Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1894)
18 THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SUNDAY. MAY 20 , 180-I-TWENTY PAGES. GORDON KHNETT1894 * rs or pitP.ciniN : < i OHAPTIHS. : C'hnpter -The npenlnR wen" of "r/iunl i" M Itt a crowdi-d ( hlnl-clnm CHIef the "whlto trnln. " which rnrrlesi Hie very lllc nllsrlnn from Purl * to iMiirilm. It la nt diinrlno of a hot AiiKilit ilny , promlnlnR to m.ike the ln r fy very unt oinforlnblr. that the trnln ntnrts. The Melt urn proppctl up on the benches or stretched on nrntlrmneii. HIP < nr look Ilko n honpltnl wnrd , with Blxten of the Amuinptlun In rnch eompnrt- meiii uctlnn n numr * The windows nre kept cloned"nd the nlr In very fuiil. Amonc the pil grims In ffnrlo do Ouorcnlnt , a pallidly beautiful younu woman1 who for yenr him hail to Ho In a cofTlnllhp bol Bhe In gccompnnled hy her father nnd the A he I'lerre Protnent , wenrlnK thn red cross of n.1 stretcher lienrer. Hliiter Hyu- clnthc Is In ch.iriVe. other pIlKrlirn In the rom- pnrtment nfe MnV Vlnrent. who Is tnltlnR her riylnif bftliy to ! cured nt tlm miraculous grotto ; Mine. Mnze. who Is JourneyltiR to f ourdes to lieseecli HIP Virgin to reform her dissipated htia- Limit , M. Bnlmlhler , formerly a professor In the I.ycra Chnrlpmiiirn * . who tins lost , thn use of bin less , a mnltresi maker. In ( lovutte , dylnir of consumption , ami FHlia li'iuuuet. with her face frlKhtfully illiriRUrcil by n lupus. Hlstcr Hyu- clntha tells stories of the miraculous cures ef fected by Ixmrdi" * . nnd Is Interrupted liy wlmt nil bellnve to l the dylns struBRles of an un known prtHsenKer C'lmptcr IT The Abbo I'lerre fnlls Into n reverie and reviews his own life. lie wns the son of n. chemist who lived nt N'culllv , nnd whn was killed by mi explo lor > In his labrntorj1. Pierre's mother , thinking the chemist's death to be a | > unl > hment for his scientific roxcarchefl. cledl- cntcd tlm boy to the priesthood I.lvlni ; next them were. M do Ouersnint. n visionary archi tect , nnd his family LI'Me Mnrle de Cliicrwilnt nnd Pierre played iojjelher nnd nnally fell In love with each other as they grew up. Then Mnrln fell off a horse nnd received nn Injury nhlch bafUcd nil the doctnra nnd resulted In nearly total parnl > sl . An she could never bo his wife , Pierre continued hln studies nnd became - came n priest. Meanwhile , iifler rendltiR his father's Ixwks , ho had tome to doubt gome of the trachlnKH of Hie church MArle beeamo very re ligious. nnd finally Plerro consented to accom pany her on the pilgrimage to I mrdes. I'hapter III The siifferliiB In the train ) ? In tense when It slops nt Poitiers. A doctor Is found to exnmlne the unknown man , who Is supposed to be dylnK. The doctor proves to be nn eld friend of Bister Hynclnthe , whom shn nursed when he Wns n poor student. The mill Is beyond his nld , nnd a priest with the holy crils Is sent for. Chapter IV. Just ns the trnln starts Sophia Coutcnu , n yoiintr Rlrl , Kcts In the car. Khe tells the story of the miraculous cure accorded to her diseased foot by dimply dlpirtnR It In the water at Lourdra. Her Inle buoys up the faith of the pIlKrlms , who nto now nil sure of behiK cured. Chapter V. The Abbe rends aloud a. book glv- IliB the history of llcrnadette , the Klrl who mw the vision In the urotto. It was on Pehruary 11 , 18S8 , that llrrriailcttc , n shepheidefs , Wns sent out to Bather wood It was then she. by acci dent , strolled Into tlm grotto. The early history of the girl wns also Kl\cn , showlnc the ten dency of her mini ! toward religious siibJectH. The Abbe also gives his veislon of the story , based on the extensile reseairhes he has m.ule. Second Day. Chapter 1 The hospital trulu ar rives In tunnies , llecentlon nnd euro of the nf- dieted dotalled. Chapter II. The proce.'nlon to the grotto Is formed nftir n brief rest In the great hospital. A bright , cloudless August imirnliiR rellects the buoyant anticipations of the nlHlctod. who mani fest utmost superhuman utrength on the march. 1'ather Pourcnide exhorts the milTerlng to pray with ardor siilllelcnt to roach beaten. Chapter III. I'lctre , a jney to conlllctlng emotions. Is overcome with lepugnance and re tires from the holy pool. He im-elx lr. Chas- salBiie , hitherto nn unbeliever , nnd derives con notation from tltc doctor'n belief In the mirac ulous waters. Putlle attempt to rulse the dead to life. CHAPTER IV. Dr. ClmssalRiio wns wnlllnp ; for Plcrro In front of tlio Bureau of Certifications. nut ngaln lie found a sollil mass of people , stop ping the Invalids who entered , questioning anil talking to them as they came out , when ever tlio news of a fresh miracle wns spread , such ns n blind man restored to sight , a deaf man who heard once moro or a paralytic who was nblo to use his limbs. 1'lerro had great diniculty In pushing hy tlio rnbhlo. "Well , " iio asked the doctor , "nro we to see a miracle a real Incontestable ono ? " The doctor smiled. His recently restored faith hail made him Indulgent : "Ah , nbbo ! a miracle Is not made to order Oed Intervenes only when It pleases Him. " The door was closely guarded by two In mates of tlio hospitality. Ilut tlioy were ac quainted -with 'the doctor , and with a respect ful salutation allowed him to enter with his companion , The bureau where nil the verifi cations were attested was wretchedly situated In a miserable wooden house , with but two rooms , u narrow antechamber and an In- Rurtlclcntly largo apartment for general pur poses. It was a mooted plan to Improve this branch of the work by placing It In larger quarters next year , under ono of the arches of the ramparts of Hosury , that In fact was already being arranged for that purpose. In tlio antechamber , that contained only a wooden scut , I'lcrro noticed two Invalids sit ting , waiting for their turn , In the charge of two of the associates. IJut he wns surprised on entering the largo room to llml what a number of persons were crowded there , whllo the suffocating heat caused by the thin board walla , overheated by the sun , was burn ing hot. U was a square room , perfectly bare , painted a light yellow , with but one window , the glass of which was whitewashed to prevent the pushing crowd