The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-02-28
As GOD MADE Her.

feminine logic QaQ Cr1umpn6Q. he
hardly looked like a man worsted in
argument by woman. "Will you
marry me, Shiela?" he asked.
She replied that she could not face
life of struggle and social ostracism.
Though society admires the slum-
doctors disinterestedness," she laugh
ed, ''it leaves no cards on his wife
The sarcasm stung, but John Keith
took his disappointment manfully.
"Good-by!" he said.
Wont aunt sneer!" she sighed,
when he had gone.
"He has lost five thousand pounds, -
scoffed Mrs. Dacre.
HE knew nothing about my money
Shiela retorted Indignantly, "He
thinks me an adopted child, entirely
dependent on you"
"He nearly duped you into running
all l have done for you" fumed the
aunt. HAD I not taken you when I
did, you would have married some
penniless adventurer before you were
out of your teens. How have you
shown your gratitude? BY dangling
after a poverty-stricken doctor the
moment you were free from my con-
troll. I warned you what his so-called
friendship meant Though, thanks to
the good sense I taught you, it failed
in it's object, it has done you no end
of harm. What is that book on the
Catholic religion doing in your room?"
Sheila was silent, thankful that she
was no longer in short frocks.
ellis lending you such book" Mrs.
Dacre continued, proves him to be no
gentleman"
ut was in his library" explained the
niece, land he thought it might inter
est me-"
What interest could it have-for a
Protestant"
"I told him I was b-baptized a
Catholic"
"Go!" stormed the aunt, losing her
temper. can agnostic? he is Jesuit
in disguise The sooner you leave this
house, the better. A Romanist is no
fit companion for my girls"
John Chester's Professionalism had
never been more than prejudice
against Rome. Already weakened by
reading and travel, it had entirely
given way before his Irish wife's sim
pie faith and piety. He had cheered
her last moments by promising to ap-
point Catholic nurse for their child
But death anticipated his purpose. His
latest will vested his fortune in trus-
tees till Sheila should reach the age
of twenty-three But it left his sister,
Mrs. Dacre, free to claim legal custody
of her niece. In vain old Bridget, the
childs nurse, denounced the iniquity
of disregarding mothers dying
wishes. She was told that pious opin.
ions counted for nothing in law.
Thus, at ten years of age, Sheila
had found herself in rabidly anti.
Catholic household. For a time she
persisted in saying her own grace, re.
fused meat on Fridays, and made a
scene" when taken to her aunt's
church But Mrs. Dacre was too wise
to proclaim a religious persecution.
She shrewdly guessed that the would.
be st. Agnes would find no martyrs
crown in being spanked for simple dis
obedience.
A fashionable school had done its
very best. To all appearance, Miss
Chester had come out" as worldly
minded and pleasure-loving a young
lady as could be found between Lizard
Point and John o'Groats. The Catho.
lie teachings of her childhood were
crushed still further out of mind by
contact with world that went to
church only to display it's best clothes.
The world held that people got to
heaven by doing what fashionable peo-
pie expected of them. And, for girl,
society's FIRST and greatest command
ment of the law" was: Thou shalt
wed as much money as possible.
Sheila had always caused her aunt
some anxiety. She expressed singular
views, and could not be broken of the
habit of calling spade spade. Still,
considering her fathers eccentricity
and her mothers superstition, a few
oddities were to be expected. But
once she became friendly with John
Keith, her gaucheries passed all
bounds. She discussed religion, open
" questioned her social sets beliefs,
even riddled with agnostic arguments
the creed she had learned at school.
mo one will marry her." remon-
strated Mrs. Dacre's bosom friend.
"Her talk amuses men but it also
shocks them. What she says is clever
and, between ourselves, very true; but
you know how one longs to slap a
priggish child that is always showing
of its precocious wisdom!"
"She il twenty-five" was the de.
spairing reply, land more obstinate
than any child. She argues that, as
the doctors sister was at school with
her, his family must be all right. And
she says that poverty doesn't mat.
ter"
Sheila's contention was that poverty
was no bar to intellectual friendship
and when a wilful niece is both deaf
to advice and too big to be whipped
what is a perplexed aunt to do? Mrs
Dacre knew well that John Keith was
IN so-.nna-huntor In charging him
with mercenary motives she acted on
the principle that the end justifies the
means. When her niece began to inn
pugn the fashionable notion of mar
rage, no remedy for the evil seemed
unlawful. A certain Margaret Ellison