The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-03-04

are divine?
THAT is the impression meant to
convey" Ruth replied, secretly enjoy
| ing his establishment. You see, the
intellectual world has long since re-
jected the idea Of personal God;
| in fact, it is generally conceded now
adays that there is no such being as a
Creator
She hoped this speech would prove
the opening wedge for the introduce
ton of her new doctrines. Of its
effect on the young man she could
not Judge, since his face was averted;
but it was plainly evident that it failed
to impress the elder.
He removed the stumpy, black pipe
from his lips, and waving it toward the
shining engine on which the engineer
was earnestly employed, albeit with a
covert CLEAN of amusement in his eye,
he said:
do you see that engine, little sis
ter? Well, she's been running upward
of fifteen years, and she's been re-
paired some ten times. Now If the
man that planned her was divine and
yet she goes wrong, you'll have to ex-
plain to me how it is that this here
worlds been running on all these
years and never slipped cog, if no.
body planned it, And John shook
his head in emphatic disbelief.
Let me explain, Mr.. Carolan,' inter
jected Ruth. "The formation of the
90 r+b ;c dcuh+1occ dI,n RI tho fart,,;to,,c
combination of atoms and"
But she had got no further in her
explanation, Johns disgust overmas-
tered his politness, and he broke in up
on her remarks.
Saints o glory" he cried, did you
ever hear such nonsense! The for
tunate condemnation of Adam in
deed! Here, Bern avic," turning to
the engineer, you go up to the house
and get this girl catechism. She
has not been properly educated
| And, though Bern strove to conceal
his amusement, she heard him remark
/ to the old man as he passed from the
mill: Rather an unfortunate condem-
nation, / should term it, And his
language was quite as perfect as her
own.
When he returned he lifted the
shabby cap from his brown curls with
the grace of courtier, and presented
a small paper-bound volume, on which
was inscribed in bold, boyish hand,
Bernard Carolan. His book
Ruth accepted the proffered book,
and, after few trivial remarks,
passed down the trail, divided between
pity for Johns ignorance. and amuse-
ment at the failure of her first at
tempt at conversion One thing was
clear: Bernard Carolan was not the
unlettered person she had supposed
him to be, and she was sure he had
secretly enjoyed her discontinue.
After traversing the trail a short
distance, she turned aside and entered
her bower a favorite resort, just
at the rivers edge, where many OF
her idle hours were spent. A bower
it was in very truth. The gnarled
roots of a giant alder had interviewer
until they formed rustic seat, and
the branches dropped so low as almost
to conceal the spot from passers-by on
the trail which ran scarcely an arms
length above, along the river-bank
/ Ferns and wild flowers ran riot about
the place and the rushing waters and
sweet-voiced birds filed the air with
music. A massive peak rose skyward
on the opposite shore, clad with dark
tapering pines, cedars, and redwoods
Just at Ruth's feet, narrow strip Of
glistening sand bordered the stream;
while in the branches overhead bits
of driftwood bore witness that this was
only a summer paradise. But she, too
twas bird of passage, who would take
wing before the angry waters ragged
above her tranquil nest.
Her daily visits to the mill grew
shorter, and her zeal for the CONVEX
sion of Bernard Carolan diminished;
while she spent a longer interval in
her favorite retreat, bordering afresh
the world-old riddle of existence, re
awakened by the perusal of the little
catechism. Ruth was fair-minded
antagonist, and the plying contempt
with which she began it's study gave
place to admiration of the clear and
concise statements of doctrine, sup
ported by Scriptural and historical au
thority, which it contained. Although
she could not assent to these doc
trines, she envied the sturdy faith o.
those who could. Day after day she
pondered these statements, and saw II
them, for those who could believe, {
reason for existence, a help to beal
the trials of life, a promise of re
ward for the simplest action we'll per
formed, a motive for charity and NOR
!. atty; laws fixed and immutable
, founded upon truth which should al
ways be truth; laws which forbade the
commission of sins that not all the
changing whims Of humanity could
ever paint white. And her hungr!
heart yearned toward the tender Fa