The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-04-01
Nellie MCShdne, Convert

put my foot inside the church. I'm
not going to let any one step over me. I
And Mrs. Jocelyn. Jr., shook her head
deiantly. 1t was shapely young head
with an abundance of black hair rolled
back from a pretty but discontinued
face.
And who's trying to step on you,
Nellie?" asked the plain-spoken but
motherly Mrs. Brady. Sure, you left
the church of your own accord when
you married before the minister, and
you needn't blame the parish nor the
priest, neither"
We'll, there isn't one of them" said
Nellie persistently, "but just acts as If
they looked down on me-
Mrs. Brady thought for little while,
she was sorry for Nellie. but no power
on earth could make her dissemble.
She belonged to that stock Of which
Richelieu said: They make poor cour-
tiers" "They do look down on you,
Nellie" she said alphabetically but
frankly. 'The poorest girl in the par
ish thinks herself above you, and SO
she is, for she can 60 to Holy Com
munion and Mass of Sunday.
Il could go if I liked" snapped
Nellie.
Then why don't you go?" asked her
friend.
Because because I don't want to
go. I'm better than lots that do co.
The discourse was broken off by the
timely arrival of Mrs. Jocelyn, ST., in
her automobile.
She stopped and, after saluting Mrs.
Brady graciously, asked Nellie if she
would like to ride home. Nellie indeed
would like to ride home. It brought a
disagreeable conversation to a conclu-
sion, and the automobile made mag
nifcent appearance before Mrs. Brady's
plain but comfortable-looking house.
Nellie's head was high as she stepped
into the tonneau She was glad that
she had told Mrs. Brady that "she
could go to church if she liked" and
that ''she wouldn't co. and she was
grateful above all things to Mrs.
Jocelyn for her timely appearance and
highly appreciative of her display of
Importance seated in the snorting ma
chine, her gray hair shining through
her black veil, her gold-rimmed spec
tacles and her fine pose and general
appearance of prosperity. 1t was an
asset to place against the undercurrent
of unrest that troubled her soul since
her marriage with George Jocelyn be-
fore a Methodist minister.
The elder Mrs. Jocelyn was quite a
figure in the community She had been
at one time missionary to China.
When her only son, a handsome, will
full, well-spoiled boy, proposed to marry
Nellie McShane, the little Irish Catho-
lie telephone girl, her heart was as
near broken as it was possible for that
well regulated organ to be. She brought
to bear all the persuasion and logic
cleaned from long experience among
both heathens and Christians, but to no
avail; her son was as stubborn as she
was firm.
Then, with fine discernment, she
suddenly changed front and assaulted
the situation from an altogether diff
ferent direction. THE Irish GIRL the
telephone girl, he would marry, but
Catholic she would not be. She would
convert her, and that would change
matters considerably Nellie's religion
was possible point of attack, and it
was not Mrs. Jocelyn's habit to spend
her energy on impossible things.
Nellie was an orphan, vain and ex.
| tremely sensitive-a nervous heritage
from an unsteady father. She was OF
the fold of that old Church that sprang
up among the fishermen of Galilee-
the pilgrim of the ages, with no better
weapon than the cross of Christ and nc
prizes for it's children but the glory oil
sufferings endured for Christ's sake
Careworn, travel-stained, but strong
and vigorous, she has little time to
coddle the supersensitive and no sym
pathy for those whose only poverty is
want of money.
| Nellie was always afraid she was be
ing sighted, and she attributed all
their Sights to her poverty, and not te
her own selfishness. She thought the
little girls in the First Communion class
were mean to her, and later she founG
they showed also mean disposition il
the confirmation class. Even the prizes
was hard on her, which, in part, was
the truth, for he was from the Ole
Country, and thought it judicious occa
sionally to take Nellie down peg.
1t was unfortunate for Nellie that *
many thought that it would do her goot
''to be taken down a peg" The result
was that the poor girl grew up in {
i turmoil of vexations and sulks-a very
poor media upon which to develop
reliability of character.
She had spells Of great religious fer
vor in which she almost persuaded her
self that she had religious vocation
though her uneven disposition and de
sire for praise would ill fit in tn
democracy of Sisters community