The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-09-22
CASTLE DAILY:
Story of an Irish Home Thirty Years Ago.
CContiD ne d.


the horror OF the scene they had left ssemed 10
grow instead of lessen in Johns mind as they
walked through the tmlinR green valley IN the
glorious autumn afternoon; me AR, nsE. t oto
with the tbymy accent of the thousand minute
flowers that bordered the road, mrscal WIN
placid country souuds-sheep b!eatInRs ana
cattle lowings from the ht!l edes, ana WIN
the plover's shrln cry the bro bKlDHeo
across their path and darted away, risipg ElRa
in the air and dipping Ggaiu in search oil 1000
on the boggy surface ot the valley.
al cannot get the rem en- braDce "t that man
face ont of nv mind" John began abruptly,
when they were uesr enough To the village to
hear the stroke of tie little chapel bell IN al
was still toliing am aitato Tue te,' a III.
on me will haunt me in every miserable or
weak moment of my life henceforth YET,
looking back soberly, as | must try TO DO,
don't think / ought to blame myself for any
part of my cor duct to him. l only did what i
believed to be my duty."
att did not look like duty to him, You see,
because he had grown up with notions oi lsuts
and law very different from yonrs lie mp
peared D you only o lawless robber holding on
70 property that did not belong to him; put IN
his own mind there were sto born, bilnu DeHeis
in rights bat had come down - him through
centuries of his az cestors. and these were too
much part of him to be thrown OIL at any
bidding of yours. He could not have explain
sd himself to you or any one, but ne conSlc
tion that you were the robber and irJurer, and
not he vas strong in his thoughts and conins,
ed ell his relnt ions to you. have Oil an ialkeo
these things win COublu AUbc idtSiS
when we have been trying II account Tor the
terrible crimes this gear has witnessed among
people whose generosity of natare we believe
in, and for the wild rejects carTert now
among Copnots friends"
eff had gone to tho sppCi 1tcd meetlng tAat
night, and been shot Dennis would have been
looked upon as q hero. These people wouid
not have connected that crime with punish
Enent. Yet was only acting in your fathers
interest"
"They did not understand that, because my
father W as such careless ruler, and the change
was so great and sudden. My dear father
blamed himself, you know, aud thought that
deaf b. shot his due"
After pause of thought, ohn took up the
conversation again. II begin to zee where the
fault lies. a few minutes ago was saying
vehementy to myself that at least had been
guilty of no in justice, yet felt that the sting
OF remorse would not strike 30 deep II were
really blameless. Now l see how it is. ought
mover to have come here, knowing so little as
did of the people had to deal with, having
scarcely glanced at the problems that rise up
before me now as almost unfAthomable.
know what Miss OF'laherly thought of my
presumption. If had been less self lf-oontident
lets contemptuous of other peoples doings,
less full of systi IN, perhaps-but l dare not
look back in that way, the consequences are
too terrible. Your fathers death, the misera be
end of that IAN and his familyT;t will not do
to look back and trace COT qnepces in CASES
of such tremendous Importance; it would bs
giving conscience too terrible n power the
burden of life would be too heavy u carry for
day" day" Indeed s,ia Ellen .if We had to carry
all by ourselves. We should be tempted to put
off seeing own share of responsibility in all
the i'll that hsppens, however much worse the
suffering mi Rht be in the epd, when We bad to
see the truth.
"Don't speak of yourself as ifyou had any
share in the pain to day has brought to me-
"But have. l don't think any great wror &
or misery can befall without more or lees b. III.
belonging < to all the lookers-on. 1t is q circle
that spreads out farther than our dull consci.
spoke of. That little cottage among the trees
hslf-wsy mp the hill is the priests house,
where you are sure to find plenty ofpeople
to-day. think l will go into the chapel down
and l shall perhaps see some one know who
will help if your errand fails and shall
rest there while ) ou 80 up tEe hl!l.'
John dispstCh Ched lis business more sput diIy
than be ex pected, and turned his steps to wards
the little whitewae aebed building that served
the villagers for place of worship. The
row space was SO cro~dcd to-day with people
throngiDg round the q iieTent little alt1js t1at
he had some dficulty in finding Ellen. He
her at last among n taronE of women
kneeling in n circle at the end OF the chapel,
and he made his way up to bcr. TSe women
drew apart as be approached to make room for
him at her side; and almost iuvoluUtariIy he
knelt down u hVtie way behind her. There
was preaching gong on. He had not come IN
at the beginning, aud could not make out
whether any tc1t for the sermon had bsep
given out; but the sentence, Man does not live
by bread alone" WAS repeated several times by
the preacher and each time groan of ncq uies
cence burst forth from the pale lips Of tae
mipestricken people kneelIng round, who
seemed to harg upon the speakers words as if
they were food indeed. Then the preacher
went to describe in glowing words, and
with much metaphor aud eioqueuce the spirit
life-nourshed BY the true bread-iuto the fol-
enjoyment of which the good putst who had
addressed his flock from that sp, two days
ago had now entered. At another time John
might have listened Crttically-QueAtiunipC
the wisdom or the utility OF such AN exercise
under such CirCu m stances brt now kne.lirg
on the mud floor among that sea of pale faces
that were grad uaily losing their gh asilness II
der the illumination of hopeiu the Unseen. th us
eet forth OC fore eyes that in every other quar-.
ter beheld only desPair, he could not question
Here were Deeds-depths aud breadths and
lengths and LeiGhts Of sufiering-which no
science or philosophy of his could reach or
touch, but which seemed here in these words
of chilGlike faith to find solution swallowed n
in yet more unfathomAble heigtbs aud depths
and lengths and breadtts of love, At the end
of the sermon something was said about the
new light which the dawnipg of that Eternal
Day would cast on the perplexties and suffer.
ing8 and wrongs of our lives. 1t would be easy