The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-11-11
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, NOVEMBER il, l9ll.


there.
/ Happy some day. No, she thought
not! It seemed impossible. There
could be no more happiness for her
ID all the world. She had fought and
struggled; and often she had been
tempted to give up the strife and take
the good that the gods would send
her, but deep down below the surface
OF her seemingly tranquil soul was a
small warning voice that she almost
hated at times, even while she feared
to disobey its mandates. Her
thoughts wandered back to the blind
nun, and she marveled at the calm
cheerfulness of her face
Eleanor! You here? Not waiting
for car surely, on such a night as
this? Come will call cab" She
turned at the first sound of his voice,
and her face grew white to the very
lips.
Thank you, joint will wait a
little longer if needs be for a car"
Then she added in a strained voice:
William is very sick!'
Sick, Eleanor? You have been to
see him!" he said accusingly.
yes. How could / do otherwise
He is my husband after all is said
and DONE"
why should you throw your life
away upon him? The law would set
you free"
"The law would set me free, but
my own conscience would not be SO
freed" she answered patiently. go
home, John! You are only making
my burden heavier. Would you have
me drag myself In the mud for you
Such passion is no true love! Love
is patience and service and fidelity
She walked away slowly as il to en-
phasize her words. He stood looking
after her admiringly.
"Jove! what Woman!" he said to
himself, what a true, firm woman!
What a pure woman! No, Eleanor,
will never drag you down; you shall
raise me instead"
He watched her from distance un-
til she had boarded a crosstown car,
then he took one going north, and
SO they parted.
William Gordon lay in his private
room at the hospital-sick unto death
He had not lived well. Cards, drink
and then the lowest depth of infamy
had shattered his constitution, and
slow consumption had crowned the
work of destruction. He was dying
that he knew. Nothing could save
him. At times in the intervals OF
comparative ease, his thoughts wan
dered back to the days of his child.
hood and to the mother who lad loved
him-her only son-and he feared
nightly. He had broken her heart
and his wife's- All! there was
Eleanor. For years he had abandoned
her for others. Now she was the only
friend who chung to him. and she
came daily to sit beside his bed and
speak hopefully and cheerfully to him
He had lied to her, too; for he was
la Catholic, and he had been careful
not to seem to belong to any religion
They had been married in fashion
able church, but neither of them had
entered it's portals since that day
Eleanor had surprised him. He had
not expected that she would refuse to
divorce him, and her refusal angered
him, for he wished for freedom. Il
she had been a Catholic he would
have understood, but she was not even
a practicing Protestant, and her re
fusal of her freedom was an unheard
of thing. He had purposely thrown
temptation in her way.
And now--he was dying. Something
like sob escaped him.
A wonderful thing happened, then
The door was little ajar, when, quite
suddenly, hand appeared and CROPPED
carefully along the wall. He watched
it idly for second There was nc
surprise in his mind-it was a hand
and it appeared to be doing some
thing. He noticed that it was small
hand-rather slender, hand that had
worked, for the nails were worn and
the joints slightly thickened. But fol
all that it was a sensitive hand that
spoke eloquently Of a refined nature
Then he saw those sensitive fingers
feel the doorpost and the wall beyond
They were followed by short
rather homely figure in a nuns habit
Her eyes were hidden by dark-blue
glasses. The man shuddered-there
was something eerie i'm the apparition
something familiar, too-and he
strained his memory in an effort to
recall-what? Quite oddly the thought
of his mother required to him.
"Come in, Sister," he said hoarsely
She started.
Il have made a mistake she said
you see, am blind. have mistaken
the room"
Come in" he repeated. Can you