outside from looking Into the olllco. They did not even dare to raise the window to get BOIIIO fresh air , for Instantly a lot of curious heads \\cro poked In. The furniture wns most meager two pine tables of different height placed end to end had not even a cover ; a kind of grenl cupboard stuffed with untidy looking papers , portfolios , registers and pamphlets and about ( hlrty cane bottomed chairs and two old armchairs for the Invalids tilled the entire floor- lr. Honamy nt once greeted Dr. Clmssalgne with great cordiality , for the latter was re garded as ono of the latest nnd most glorious victories of the Grotto. lie placed a chair nnd also asked I'lcrro to sit down , recogniz ing bis cloth. Then with an Intensely pollto manner , he said , "Will you permit mo to continue , my dear confrere ? Wo wore Just tn the midst of examining this young lady. " The woman In question was deaf , a peasant nbout 20 years old , who was seated In ono of the armchairs. Instead of listening , as ho uns very tired , and his head was fairly buzzing , Plcrro amused himself by looking about nnd trying to find out how many olll- clals there were In the room. There might bo nearly fifty , for many were standing with their backs against the wall. There were live In front of the tables , the chief of the service of the pools In the middle , continu ally consulting an enormous register ; n Father of the Assuuinttonlsts , nnd three youtig men from the seminary , who acted as secretaries , were writing , looking over I ho pa per a nnd classing them after each examina tion , 1'lerro Interested himself specially In ono of the Fathers of the Immaculate Con ception , Father Uargctes , the edltor-ln-chlcf of the Journal of the flrolto , who had been pointed out to him tbnt morning. He had n small , thin face , with sharp eyes , pointed nose nnd a finely drawn mouth , that never ceased untiling. Hans seated modestly nt the end of the lower of the two tables , taking notes for his newspaper. Of the entire com munity ho alone appeared during the three days of the national pilgrimage. Hut behind him , UUfi some concentrated , yet hidden force , orRanUlng all and supervising all might be felt the strength of the order tu Which ho belonRcd. Uoatdes these , persons the other occupants merely of the curious ol the room consisted , llu ) witnesses , about twenty doctors and lovoral priests. The doctors had come from all imrts of the country and maintained Almost an absolute alienee. Some few at tempted to aak questions , nnd ocaslonnlly exchanged nldo glances among themselves , but sewed more anxious to watch one another - ether than to verify the facts submitted to thorn for examination. Wlw were they ? Namoa were nlvtn that v , ere utterly u- caused any tlr-- known. Uut ono had celebrated doctor In a Catholic tliat of a Dr Wonamy. ho dW not ill Tmy flown nt all whlo ) ho conducted the meetIng - all hla at- the Invalids , save QuwtlonwJ Ing , writer of en Ion to the mail blonde man. a with one Jo mo talent , who was auoclated of the moat widely read ncwcpipers In Paris , ' and whom clianco had brought that very I morning to Lotirde * . Was not thla n. per son to bo converted with an Influence and publicity to be used ? So thn doctor had Insisted on him taking the second armchair ! nnrt acted toward him with smiling good nature , giving him n full view , telling him there was nothing to ; hide , that all was done In broad daylight. "We only nsk for enlightenment , " ho said. "Wo arc always glad to Invite the Investi gation of mSn of good Intentions. " Then as the account of the pretended cure of the deaf woman Boomed tn be very con fused , he spoke rather harshly to her "Come , comp , young wdman , this Is only the beginning ; you must come ngaln , " add ing In on undertone ! "If one listened , they all say they are cured. nut wo only accept actual cures , OH clear as day. Notice 1 any cures , nnd not miracles , for wa doctors do not allow ourselves to Interpret , wo are merely hereto to verify that the Invalids brought for ex amination before us retain no further traces of Illnes,1) . " JJe strutted about , taking pleasure In his own honesty , being neither moro silly nor rnoro untruthful than the rest , believing without real certainty , knowing that the obacuro sconces nro so full of surprises that what npponrs Impossible IB often real ized , nnd In his declining years as a prac titioner this situation connected with the grotto wns most welcomq , oven If It pos sessed Us bad as well ns Its good points , but wns on the whole most satisfactory. At n question from the Parisian journalist ho explained his methods. Every Invalid on the pllgrlmago had his papers , among which was almost always a certificate from the doctor who had taken charge of the case , sometimes there were oven certifi cates from several doctors , reports from hospitals , a whole account of the Illness. Conscfuently ) , If n cure was effected and the per.son healed cnme to the bureau , It was only necessary to refer to his papers and rend the certificates In order to ascertain what had been tlio malady , nnd thus verify by examination If the Illness had really dis appeared. As Pierre sat there ho became more calm and nblc to ueo his mind again , so hu listened. Only the heat bothered him now Orently Interested In the explications given by Or. Honamy , ho would gladly have given his opinion had It not been for his cloth. Ills soutane condemned him to keep In the background. lie was , therefore , much pleased to hoar the Btnall blonde man formu late objections that Roomed at once appar ent. Was It not a pity to have one physi cian diagnose the case and then another physician to certify to the cure ? It might certainly give rlso to n continual cause for error. It would bo much better to have n medical commission examine all the Inval- ldn as soon na they arrived at Lourdcs and write them out In nn official re port to bo upproved by the same commission In each case of heal ing. Hut Dr. Honamy would not nllow this Iden , saying , with some degree of Jus tice , Hint ono commission nlono would not sulllcc for such nn Immense undertaking. Think of It. examine 1,000 Invalids In n morning ! Then all the different