The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-11-04

merry-hearted girl into a grave, Seri- |
GUS woman, while Dorothy, a maiden
of ten, was very like what her mother
had been at the same age. Mother
and child were inseparable, and Doro-
thy was such dear lovable little
being that to her mother, in her strug-
gle with poverty and loneliness, she
often proved a yeritable angel OF con-
ISOLATION.
It was a Thursday evening in June,
about six years after Harry Fosters
disappearance Father Anthony, now
an old man, had been busy all after
noon hearing confessions, for the next
day was the feast of the Sacred Heart
and also the morning Of little Dorothy
Fosters First Communion. She had
been the last to leave the confessional
and the priest Immediately followed
her in to the church, where he walked
slowly UP and down the aisle reciting
his Office while waiting for any -belated
penitent that might happen to come
/ Dorothy, after making her thanks
giving before picture Of the Sacred
Heart Pleading" of which she was
very fond, returned home, but she had
hardly left the church before her
place was taken by a man. whose
appearance seemed very familiar to
Father Anthony. The stranger knelt
there for long time and then entered
the confessional, where the priest
awaited him, for by this time the
Father was quite convinced as to the
identity of his penitent. It was indeed
Harry Foster and once more the
angels of God must have rejoiced over
the return OF a Wanderer to the fold,
oyer a soul raised to life again.
It was Father Anthony who broke
the glad news to Mabel, and when
next morning the three, father, mother
and child, received the Living Bread
/ from his hands, he felt indeed ready
to sing his "Nunc dimittis.'' When
Harry asked his wife's forgiveness for
his past unkindness she gently begged
him not to allude to it again.
Il forgave it long ago.
These years of absence had been
spent in Australia, and by dint of hard
work and economy he had again ac-
cumulated fortune, but the time of
exile proved still more profitable to
his soul, for deprived of what he had
never valued, he learned by that very
prlvatlon to appreciate the practices
of his faith which through his own
fault were no longer accessible. Alone
in the Australian bush, he came to
see how he had failed not only in his
duty towards his God but as natural
sequence to his wife and child also.
Fortunately did not lose hope
he said, for here the faith of my
fathers stood me in stead"
And the grace Of your baptism, y
Mabel gently corrected.
Yes, you may well say that, and /
soon determined to turn my feet to-
wards home. I had hoped to see a
priest on my arrival in Melbourne,
but the Father was out when / called
and had only time to catch the boat
leaving the day for Frisco"
, Though there is always forgiveness
: for the truly .contrite, yet the conse.
quences of sin often remain to be
: faced, and Harry Fosters remorse for
, the past was keener than ever when
, a few weeks after his return, Mabel
! died. Her health had been failing for
) some time, but SO imperceptibly that
, death seemed to come suddenly at the
| last, as it SO often seems to come to
!, those we love. Talking to Dorothy
3 she complained of feeling tired and
r sat down to rest in her low rocker
. with her child beside her. Dorothy
| noticing how intensely pale he1
E mother looked called her father from
r an adjoining room, but when he came
y in moment later the angel of death
had already preceded him, and the
/ brave, patient heart was at rest for
ever.
/ Heart failure was the doctors yer
i dict, but perhaps Father Anthony was
r the only one who felt no surprise al
d the sad news. A week later. wher
he and the bereaved husband stood
/ together beside newly-made grave il
n Calvary cemetery, the Father TOLD
d Harry of his Wife's sacrifice, how she
e had offered the sacrifice of her life
for his conversion This had been he1
o daily prayer to the Sacred Heart.
S Eyes, she offered her life for you
# my son." the old priest Whispered
il through his tears; st remains for you
n now to offer yours wholly to Cod
e Harry Foster took his little daugh
# ter abroad, and afterwards placed hel
r with the kind Sisters at st. Peters
k where, a few years later she made he1
S profession, to the great joy of those
who had known and loved the mother
S Then her father entered Dominican
S monastery, and there as Brother Au
!; gustine he lived to good old age ant
Y died with the reputation of saint
l. Father Anthony lived to see how Ma
o bells prayers had been more thar
S answered and then he, too, fell asleeI
t in the peace of his Lord.
g MESSENGER of the S0cyod Henri