Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

28 TUK WoL'SflKl) GRENADIER.
The following Sunday, the colonel of the 49th, ami all the offi-
i the
r. giuieut, came to Chauvet to offer their thanks to
unexpect* d sight. Was it the result of culpable indifference
or of deplorable poverty ? The curd satisfied him on this question
by saving, that for a long time he had entreated the assistance
of government, lor the resources of the church were not
sufficient to undertake the necessary repairs.
"But nothing seems easier to me," replied the coionel ;
" you have all the materials under your hand ; wood in abun-
dance ; and stones sufficient to construct ten capitals as large
as Paris."
"It is the workmanship we want," said the curd ;
" and we
are not rich enough to procure it from abroad,"
Just then a captain approached the colonel, and spoke a few
words in a low tone, to which the latter replied by a mute
pressure of the hand. How quickly noble hearts understand
each other ! In the meanwhile the storm had ceased ; and the
colonel, giving the signal for departure, took leave of the curd,
who was delighted with a meeting which honored him as much
as it did his grateful visitors.
The next morning, as the good curd of Chauvet was reciting
his breviary before the door of his house, all on a sudden he
saw in the distance, marching in good order, but without drums,
a strong body of soldiers, armed with all sorts of instruments,
and preceded by sappers opening the march with their
hatchets on their shoulders, some carrying pickaxes, some
sacks, others trowels and hammers ; all with merry faces and
hearts, approaching the priest's dwelling, singing the popular
air :
De courage
A 1'ouvrage,
Les amis sout toujonrs la !
" Good morning, monsieur le curd," said the eldest of the
band, making a military salute, and presenting arms. He was
an old non-commissioned officer, his lip set off by a fine
grey moustache ;
and he bore on his arm three honorable
budges.
"Good morning my friends," answered the curd, closing his
book of devotions
" what are ;
you going to do, in these parts,
with those workmen's tools ?"
" We are coming to cancel a debt of gratitude, monsif ur le
curd ; that is to say, to pay a bill of exchange which is owing
from the 49th Regiment of the Line."
" What debt, my children?"
"That which we contracted towards yon on the day you
tended and cured our poor wounded comrade."
" I only did my duty."
"And we are doing ours in coming to build a church for
the good God, and a house for His minister. "
" Can it be true?" said the cur6, uttering an exclamation of
joy.
"Nothing more eo ;
and to-day we begin the work !
De couni(,'p,
A 1'ouvrage,
Les amis sent toujoura la 1
On that very morning the soldiers of the 49th, transformed
into masons, joiners, carpenters and stone-cutters, br vely
commenced .heir task. The little esplanade of Chauvet was
soon converted into a vast timber yard. The neighboring ford
the rooks in the environs, furnished excellent inateri-
ili-votiiin. d.
ug the soldiers of the 49th, tf-ppy mid ]>l
. row to cull-
ing. Their 7.1-.. '.
in'i-diis
chiteet, directed the works with intelligence. " In a few days,"
said these brave men, "the good God and His minister will
riest,
They had scarcely arrived at his house when one of those
violent storms, BO common in mountainous districts, came on
suddenly vivid ; lightning accompanied by deep atmospheric
Bounds, burst from the cliureh mid house free from the storms and inclemency
clouds; raiu, mixed with hail, penetrated
the roof of the humble dwelling. The officers wished
to seek shelter in the church, but the temple of the Lord was
of the weather."
This thought redoubled their strength ; they
in no better condition than the house of His minister enor-
;
mous sheets of water inundated the aisles of the sanctuary.
' Th colonel could not avoid expressing his surprise at such an
advanced rapidly
in what they called their work of gratitude. Two mouths
hud Kcarcely passed since the first stone, blessed by the cur6,
had been laid, when an enormous nosegay, formed of fir
branches, crowned the church destined to the worship of God,
and the white house for the curd. Some days later, the ornaments
for the interior were completely finished. The satisfaction
of the curd was then so great that his heart seemed too
narrow to contain his joy. Great happiness sometimes produces
the same effect as greaf grief. The good priest fell seriously
ill one Saturday evening the evening of the day when
the 49th Regiment assisted, in full uniform, at the benediction
of the church so rapidly constructed by their zealous
charity.
A poetical non-commissioned officer or rather, a non-commissioned
officer who was a poet taking advantage of the illness
of the poor curd improvised a vaudeville, and appropriated
the characters to his most intelligent comrades. Six days sufficed
to learn and repeat their different parts. On the seventh,
the town of Briangon was invited to assist at the first representation,
the profits of which were to be consecrated to the decoration
of the new church at Chauvet. For the first time, perhaps,
God had become, according to the naive expression of
the drum-major, the receiver of the profits of a comedy. The
whole village responded to this charitable appeal. The first
representation was as brilliant as it was productive ; in fact,
the actors collected, amidst immense applause, an important
sum, which was doubled on the morrow, and by the evening
of the next day, amounted to 1800 francs, The officers, and
the soldiers themselves, increased it by a general and voluntary
subscription of 700 francs.
These 2500 francs were entrusted to two officers, who immedi-
ately set off for Lyons, to make the necessary purchases for the
embellishment of the church. During this time the curd, ad-
mirably tended in his turn by the surgeon of the 49th, began
rapidly to amend, and in a few days would be able to resume
his duties. The soldiers from masons, become
decorators took advantage of this delay to ornament
the interior of the new church, and to arrange artistically the
purchases made at Lyons. Stations of the cross divided the
white walls into fourteen spaces ; beautiful gilt chande-
liers were arranged on each side of the altar, which was covered
with a new cloth ; a handsome tabernacle was placed between
the candelabras a rich ; remonstrance, supported by two
angels, and also an elegant pyx shone in the mysterious shade
of the tabernacle ; a banner, in various colors, bearing the im-
age of the Immaculate Virgin was hung opposite the pulpit ;
and a picture, eight feet high, representing the Patron of the
Commune, was suspended over the high altar. Nothing had
been forgotten flowers, vases, candlesticks, a new missal
censers, &c. : a beautiful woollen carpet on the altar steps,
completed the general effect of this work of piety-, and did
honor to the taste of the valiant sacristans. A deep-toned
bell at the top of the tower replaced the old cracked one, which
had become hoarse, the troopers said, .with so often sounding
the Alleluia on fete days, and the De Profuudis on the days of
mourning.
At length the great day arrived. One Sunday morning the
49th Regiment ranged themselves in military order befor
church a detachment of ho;, or lined the ;
nave, and the choristers
placed themselves before the desks. The delighted inhabitants
kuolt in different parts of. the holy building; sill was
happiness and joy ; the faces of the soldiers w< ,
; you
could see by their looks they had performed a good action.
At 1 1 n 10 o'clock the good curC of Clmuvet 1 still
bearing the irar at illness appeared at ,
tears shone in hi re ni' joy
Ili-llln :i!ld :ili Ullllcd ill I. infilli.'.' this llVlllllllt' ti'illlilllll