theories and opposite diagnoses would greatly In crease the uncertainty. Any preliminary examination of the Invalids wns an utter Impossibility nnd the cause for mistakes would only bo enlarged. In this case It was necessary to hold to the cortlllcates given by the physicians of each Invalid and consider them final. Heaps of papers were opened on one of the tables and the certifi cates were road to the Parisian journalist. Many were extremely short. Others , better written , specified the diseases clearly. Sev eral of the physicians' slgnntures were even witnessed by the mayor of the town. Yet a doubt wns still felt to bo Invincible. Who were these doctors ? Had they the neces sary scientific authority ? Hud they , per- luipa , acquiesced under unknown circum stances or to purely personal Interests ? Ono was tempted to mnko n special Inquiry Into each case. From the moment that all hung on the papers brought by the Invalid there must needs bo a very careful supervision of the documents , for It all amounted to nothing the moment a severe critic could not establish the absolute certnlnty of the facts. Turning very red , Or. Honamy got angry. "That is what wo are doing , that Is just what wo nre doing. As soon as a euro seems Inexplicable by natural mean * , we at once In stitute n minute Inquiry , nnd ask the person \\Ko hns been healed to return to bo ex amined ngnln. And you notice thnt we nro surrounded by all the great lights. These gentlemen listening to us nro nearly all physicians , come here from every part of France. Wo beseech them to spenk out their doubts , to discuss any case with us , nnd at each meeting a detailed ofllclnl report Is made. You henr , gentlemen ; protest If nny- thlng hero offends your Ideas of truth. " Not ono of the assistants moved. The grcntcr number of doctors present , being Catholics , bowed , of course. As to the others , the Incredulous und purely Bclcntlflc , they looked Interested themselves In certain phonomeim.decllnpil through courtesy to enter Into any discussions , that , anyhow , would bo useless ; then went away whenever their manly Integrity was too much Imposed upon and they felt annoyed. As no ono spoke tr. ) Honamy was trium phant. When the Journalist asked him It ho was the only doctor engaged In this tre mendous work : "Absolutely nlono ; but my functions as doctor of the grotto nro not BO complicated , for they merely consist , ns I snld before , of verifying the euros when they nro made. " Presently ho continued , nddlng with u smile , "Ah , I forgot ; I have Hnboln , who helps mo get things Into some kind of order. " Ho showed by pointing to n big man at nbout 40 , grny , with n bullet head like thnt of n dog. He wns an exaggerated typo of believer , ono who was so exulted that ho would not oven speak of miracles. Ho was not qulto happy In consequence In his posi tion In the llmenu of VcrltlcntlonB , for ho wns always In n towering rage If nny ono discussed n cure. The appeal Just made to the physician had made him beside blmsnlf , anil Doctor Honamy was forced to appease him ; "Come , come , Hnboln , my friend ; bo still. Kvery sincere opinion hns a right to bo ex pressed. " Ilut the Invalids were now coming In. A mnn whoso body \\na covered with eczema was. brought In , so thnt whtn ho took off his shirt n white powder fell from his skin. Ho had not been cured , but reported merely that ho came each year to Gourdes nnd wont away relieved. Then followed n lady , a countess , alarmingly thin , with n most ex traordinary history. Originally cured of consumption seven years before by the Holy Virgin , she had had four children nnd had again fallen n victim to the earno disease , and had now the morphine habit , but was already relieved by her first bath , and ex pected that vtf'y night to join In the torchlight - light procession with twenty-seven members of her family brought to hourdes by her. Then came n woman aflllctrd with nervous aphonia , who , nftor month * of nbsoluto spcechlessncsB , had suddenly recovered her voice when the Holy Sacrament had boon carried past at the service of the fourth hour. "Gentlemen , " declared Dr , Honamy , with the affectation of a savant with very broad Ideas , "yon know thnt when It Is n question of a nervous disease wo do not retain such cases. However , notice that this woman had been nursed for si * months at Salpotrlere. Yet she was obliged to came hero , to have her tongue set free nt onco. " Ho felt provoked , bowovcr. because ho would llko to have shown a really line case to the man from Paris , such as were some times to bo found In thn procession at the fourth hour , which was the special hour of grace and exaltation , when the Holy Virgin Interceded for her elect Up to thin the cures that had twn recorded were doubtful and without Interest Outside could be heard the moanlnc. tha groaning of the crowd , ladied on by canticles , made Impatient - patient by the oxasperatotl need for bless ings , more nnd more unnerved by the long wait. Ilut n young girl bad Just come In , modest and smiling , with bright eyes shining with Intelligence"Ah , " cried the doctor , Joy fully , "hero Is our little friend Sophie. A remarkable euro , gentlemen , ( hat wns effected Just at thin time last year , nnd of which I beg to show the gratifying ro- Bulls. " Plerro had recognized Sophie rouleau , the miraculously healed , who had got In the compartment nt Poitiers. And ho onca moro assisted nt n repetition of the nceno Hint had already been played before him. Now Dr. Uonnmy gave the most minute details to the little b'omla man , who listened attentively n carles of the bon * of the left heel , n beginning of necroses that neces sitated amputation , nn awful floro thnt sup purated , nil cured In n moment nt the first Immersion In the pool. "Sophie , tell this gentleman about It. " The llttlo girl made her graceful gesttiro thnt commanded attention : "After my foot became useless I cfluld not oven go to church , nnd I WUH obliged to keep It constantly wrapped In rags , because : things ran out that wore not nice. M. Hl- volro , the doctor , who had made nn Incision to look In , said he would hnvo to remove n piece o ( the bone , which would have made mo