The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-09-12

Rooney would cease his work, and
! stepping back from the seat he was
painting, he would then twist his head
| sideways, and, closing one eye, gaze on
| the last streak with admiration, and,
| having admired it from different points
of view, would at length turn to Father
! Tom with a smile, which said as plain
as words, You made no mistake in Sc
! lecting me as your painter" The seats
were duly finished, and when dried
placed in the chapel. The following
Sunday Father Tom made reference to
the seats, and hoped the people liked
| them. After mass, as he was going
| from the chapel to the house, Father
| Tom met the local ]. P, a personal
friend of his. and the latter accosted
him with. Father Tom, I'm sorry, but 1
must claim damages from you for the
destruction of pair of trousers" and,
turning around, he showed Father Tom
the seat of his trousers all enerusted
with glazing red paint. Il thought"
went on the j. P, that 1 was glued for
| life to those seats of yours. l fancy
some of the old people are prisoners
still. Come and see:" and then the
astonished Father Tom saw-the reader
can imagine what-the impress of va
rious dresses on every seat there, and
where there was no impress the paint
torn away. 1, too, suffered as the rest
of the congregation, and have a SOU
venir still of the lasting friendship of
Rooney's paint in the shape of pair
of trousers, the seat of which is a bril-
liant red. After breakfast Father Tom
sought Rooney and threatened him with
all sorts of major and minor eXcOm-
munications, but Rooney turned to the
good priest With an injured look and
said, "BegOrTa, yer reverence, it's not
my fault for I used the same paint on
them seats as l used on MUlligans cart
wheels. and every one says they're
grand entirely"
1t is a lovely evening in early au-
tumn. and the rays of the setting sun
playing through a western window of
pretty village chapel fall upon the head
of a beautiful statue of Our Lady of
Lourdes that is placed near the altar
Before the statue an old priest PAGES
slowly up and down. 1t is Father Tom.
His fingers hold the rosary beads and
his lips murmur the sweet name of
Mary. A curly little head peeps in at
the porch door, and then draws back
again, and there is the whisper of little
voices. The fayther is at the rosary"
Silent and patient those little figures
stand there. They are the village chill
dren. and they are waiting for Father
Tom to come out to his flowers and
to them. He comes, and joyous babble
of young voices surround him. Pulling
at his soutane and at his hands. they
accompany him down the chapel yard to
the dropping ash near the gate. The
good old priest stands there, for that
tree has a peculiar fascination for him.
The children seem to know it, too, for
thair I-pionc- c1,I1aoI1y
there beside it/Father Toms grave is
to be dug. and similar statue to the
beautiful one of our Lady OF Lourdes
inside the church is to stand guard
above his remains. The sweet notes of |
the angelus bell ring out. the old priest
uncovers his head, little hands go up to |
the forehead to make the sign of the |
cross, and there we leave Father Tom |
and his little ones with God and Mary. |