The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-10-24

AAAS. WOAhD WAlNn
occupied all his energy and nearly all
his time, Father Burke loved his In
dia, and had fallenYa willing victim
to her SPELL But for that his life
would have been even more lonely
than that of many mission-priest,
for only one officer belonging to the
station-the geofl-major in charge
of the great military hospital-was a
Catholic. The nearest priest lived at
st. Thomas Mount, nearly a dozen
miles away, and it was owning to his
sudden illness that Father Burke had
been obliged to drive over to the
Mount only that very morning, to
make several necessary arrangements,
and to pay some sick-calls Then a
mounted messenger had ridden over
post-haste from. Manimir-Corpor
Jackson had been taken worse sud
denly-he was in the hospital, and
the surgeon-maior did not think he
could live many. hours. Would Fa-
Their Burke return at once? The cor
poral was fretting his heart out until
the priest came.
So the "jutka" sped wildly down the
dusty road, right into the eye of the
sunset; through palm-groves; between
stretches of jungle impenetrable for
the thorns of the acacia; besides
dhobytanks* and the paddyfelds,
ashine with water; passing long
strings of creaking, heavy-laden OK
carts; waking a sleeping crowd of
gaunt pariah dogs, as it, tore past a
little native village, a cluster of mud
huts half a mile outside Manimir.
Fortunately for Govindra, the hospital
was on this side of the cantonment,
for he could not have driven at such
a pace through the little. town, and
would certainly have, lost his two
rupees. For, as the tired pony came
out of the banyan avenue. at the edge
of the madam and the great red brick
hospital rose before, the priests eager
eyes, the round flaming disc of the
sun touched a horizon as vast and
as fiat as the ocean, and in a moment
the glowing tropical sky shot up in
sudden flame almost to the zenith.
Father Burke having slipped five
heavy silver rupees into Govindra's
willing brown hand, climbed stiff1y
out of the back of the ''jutka' as the
hospital orderly came running across
the courtyard to meet him. For an
instant the priest stood still, his tired
face lifted to the fiery sky. what
an afterglow there will be-" he
thought, as the man opened the gate
and saluted as he passed in.
THANK God, you've come, Father,
he said: the corporal is not dead
yet, though the surgeon-major thinks
he will not last another two hours
He's sinking FAST by the looks oil
him."
'Is he consciouse" asked the priest
Just conscious, Father, but he's
been so since he dame ont of delirium
about three this afternoon He
added some details as he followed the
priest rapidly up the broad stone
stairs. when he, came to he asked
for you at once, and then by degrees
the surgeon-major told him you were
OtSl at lilo @Uut IHdJ ll0 ldG
sent messenger on horseback for
you, and you would be here very soon
He was in a dreadful way, at first
was the corporalKahe was praying out
tloud, and saying hs4eouldn't die with.
out priest. Hes kept on repeating
acts of contrition, and Hail Marys
and then all of a sudden he seemed
to drop off to sleep, like; though he
was not asleep, Father, for his eyes
were open and he seemed quite con.
scious. But he has not spoken since
and" :,
They have reached. the end of the
long, pillared upper Veranda, and the
priest paused at the entrance to 3
ward.
Thank you, Lines" he said quiet
i ly; Il quite understand. Is it No. 8
cot? Yes, see. Now, will you run
around to the church and tell the
sacristan to be there ready for me
and to wait until | come. | may be
able to give Viaticum. Tell the sur
geon-maior and the ward-nurse, also
please"
The next moment he was walking
swiftly down the ward between the
double lines of spotless white cots
with their neatly folded army blankets
towards a tall linen screen drawn
around No. 3. AS the ward-nurse drew
it aside, Father Burke stood by the
/ bedside of the apparently dying man
/ Outside, the scarlet sunset had faded
as such pageants do In the tropics
i with almost startling suddenness, and
had left behind it cold, pale, pearly
4 sky, barred with great lines of heavy
purple cloud which a, few minutes
before had been a fleece of, gold
Then, as the tide flows back over the
ripping sand, all the light and color
flowed back once more into the west
ern sky, yivified, intensified, glorious
The rose became flame, and the flame
glowed like molten iron. in which, ar
gonauts of red-hot gold, foated the
masses of cloud. 1t was as il the
gates of the Celestial City were open
ed and the sky We're flooded with the
; light of Heaven The sky-not the
earth! For though a tropical sunset
). will flush white city with rosy pink
and change a shining river to a
stream of blood, the afterglow, mys
. FERROUS, ethereal, unearthly, is never