lame. So , after prnylng hard to the Holy Virgin , , I went nnd soaked my foot In the wntor , with such a desire to be cured that I did not oven take time to remove the rag. It nil remained In the wntcr there was nothing left on my foot when I took It out. " IJr. Bonnmy followed , every word with an approving nod of his bend. "And , Sophie , repeat the words of your doctor. " j "At home , when M. Itlvolro aawt my foot hf said : 'No matter whether It Is Oed or the devil who has cured this child It Is all I " 1 AM CUBED. " SHE CIUED. the same to mo. The fact remains that she Is cured. " They all laughed , the effect of the saying was always certain. "And , Sophie , tell what you said to the countess , the directress of your ward. "Oh , yes. I had not taken many cloths for my foot , nnd I said to her : "The Holy Virgin Is very kind to cure mo the first day , for by tomorrow my store would have been exhausted. ' " Fresh laughter was hoard , n genornl sntls- fnctlon to llml her so sweet , even If she had told her story so oftcp that she knew It nil by hbftrt , but It was told ! P. a touching manner nnd with the appearance of truth : "Sophie , tnko off your boot nnd show your foot to this gentleman. Every ono must touch It In order that there may bo no doubt. " The llttlo foot was quickly shown , very white , very clean , oven well cnrod for , with the scar under the ankle , a long scar , whose white edges bore testimony of the gravity of the 111. Several of the doctors who drew near looked at it without speaking. Others , who had no doubt already made up their minds , did not even move. Ono of the latter asked with a very polite nlr why , when the Holy Virgin was nbout It , she had not made an entirely now foot , ns It would not hnvo cost her nny moro. Hut to this Dr. llonnmy replied that If the Holy Virgin had chosen to leave n scar It wns to show by the existence of some pnlpnblo trace that the miracle had renlly been nc- compllshed. Ho entered further Into tech nical dctnls. domonstrntlng Hint n plcco of bone nnd skin had been supplied Instan taneously , which wns nf course Inexplicable by natural moans. "Good God ! " Interrupted the llttlo blond mnn , "thero Is no need of so many things. If I snw but n finger cut by n penknife thnt has como out of the water healed , the miracle will bo equally great , and I should bow before It. " Then ho added : "If I possessed a spring thnt healed thus nil wounds I should stnrtlo the whole world. I do not know Just how I should do It , but I should call upon all nations , and the' nations would come. I should verify the inlracloH BO exactly that I should become master of the whole world. TJiInk of such nn extrnordlnary power , almost divine ! Hut no doubt could bo permitted. There must needs bo a truth nbout It all as clcnr aa sunlight. The whole world would see and believe. " Ho discussed his Ideas of executive con trol with the doctor. Having agreed that nil the Invalids could not bo examined upon their arrival , ho went on to ask why there should not bo a special ward established In the hospital for exterior sores. There would be at the most thirty subjects , who would bo submitted to n preliminary exami nation by a commissions Official reports would then bo prepared , and the Bores might even bo photographed. Then. If they wore cured , It Only remained for the commission to certify to that effect In a fresh official report. In this way there would arise no questions of Internal diseases , about which there nlwnyg existed a dlfllculy In diagnos ing. The evidence would be plain. Somewhat embarrassed , Dr. Bonamy said : "Of course , of course , wo only ask for en lightenment. The difflculty. would bo to get such a commission. If you know how little any of these agree. However , It Is certainly a new Iden. " Ho waa relieved by the arrival of n fresh case , While llttlo Sophia .Couteau was put ting on her shoo and stocking ; , already for gotten , Ellse Ilouquet , with her hideous face , appeared , and took off her scarf. She re lated that elnco early morning the had been bathing her face with a rag at the fountain , and It seemed to her that her tote , so red and fiery looking , had already commenced to dry up and get less red. It waa true , and Pierre , much surprised , noticed that It did look far less horrible. This caused a fresh topic for discussion on the subject of ex terior sores , and the llttlo blonde man re iterated his Idea , of establishing a special ward for them ; tn fact , If the condition of this girl had been vprln > l that morning , am Bho wns cured , what n victory for the grotto thus to euro a oasa of lupus. The mlractd would have been undeniable. Until now Dr. Chassalgnc had remalnw apart , silent and still , as though he wlshm to wnlch the effect of all this upon I'lerre Suddenly he leaned forward and said to him In nn undertone : "Ktterlor sores , exterior sores. Thnt gen tleman does tint seem to Icnow thnt today many of our learned mpn consider these ex terior sores to be of nervous origin. Yes , It hns been discovered that there etlsts simply n poor nutrition of the skin. These questions regarding nutrition nro ns yet but llttlo un derstood , and they nttcmpc to prove thnt fnlth can radically cure such sores , amour others certain varieties of lupus ! I nsk what amount of certnlntv ho would attain , this man with his fatnafs ward for exterior sores A little more coiyiiMoi ! nnd greater Interes In the eternal insputc. No , no ; science la vain ; It Is , Indeed , a very sea of uncer tainty. " lie smiled sadly' U-hlle Dr. Honamy recom mended that HllryrJtoiKiiist should continue the lotion and return each ilny to be exam ined. Then , wltif 'his affable nnd prudent mnnnor , ho reponUtl > "At last , gentlemen , there Is a beginning There Is nothingkbtful } { | In this case. " Now the bureau was nul'o upset. Like n whirlwind La ( ptyotte came rushing In dancing about nflrl'-crylng In a loud voice "I am cured ! I nm.curcd ! " She then told hoV they could not bathe her at first ; tlmt , shi ) had Insisted , supplicated nnd sobbed before they decided to do It after receiving thi ! formnl permission from Father Fourcado. , And ahe had been right She had not been In the cold water three minutes , though she li'ad been sweating ntu coughing , bofo.