The Irish standard., 1905-05-27
WITHOUT CONSOLATION.

WITHOUT CONSOLATION.
Taken From the Memoirs Of a Priest.
was once travelling with the late
venerable Archbishop Halpin of Rath-
keale, and the conversation turned on
death under saddest circumstances,
of which he had just read an account
in the papers. He thereupon gave me
a relation of what happened to himself
in the year of the famine, says a cor
respondent in Ave Maria.
At that time the sickness" was
sweeping away thousands. Every city
erected a fever hospital, and all
through the country large buildings,
mills and factories, were turned into
auxiliary warehouses;. The Archdea-
con was attached to one of those fever
hospitals on the outskirts of the City
of Limerick. Priests work was in
cessant there; day and night he had
to stand there by the bedside of the
dying.
One of those stricken with the fever
was an unfortunate" of the Streets
She was taken to the hospital on Sun
day morning and word was brought to
the Archdeacon as he was finishing
the parish mass, that she was dying.
A poor unfortunate" dying-dying in
her sins! Perhaps of all the calls"
that come to a priest, none appeals to
his heart with such pity as the case
of such a one. He went to her with
out delay. She was very bad" she
might live a day or two, but could
scarcely hold out much longer. She
| told him she did not want him, she
was not very i'll, she knew she was
not going to die yet, and when she felt
herself getting worse she would not
fail to send for him.
At that moment a corpse was car
ried out before her eyes. He thought
that the sight would impress her much
better than he could; but she seemed
to be in no way moved. He asked
If she wanted to die in her sins? No,
she did not; and, please God, when
she came to die she would confess her
sins and be reconciled to her Creator.
At present, she could not. He put on
the stole and told her now that Gods
mercy was open to her. No, she did
not want 1t just now He quoted the
Scripture in it's terrible warnings and
denunciations, but 1t was all to no pur-
pose-he was Obliged to leave.
Just as evening fell he went to the
door of the hospital and knocked. The
slightest knock always met with an
immediate response. This time there
was no answer. He knocked again
| and louder; no answer. He waited
and listened, and his mind began TO
picture the poor unfortunate woman
on her bed, approaching her judgment
and with such dispositions! He
breathed prayer and waited, lock-
ing up at the stars that began to ap-
pear in the heavens. Brighter than
these mans soul and woman's was
made to be. And here was a redeemed
soul, blurred and soiled!
He turned round and knocked again.
He listened, thought he heard foot.
step, but 1t was only a breath of wind
or the noise of vehicle at distance.
Again he turned to the huge knocker,
and long and loud he thundered-it
seemed to him as if the whole city
might have heard it. No answer came.
Accordingly he went home, and was
just retiring to rest for some hours
or as long as he might be permitted
when he heard hurried step ap-
preaching the door, and knock
ing quick and sharp followed.
He hastened downstairs. The girl
was dying and desired to see him. He
flew to the hospital He knew where
the bed was. He had his stole and oil.
stocks ready He was thanking God
in his heart for His long and patient
mercies. He came to the bedside all
out of breath. He looked on the girls
face-and stood aghast. She was
dead! MAY the Lord give us a happy
death and favorable judgment" the
ArchdeacOn said.