The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-16
WHY THE PADRE
POTOLPH LAUGHED.
An Indian Missionary Story Vita
a Cunning Neral.
lchicaeo Record-HersId}

Father Botolph, bald and fat, sat in
his arbor browsing over his breviary.
/ Between him and the river lay his
/ vineyard. where Pope. a pious peon,
stopped over the low vines croaking
an Ave Maria. The sun was gone a
/ good half-hOur behind the darkening
] hills and the old missionary was asleep
/ when the creak of wheels sounded from
! across the red shining river and the
/ splash-splash of a horse stopped Pope
| low chant.
"Buenos noches. Padrei' said the
/ peon, hanging his ragged sombrero on
a stake and walking beside the wea-
/ Their beaten buggy that came groaning
/ up through the vineyard
/ Praise God in English if you can,
/ Pope" said the young priest in the
/ buggy for it has been a blessed week
| for the mission See here?" and the
sleek young missionary pointed to an
/ old sack under the seat, here are all
1 the false gods-the idols of San Isidor.
l have won the whole pueblo back to
| the good Christ"
/ Father GervaSe. the girl-faced en-
thusiast, lifted the sack tenderly and
laid it at the feet Of old 8OtOlph, then
shook him gently by the arm.
Wake, father, wake, See what /
have brought you" And in the fading
afterglOW Gervase showed his superior
the false gods of clay and feathers
which he had taken from the Indians
of San Isidor.
Here is old Panchico's favorite idol -
boosted the radiant Gervase, holding
up a grotesque, many-armed clay figs
ure which smelled of smoke and
burned feathers. Il took it from his
D h IL l.,
place installed our Good Lady Of
Lourdes. Besides. cOnfessed''-
Not Panchico,' snOrted Rotolpb
taking the dirty image and patting its
fat little head
No. not Panchico,' resumed Gervase.
his blue eyes glistening with holy en-
thusiasm. but all the rest-nore than
/ 100 and a score-counting the squaws.
1 gave away all the rosaries and III.
scapulars. and put all my statues in
/ the inches where these wretched dolls
Of mud had been.
''PanchicO must have been drunki"
quoth Botolph, who had been forty
years among the Pueblos He put his
tongue in his fat cheek and gazed ia
tnerly down at his young assistant.
Come now, MIC muchacho, did you
smell Panchico's breathe"
No. father; I prayed beside him. for
he was i'll He did not take part in the
fiesta The agent. that devout young
man from Isleta was there. and there
was no liquor. He saw the wonders
that l worked-by the grace of God. of
course-but there was no LIQUOR"
And you confessed the whole pu-
eblo?'
"All but Panchico. padre"
Then there will be the devil to pay
when he finds it out"
Alas, Father Botolph. can YOU not
see that I have converted them all. Are
not these evidence that san Isidor has
given up its false worship? To be sure.
it is my first attempt, but
And you think You have converted
them all Poor boy" BOtOlph was
stuffing his Dubious nose with snuff.
and the young Gervass. disappointed
al the poor Impression - virto~y had
made upon the old man, was ranging
the little Indian images as a child
might toy with his tin soldiers.
What more could one humble nriest
doZ he murmured at last. 7 have
given them the holy sacraments. con-
ferred the blue scapular. blessed rosar-
les. celebrated the mass. taken away
their idols and given them blest images
OF the Virgin Mary and the saints.
Is it not good beginning? Surely. I
have at least done no harm ,"
My pretty gosling," Wheezed the old
man, waddling toward the refectorv
where Pope had spread a cold supper
Of bread. cheese and wine. Z began on
Panchico's father the old chief. dead
these fifteen years. II took ten years
to convince the father that his son
should live by work instead of theft: