no exception
before.
The audience was over We rose 70
our feet. I looked back along the cor
ridor which led to the private apart
ments, the dining room for the food
that costs him but five francs a day,
the bedroom with the camp bed. and
| caught a last sight OF him. He was
talking to chamberlain covered with
orders and decorations; he was telling
a little story. | saw him shake his
head and put out his hand. He was
mimicking the little girl saying. No,
no. and I saw his gentle, whimsical
smile again."