The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-08-26

10 say HOW-yOu see, IL SO near 10 II
Christmas-but I'll keep place for
you. You were so good when no one
else wanted me-"
| To Mary Downey, however, it
seemed very strange that there was
anything needed for the happiness OF
her Uncle Carroll. He was SO
wealthy and had such a grand house
and servants and three automobiles,
and such lots and lots Of things. She
could understand why people should
ask for things and pray for them
when they were poor and perhaps
starving like her and her mother
but when folks had so much money it
did really seem as if there was nothing
left to ask for that money could not
buy.
Nora" she said that night when she
slipped into the kinchen, what do
you suppose my uncle wants me to
pray for? He kind of jumped in the
automobile when I told him that +
could get anything prayed for. I bet
it's something for Christmas
Sure, child, and what does the man
want when he has barrels of money!"
said Nora. IF it's money can buy it,
he can have what he wants without
asking you to pray for it. He's the
good man, and it's shame that that
wife of his made him lose his faith
DO you suppose"
But Mary suddenly stopped in the
question that she was formulating. A
new idea had flashed into her mind,
and, as if she feared that Nora might
be able to read it, she hurried from the
kitchen and sought her room. Like
flash of light came to her mind the
words of the priest at the morning
Mass: IF man lose his faith, he is
the poorest of the poor" And Uncle
Carroll, then, in spite of all his money,
must be the poorestaof the poor, since
he had lost his faith. The words Of
Nora were but the confirmation of
what she had been suspecting since
that first long interview with her
uncle
1t was a close augmentation fol-
lowed by the little mind, and it
. brought her to the desired conclusion.
Her uncle had been kind to her when
all others had turned against her, and
now he was in need of help. He did
not go to Mass; he had lost his faith.
It was not money that could bring it
back, but only the grace of God. Now
did she understand what her mother
had ever meant when they had prayed
for him to come back. 1t was as if
the task had been shifted entirely to
her shoulders since the death of her
mother 1t was the time for the
answer to the prayers of the long
years of poverty, and SO as verify as
she believed in her own existence did
she believe in her power to win her
: uncle back to the faith.
It was a hard campaign marked out
for herself by the homliest girl 1t
meant the shortening of prayers in
o other directions. And there was some
thing which she had set her heart on
I in particular and was earnestly pray
, ing for since her arrival at the Car
! roll home. She was disliked by hel
n aunt, and by Evelyn and Henry because
q she was SO homely. Was it not pos
n sible that God would answer her pray
er and her, if not as pretty as
! her cousin Evelyn, at least not SO very
= dreadfully homely, as she knew her
;. self to be? But even that soul-felt wan
: became secondary petition during
:, those nine days before Christmas
= She was at Mass every morning, steal
y ing out early lest she might be fount
= out and forbidden to go. 1t was {
!; secret, and not even Uncle Carol
: must guess it.
But Uncle Carroll almost guessed
>, the secret. Each morning he heard
. the little feet stealing by his door
- On the second morning he looked ou
p and saw her turning the corner il
: the direction of the church. 1t was
but one of the trif1es of life, but trifes
g many a time change the destiny O
empires. On the succeeding days ht
o awoke as if listening for the departure
t of the child, and one morning as th<
It little form had disappeared in storm
q of snow around the corner he washed
Is and dressed hurriedly and left the
q house to follow in the track of the
homliest girl
IS That Christmas morning, as the
Q homliest girl was feasting her sou
IL upon the beautiful gifts left by some
o unknown hand on the table near hel
b bed, the man entered the room.
Merry Christmas Mary" he said
g HAS Santa Claus come this way?'
!, ooh, uncle, it was you who gave
me all these things. I can see it in
]. your eyes. must have cost you more
, than five dollars
d Carroll laughed as he thought OF
o the hundred dollars he had spent, ex
o travagantly his wife had said, for the
one gift of furs for the girl
!. pretty nearly as much as that" he
said @T'm glad yOur nrayArS wnre