The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-05-20

\ WOLudn must 10 GudL HdhSS ACT du-
vent to a house among respectable
neighbors at such an hour and in such
La vehicle. At any rate, such a manner
or arriving was a confirmation Of the
towns hopes, for surely the taxicab
was positive proof that Mrs. Perkins
was blessed with superabundance of
wealth.
Meanwhile the society of the Hill
waited impatiently and slept dis
turbedly. The morning, Sunday morn
ing, would tell just what kind of
woman this new neighbor was. IL she
were a good Christian she would 60 to
church. And, much to the surprise of
in a taxicab was good Christian,
and did go to church But, alas for
society's hopes! it was to the Catholic
church she went. That in itself was a
certain confession of plebeianism, but
the most alarming of all her unintel-
ligible actions was the sending of the
charming little Cecilia to the parish
school,
| have always thought that there
must have been remarkable fascina-
ton about Mrs. Mary Perkins, for in
spite of this double 'tfaux pas,") this
presumed belligerent attitude to the
small but select Unitarian neighbor-
hood, week had not passed before the
said society had called upon her to a
woman, and in subsequent secret
gatherings all had voted her a most
refined. educated, charming hostess
and valuable acquisition to their ex-
elusive set
Mrs. Perkins, however, did not dis
play any undue enthusiasm over her
admittance into the inner circle of
these lineal descendants of the Pill
grims and real daughters of the
American Revolution.
IT do think she is charming and
very handsome, and a most exquisite
dresser" said Mrs. White-Greene, an
authority on colonial families, to her
bosom friend, Mrs. Sydney Hall,
equally authoritative in the matter of
colonial furniture. "But somehow she
does so seem to affect to disregard
blue blood. 1t is always an affecta-
ton of the 'nouveaux riches Now,
CHANGED to mention, very casually,
that our family had come from Eng
land in the Mayfower, and she naively
asked if the Mayfower did not win the
cup last year. Fancy!"
do you know" said Mrs. Hall, II
sometimes think she is laughing at us,
and yet she has the manners of a
princess. Fancy her declining an in,
vitation to the tea given by the
Daughters of the Revolution, because,
she said, she did not approve of revolu
tons! You would think we were a
petty South American Republic"
Nevertheless, Mrs. Perkins returned
the calls of all her neighbors, and was
affability itself, even while she let it
us known gently, but firmly and posi-
active member of society. All her life
seemed to be devoted to the little
Cecilia, and she never let her out of
her sight save during the hours in
which she was at the parish school
under the eyes of the Sisters.
Just as the mother had become at
once the favorite of society that
would have made her it's queen had
she permitted, SO the little daughter,
by her beauty, her sweet disposition
and her mature piety, had become soon
the most popular child of the parish.
That popularity had been firmly estab-
lished by the wonderful party during
the Christmas holidays which had been
given to the classmates of Cecilia at
Perkins house, party which is even
now referred to by the participants as
the grandest ever.
But Cecilia, like her mother, also
possessed the faculty of taking things
for granted. 1t was merely a matter
of course that she should have beauti-
| full clothes, ride in a carriage and give
such parties as other children only
read of in fairy stories. There was nc
special reason to be proud of such or.
binary things, and soon it was a say
ing among the nuns that Cecilia Per
kins would not be surprised at the
general judgment. But that state
ment, even if it did originate in q
convent, was rank Injustice to the
said Cecilia.
She could become excited, and she
verify did become excited, and that
too, over her approaching First Com
, munion. Such an event appealed tt
her as the most wonderful thing pos
sible in the life of any girl. Mrs. Per
kins shared the excitement, just as she
had entered heart and soul into all the
plans of Cecilia, and many a book was
ransacked by her in search, of the
beautiful stories relating to First
Communion stories later on retailed
to the admiring girls who had long be
fore declared Cecelia's mother per
fectly wonderful. More appealing
however, than the stories of Cecilia
was her matter-of-fact announcement
to the assembled multitude that she