The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-04-27

again. uOHL KNOW duyCnlng TO De-
gin to do with my money. What have
it for? A person can't buy anything
here How could man be so stupid
as to wish money in heaven" Then
he stood up, opened the window and
looked out.
Though it was quite light in the
castle, it was pitch dark outside, so
that person couldn't see the hand
before the face, pitch dark day and
night, year in and year out, and as
still as the churchyard. He shut the
window again and seated himself
anew in his grandfather chair; each
day he stood up once or twice and
looked out. But it was always the
same. And always, morning, cho-
colate; noon one day after the other
roast veal with apple butter and milk,
rice and fried sausages and after that
tapioca boiled in fruit juice always
and always, one day after the other.
Now when thousand years had
passed the great iron bolt ratified in
the door and Peter stepped in Now"
he asked chow do you like it,
The rich man became furious.
How do / like it? / don't like it at
all. I like it as little as any one
could like this good for nothing cas-
tie. How did you ever think man
could stand it here for a thousand
years? You hear nothing, you see
nothing, and nobody troubles them
selves about you. It's nothing but
lies about your much-lauded Heaven
and your eternal happiness. It is
nothing but an unmerciful institu-
ton"
Peter looked at him in astonish-
ment and said: do you know where
you are? Do you think you are in
Heaven? Your are in purgatory. You
have yourself wished yourself into
purgatory. This castle belongs to
purgatory." "To purgatory," repeated
the rich man in terror, But this is
not purgatory here? Where are the
devils, and the fire and the boiler?"
''You Think returned Peter, chat
the sinners are still baked as former
ly. That is not so for a long time.
But in purgatory you are, depend on
that, and quite deep down. You are
indeed an object of pity. In time you
will come to see that yourself"
The rich man fell backwards into
his grandfather's chair, held his hands
before his face and sighed: ''In pur-
gatory! In purgatory! Poor unhappy
man! what will become of me?"
Peter opened the door and went
out, and as he pushed in the iron
bolt again he heard from within the
rich man signing again and again,
I'm purgatory! In purgatory! Oh me!
unhappy man what will become of
me?" And again there passed a hun
dred years, and then another hun
dred, and no one can even think how
fearfully long they were to the rich
man. And as the second thousand
came to an end Peter stepped in
again.
"Ah!" cried the rich man to him,
81 have so longed for you! I am so
sad!" ''As it is now so shall it al
ways remain? For all eternity?''
After little while he went on again:
Holy Peter how long is eternity?''
And Peter answered, when ten
thousand more years are past then it
is only beginning"
When the rich man heard this he
let his head sink on his breast and
began to weep bitterly. Peter stood
behind his chair and secretly counted
| hSc ND rryho = COY hot 4hAxy
were so many that the good God
would certainly pardon him, he said
Come and I will show you some.
thing nice. On the floor above know
of knot hole in the wall where a
person can get little peep into Heav.
en-" Thereupon, he led him up the
ground stairs and through a let OF
trumpery on all sides into a little
room. AS they stepped in a ray OF
golden light from the knot hole fell
on the forehead of Peter, so that he
looked as if a fame of fire burned
over him.
THAT is from the real Heaven" said
the rich man trembling. Eyes" said
Peter nov just look once" -
But the knot hole was high up on
the wall and the rich man was not
very tall, so he could hardly reach it.
Make yourself long, and stand on
your toes" said Peter. Then the rich
man stretched himself as long as
ever he could, and at last he got a
peep really into heaven. There he
saw the good God on His golden
throne among the clouds and the
stars, in all His majesty and splendor
and around him all the angels and
saints.
"Ah!" cried he, that is so wonder
full and beautiful no man on earth is
able to imagine it. But say, who is
that sitting by the feet Of God with
his back turned to me-"
That is the poor man that lived
near you on the earth and who came
up with you. When I proposed that
you would think out what each of