The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1873-01-26

safe home. and not to go to heavea I'll Iesme
back to get your blessing: Da sergassoor
But you have ts3seled along way yen will tell
me all presently but Atst yea must have need
of foodAnd warmth. Vietoirep
rssssSI inp Pa Fraasois hsr fessorss sapsndsd in
so . szneIe Of genuine delight Snd she cmbSac.
20 fhs ysane man with metherly ahection, and
nesse wsssed To hear earn WIN: she
bustIed about the table, RAINING backward and
forward to her kitchen, and making ready |
With Wit al speed the very beat her store S0oi6 snp
cure, to whom, after the first outburst OF Joy |
had euSsided, her presence was an nngueseed
reiief, SAID with sudden change IN ms voice
"Ah Francois, Francois, 1t was not we'll to |
leave me all these years without aslgn OF
word. CASTOR held out for long time that
that you were still fighting, and that it was 10
either case only the fear Of getting us into
trouble that prevented your writing OF the
whiie l could (; but when two whole years
went by, and still we had no news. what conld
think but that you had fallen Victoire, put
better go my self. We must run no risks: there
is price on your head you say / *lll go my
self. These are times when we need the Gun d
ming of the serpent more than the innOcence OF
the dove. Alas what does innocence avail
my little ones But shame upon mefor an nn-
grateful wretch Does is otavail' them the
| palm branch and the crown, and are not tho
purest of the flock chosen for sacrifice to
plead for the guilty 7"
Thus discoursing, he wrapped himself in his
heavy serge cloak. and clntched his stick, and
won't ia sosroh of CASTOR, but not without irst
speaking q word in Victoire's ear. -r n- t,u
Aud who was Castor 2 CASTOR was cousin
german and adopted brother of Francois. They
Gaston's mother. When they wsre Both ak
teen, she died, leaving the lads to the care of
the good God and Monsieur le Cure, and bid
ding them love each other like true brothers,
| and live together in the comfortable cottage
| which, being her own che bequeathed them as
a Joint legacy till either should marry, and
was to have compensation in a sum of money
to be kept by III. ie Cure till the event entitled
either OF the youths to claim it Besides the
cottage, their mother, for both the lads looked
on her an such, left two Thousand francs, to be
equally divided between them when they came
to be twenty one. This was the wedding por-
as she had adopte d Francois, and given him a
true mothers love, she wished to divide her all,
share and share, between him and her own son.
CASTOR had a goodly Inheritance of land
from his father, so she was not impoverishing g
him by sharing her own with his brother, and
he could never feel in after-life that she had
wroDged him. So Jeanne Leonval thought,
at least. And perhaps she was right at the
time. But as years went on, CASTOR saw things
differently; his ideas about the value OF
money changed, and with them his notions re-
garding right and justice, and he began to feel
an underlined vexation and sense of injury on
tho subject of his mothers will. For CASTOR
tered the heart of Judas, and sucked it drv of
love, and truth, and mercy. and led him at last
to decide and despair. He loved money, and
he was growing to love it more every day; it
was filing up his heart, and making him hard
and selfish, and brushing off the bloom of his
boyisl freshness: He was growing into a mi:
t not suspect it. He lived like other people
l frugaliy but abundantIy, in the homely man
ner of his mother and the people of his class
Q around him. But though he did not take to
Q the ways and crotchets of the mser of the
story-book, his heart was none the less devel
o oping the msers spirit, and growing rapidly
2 absorbed, to the exclusion of all other aims
c in the love of money. He grudged more and
t more parting with it, and he longed and pinned
i, moro greedily after its possession. Francois
i who lived with him, saw nothing of this HI
/ saw hia indeed eager and active in turning
s his land and stock to account, vigilant te
q king . bargain, chary of spending his money
: on many innocent pleasures that tempted the
a self-denial of older and wiser heads; but this
t wac right and fair so far. There were plenty
o of idlefs, and fellows to spend their money a.
a fast as they made it, aud it was well to see
i CASTOR prudent aud thrifty, and laying by fol
{ the rainy day and the little ones who would
i be coming by-and-by: So argued the honest
/ open-banded Francois, Pho approved tho wis
j dom of his brother, but did not practise it
( and never could keep q franc in his pocket
2 self-denying as CASTOR, he pinched himself
: from different motive. He saved to give. IL,
q gave to the widow who would be driven from
' her shelter il he did not come in time to pay
p the rent; he gave to the cold and hungry nc
o hearth wanted food, no mouth craved for breaG
y while Francois could supply both. Not chile
9 in the village but loved him, not an elder bu
j. smiled blessing on the young man as h.
d passed. CASTOR knew it, and forgave him
d He loved him we'll enough to forgive him ever
L that share in bis mothers dot that was comins
to Francois one of these days. But when th1
Q day came, and he saw the money that ough
Q to have been his handed over to his cousin
O he disowned the brotherhood that moment fo
the first time in his life-Gaston felt the fient
8 wake up in him, he felt he badly treated
wronged and robbed of his due, and he was
. | wrathfnl against Jeanne and Francois. In tn,
. | angry spirit of the moment he spoke bitte
4 words to Francois. and reproached him fu
a Laving como between him aud his mother
But Francois, who retained the guilelessnest
:. of u child, cared too little about the money ts