-o she felt her strength re turning , ns If lashes from n whip were tingling all over her body. She was In nn exalted state , agltnted , excited and radiant unable to keep quiet. "I am cured , my goml gentlemen , I am cured ! " Pierre looked nt her , completely dumb founded. Wna this the same girl who the night before ho had seen prostrated on the bench of the rallwny carriage , coughing anil spitting blood , with a terror In her fnco ? He could not recognize her straight , nctlve her checks flaming , her eyes sparkling with nil the Joys and desires that life hjul given back to her. "Gentlemen , " declarqd Dr. llonnmy , "this sems to mo to boa , most Interesting case. Let us see. " He asked for La Grlvotto's papers. Bur they could not bo found among the heaps of documents that littered the two tables. The secretaries , the young men from the sem inary , turned everything upside down , and the chief of the service of the pools was obliged to get up himself and look In the bookcase. Finally , when he had reseated hlmsalf , ho discovered the paper under the largo register that lay open before him. He found It contained three medical certificates , which ho read aloud. All three gave the case as one of advanced consumption , made moro specially complicated by nervous ante cedents. Dr. Honnmy nodded his head , ns though to say thnt such n record left absolutely no doubt. Then , for a long while , he sounded the Invalid's lungs. Ho murmured : "I can hcnr nothing. I hear nothing. " He added : "Or hardly anything , " Then , turning to the twenty-five or thirty doctors who were there , speechless : "Gentlemen , If any among you would kindly lend mo their light on this subject , wo are hero to learn and discuss. " At first no ono moved. Then ono ven tured to come forward. Ho , too , sounded her lungs , but said nothing , shaking his head anxiously. Finally ho fltammored that for hla part ho must remain In nbcy- nnce. At once his place wns filled by an other , and this was much moro categorical. Ho heard nothing and snld that the woman had never been consumptive- . Still othern followed ; nil ended by coming , save five or six , who maintained a quiet attitude , smil ing slyly. Confusion reigned as ench gave his opinion thnt differed from the next , und nt Inst there wns such a hubbub thnt ono could not distinguish wlmt wns said. Father Dargeles nlono preserved his calm and nb solute soronlty , for he had discovered ono of those cnses that Interested nil and nro the glory of Our Lady of Lourdes. Ho was already taldng his notes at a corner of the table. Somewhat apart , Pierre and Dr. Chnssnlgnc were able ( o tnlk , nnd on nc- oount of the nqlso were not overheard. "Oh ! those pools that I saw just -.10w ! " said the young priest. "Those pools where the water Is so seldom changnll What filth ! What' n home for microbes ! The present mania nnd craze for antiseptic pre cautions receives n fearful blow from such n sight ! How docs It happen that ono nasty disease docs not kill all the Invalids ? Adversaries of the mlcroblan theory must Indeed laugh. " The doctor stopped him : "No , no , my child ; oven If the batha are 'not clean they are not dangerous. The heat of the water never attains more than 10 degrees Henuinnr , nnd It must bo up to 20 to cultlvnte germs. Then , too , con- tngtous diseases never como to Lourdes. There nro no cases of cholera , nor typhus , nor varlolold , nor scarlet , fever , nor measles. We only find certain organlo troubles- paralysis , scrofula , tumors , ulcers , abscesses cancers and consumption , nnd thoie Inst named are not transmlssablo through the water In the baths , The old Bores that are soaked In them are not to bo feared and offer no risk of contagion. On this point , I assure you , them'Is no need for the Holy Virgin to Interfere , ' * "Then , doctor , formerly In your practice would you have pqaked all your cates In Iced water womau In all her pcrlodi , cases of rheumatism , hoar * troubles and consump tives ? Would you have bathext that wretched girl , half lead and sweating ? " "Certainly not. There are certain horolo measures that , of course , one dares not to attempt. An Icy < bath might mrely kill a consumptive , but do , we know that under ce-rtaln circumstance * It might not also cure him' ' I who have nnally admitted that something supernatural does exlit here , I still am willing to tonredn that cures must bo effected by natural means , thanks to the Immersion In cold water that appears to us so stupid nnd cruel. Ah' ' what we do nol knowl It Is what wo do not know ! " Ho once more began to rave In his anger , his hatred of science , thnt ho now dis trusted ever slncn ho had been left tils- tracteil nnd powerless to nld the agony ol his wife and daughter. "You nsk for certainty. Surely medicine will not be able to give It to you. Listen to those gentlemen for nn Instant nnd you will Im odlllcil ! Is It not splendid , their perfect confusion , In which every opinion Is given ? Of course there nre dupn < es thnt nre thoroughly understood , down tn the smallest phase of this evolution. There are remedies whole effects have been studied with most scrupulous Mre. but what Is not known or can be known Is the relation ol the remedy to the dlcaso , for every Invalid constitutes ft disease , and each time must ensue fresh experiences. Thnt Is why the practice of medicine Is an art. because one can never ostabllsh n settled rule ; curing always depends on chance or somi' luck clr- emn trtnco found by the genius of the physi cian. So when these people nil como here to discuss It makes me Inugh when they tnlk about the- absolute laws of science. Where are such laws to bo found In modi- clno ? Lot them show them to me. " Ho did not Intend to say more , but wns overcome by his feelings : "I told you thnt I now believed. Hut I can easily understand thnt our good friend. Dr. Honamy. Is not nt nil nroused , nnd thnt ho Invites physicians from nil over the world her ? to study thcso miracles. The greater tlio number of doctors the leda will truth bo proven In the midst of the battle of dlng- nos s nnd the methods for their treatment. If they cannot ngreo