The Irish standard., 1886-05-15
! CATHOLIC NEWS.
An Awful Chastisement.

EtS~ANAN -
ton, England. was under the care OF an
aged but excellent priest,-a man who
devoted himself to his flock, and
watched over each member Of it as far
as was in his power. Many were the
weary hours he passed with those
whose ears seemed deaf to his exhorta-
tions, and many the prayers he said for
such as neglected to pray for them
selves.
There was one person in particular
who caused him much anxiety. This
was young girl who had formed an
attachment for, and was intending to
enter into marriage with a young man
of vicious character and dissolute
habits. The priest, being acquainted
with these facts, and knowing that
such an alliance would only entail upon
the girl % lite of misery, did all in
his power to prevent it. AT length
yielding to her PASTORS entreatles, the
girl peremptorily discarded her un-
worthy suitor.
The man was furious. and his wrath
concentrated itself upon the head OF the
priest, whom he shreWd dly suspected OF
being the cause Of his disappointment.
He set himself to work to devise a
method of revenge, and proved the JUS
tice of his intended victims course by
determining upon a horrible sacrllege
and murder. He resolved to feign Sc
we're illness in an out-of-the- way place,
remote from his own dwelling, send for
the priest, and shoot him through the
heart when he approached the bedside;
calculating on escaping from the To-
cality before the crime could be de-
tected.
Having found q companion as bad as
himself, he told him Of his plan, and
desired him to go to the priest and beg
him to come at once to dying man; !; he
in the meantime would 20 to bed in the
house designated, that when the priest
arrived he might have no suspicion of
any deception. So at the time fixed
upon, the friend set out tor the presby
terry.
1t was dark night, and there was a
violent storm Of wind and rain. The
priest had just finished saying his Of
flee, and was preparing to retire, when
he heard a loud knock at the door. 1t
was somewhat unusual for any one to
call SO late, especially in such weather,
and the good priest opened the door OF
his room, and tried to listen to the
strangers reply to the inquiry Of the
housekeeper as to what was his busi-
ness but the wind blew SO hard and
the rain made such noise against the
windows that he could not catch the
words. In few minutes the house.
keeper came up stairs.
"A sick call, Father.'
lit is too late tonight answered
the priest 'steIl him l will go to-nor
row morning"
s'But, Father, the messenger says the
man who sent him is very i'll, and he
hopes you will go at once"
Il will speak to him myself" " said the
priest; and going down stairs he asked
il the case was a very urgent one, say
ing he would call early the following
day. But the man insisted that it was
most pressing-that his friend was in
deed dangerously ill.
'sFor the love of Goo, | entreat you
to come to-night!' he exclaimed.
"lYell, can not refuse when you ask
me for the love of Goa," said the de-
voted priest, turning aside, and prepar-
ing to follow his conductor.
In few moments the two set out
through the inky darkness. The rain
poured down in torrents; a sharp wind
beat it against the priests face, and he
shivered with cold and fatigue; still
he walked patiently onward, re-
gardless of the storm. After they
had proceeded silently on their way for
some time, the guide turned down a
narrow street and stopped before an
isolated and dingy-looking building.
On the landing he stepped aside,
pointed to closed door, and said:
'sThat is the sick mans room; will
you be pleased to walk right in, Father?
He is expecting you.''
The unsuspicious priest passed in as
directed, the guide himself remaining
outside. The apartment was dimly
lighted, but in one corner the priest
could distinguish bed with the form
of a man stretched upon it, who was
covered almost entirely from view by
the bed-clotheS.
The man made no movement as the
priest approached and bent over him
with inquiries respecting his condition.
Somewhat alarmed. the priest drew
aside the bedclothes, and found to his
horror that the face beneath was icy
cold, and the eyes fixed and CLASSY. He
hastily felt for the pulse, and as his
fingers touched the wrist, they came in
contact also with the pistol tightly
clenched in the dead mans grasp. That
the weapon had been designed as the
instrument of his own destruction, the
~oo1 v>r;ast novor for an instant i'm