The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-09-27
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER e. 1868
voice which answered him was calm and
and gentle as ever


but fear ye Him who, after He hath killed,
hath power to Gust into HE'LL q
II fear neither God nor man." was the
bitter answer. 81 believe neither in your
He has been against me all my life, and /
hate Him."
"And yet" said the lriest, e" it was to
your keeping that you wanted me to confide
Ellen's happiness"
eyes; and if you had given her to me
should have been a different creature. l
worshiped her, and would have done rs
she wished would have believed in her
GOD. But when she was taken from me,
the sun went out of my life; nothing but
darkness and gloom was left; and vowed
that day l left you I would live only for
revenge, and have kept my vow. Slowly
have l matured my plan, and now it rs
ripe; now the fruit is ready to my TASTE"
" 1t will only be gall and bitterness to
you," answered Father O'Donnell.
$50 you think. You have never known
it's delight" retorted Dunno. "However,
now have accomplished my purpose, bid
you farewell"
But the priest detained him, and spoke
to him in moving words, imploring him to
desist from his purpose for his own sake.
" If yon believe l am influenced by fear of
personal suffering" said he, ego to some
other priest; his lips will be equally sealed
with mine, and you cannot suspect him of
having hidden motive"
:" shall do no snch thing, returned
Richard Dunno. What do | want with
priests q-humbug! l would never have
tent my knee to you, save to carry out my
purpose. The only disappointment l have
is that cannot make you suffer more. You
seem to take it quietly enough. l thought
I should make you culver under it, as l
have made that wretched Frank. Are you
dead to all human feeling, or are you
! trying to prevent my triumph 7"
~
and shall feel it as kecnly as you can
desire. Your plan has been we'll laid, and
you have judged rightly in supposing that
you have struck me heavy blow. My poor
Ellen and Frank! Would to God could
suffer for them; that you could wreak your
Richard, would endure that suffering for
them and through them thrice over if 1
could save your soul. Take pity, not on
us, but on yourself Our sufferings will be
brief. Life is at best but a shadow, and the
day will speedily come when we shall bless
thus won for us the crown for them that
have gone through great tribulation.' AS
briefly as our pain will pass, so will your
poor sat ti, your sorry triumph. And
80, hell fire, of course" said Richard,
with a low chuckle. Never mind, Hi
risk it. Look to yourself, sir, and don't
trouble about me-" Aud SO saying, he left
the confessional.
BY this time the good people outside had
got very impatient. Some had dozed and
woke up again; others had nudged their
neighbors, and wondered aud marmured.
They were simple folk, who could not
easily have imagined the battle for life or
death going on close beside them. And SD
in life we brush by those whose souls are
rocked in the widest storms of passion,
whose lives are overshadowed by some
mighty sorrow; and we, with our petty
griefs, the little difficulties of our smooth
lives, are eager and impatient for sympathy
aud help, unheeding if we thrust others
! away into a darkness and q despair of
which we can form no conception. Only
Bridget had perseyeringIy prayed on for the
strange gentleman with his handsome cloak
and his perfumes. Then the nearest peni-
tent darted eagerly in, and demanded Fa-
ther O'Donnells full attention to some
tritfing misery or difficulty but it was not
withheld. The people did not know why,
! but never had he spoken to them with such
devotion and such zeal for Gods glory as
! on that night; never did they feel their
souls SO stirred up to love and serve their
Lord, for he spoke of the Heart of Jesus,
of that Heart SO tortured, SO rent with an
guish for love of them; who for them had
borne calunrHy, and ingratitude, and
treachery, and all that was most bitter to
His human nature.
Then, at length, it was over. The last
person had quilted the church, the tired
sacristan had gone to bed, the doors were
locked and the lights put out-ail but that
one red lamp which was never extinguished
in the sanctuary that alone broke the
gloom and cast it's feeble ray on figure
PROSTATE on the altar step, enduring, like
his Master, a long and lonely agony. There
was no earthly voice to comfort him--no
earthly friend who knew his sorrow. But
to him, too, there came an angel, and more
tnan an angel-the King of the heavenly
host. From out of that humble tabernacle
from that poor altar with its shabby orna-
ments-the Heart that loves and pities as
NO other can, spoke to him, strengthening
i him." Ah, then, welcome sorrow, even