nbout nn exterior sere they will never do so regarding ally luternnl trouble , the existence of which onn will deny ; while the- other will positively nfllrm It to' bo there. So why should not the whole tiling bo n mlrnclf' ? For whether In the end nature nets or some unknown power , the doctors themselves nre often much surprised to see a result Unit they bnrcly predicted. Things certainly nre very badly managed here. Certificates from unknown doctors do not amount to much. There should be n strict supervision over such documents. Hut oven If you permit nbsoluto scientific regu lation * , you would bo very stupid , my dear child , If you Imagined that n thorough con viction would exist In nil minds. The fault Is In mnn , nnd there Is no more heroic undertaking than to establish as a fnct the very leist of truisms. " Pierre began now to comprehend wlmt this all meant nil thnt wns taking place nt Lourdes this cxtrnonllnnry spectacle nt which tlio world had assisted for years , amid th ? devoted adoration of some nnd the mockIng - Ing laughter of others. Certainly . the whole matter was very badly understood almost Ignored ; but n hidden force moved It on first the suggestion , then the perturbation of anticipation , the fascination of the Journey , the prayers nnd the hymns , n growing exul tation nnd flnnlly the healing breath , tlm unknown power that sepnrnlod Itself from tlia masses In a marked crisis of faith. He even funded it rather stupid not to believe In these frauds. The facts themselves were very great , but nt the same time far moro simple. It was not necessary for the fathers of th" grotto to condescend to lie they must only needs ndd to the confusion to utilize the universal Ignorance. They might oven confess thnt nil was done In good faith the Unknown doctors who gave the certlflcnt's , the comforted Invalids who fancied them selves cured and the enthusiastic witnesses who vowed they hntl seen. After nil this , It wns evidently Impossible to prove whether there had cr had not been a miracle. From thnb moment did not the miracle become nn nctunl fnct to the larger number fur all those who suffered and for those who had need for hope ? Seeing they were talking somewhat apart from the others , Dr. Honnmy approached , nnd Plorre dared to usk him : "In nbout wlmt proportion nre the cures effected ? " "About 10 per cent , " he answered. Then soslng thnt the young priest had nothing to sny In rebuttal , ho ndded with good nature : "Oh , we should cnslly obtain a larger per centage ; they would nil say they were cured If woould listen. Ilut I must confess thnt I nm here to rather superintend these mira cles. My only unction Is to suppress too much zeal nnd not to nllow saintly things to bo ridiculed. In fnct , my bureau Is nn oHlco to approve when the recorded cures aeem conclusive. " Here ho wns Interrupted by low miitterlngs. It was Haboln , who was greatly enraged. "Hecorded cures re corded cures , wlmt do they nmount to ? The miracle goes on forever. To those who be- llevo what Is the use of verifying ? They need only bow nnd believe. To those who do not believe what good does It do them ? They will never be convinced. It Is simply stupid what they nre doing here. " Dr. JJonamy ordered him to stop talking. "Hnbolu , you nrei n rebel. I shall tell Father Cnpdctartho that I no longer want you here It you sow such seeds of disobedi ence. " This mnn was right , however , oven If he did show bis teeth always ready to bite when his faith was assailed. Pierre looked nt him sympathetically. All this task In the bureau of verifications , so badly done nt best , wns Indeed useless ; wounding to the real be lievers. Insufficient to those who doubted , was the miracle ever proven ? It must bo credited. Nothing could bo understood the moment God Intervened. In nil the centuries of absolute belief science lniil never been nblo to explain the existence of God. What wns science doing now ? It merely swal lowed up faith , but decreased Itself. 'No , no ; down on your knees , kiss the ground and believe ! or else go away. There was no possible compromise. The moment nn ox- nmlnntlon began there wns no stopping , there could be but u fatal end to doubt. I'lerre wns greatly perturbed by the cx- trnordlnnry bits of conversation ho heard about him , Dellevers wore talking about miracles with the greatest familiarity and unheard of tranquillity. The most stu pendous foots merely filled them with serenity. Another and still another mlrnclo ! and they related the Imaginations of the evil ono with a smile , without oven the slightest protestation of their own reason. They evidently lived In the midst of such n vlslonnry fever thnt nothing surprised them. And It wns nol only simple souls , childlike. Illiterate or hallucinated brains , like that of Itaboln , but there were also cler people with cultivated minds students , Dr. Honamy nnd others. It wns Incredible. And Plerro felt his own uneasiness Increase , a dull augur that must end by breaking out. Hla lualn was working Itko that of some poor wretch who has been thrown Into the water , who seems to feel the waves from all around cover nnd strangle him , nnd ho thought that minds such as that of Dr. . OlMssalguo , who have sunk under n blind belief , must llrst have struggled through such nn unrest and juttle befoio the final shipwreck camo. He looked at him , and saw Mm Infinitely snd , struck down by destiny , llko n feeble child , who cries , henceforth nlono In the world , Yet ho could not restrain the cry of protestation that rose to his lips : "No , no ; If ono may not know nil , oven If ono mny never attain It , thnt Is iso argu ment to cense learning. It In not right that the unknown should feed on dnblllty and Ig norance , On the contrary , U should be our eternal hope that ono day these things will 10 explained , nnd wo should hove ! < ut ono ideal that of marching forwnrd to the un known to acquire It , that slow victory over nlml through the misery of our body and our Intelligence , Ah ! Iteason , It Is for theo I suffer , but It Is from thee also that I re ceive nil my strength ! When thou dlost the whole bulng dies also ! Content to relinquish all hnpplness , I have but the nrdcnt