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

Partly undressing, climbed into
my cot and lay stil for the next half
hour, while the doctor held his hand
on my mothers pulse and the nurse
spread linen cloth over table and
put four or five lighted candies on it.
remember that l was thinking
that II God sending for my mother
meant that abe was 10 be put into
box and buried under the ground II
was terrible and cruel, and perhaps II
+ / prayed to Our Lady He would not
find It in HE heart TO do so. was
trying TO do this, beginning, under
my breath, 20 Holy Virgin. thou art
GO lovely, thou art so gracious ="
when the nurse said:
Here they are back again.
Then l heard footsteps outside, and
going to the window l saw a sight
not unlike that which ] had seen on
the night OF The Waits
The Sacrament.
A group Of men were coming to-
ward the house, with Father Dan III
the middle of them. Father Dan, with
his coat hung over his arms ike
cloak, was carrying something white
In both hands. and the men we're car
rying torches to light him on his way.
] knew what II was--it 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 off his coat, he was wear
ing his priests vestments underneath
Then the whole OF my fathers
household-all except my father him
eelf--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
group by the door
Father Dan reused my mother by
calling her again, and after she had
opened her eyes he began 10 read.
Sometimes his voice seemed to be
choked with sobs, as IL the heart Of
the man were suffering. and some
times II pesied out loudly as II the
soul OF the priest We're inspiring him,
After communion he gave nv
mother extreme unction-anointing
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 . solemn
hush in the house like that OF a
church-no sound within except my
fathers measured tread in the room
below, and none without except the
muffled murmur which the sea makes
sh1,, 9s-T g.. ~ ~,
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 l 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 an6
claspcd her arms about me and lay
with my face hidden in her neck
What happened thereafter seems to
be too sacred to write or almost TO,
s2cred 20 think about, vet il is all as
memory OF yesterday, while other
events Of my life have floated away to
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 noi
like to live there always. becoming
one of the good and holy nuns.
l must have made some kind OF
protest, for she went on to say how
hard the world was 10 a woman anC
how difficult she had found ii.
Not that your father has been L.
blame-vou must never think that,
Mary, yet still
But tears from her tender heart
were stealing down her face and she
had to stop.
so you see We shall never be part
&c, never really. We shall always be
together. Something tells me that
wherever you are. and whatever you
are doing, ! shall know all about it,"
This comforted me and ! think Il
comforted my mother also, though
God knows IL il would have done so,
il, 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