The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-06-20

father would come to the nursery,
dearly as he loved her. But would
her mother stay away too? Was that
desertion also penalty, of "being old
enough" Would only Hannah hear
her recite her prayers? Well, it was
comfort anyhow to know that the
Infant Jesus and His Mother would
listen to her there. And she might as
well have it all settled now, and then
she would have tomorrow to get used
to the impending loneliness.
Mother" she timidly asked, as with
her hand held fast in Hannah's, she
turned at the door, Mother, shall
say my prayers tomorrow night, before
the statue of the little Infant Jesus or
before our Blessed Mother? And-and
wont you ever come up to hear if
say them right?"
Mark Gaylord shifted his position,
was about to speak, then pressed his
lips closer together. He had not fore
seen this. 1t had somehow seemed
all right for his wife to adhere to her
beliefs and pious practises, and even
to pray if she so choose to the Blessed
Virgin, since this had been part of her
life before he had entered it and could
not be ASSOCIATED from her person
atty. But that his child's mind should
be filed with this same doctrine was
not wholly desirable and was most
assuredly unnecessary. It is true that
he had promised that she should be
brought up Catholic, and it had never
occurred to him to disregard or re-
tract in the slightest degree that
promise. But he disliked to be re-
minded so forcibly of it's fulflment
And, particularly, did he object to the
title Our Blessed Mother" 1t an
noyed him, although he could not
have told why. He felt unacquainted
with her. She had been unknown, or
at least unrecognized, in the church
he had attended as a boy. That the
tenets accepted by that church failed
to hold his allegiance in manhood,
awakened as yet no doubt as to the
wisdom of it's reflections. In fact, he
was not interested in that church nor
in any other. He disavowed belief or
disbelief in any or in all. They we're
call good enough" lone was as good
as another" and from his point of
view they were one and all unneces-
| sary, since there could be but one true
religion. And as he had neither the
inclination nor the time, he thought,
to investigate the claims of each, it
was simpler to discountenance all.
But in spite of his supposed
neutrality he still retained his in
herited prejudice against devotion to
the Blessed Virgin and belief in her
microscopy powers. And it was this
dormant scepticism that now asserted
itself when his little daughter inquired
about her prayers to the Blessed
Mother" 1t was with an effort that
he restrained himself
Mrs. Gaylord's throat frightened in a
dread that held more of despair than
fear, but with quick encouraging
smile that, in some inexplicable way,
seemed to include her husband in it's
sympathy, she hastily treasured Mar
garet:
1--WE did not intend, dear, that you
should go up with Hannah alone. l
shall be with you just the same as
before, and we'll pray together"
| Then with a new, unexpected cour-
age that surprised herself, she added:
Nov that you know the Our Father
and Hail Mary so well, it is time that
you used your little pearl rosary, and
it will be better, perhaps, that we
should begin this devotion in your
room tomorrow night, where you have
the statues of both the Infant Jesus
and His Blessed Mother. Goodnight,
dear"
The speaker felt that the figure in
the chair had grown suddenly tense
and had then relaxed as the door
closed on Margaret and her nurse. She
asked him, almost Immediately, con-
corning the progress of business ar
rangement he had been trying to Sc
cure, and he met her on that ground
of compromise.
His satisfaction at the discontinue
ance of the prayers in the library was
lessened by the feeling that he was
thus placed still further outside an
intimate bond of affection that held
close those dearest to him. Her dis
tress at the not altogether unexpected
turn of affairs was somewhat allevi-
ated by the hope that this new dis
quietude, unvoiced as yet, would lead
to a discussion of the subject, and
discussion to understanding. But that
would do some days later, she thought.
It would be indiscreet to breach it
while the atmosphere was surcharged
with antagonism. And thus, with an
all too palpable effort to ignore the
specter of estrangement that for the
first time stalked between them, they
talked of many things but not of that
which was uppermost in the minds of
both.
The days passed on and the
months, but the prescribed subject
remained as such. Things seemed to
have fallen naturally into their old
grooves again, save that Margaret now
kissed her father goodnight" i'm
mediately after dinner and that her
mother came into the library later
than had been her custom under the
earlier arrangement. The delay was