The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-29

A bell was tlnkllng, and WITHIN there
was light and warmth I went In.
1.-The place inside was not much
larger than q large room. There was
a stove not far from the door, and in
it's drowsy warmth were sitting one
or two poor creatures, with bowed
heads. crept to where they sat,
feeling quite a new sensation of kin
ship with them. I, too knew what
| misery was. I sat down, and looked
eastwards, where candles glimmered;
and I saw a priest come in and begin
his service before the altar. I had
sometimes been to church abroad, in
some place celebrated for it's music,
so I guessed what was passing. And
as I gazed, I cursed God, and the
priest who served so hateful and vim
dictive a Being.
sT only remember hearing one line
of all that was said
"'Come unto Me, all We that labor
| and are heavy laden. and I will re-
fresh you
| uAo hOI pCLCNC IL, Jul III lily
| complete breakdown there was some
thing soothing about it. I was ex-
hausted. Everything that any human
girl can feel seemed to have been
eight hours; and I had not slept all
night. Without knowing it, I closed
my eyes, and fell asleep in the corner
of a seat, my head upon my arm.
when I awoke, Father Conroy was
| standing by me. He smiled as I
| looked blankly at him. I am very
glad to see you,' he said kindly. Are
you rested?'
SCI sat up and rubbed my eyes. He
| and I were alone in the little place,
and the daylight was f1ltering In
| through small east window which
had been invisible when I dropped
| asleep.
cover me rushed the full tide Of
| my misery. It was as if somebody
| had unwrapped a bandage, and show
ed me my hideous, gaping wound. I
stood up shakily, and staring upon
him, said clearly
"'This God that you worship is a
cruel devil, and I will never serve
Him. will not submit and crawl
to His feet, for Him to dole out lit
| tie bit Of kindness or mercy! I don't
ask mercy-only justice! I could be
content with human justice,-that
would be better than the horrors that
your God allows
| HE did not seem either shocked
or surprised, but he looked profound
| ly interested. He sat down in the
seat before me, leaning over the back
of it, and said quietly, Wont you tell
me what makes you say that? What
has happened to your
"Fiercely, wildly, told him.
4 told him how God had treated &C.
Gil: how he had sent madness to his
wife, and now, just as he was to have
been happy, cancer to himself.
| blasphemed and raved, and he listen
| ed with his own characteristic pa
thence.
ST expected him to order me out
of the church: but he just sat look
| ing at me, with such fine pity in his
| eyes-not a contemptuous pity, but
something one could accept, without
shame. Poor child, what suffering!'
he said: and then he went on-'When
your friend felt pain, what did he do
for it? consulted the medical expert,
did he not? And when you feel this
acute spiritual pain, is it not well
to consult a spiritual expert-one who
deals with cases like your own con-
tinually? may not be able to cure
but at least I have remedies to pal
late spiritual agony
"That was the beginning of it. The
idea that could, by any new set OF
considerations, get rid Of the mental
pain suffered, was quite a new one
I went to him later in the day, by
appointment, and he was wonderful
ly wise and tender with me. He
found out exactly all about my cir
cumstances and training, and only by
degrees, very gradually, began to op-
en- for me the door that leads to the
comprehension of the unseen.
ST said nothing, either to Cecil OF
anybody else, of my visits to him.
told myself that 1t was sort Of sub
stitute for dram drinking. And IN.
deed, in my then mood, if Buddhist
or a Christian Scientist, or anybody
else holding out any hope of succor
had got hold Of me, I should have
run to test their powers. But Faith
er Conroy, having found me. held
me; for before very long I knew
there was a Power behind him-a
Power that reached out and touched
me, and began new life in me.
"But I was far too shy and uncer-
tain to dare to suggest to Cecil any
thing of my new source of strength
He had collapsed in a most extra
ordinary way. Physically, he had
gone down with run. BY a great
effort Of his will he had never given
way at all, except that dreadful frs,
afternoon with me. But his control
reacted bodily, and his great strength
began to fail.
i saThen told Father Conrov who