The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-05-11

L
lovely lights up there and lots OF chill
dren. Do come in"
He tugged harder, coaxed little
louder and Mrs. Campbell allowed him
to draw her into the church.
She shivered, but not with cold.
How long since she had been in the
church before? How long? How long?
seemed to sigh through the building,
and the words seemed to echo in the
children's hymn. How long? How
long?
She genuflected blessed herself chow
Cam stared! Whatever was mummy
doing?) and knelt in one of the back
benches.
Over at side altar there were lights
and flowers, and a lovely Lady crown
ed with white blossoms, with a white
shimmering veil over her.
Cam wanted to 60 up there.
Come on, mummy; I cannot see
here. Come right up there" He pull
ed her skirts gently and drew her
hands from her face. She had covered
her eyes. She could not look at that
lovely Lady, and she could not look at
the centre of the church where red
lamp burned before high, white al
tar.
do come please, mummy" pleaded
followed him up the aisle, close to the
lights and the flowers and the lovely
Lady.
who is she, mummy-the Queen?"
he whispered.
Eyes, Cam"
But that is not like the Queen in
my picture book"
ooh, not that queen, Cam. She is
the-Queen of heaven"
Heaven? Where God lives?"
Eyes"
What is she the Queen there for?"
Because she is Gods Mother
Goods Mother? You never told me
about Gods Mother, mummy" Cam
said, half wondering1y, half reproach-
fully and then, to his surprise and
dismay, mummy bent her head on the
bench in front of her, and he could see
tears in her pretty eyes.
He crept closer to her, his blue eyes
asking questions, his lips silent, and
with his little hand he patted the black
sleeve caressingly.
Don't cry, mummy dear. Why are
you crying? The lovely Lady-God's
Mother, I mean-is smiling at you.
Are you ill? She looks so sorry for
| hn sold a Ion erfh
The children sang on, verse after
verse, until Cam almost knew the
chorus and he joined in here and there
Hail Mary! Hail Mary!
Queen of heaven
| He could not catch the rest. It was
something about snowdrops. He won
dered if mummy knew it. But mummy
was still weeping softly, and he could
was still weeping softly, and he could
do nothing to show his sympathy but
keep on with the tender patting of the
black silk sleeve.
4 Some of the big girls wore blue
frocks, and had white wells and shining
medals. They looked Gust wee Bit
like the lovely Lady, Cam thought, but
oh, not nearly so beautiful!
Hail Mary! Hail Mary!
| Queen of heaven
Oh Cam understood at last. God q
Mother the Queen of heaven, must be
Hail Mary" He would ask mummy
outside if that was her name.
There was man walking about the
church singing too, and he had long
black dress and white collar. Who
was he? He must ask mummy that
also.
Then there were lots of grown-up
people in the seats, and some of them
had pretty beads in their hands. He
wondered if mummy had any. He
knew she had nice shiny ones to put
round her neck when she was going
out with daddy in the evening, but
they were not the same kind of beads
he thought.
What were all the candles for?
i What were all the lights for?
j He supposed Gods mother loved
flowers. Mummy did.
Why did the man in the long black
dress fall on one knee when he passed
that big white place? Mummy did il
, too, when they had entered the church;
he would do it when he was going out
, ALI these thoughts were running
through his questioning little mind
He was so tired. He kept his eyes
fixed on the lovely Lady's face until ali
the candles looked like little suns
through his blinking lashes. He
, thought the lovely Lady stepped down
from amongst her flowers, came over
and put her hand on mummy's head
She wiped away all her tears. gave hel
, pretty beads like the other people had
and shining medal on a blue ribbon
/ just like the blue-cloaked girls. AND
| then-and then-that was all.
! The sweet tinkling of little bel
! woke him.
\ Tho ahaay0h moo hFrrhaa. +ha~a w0s