The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-10-18

by a miracle could her plain face be
changed To a beautiful one.
When Mass was finished, Mary went
to the altar Of the Sacred Heart to
pray for beauty: to no one else, not
even to our Blessed Lady could she
tell this secret desire of her heart,
at any rate at this early stage of her
conversion. She was ashamed to
write her request and put it into the
box that stood by the altar for petit
tons, but she knelt there for O quar-
ter of an hour, praying with all her
soul that He Who was the most beauti-
full of the sons Of men, and Who was
also Almighty God, would make her
fair and comely.
John Murray was also deeply i'm
pressed by the sermon; he had come
to Mass that morning prey to dis
tracing thoughts. He had recently
embarked upon a financial scheme
which if successful would make his
fortune, but which if it failed would
probably cripple him rom none
tary point OF view for some time; for
he had invested all his available CAPT
tai in it. 1t was great risk that he
was running, but the prize il he were
successful was SO large that he had
determined to make tn" venture. 1t
was undoubtedly great speculation,
but he was an unmarried man with
no one dependent upon him, and he
had persuaded himself that he was
justified in his action. If he succeed
ed he would rest content with his
gains, he thought, but for this once
he would let himself go. So he stood
to win large fortune, or to lose all
his savings, and meanwhile he was in
fever of excitement.
AS he listened to the sermon, some
thing in him was kindled by the
preachers words; perhaps it was
faith, perhaps it was fixed determi.
nation to leave no possible stone I'm.
turned to gain this prize, and after
Mass he went to our Lady's altar and
prayed, as he had never prayed be
fore in his life, for the success of his
scheme
The anxiety he was enduring, the
vacillation between hope and fear
which every rise and fall of the stock
in which he was so deeply interested
caused him to feel, was telling on his
physical strength, and reacting on his
spiritual nature, as our bodies are
wont to act and react on our souls
and weigh them down or raise them
up without our suspecting their infiu
ence.
John Murray, though usually a calm
collected, and not particularly fervent
worshipper, was today in high emo
| tional frame of mind as he knelt be
fore our Lady's statue and repeated
the Memorare with passionate fervor
almost commanding her to grant his
request. you can, you will, you mus
grant my petition. believe tina
never was it known that you refused
to help your clients. Hear my prayer
oh gracious Virgin, and grant me tn
success I covet.'
/ Johns prayer was not so long al
Mary Luttrell's, but after he had fin
ished he strolled slowly round tn
church, and presently recognized he
graceful figure bent in deep and hum
Bile supplication at the feet of tn
Sacred Heart His prayer had bee
like the storming Of a citadel, tumultr
GUS, vehement, violent; Mary's wa
calmer, deeper, gentler, humber; he
form was motionless; she was al
sorbed in devotion.
4 John stood little way off, watch
ing her, and when at last she aros
from her knees and came toward
him, her usually pale cheeks wer
flushed, her eyes shone with a neV
light, and John as he looked at he
experienced new feeling overwheln
ing his troubled spirit, feeling tina
was at once pain and pleasure, 10
, and sorrow, hope and fear, blende
inextricably together.
He knew intuitively that the sermo
had moved her as it had moved hin
, to ask some great favor; he wondere
what her request had been; he longe
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