FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97  
98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   >>  
e of these foolish and most unpleasant self-punishments. But such a belief was the rule in Don Alphonso's day, and when it could lay so strong a hold upon grown men and women, it would, of course, be likely to work in peculiar ways with thoughtful and conscientious children, who, understanding little of the real meaning of sacrifice and penance, felt it their duty to do something as proof of their belief. So it came about that little ten-year-old Theresa, one of the numerous girls of the Cepeda family, thought as deeply of these things as her small mind was capable. She was of a peculiarly sympathetic, romantic, and conscientious nature, and she felt it her duty to do something to show her devotion to the faith for which her father had fought so valiantly, and which the nuns and priests, who were her teachers, so vigorously impressed upon her. She had been taught that alike the punishment or the glory that must follow her life on earth were to last forever. Forever! this was a word that even a thoughtful little maiden like Theresa could not comprehend. So she sought her mother. "Forever? how long is forever, mother mine?" she asked. But the Donna Beatrix was just then too deeply interested in the tragic story of the two lovers, Calixto and Melibea, in the Senor Fernando de Rojas' tear-compelling story, to be able to enter into the discussion of so deep a question. "Forever," she said, looking up from the thick and crabbed black-letter pages, "why forever is forever, child--always. Pray do not trouble me with such questions; just as I am in the midst of this beautiful death-scene too." The little girl found she could gain no knowledge from this source, and she feared to question her stern and bigoted old father. So she sought her favorite brother Pedro--a bright little fellow of seven, who adored and thoroughly believed in his sister Theresa. To Pedro, then, Theresa confided her belief that, if forever was so long a time as "always," it would be most unpleasant to suffer "always," if by any chance they should do any thing wrong. It would be far better, so argued this little logician, to die now and end the problem, than to live and run so great a risk. She told him, too, that, as they knew from their mother's tales, the most beautiful, the most glorious way to die was as a martyr among the infidel Moors. So she proposed to Pedro that she and he should not say a word to any one, but just start off at once
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97  
98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   >>  



Top keywords:

forever

 

Theresa

 

belief

 

mother

 

Forever

 
question
 

father

 

beautiful

 

sought

 
deeply

unpleasant

 
thoughtful
 

conscientious

 

proposed

 

infidel

 

questions

 

martyr

 

crabbed

 

discussion

 

letter


trouble

 

chance

 

suffer

 

argued

 

logician

 

problem

 

confided

 

bright

 

fellow

 

brother


favorite

 
source
 

feared

 

bigoted

 

adored

 
glorious
 

sister

 

believed

 

knowledge

 

numerous


meaning

 

sacrifice

 

penance

 

Cepeda

 

family

 

peculiarly

 
sympathetic
 

romantic

 

nature

 

capable