The morning call., 1890-08-10

cone through. and said: 81 fear you have,
in your ready Self-sacriiice, given away too
easily to some charitable lady, more zeal
GUS Than judicious, who, in her desire to do
much, has, tonight at least, done too much
and made mistake In an address which
we can neither of us now rectify."
Father Warren shook his head sadly, for
he felt how comp letely he had failed to rep
resent truly his calm and dgniGed visitor.
and he sighed as lie thought how, after all,
her mission had failed.
. shall not let you go out again TIL you
are thoroughly warm and ted" said the
young man, land you must just console
yourself by the thought of the kindness
you are doing in sharing my lonely dinner
and in giving me the pleasure OF your COM
pany on such q dismal night as this.
The worn-out hungry man yielded to the
cordality and heartneSs of the bright
youths manner and soon they were talking
together as though they were old friends.
They seemed drawn toward each other in
some mysterious way. and their hearts were
opened and they spoke as neither had done
for years.
a once belonged to your church," said
the host in rather sad, regretful tones; but
belong to no church now. Since my dear
mother died, nothing seems OF real interest,
and feel that if she were indeed living i'll
any state, she would find some way to COM
municate with me, for heaven itself could
bring no joy to her if l were shut outside.
And, indeed, it is much the same with me,
for have tried every kind of life to forget
my loneliness, but everything becomes
dreariness without her, and l have found
no one to fill her place"
NAY, not so, dear boy" said Father War
rem, very gently, you have not tried every
thing-n0t faith and patience and perfect
submission, with forgetfulDess Of self, the
only thing that can bring you peace and
content.
for he was little more in his impetuOuS, low
ing heart" want happiness, | want my
mother, want my old full life back again.
1t cannot be true that she is living any
where, in any condition, and has forgotten
her only child. her boy her companion and
her friend. Ny father died suddenly Of
heart disease before | was born, and my
mother and l were all in all to each other;
we had not a thought apart. mol she is
dead. indeed! gone forever! Dust and
ashes, and the sooner am the same tie
sooner will the aching of my heart be
stopped and a useless life be overw
Father Warren was deeply moved by the
passionate cutlery and evident sincerity of
the lads grief. His mother had been dead
for three years, and he had not allowed
anything to be touched or altered in the
OLD house. He could not bear any change
in her arrangements, and her books and
work lay about as if she were still living
presence there.
As they talked together it became evident
that the young man had dTifted into dis
belief of all kinds. and was tossed about
on that dreary sea. forlorn and hopeless.
1t would not become me to try and repeat
the powerful arguments and loving plead
ings used by the faithful servant Of his
Master to win back this lost soul.
The life of the priest was well known to
the lad, and he remembered in what terms
his mother had always spoken of him, how
civ ho1 fn1A rfr oT, IL r-na TAnt oOi1 do
by him that he might the better bring COM
fort and hope to the poor neglected people
among whom he lived, and his heart burned
within him as the holy man pleaded with
him more and more strongly to return to
the fold he had left, but where his place
was always kept ready for him.
"COme back, come back" he said, ''to
the faith and the church which made your
mother what she was-what she is. 1t is
you who, by unbelief and waywardness,
have raised the barrier between you. 1t is
you who have closed the door so that her
holy angel cannot come to you. Return to
the church of God. Confess your sins aud
receive absolutiou, remembering that there
Is more Joy in heaven over one sinner that
repeDteth than over ninety and nine just
men that need no repentance. Open your
ears and your heart now, so that, through
my poor lips, you may hear your angel
mother pleading with you for your souls
salvation 10 another triumph for the
blessed SaviOrS cross"
know not what further words be used.
nor dare l venture to describe the feelings
of the youth as he listened, but after
awhile his better nature conquered entirely,
and, kneeling before the priest, he cried:
Receive me back again, pray you, and
bless me, even me also, oh, my father"
Father Warren, however. replied thought
fully: II think it wiser and better, my son.
that you should take this step when you
are calmer and have fully considered it
with prayer for surely second backslid-
ing would be far more grievous than first.
l will leave you now and return again to-
morrow"
" Now. l beseech you. dear father, do not
leave ME so. unabs0lved; but if in your
wisdom you think it well that l should re-
feet further alone, then 60 into my IL
brary and take there tie rest you so much
need for few hours, while l remain here
and think of all you have said"
To this FatherWarren assented and passed
into the adjoining room, leaving the young
man alone.
He looked around him before sitting
down, and found in the books, magazines,
little works Of art and pictures, further evil
dences of the refinement and intelligence
which had been so marked in everything he
had seen in the house. But what arrested
his attention most, and fascinated while it
startled him, was the picture of beautiful
lady in full evening dress which hung over
an old bureau, and beneath which was a
vase of white flowers evidently placed
there by some loving hand.
Where have L seen that face before ?"
| he thought. ut seems fresh in my men,
DRY, ana yet have seen none such for
many years" He took up a book and sat
down before the fire, trying to rest. Tired
as he was, he could not sleep, for the
picture seemed to haunt and disturb him.
Again and again he rose to look at it tin
suddenly it flashed across him-."t2EriiSfe lady
that brought me here te-2igfhtt. How like,
and yet how different"
While he was still standing, looking, his
new friend entered and said quickly: You
are looking at the portrait of my mother
1t is very like her. Is she not beautiful?
Can you not feel how | must miss her sweet
company every hour of the day? Is it not
strange that feel nearer her tonight than
have ever done since she died and left me
alone? Indeed, l feel now as if she were
not really dead, as if we must meet
! again? WIN you receive my confession
| now. father, and give me absOlutiou before
| | sleep, and then ! think / shall feel as il
the black wall between us had been broken
| down forever"
Willingly, my son" answered the good
priest.
Into that solemn interview and subse-
quent conversation it is not for lis to in
trude, but 1t was very late before they
parted for the night, and it was arranged
that they should meet again at the Z o'clock
service in the mission room chapel on the
following morning.
Imagine then the disappointment of Fa-
Their Warren when the service began and
ended and his young friend did not appear
He was very sad. Accustomed as he was
to disappointments of this kind, he had
never felt Une so keenly as this before. lie
had been so confident Of the lads earnest
ness, of the strength of his resolve, that he
would not give up hope. will go and
see him." lie thought, " before l return
home or break my fast. Holy Mother, go
with me, beseech theew
lie hastened away, and not without some
dl1hculty found the house again. He was
not surprised 10 find the blinds down and
no sign of life, for it was not yet s o'clock.
'Ah here is the explanation" he exclaimed
cheerfully. Unaccustomed to such early
hours, both servants and master are still
probably asleep" and he knocked very
loudly on the door.
1t was quickly opened by the same SER
want as the evening before But, oh, how
changed in her appearance. Her ewes were
streaming with tears and she looked 10
years older. In voice broken by sobs she
said: g He is dead. He is gone. Passed
away in the night in his sleep; no
sound, no cry. The best master that ever
lived He told nv husband to call him