San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-06
Continued from Page ~

dEdllAs bul ilO Otit ilctu
no one had let or hindered her.
Some seemed in doubt as to
whether she was or was not an
apparition. The cloak of celestial
blue robed her from narrow shout
ders to naked heels. Her head
was held as erect as a princess's,
and she had the look of person
wrapped in a cloud. If she had
displayed tatters she would prob
ably have been molested-even
pelted-but the rich cloak insured
reverence. And then it seemed,
too, that she might vanish into thin
air at a touch.
She looked up toward the out
ward-leaning devils. Were they
really her associates? They were
very hideOus, though of horrible
chcerfulnesS. IL could not be
bad thing to have creatures of that
sort siding with one-everybody
was afraid of them. One needed
friends. The warmth of the
cloak was delicious. 1t was ex-
quisite not to be shivering. The
curious confidence that filled her
was unreflecting and her breath
ing was calm and even. She was
destined to love the young lord
and be lifted up above all the
townspeople.
A profound undertone of sound,
solemn. like subdued thunder, ap-
peared to dimly shake the towering
stones. II rolled out like a volume
of slow. dark water from the prin-
cipal portal of the church. Lofty
was this portal, and the inward
opening double doors of iron-bound
oak were set wide. Dusky it was
also as the entrance to a cavern,
and a double row of saints guarded
it. A blind man was seated at the
side of it, and next him dreadful,
earth-colored beggar woman, part
~ devoured by a cancer. The
mans palm was upturned for
aims. The organ note rolled past
them and over them with soft thun-
ders and tramplings and the drone
of wings.
Sidonia had never entered the
great church. The stone saints did
not appear unfriendly-they were
n blandly expressionless company,
enwreathed with gracious foliage
wherein little forest animals
lurked. She slowly mounted the
three shallow steps, stood mo-
ment, and then, like a person who
under some obscure compulsion en-
tiers a place of danger, went for
ward into the heavy and cavernous
gloom. SO great was her conf
dence in the strong arm of Satan
that a mere automatic impulse of
curiosity had led her into the mys-
FERROUS citadel of God.
The drone of the organ sank in
dying vibrations like dark waters
into dark moss. Chill. Awe. A
close-huddled assemblage that yet
gave one a feeling of solitude, for
It was intent upon other matters
dim, tense, curiously immobile
mass. Yet it was compact of
variety of little sounds and move
ments-breathy whispers as beads
were fumhled, snuffles, a stifled
sob, the whine of an infant. But
the silence was reality-it pressed
downward like the weight of a
hand.
Sidonia lifted her eyes. The
vague, springing columns resem-
bled branching trees that had been
petrified by a spell. Sunset light
was sprinkled high above-violet,
ruby and amber. She withdrew
her gaze and looked straight for
ward athwart the dusk that filled
the cavern.
There was a nest of lights-the
starry yellow of scores of clus-
tered candle flames. It was a
galaxy-soft and glittering. twas
the high altar. This was the
House of God. In its own way It
was beautiful as the heart of a
gloomy pine wood, as night, as
morning and evening. And no
hurt had come to her since she
softly entered.
Everyone was kneeling; no one
stood erect. With the instinct of
the animal which identifies itself
with its surroundings in order to
avoid notice. Sidonia also went
down upon her knees. Not that
she was nervous or doubtful, but,
in the hunted, instincts act auto
matically.
Like the voices of regiment Of
male spirits somewhere in middle
space, the voices of the full choir
broke across the cold and murky
hush. that was Favored with in
cense as heavy as pine wood with
resin. 1t was a proclamation Of
wondering triumph-of reverent
JOY. Dim faces were upturned,
whispering lips moved faster. It
reached an apex, then folded its
wings and dropped, plummet-wise,
into silence. A bell tingled-little
but clear. Sidonia thought of the
bells hanging from the necks Of
sheep straying in the forest.
The heads of all were bowed.
They struck their breasts with their
doubled fists. Within a few feet
OF SidOnia a cloahed girl with dis
heveled hair, who had been weep
ing with hands pressed over her
face, cast herself forward upon the
stone floor and remained so.
The expectant tension in the
gloom was painful. Something Of
tremendous importance was about
10 happen. The festival bshble of