The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-12-13
THE SPRIG OF HOLLY

On bright Christmas morning
Lawrence Grey was walking to an
early Mass. A clear blue sky, with
the rising sun casting tinge of gold
on tree and bush and house-top-he
lived just outside the town and was
walking in-the air fresh, yet not I'M
pleasantly cold, and the silver fringes
of the mornings frost, all tended to
invigorate and enliven those whom
piety or pleasure had brought out of
their houses at that early hour.
Smiles were plentiful, and CHEEKY
greetings incessant The air seemed
to be full of Merry Christmas! Merry
Christmas!"
And Lawrence smiled, and nodded,
and echoed Merry Christmas" in reply
to the greetings-though he was ac-
quainted with but few of those whom
he met-yet all the while he was
thinking of other things, and was sad.
Lawrence Grey had been started in
life as an engineer. His parents had
died while he was still young, and his
guardian, after giving him good
education, sent him to a large engi-
neering firm in the United States.
Here he prospered. Several works of
Importance were entrusted to him, and
he carried them out very successfully;
and before long he had made for him.
self a name and fortune.
Some eight years before our story
opens-it was just eight years to the
day-Lawrence married bright,
warm-hearted Irish girl, whom he had
met in one of his journeys through
the States. By the following Christ
mas there was a wee blue-eyed baby,
the image, as Lawrence said, of his
Maggie. And Lawrence thought that
life was too happy to last. And so it
proved. Another twelve-month pass
ed, so swiftly because so happily, a
twelve-month of life's summer, during
which Lawrence basked in the warm
love Of the true-hearted, devoted,
young wife, and thought nothing so
soul-stirring as the merry little laugh
or the Growing of pleasure of their
little one-and then Maggie paled,
and, in spite of all care, the short thin
cough told that she was in consump-
ton. "a sea voyage might do her
good" he was told; and so she and
the little Maggie were put on board a
homeward-bound vessel, Lawrence in
tending to follow them as soon as
he could leave his work.
But the ship never reached England.
A fierce storm arose when they were
close to the end of the voyage; the
vessel was driven out of her course on
to some rocks, and foundered. Most
of the crew and passengers we're
either drowned or persisted through
the cold and exposure; some few who
had escaped in an open boat were
picked up, after going through fear
full hardships and privations, and tax
en- to England. But Maggie was not
one of these. Her name and that OF
her child were among those of the
drowned. There was no hope of res.
cue; some of the survivors had seen
her perish. And Lawrence in his an.
uASA C11CO. Il 0hC Aou " uAOs WOuAu
to God she had died here; I should
then have had at least my little one "
And now, some five years after, as
he walks this bright Christmas day
through the streets of small seaside
town in England not far from the port
where he had landed a few years be
fore-no wonder that he thinks OF
what might have been, were his dear
wife with him and the little Maggie
by their side; and no wonder that he
is sad
The church was reached in time for
the service. 1t was a Low Mass; but
some hymns were sung by the chill
dren, and there was a five minutes
sermon in which the preacher with a
few fervent words impressed upon his
hearers the love of the Infant Jesus
for men, and the love that each one
ought, after His Savior's example, to
have for his fellow-men. Lawrence
Grey was deeply moved by the earn
est words; and following the train of