The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-10-24
Continued from Page 81
THE AFTERGLoW.

Iu6 SuFS0OH-IHdJOr LOlu what he
knew. The sick mans name was Pat
erson; he was an Englishman, in
charge of large non-sectarian in
dnstrial school for the sons of poor
Europeans and for Eurasian boys. 1t
was government appointment, as a
substantial official grant was made to
the school, but the Protestant mis-
sions of the district undertook
the religious" instruction, and con-
tributed a good deal of money Pater-
son had an excellent record-six years
here at Nayapet, ten years in the Bonn
bay presidency. He was not married,
had seemingly no friends or relations;
had. caused certain amount of fric-
ton by deliberately unfolding his own
authority against the personal inter-
ference of more than one missionary,
and was a keen and successful en-
tomologist. He was said to have an
unriValled collection of tropical moths.
And that was all the surgeon-major
knew.
The priest stood up, and threw
away the. end of his cheroot.
Thanks he said; Il was going to
ask you that. What is the matter
with ahim?"
)" Heart-angina, with complica-
tions," answered DR.. O'Brien. "The
mans a mere wreck-a WORKOUT ma
chine. Evidently taken no care of
himself-and it doesn't pay Suffer
OF course he does--horribly. He can't
last long-a month at the outside, and
then he will die suddenly Nothing
but an iron will and a once perfect
constitution could have carried him
on so long. But you're mistaken about
the age, Father-the man is only fifty
Are you really going? I'm going to
walk round to your bungalow and have
a look in at the hospital before
go to bed
J. Tell me exactly what happened
Jackson, said Father Burke next day
as he sat by No. 3 cot, where the sick
man, recovering as by a miracle, lay
propped on pillows, free from pain
and fever and growing stronger every
hour.
1T was like this, Father: | ought
to have asked to see you early yester.
day morning, before you went to the
Mount; but | didn't thought l was
getting on all right, and then some
thing went wrong"
II knew interrupted the priest;
never mind explaining that 1t is
what the doctor over there would
call complication. You fell into high
fever and became delirious. And
them"
well, Father, they say / came to
myself about 3, or bit later, and then
the surgeon-major told me you were
away. And l thought it was a judy
Ement of God upon me for not having
been for SO long to confession, and
having such a.load on my soul. / was
afraid ] shouldn't live till you came
and ! did the best / could by myself
1t seemed as if I wasn't rightly con
scfous. They had drawn back the
screen on that side where you're sit
ting, Father, to give me more air
it was just the hottest of the after
noon, and the punkahs was going hard
| must have been talking louder thar
knew, but know | was saying my
confession to myself, and then kept
repeating the act of contrition, anC
praying that God would forgive me
and send the priest in time to give
me absolutfonri And then, Father, il
g t
seemed as if a huge figure rose Out
of that bed at the side, where the
sick schoolmaster was lying thai
they've put in private ward. Il
wasn't him, for could see him lying
there, and his head on the pillow
don't. know how to tell you wha
it was like, Father. 1t was taller
than man, and all white, and, shin
ingI thought was delirious again
it rose so high that it seemed to fill
the air-and then / heard, just al
plain as hear my. own voice now, the
, words of absolution-"ego te absolvC
a peccatis tuis, in riomine PATHS e
Fill ct Spiritus Sancti;" and then
Father, / thought perhaps it was al
angel and | felt quite happy. think
went to sleep, because the next thing
remember was waking and seeins
, you. = / was. ever SO much better BY
them ~ ~ d. e1
F. The story, broken by pauses of ex
haustion, was finished, and Corpora
Jackson closed his eyes. The prizes,
held a glass of stimulant to his lips
and then leaned forward, speaking
! quietly and earnestly for couple o.
minutes. Then he rose. Il am COINS
to leave you now, Corporal" he said
"but remember, do not say a wore
| of s-dream-of yours to any one
else. God has been very good to you
Try now to put the whole thing ou
of your mind, and think only of get
ting well. / will come to see yol
again this evening and the doctor say!
for you to sleep all you can. Coz
, bless you!" His hand was raised fol
a moment over the sick mans head
and the next instant he was walking
: down the half-empty ward. At TIL
3 door he met the orderly.
5 Tell me, Lines" he said, DRAWN.
e the man into the corridor, were yol
/ with the corporal most of the tim
4 yesterday afternoon"
Il was, Your Reverence" said thu
. Eorderiy.
z I "C6uld you hear what he said