The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-06-05

amen ~ by her. few days after two more of the
eiiS loIoWed, and then two again. and then
one dark night, with her little sister Mary Allen
NioGAed at ire door, leading Little Blind Mary"
as she was called by the hand Mother Desert told
me how deeply touched she was as she took the chill
1Ten 10 her heart and heard their story The little
Dllnd girl told how good Mary Allen had been to
ner' LOT over nine years the two little girls had
peen inseparable, and when Blind Mary" heard
tldI the good Protestant cook had arranged with
Mother Desert to take Mary Allen, too. her little
eart was broken at the thought of losing her friend
But Mary Allen declared that though she wanted
to go where she could practice her religion she
would never leave Blind Mary" behind And so,
one day, with fervent God bless YOU children"
the cook helped Mary Allen and her blind compan-
ION to 60 and down the river bank they went,
Mary Allen leading Blind Mary" who was much
younger than herself. and often when the latter
was tootsore, lifting her in her and carrying
her. III order that they mig ht reach the asylum by
dark. For there were no downtown street cars in
New Orleans then, and the streets were not lit.
That touching picture, that of these two little
Catholic girls undertaking such journey, and all
because of theiri love for their holy faith.
Mother Desert cried as she heard the story. The
little blind girl was taken to Dr. Stone. the most
eminent authority of those days, but he declared
that she must remain blind for life Then Mary
Aliens devotion increased She would read to
Blind Mary" sing to her. and cheer her and all
the time winning the love of the new home into
which she had entered.
The little orphans we're all educated several be-
came members of the Marianites, and rose to the
position of eminence in it. Mary Allen might have
done the same. for she considered the brightest
OF the group. and developed into most cultured
and lovable woman, but she never entered the
hglous life; she declared always that she never in
tended to leave the convent walls, but also added
that she was not going to take the veil either; and
those who knew her best knew, too that it was her
devotion to this poor. blind girl that kept her back
All her spare moments she would spend with Mary
Mitchell, who soon became paralyzed as we'll as
blind and who, for thirty-ive years kept her room
in the ancient asylum of the institution adjoining
the great mother-house of the Order of New Or
leans Twice week she was brought down to the
services in the chapel viz, on Sundays and Thurs
days, and also on holy days of obligation, and dur
ing all these years it was Mary Allen who helped
to carry her down. Such devotion, such love, as
bound these two orphan girls from the early age
of two and three through all the changing years is
rare. and it often said among the Sisters and
pupils that long years ago Miss Mary" would have
taken the veil if it for the fact that she
would have to take the of obedience, "Go here,
90 there" at the voice of her superiors, and this
would have separated her from her Blind Mary"
the friend and confdante of her early childhood
years.
Miss Mary" as she was always called, became
leading teacher in the order, and she might as
well have been considered Sister, beautiful and
pure and holy was her life, unsefsh, so Loyalty
and so earnestly did she labor in all things for the
welfare of the community to which she and her
orphan friends deeply indebted. She be-
came particularly noted primary teacher I'M
derstanding the nature of the little children few
women can, and knowing how to obtain the best re-
suits in action study and practice. Forty years
ago there only two public schools i'll the Third
District for girls the Marianites of Holy Cross had
charge of all the large paroehal schools, besides
the convent schools of their order. Miss Mary"
was the leading primary teacher, and went from
school to school teaching the little ones as they
first entered. She always called Miss Mary,
nothing more and it commonly said OF her that
for upwards of thirty years she had taught nearly
all the little girls of the Third District and many
of the little boys too, their alphabet, and how to
read The little ones invariably loved her, and a
smile from "Aiiss Mary sufficient to make
them work a whole day. She continued her work up
to ten years or so ago, when her health began to
fail: heart trouble had set in; and one Sunday
morning when the Sisters from the funeral OF
the lamented Sister Ambrose, they little thought
that ere another sun would set Miss Mary, who
was dear to all, would have passed into the Wor!u
beyond the skies.
"Niss Nary had little sister whom she had
brought with her from the Poydras Asylum the day
that she and Blind Mary appeared at the convent
gate asking for admission. Several years alter
wards this little girl died, and when Pope Lula the
famous old swordsman of New Orleans heard the
story of these orphan girls he was so deeply touched
at the thought of Mary Allen and the little bind
girl that when Mary Aliens sister died he went to
the Marianites and offered tomb in St Vincent DE
Paurs Cemeteries. so that she and her sister and
aBlnd Mary" might mingle their ashes in death
That was many years before. and on the morning
when Miss Mary was laid out III state III the olden
chanel, a Solemn Mass of Requiem was chanted
over her remains almost the entire Third District
+,,rned out to honor the memory Of this true and
noble woman. as she was laid to rest in this tomb.
"Blind Mary" still lives on; Mother Desert says
A. CANT of the convent, and the OF
ar1 blessings that have come to it, for her beau
f s1S life Of patience resignation and PRAYER have
LIZ fru;t She was brought into the chapel to
cit beside the coffin of her dearest friend and there
saw her once again, as she passed her faded hands
90 her face and quietly kissed it. and said ut
T. we'll soon shall join her in the heart of Jesus"
Is T And She she sat quietly praying while the remains
r L. friend so truly loved and whose life had