The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-01-06

figure stretched on a rude bed in the
centre of the floor
The young girl caught her breath
quickly. 1t was her first sight Of
Death, but even her inexperienced eye
saw that the dread visitant would not
long delay his coming. The face was
emaciated beyond conception, the eyes
deep-sunken, while the breath came in
gasps from between the parted lips
"This is Mrs. Gregson, is it not?"
Margaret asked gently. 81 heard
through DR.. Harrington that you were
alone today, and came to see if you
would not let me stay with you. May
I"
who are you?" asked the woman,
gazing with mingled wonder and awe
into the sweet face above her. "Of
course, you may stay, and / will be-so
grateful. Somehow have been so
frightened-it was SO lonely, and /
seemed to see-my whole life
She ended with sigh.
my name is Margaret Clifton" the
girl answered, and am so glad you
will let me stay No wonder you were
frightened; it is dreary by ones self,
but | am going to bring this chair to
the bedside"-suiting the action to the
word-"and you must promise me to
get some rest"
Talking cheerfully, Margaret moved
about the room, the woman's eyes fol-
1ouinor har oAnf1111u
! A few moments later the girl came
back to the bedside. Drink this she
said, holding glass to the dying
woman's lips. DO, DEAR she urged.
''It will do you SO much good" and,
with visible effort, the woman swal-
lowed the stimulant
Thank you," she said. ut has made
me better already. think can sleep
now" And, the words still on her lips,
Martha Gregson closed her eyes ex-
haustedly.
Three hours passed away. The
woman still lay in sort of stupor,
and Margaret kept her post at the bed
side, her thoughts centred on the figure
before her. The woman was evidently
superior to her surroundings. What
was her life story? Had she been bap-
tized? Could she possibly be a Catho-
lie? Margaret could only speculate.
The room grew gradually darker. The
snow had ceased falling, but lay
banked high upon the narrow window
ledge, sending it's chilled breath
through the apertures into the silent
room. Slowly the cold penetrated the
heavy wraps the young girl wore, and,
shivering, she rose and quietly lit a
candle. AS she again resumed her
watch, however, she found that her
patient had aroused and was gazing
at her fixedly. She smiled family
when Margaret bent over the bedside.
you have been so good to me-" she
said feebly; "you have made me be-
lieve in God-and man again"
Margaret started with an instinc-
tive shudder. The woman observed 1t
and smiled little bitterly
"You think it impossible that any
one could doubt God, do you not? Are
you Catholic?"
yes" ID
$50 am I, or, rather, so was l." the
woman continued feebly. mo, it will
not hurt me to talk" she added as
Margaret attempted to speak. II can
not live much longer, and my sleep
has strengthened me-" Then, after a
pause, II was once-a Catholic" she
repeated. Listen! I married when
was twenty years old, and went to
live with my husband on his farm in
Maine. We had comfortable home
and two children-a boy and girl.
Ten years after my marriage they died,
within a week of each other, and that
only started my troubles. My husband
was never the same; afterwards he
couldn't bear the house without the
children, and so he spent his evenings
at the tavern, until he gambled and
and all, and we had to give up-our
home. That brought him to his senses.
He reformed, and we raised enough
money to take us out West. He got
position as overseer on sheep
ranch, but one month later-he was
brought home to me dead-killed in
stantly by the fall of huge derrick
Then decided that God had forgotten
me, and l made up my mind-to for.
get-Him. That was eight years ago
and I have never been inside q
church-since."
Margaret sat in silence. The words
were not eloquent. The poor woman
had given but the merest details, but
the dimly lighted room, the poverty OF
the surroundings, the long pauses
when the dying woman gasped fol
breath all lent the story a realistic
force, the more appealing because sc
indefnable. Margaret's heart beat in
unison with the unhappy woman's be
fore her, and in that moment she
learned the great lesson of charity-tc