Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-06
TO-DAY'S INSTALLMENT.
Seventeenth Chapter-Continued

Partly undressing. l climbed into
my cot and lay still for the next half
hour, while the doctor held his hand
on my mothers pulse and the nurse
spread linen cloth over a table and
put four or five lighted candles on 1t.
remember that | was thinking
that II God sending for my mother
meant that she was 10 be put into a
box and buried under the ground II
was terrible and cruel, and perhaps If
] prayed to Our Lady He would not
fnd 1t in His heart to do 80. / was
trying 10 do this, beginning, under
my breath, 20 Holy Virgin, thou art
60 lovely. thou art so gracious -"
when the nurse said;
Here they are back again
Then | heard footsteps outside, and
going to the window ! saw a sight
not unlike that which ] had seen on
the night Of The Waits
The Sacrament.
A group of men we're coming to-
WhIN Nnt liOuHNs WIN uhAioi A'Uh 80
the middle OF them. Father Dan with
his coat hung over his arms like
cloak, was carrying something white
In both hands. and the men were car
rying torches to light him on his way.
] knew what 1t vast was the
Blessed Sacrament. which they were
bringing to my mother. and when
Father Dan had come into the room.
saying Peace be to this house" and
laid a little white box on the table.
and thrown of his coat, he was wear
ing his priests vestments underneath.
Then the whole OF my fathers
household-all except my father him
self-came INTO my mothers room, in
cluding Aunt Bridget, who sat with
folded arms in the darkness by the
wall and the servants, who knelt IN q
group by the door,
Father Dan reused my mother BY
calling her again, and after she hac
opened her eyes he began TO read.
Sometimes his voice seemed to be
ohoked with sobs. as II the heart OF
the man were suffering, and some
times 1t pealed out loudly as II the
soul OF the priest We're inspiring him.
After communion he gave nv
mother extreme unction--anointinS
the sweet eyes which had seen no
evil, the dear lips which had uttered
no wrong, and the feet which had
walked in the ways of God.
All this time there was a solemn
hush in the house like that OF 8
church--no sound within except my
fathers measured tread in tho room
below. and none without except the
fnuffled murmur which the sea makes
rhar 10 DO 20 M
When all was over my mother
seemed more at ease and after ask
ing for me and being told was in the
cot. she said;
You must all go and rest. Mary
and ] will be quite right now"
A few minutes afterward my moth
er and | were alone once more, and
then she called me into her bed and
claspcd her arms about me and | lay
with my face hidden in her neck
What happened thereafter seems to
be too sacred 20 write or almost too
sacred 20 think about. yet ii is all a.
memory of yesterday, while other
events OF my life have floated away e.
the ocean OF things that are forgotten
and lost
Listen, darling" she said. and then
speaking In whispers, she told me she
convent, and wondered If would not
like to live there always, becoming
one OF the good and holy nuns.
! must have made some kind OF
protest. for she went on TO say how
hard the world was to woman ant
how difficult she had found II.
Not that your father has been t.
hlame-you must never think that,
Mary, vet still
But tears from her tender heart
were stealing down her face and she
had to stop,
SO you gee we shall never he part
ed, never really. We shall always be
together. Something tells me that
wherever you are. and whatever you
are doing, l shall know all about It."
This comforted me and | think It
comforted my mother also, though
God knows II it would have done So
If, with her dying eyes, she could
have seen what was waiting for her
child
1t fills my heart brimful to think
Of what happened next