Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 4, April, 1886Various
Religion
Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 4, April, 1886
Various
Periodicals
Ordinarily an exhortation is given on these occasions; I said a few
words according to the custom, and I still remember that while speaking
I had a distraction; it was caused by a tall man, at least six foot
high, who stood erect while every one else was seated, looking at me
with a fixed, intense gaze, and, as he was one of the first witnesses at
the ceremony, he stood scarcely three steps from me. This proximity, his
great height, his original manner, and his fixed look, had, as you may
readily understand, attracted my attention, for a moment, and then I
cast the impression aside. After the ceremony all retired, and I thought
all was finished; far from it. At five o'clock the next morning my bell
was rung by the bridegroom, who came in great haste to summon me to a
dying man, his uncle, the same tall man who had so singularly distracted
me the previous evening. He was quite aged, seventy-four years old; he
had taken cold at the wedding ceremony, and the physician declared he
could not live. I started immediately, and as we went along the street,
I asked, "Was your uncle a good Christian?"--"He was a good man; but we
fear that he neglected his religious duties."--"Has he any idea of his
dangerous condition?"--"Yes, he is fully sensible of it."--"Does he wish
to see me?"--"Yes, when we saw that he was struck by death, we asked him
if he would not like to see a priest, and he did not refuse. After a
moment he said 'bring me the one I heard yesterday; he pleased me, and
he will arrange my affairs.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account