wish to satisfy theo more nnd morel" Tenra were forming In Dr. Chasgalgne's eyes. Ho was doubtless thinking nbout his dear dend ones. He murmured presently : "Ueason , reason ; yes. It certainly Is n source of great pride , the dignity of living , tut there la also love , which Is the all power ful motive In life , the sole goad to bo ac quired , and when It la lost " His voice broke In a sob. As he mechani cally turned over the papers before him on ho table he found ono * that bore tn iirgo let- era the name of Marie de Guorsalnt. Ho opened It nnd read the certificates of the 'wo doctors , who had come to the conclusion bat she suffered from a paralyii * of the narrows. Ho continued : "Look here , my child. I know that you lave n great affection for Mile , de ( "iuersalnt. What would you say If she were cured here ? ( nnd certificates hero , signed by honorable names , and you know thnt paralysis of this nature la almost Incurable. Well , If this roung person were suddenly to run and ump , as I have neon so many others do , would you not feel very happy ? Would you not finally admit the Intervention of tome supernatural power' ' ' Plerro wa about to answer when he sud denly remembered the , consultation with hU cousin , Ueauclalr , who had predicted the mlrnclo like n elap of thunder npon awaken ing , nn exultation of the entire being , nnd ho felt his misgivings Incrcnio , * o simply said : "Indeed I should bo happy. And you lire right ; It Is only nocwxnry to wish ftir hnp- plne R In all the turmoil uf this world. " Hut ho could no longer remain there. The heat wns such thnt the drops were nil.i Ing down his fnce. Dr. Ilonamy wn tllctntlnn to ono of the men from the irmlnnry tl.o result of the examination of Ln Grlvollc , while Knthcr Dargcles. overlooking I'm ' wr'tcr ' , sometimes whispered In his par to ink him to modify some phraitt. Otherwise tte > tumult still kept on nround them. The dis cussion among the doctors had turned t o\v upon technical points , of Interest only In the sppclnl cnse under cuntcmpl ttl.in. It wns Impossible to brcntho between Ih.'se eden wnlls , nnd n nausea turned both I'tomnchs nnd brnlns. The llttlo blonde mnn , the Influ ential writer from Pnrls. had been t bilged to go nwuy. disgusted not to hnvo s. in n ronl mlrnclo. Plcrro snld to Dr. ' " 'luiju'rfnn ' ' "Let us get out of here. I feel Ml. " They went out nt the same tlmo ns La Orlvotte , who wns being excused. At once , nt the very door , they fell Into n perfect wnvo of people , pushing , crushing onr > nn- other to sec the miraculously cured woman. News of the mlrnclo hnd already got about , nnd every ono hurried to gaze at the elect ono , to question her , to touch her. And she , with her crimson checks and llnmlng eyes , could only repent , with her triumphant nlr , "I nm cured ! I am cured ! " Cries drowned her volco and she wns over whelmed In the clamor of the rabble. For an Instant she was lost to view ns though she hnd gone under ; then she suddenly re- appcari-il close to Plerro and the doctor , who were trying to escape. They hnd Just met the commandant , ono of whoso manias wns to go down to the pools nnd to the grotto to get provoked. Tightly buttoned In his frock cont. llko a soldier , ho wns still leaning on his stick with Its silver knob , dragging his left leg slightly , thnt had been" stiffened by n second stroke of pnrnlysls. Ills fnco reddened , his eyes Unshed with nngcr when Ln Orlvotte pushed him to pass by , repenting In the midst of the enthusiasm of the mobbing crowd "I nm cured ! I nm cured ! " "Well , " ho cried , scl/.ed with sudden nnger , "so much the worse for you my young womnn. " They exclaimed nnd bcgnn to laugh , for ho was well known nnd his mania for death wns pardoned. Ilut when ho stnmmered confused words , saying It wns n shame to want to llvo when one * hnd neither benuty nor fortune , nnd thnt this girl should hnvo preferred to die rnthor than to suffer ngnln , people around him commenced to scold , nnd Abbo Judnlnc , who wns passing , tried to slop him. II" took him aside. "Do bo silent , my friend. It Is scnndn- lous ! Why do you thus rnvo against the greatness of God , who grants favors by someMines helping our sufferers' ' You ought to fnll on your own knees , I toll you , and beseech him to give you back thn use of your leg , to nllow you to llvo ten yeurs longer. " Then ho nearly strnngled. "Who , I nsk , for ten yenrs of life , when the best dny of my life will bo the ono on which I go ? To bo ns menu , ns low ns these thousands of Invalids that I sec here In rows , In mortnl terror of death , bemoan ing : their weakness , the unnvowcd posslon for living ? Ah , no , I should bo ashamed. Mny.,1 die , nnd that nt once. It would bo good no longer to exist. " Finding himself nc.ir Dr. Clmssalgno , Pierre , who hnd finally got clenr of the crowd of pilgrims on the rdgo of the Gave , nddressed the doctor , whom he often met : "Did they not attempt to lesuscltnto n mnn n shott time ngo' They told me nbout Ik nnd I nearly died1 Heln doetor , do you understand ? A mnn who hnd already the hnpplness to bo dead. They put him Into their water with the crlmlnnl hope Hint ho would revive. If they hml nuccppdcit. If fi their wnter hnd revived the man , tot ono Is never sure In this queer world , ilo you not think the wretch Imd the rlcht to spit his miser In their faces , these menders of corpses ? Did the dead mnn nskwl them to wnhr- him ? How did they know he wns not content to bo clond ? Generally people are nt least consulted ! you will never see them play In * thl.s dirty trick on mo when I nnally Mwp the great slumber. "OhI I should rccelvp them well' ' Meddle with your own concerns nnd I should In- stnntly die ncnln " Hn wns no strnngp In his manner that Abbo .Iiidalne and the doctor could not help laughing. Hut Plerrp remained grnve , frozen stiff by UIP shiver he felt. Wcro nol these the imprecntfonn thnt might hnvo been nt tercd by a despairing Lnznrus'1 Ho hnd often Imagined that UUHIUK , on coming out of the grnvo. hnd mtld to Jesus- "Oh. Savior , why hast Thou wnkcd mo ngnln to this abominable life ? i slept so well n nn otcrnnl slumber ; dreamless I lasted nt nst so great n rcposo In the delights