The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-12

Mary, by all the possessed" he
shouted And she, singing her cam
era strap, coat and hat on nail, gaily
accepted her new position at the
switchboard.
There will be time to weep" she
said between a laugh and sob. TO
morrow"
Through that day and night and
nine succeeding days. the battle con-
tinued with unmitigated horror.
Provisions became scarce, water
scarcer. Mexican papers suspended,
but the Americans worked on. Mary's
violets withered, the air grew hot
and murky, but she scarcely left her
post, seeming immune to fatigue,
daring not to stop lest she should
think of the men in the palace, of
Pascual facing worse than death.
The hoped for relief from General
Banquet came not, the thousand re-
leased from the Belem prison drank
deep, fighting with the rebels; reck-
less, indiscriminate firing ragged over
all parts of the city; shots from the
federals fell always short of their
mark. And scarcely word through
all those days from Pascual. He was
in the thick of the fight-any moment
he might be killed. Yet once
only did Mary show how deep was her
horror and her fear. 1t was when
Tom said: Sisters and pupils at
prayer in a chapel have been killed by
she'll"
Happy souls!' she exclaimed,
clasping her hands Theirs is the
glory. Yet prayer might have saved
us, where human aid cannot and
they were taken! o Tom, I cannot
pray, for in prayer,I should think, so
I only say, God, please accept even
our foolish work."
Ten days passed and Madero was
arrested. Vivas and roses rained on
his rival. Gethsemane had begun.
Another night and Pascual Alver-
ado, weak and spent, with a cash in
his head, staggered into the Herald
office.
Maria mia, Maria mia," he
breathed softly. "He lives still. His
life will be spared It is promised.
Tonight I-sleep. Maria mia,-tomor-
row."
Even as he spoke the weary eyelids
closed, he sank upon the big leather
couch in heavy slumber. And Mary,
lifting a Navajo blanket from the
floor, spread it over him, then knelt
in thanksgiving at the wide window
ledge, to send her heart up to Heaven
in rejoicing at the safety of her Pas.
cual. Lights were dim, the office de-
serted, the street silent, and she, too
who had known no rest for many
hours, yielded to the sweet content OF
this first respite from agonized
thought, lowered her head to the hard
seat of chair, and slept while await
ing her brothers return.
Out in the Zocala Tom Mcguire
half from real interest and half from
reporters fever, watched the lights
go out in the palace; saw the city
after it's first fiesta of intoxicated joy
sink to rest; and fingered still, held by
he know not what. Mary for once was
; forgotten in his tense nervousness Of
expectancy Suddenly a phantom-like
auto sped past him in the moonlight
and wild with delirious hope that il
might contain the friend whose fate
now possessed his every thought, he
ran stealthily after it. Straight to the
entrance of the penitentiary he fol
lowed, when, to his vast surprise, the
auto veered and was lost around the
: corner. AS he paused for breath, q
single shot rang out. A moments
silence, then a volley.
: What is it," He grasped the guard
J 81 do not know" was the stole an
swer.
"They have killed the PRESIDENT
cried a ragged boy, running from the
corner, his hands before his face. 81
saw it! / saw it! First a mar
stepped up and shot him through the
back of the head. He dropped That
was all of him. The other they rid
died."
1t was ended. All the agony, al
the harassed raving, all the suffering
They could hurt his friend no more
Tom Mcguire turned sadly toward his
Office, pushed open the door, passed
through to the second room and on the
> threshold stopped.
They slept. Even as the Apostles
that night in the Garden of Geth
semane. They slept. Through cen
turtles the world has not changed.
20 God" the warm-hearted lac
; breathed in penitent prayed. 'Hat
we watched and prayed instead o.
trusting human power, this chalict
might have been spared our friend!'
The sun arose as ever on the fol
: lowing morning, and on many there
after. Violets bloomed again on thu
road to Chapultepec, the road tina
Macmillan and Carlotta once loved
violets that Mary gathered, while
Pascual Alverado walked beside he
dreaming of the tomorrow awaitin,
them beyond the saddened days o
Lent.
At last on Easter Sunday morning
the day before their wedding, HI
came to her with great bunch 0
orange blossoms.
"'They were hard to get this year
dear one," he said "And l have KEEP
them as a sweet surprise for thi
!. morning of Resurrection. You viii
woor Soma f0do1, ou0n OTordido m a