The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-02-18

6G~
you. ct was very true.) I don't know
what I would have done IL you had
not returned so soon. More true)
4 Do tell me all that has happened.
i Madame cultivated an ELUSIVE man
ner of greeting which was not at al
Objectionable to her pupils in gen
eral, inasmuch as it fiattered them
that they were individually the special
n care and hope of the studio. The eff
fusiveness pleased Miss Caldwell less
than it pleased the others. In the be
ginning, the familiarity of it, and what
i appeared to her as the latent vulgar
ity of it all, had been positively dis.
tasteful to her. She had tolerated it
because, in spite of her shortcomings,
the Madame was far superior to many
of the more famous professors as a
teacher. Now familiarity had made
| the Madame's manner matter OF
course.
And I am glad to get back, Ma
dame,' said Miss Caldwell. Vacation
has been extra long this year; papa
was unwell and insisted that we re-
main at the mountains even after
everybody else had gone But such a
day as I selected for my first call!
Isn't it bitter?"
| yes, and this studio is like a barn
today" said the Madame. There's
something wrong with the apparatus,
believe. l must be severe with the
| landlord That vulgar Irish janitor
would give me no satisfaction
There was bitterness concentrated
in the adjectives used by the Madame
that caused Miss Caldwell to straight
en- up instinctively as if for combat.
She was tempted to talk sharply but
she mastered herself by nibbling at
her tongue and seeking to force a
smile.
"Why so bitter against the Irish,
Madame?" she said gently.
We'll, they are a vulgar lot" said
the Madame.
you should say you, Madame, and
include me-" said Miss Caldwell. Per
haps you did not know that papa was
born in Ireland and is thorough Irish
man yet. And he has always taught us
to be! proud of our Irish blood, even
though we are American-born."
| Madame Castelli was evidently as
tonished.
You astonish me, Miss Caldwell"
she said. Il didn't think that one of
your wealth-well, I am sorry to have
said anything so provoking. But that
| janitor was terrible. You know l
have nothing against the Irish at all.
Where | was brought up in Maine
there was a feeling among those of
our set against them but, but not
having any social intercourse with
them, I, myself, knew very little of
them, of course"
There was superiority in the Ma
DANES attitude which to Miss Cald-
we'll was the height of the ridiculous.
1T might have been better for all
concerned, both Catholics and Protes-
tants," she said, "if you had drunk in
common of the milk Of human kind
ness. Do you not think SOP
i Perhaps" said the Madame drawl-
ingly, "but to us, the descendants OF
the Pilgrims (Madame's ancestors had
wandered to Maine by way of New
foundland from the north of Ireland in
1847), there was much in your church
pardon me, Miss Caldwell,-that
prevented us from meeting them on a
social level"
/ II have always thought our doc
trines very reasonable; at any rate,
| Ia oil
(Which of them has given you par
| ticular pain?"
4 The sarcasm of the girl escaped the
Madame.
'tOh, ever so many, but there is one
in particular. If there is anything
wholly un-Christian it's your Catholic
wakes"
Miss Caldwell laughed outright.
Forgive me, Madame, if your re-
mark strikes me as ridiculous. But
I wonder if you Protestants ever un-
derstand what Catholic dogma is
"But you have those things-those
wakes. l have heard so much of real
scandalous things about them-smok,
ing and getting drunk; think of it,
/ over poor dead body!
you have seen such things, too, of
course quietly suggested Miss Cald-
well.
mo, have not seen," said the Ma
dame, "but | have heard on good au-
! thority''
I'VE have all heard things on good
authority which turned out to be cal
i umnies,' said Miss Caldwell. Nov,
I am Catholic and think myself fair
i ly versed in the tenets of my Church.
Your difficulty as to wakes would be
funny to me, did not know that you
are serious and that it is a real diff
Guilty to you and to other Protestants
You will believe me when I tell you
that wakes are not part of Catholic
i dogma. IL care to do so, when one
of my relations dies, may shut him