of ol > . llvlon. I have known nil the misery , nil the sorrows , the. treachery , false hopes , defeat * nnd Illnesses ; I have paid by suffering my fonrful debt of life , for I wns born not know ing wherefore. I lived without knowing how , nnd now , Savior. Thnu condcmncst mo to pay double , Thou forcest mp to once more work out my sentence. Hnvo I committed some Inexpiable fault , thnt I nm thus punished by such n cruel task ? To llvo again ! Alns , to feel cnch day that flesh Is but mortal , to hnvo no IntclIlKenco but for doubt , no will but to bo Impotent , no tenderness save to weep for my pains' ' And It was nil over. I had tnken the terrifying step of death that horrlblo In stant Hint Is enough to poison the whole ex istence. I hnvo felt the sweat of agony , tlm blood recede from my members , my breath go out In one last gasp. All this distress Thou ilcslrest that I should know for a second end time , for I must dlo again ; so my misery Is greater than that of nil other men Oh , Snvlor , let It bo nt once Yes , I beseech Theo , perform ngnln that other great miracle that I mny ngnln Ilo In my tomb nnd sleep with out suffering In my eternal uninterrupted slumber. Mercifully grant thnt I mny not bo tormented by living to thnt fearful torture thnt Thou liast not condemned nny other be ing. I have nlwnys loved nnd served Thee , Mnko no ! of me the grenlust example of Thlnu anger , to shock all generations. Ilo gracious and merciful , Oh , Lord. Uesloro mo to that slumber I have earned ; glVo mo ngnln the delights of oblivion. " Abbo Judalno hnd taken I lie commnmlnnt off with him , having calmed him ; ami Pierre , remembering It wns fi o'clock nnd thnt Marie must be walling for him , shook hands with Dr. Chnssnlgnc. As ho was llnnlly going buck to the grotto ho met an other pair of friends , M. do Ouortmlnt tnlk- Ing with Abbo dcs Ilermolses. The former had just left his room nt the ho'cl ' , greatly refreshed by his long imp. They were bcith admiring the cxtrnonllnnry beauty thnt ex altation nnd fnlth gnvo to some of the women's fnces. nnd they were nlao talking nbout their projected excursion to the ranges of Oavnritle. As soon ns M. do Oncrsalnl heard thnt Marie had taken her first tmth with no re sult. M do Gucrsalnt followed Plorre They found the young girl In the same cad stupor , with her eyes fixed on the Holy Virgin who had not listened to her. She did nut answer HIP loving words her fnther spoke , but only looked with great piteous eyes nt him then back to tlio marble stntue , white In Hie rnys of the wax candles , while Plerro , standing by , waited to take her to the hospital. M do Oiieranlnt knelt down devoutly. Ilo prayed llrst with great feivor for the healing of his child , then he prayed for himself Ilio grni-vo to find Borne sleeping partner who would glvo him HIP noecssary million to continue hla studies regiiidlng the direction of balloons , ( To bo Continued Next Sunday ) ABSOLUTELY FIRE PROOF. HOT A DARK OFFICE IS THE BUILDING INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LIGHTS PERFECT VENTILATION NIGHT AND DAY 68 VAULTS. SERVICE DIRECTORY OF OCCUPANTS. 1JASKMF.NT FLOOR. FIDELITY TRUST COMPANY , Mortffnso REED JOH PRINTING COMPANY. STEPHEN A CROWE , Iluffut. WYCKOFF , SEAMANS & BENEDICT. H E. CAMPBELL , Couit Rotundn , Clgnrs ReinltiKton Typewriters nnd Supplies. 'OM'AHA HUILDINQ FOREST LAWN CEMETERY ASSOCIA THE LOAN AND TION. ASSOCIATION , ( J. M. NlUtllWl1 , Secru- . Bnrbcr Shop. WALTER EMMONS. ASSO OMAHA REAL ESTATE AND TRUST MllTUAL LOAN AND HUILDINC ! COMPANY. CIATION. W. N. NASON , Agent Union Life Insurance HODOIN TAILORINQ CO. Company. FLOOR. 11EE BUSINESS OFFICE. WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH OFFICE. ' AMERICAN WATER WORKS COMPANY. STEARNS FRUIT LAND CO. P F EICUNBERG , Fresco Painter. Y. W. CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. SUPERINTENDENT 13EE UU1LD1NO. 31'jVjv/l I * MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE IN HARTMAN & ROnniNH. SURANCE COMPANY. C. HARTMAN , Inspector Flio IiiBinnnce. ELOUTTER. Law Olllro. DRS CHARLES ROSE WATER. MANHATTAN LIFE INSURANCE CO CHRISTIAN SCIENCE HEADIMi EQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE SO- CIETY. Altorney-.it. . READ & 11ECKET. Attorneys. Law. THIRD FLOOR , PROVIDENT SAVINGS LIFE ASSUR ANCE SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. M F. TRUST COMPANY. { ( " ( PAVING AND . OS. HOFFMAN. DR. M R TRAUERMAN , 'Attorney. GEORGE H. BSIlTII/JuijtU'C of the Poaco. - . ElluiTY COURT. Uooma 0 ami 7. riMAHA LIFE ASSOCIATION. E. W. S1MERALM. . SRAL. Law pilOVIDENT LIFE AND TRUST COM. PANY. Philadelphia. W. H. AlexnnOur , G.3IH ni AKcnt. KOUITY COURT , lioom No. 6. j. A. WAKEFIELD , Lumber. FOUHTII FLOOR. CONNECTICUT MUTUAL LIFE INSUR PACIFIC MUTUAL LIFE AND ANCE CO. DENT INSURANCE CO. PENN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO , Rcnl Estate. \V A WEUSTER. HARRIS TITLE AND INDEMNITY CO. . HOWARD , & CO. , Fire In- WE118TE11. A. M. HOPKINS , Conit Htunoetaphcr. HAMMOND TYPEWRITER CO. INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING ANfa ri.'t J L - . ULACK. _ . . . , Civil * * Eimlneer. cir.it.tix * f PORTRAIT CO. n r" , FORT WAYNIO ELECTRIC CO. , E. T Piudoe , WoHtcin AKunt. W. C. GOSS. Coal. EDWARD L. MOON MY. Mortfrntfes nnd CHARLES I , . THOMAS , Ilenl Kstnte * E. T. PARDEE. AKenl Ft. Wuyno ElPctrU CO Supply Co. DR. C. V. CUOOKB , Nerves , Stomach nnd INDEPENDENT WORKMEN OF AMIClt- ICA. H. D. Easterly , MnnuKer. DEXTER L. THOMAS , Real Kstnte.FIFTH FIFTH FLOOR , 1IEADQUAUTER8DEPAIITMENT i AIIMY OF THE PLATTE. I SIXTH FLOOR. I1EE EDITORIAL IIOOMB. MANUFACTURERS AND CONSUMERS 11EE COMPOSING ROOM. ASSOCIATION. E. P. EVANS , PEOPLE'S INVESTMENT OFFICE. iu. HAMILTON LOAN AND TRUST CO. ORDER OF CHOSEN FRIENDS. Rev W J. L. PODHAJ8KY & CO. , Architects. F. KiiHtnuin , UlHtilct Grand Coum-IlT , SKVIJNTII FLOOR. ROYAL AtlCANUM LQDOE JtOOMH. _ A few more elegant office rooms may be had by applying to R , W. Baker , Superintendent , office on counting room floor EXACT SIZE PERFECTOJ THE MERCANTILE IS THE FAVORITE TEN CENT CIGAR. l-Y > r snlo by nil First Class Dealers. Manufactured by the F. R. KICl , MhKCAMlLU CUJAK CO. , Factory No. 30-1 , HU Loum , Mo.
