Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-06
EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER.

EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER.
a FTER my mothers death there
| ~ was no place left for me in
my fathers house.
Betsy Beauty (who was now called
Miss eBtsy and gave herself more
| than ever the airs OF the daughter
Of the family occupied half her days
with the soverness who had been en-
gagged to teach her, and the othei
half in driving, dressed in beautiful
clothes, to the houses OF the gentry
| rounda bout.
| Messy Macleod, called the young
mistress, had become my father
secretary, and spent most of her time
| In his private room, a privilege
| which enlarged her pride without
| improving her manners.
Martin Conrad | did not see, for la
reward for some success at schoo
the doctor had allowed him to spend
| his Easter holidays In London IL
order TO look at Nansen's ship IN,
Fran, which had just then arrived
| In the Thames.
Hence it happened that though
| home made a certain tug at me,
with it's familiar sights and sounds
and more than once | turned with
timid steps toward my fathers busy
room, Intending to say, Please,
| father, don't send me back -
| school" | made no demur when, six
| or seven days after the funeral Aunt
| Bridget began to prepare for my de-
| parture,
There's odds Of women" said
| Tommy the Mate, when ] went Into
Ithe garden to say good-by to him.
| They're like Sleeps broth, is WON
men If there's head and a heart In
them they're good. and II there isn !
you might as we'll be supplng ho'
water Our Big Woman Is hot water
but she'n die for all
| Within q for might ! was back q
| the Convent, and there the Heverefil
Mother atoned to me for every neg
iect
| II knew YOU would come back d
me-" ehe said. and from that horr
onward she seemed to be trying -
make up to me for the mother had
| lost.
| | became deeply devoted TO her.
As a CONSEQUENCE her spirit became
NV shirt and, little by little, the
| religions eide OF the life of the Con-
vent took complete possession of me,
Years Go BY.
| At tfrst I loved the church and lis
services because the Reverend Mother
| loved them, and perhaps also for the
| sake of the music, the Incense the
| flowers and the lights on the altar;
| hut after | had taken my communion,
| Tho mysteries OF our religion TOOK
| hold OF me--.the Confessional with It's
| sense OF cleansing and the unutter-
| bic sweetness of the Mass.
| For a long time there was nothing
| 10 disturb this religious side OF my
mind. My father never sent for me,
and as often as the holidays came
round the Reverend Mother took me
with her 10 her country home AT
Nemi
That was beautiful pace--a sweet
white cottage. some twenty kilome~
| 'ers from Rome, at the foot of Monte
| 7avo. in the middle OF the remains
| # a medieval village which contained
| 1 castle and a monastery, and had
title blue lake lying like an emerald
| among the green and red of the grass
| and peoples in the valley below.
! in the hot months of summer the
| place was like a Paradise to me, with
| it's roses growing wild by the way
side; its green lizards running on the
| rocks; It's brown faced boys in vel
vet and its eleesome girls in smart
red petticoats and gorgeous outside
| stays; It's shfines and It's blazing sun
sets, which seemed TO gtrdle the heaV-
ems with quivering bands OF purple
and gold.
Years went by without me being
| aware Of their going. for after while
became entirely happy
heard frequently from home DC
casionallv II was from Betsy Beauty,
who had not much to say beyond sto.
| ries of balls at Government House
where she had danced with the young
| Lord Raa, and of hunts at which she
| had ridden with him More rarely Il;
WAS from Aunt Bridget. who usually
| began by complaining OF the ever lin
| Creasing cost of my convent clothes,
and ended with accounts of her
| daughters last new costume and how
well she looked in IT,
From Messy Macleod and my faith
er | never heard at all, but Father
Dan was my constant correspondent,
and he told me everything.
First Of my father himseif-that he
had carried out many Of his great en-
terprises, his marine works electric
| railways drinking and dancing pal
| aces, which had brought tens of thou
sands of visitors and hundreds of
| thousands of pounds TO ELAN, though
| the good Father doubted the advan-
| tage of such innovations and lament
ed the decline of piety which had fol-
| lowed on the lust for wealth,
| Next pf Aunt Bridget-that she was
bringing up her daughter in the ways
OF worldly vanity and cherishing n
serpent IN her bosom (meaning Messy
MacLeod) who would poison her
heart some day
Letter From Home.
Next OF Tommy the Mate--that he
sent his best respects" to the an
| missy" but thought she was we'll out
Of the way of the Big Woman who
WAS getting tina, highly tightly" that
| you couldn't say Tom to a cat be-
fore her but she was agate Of you TO
| nla ~ Thntnnns y