The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-07-31
The Calling Of Giuseppe,
A True Story.

The boy Giuseppe had annoyed his
father, Antonio Lascola, exceedingly,
lately.
The family had emigrated to Amer
lea when Giuseppe had been too small
to have a vote in the matter. They
had come, as so many Italians before
them had come, expecting to make a
fortune in the land which their great
man, Columbus, had discovered so
many years before. Once here, An
tonic had drifted into fruit-selling from
force of example. Possibly because he
had acquired the driving habits of COM
parative prosperity, and partly because
it had appeared necessary, he had
made the boy work as only people of
his class know how to work; from the
time he had been able to totter under
a basket of bananas until now, when
he ran a push-cart of his own, accom-
panying his father on his long rambles
through the city.
Giuseppe did not appear to be inter
ested in the business. He was a self
contained lad, who went quickly about
his duties with a face which neither
frightened when good day showed
unusual profits at the end nor sad
dened when a poor day showed the
long tramping to have been almost in
vain.
But of late, he had developed habit
of leaving his cart unguarded in the
street, the possible plumber of small
boys. And the worst of it was, his
father did not know where he went!
Nothing had been lost by the trick, so
far, but Antonio had frequently ar
rived in time to prevent a descent by
the street gamins. Giuseppe invari-
ably took his fathers harsh words
and harsher blows silently, and An
tonic, in the beginning, had consid-
cred the arrears wiped out by the pun
ishment, supposingS that his son de-
serted his work merely to run off and
play.
But at last, he had grown curious,
Giuseppe did not associate sufficiently
with the boys of the quarter in which
they lived to give the charge basis.
1t was something else. Perhaps the
youngster was not satisfied with the
small allowance his father let him
have, and had taken to thieving. That
meant the police would get him some
time, and that would cause Antonio
trouble. Antonio determined to watch.
A few days after he had formed
this resolution, there came one of
those perfect October days that are
like look into heaven. 1t had rained
the night before, and the sidewalk
and the driveway smiled up into An
tonio's face as he pushed his cart
along, fresh and clean like the face of
child fresh from the bath.
The love of the beautiful is latent
in all Italians, and although he was
only an old, leathery-faced fruit ven.
dor, Antonio was stirred by the
beauty of the day to enter and say a
few Ave Marias as he approached the
door of a Catholic church from which
the strains of the organ foated out
to him; this in the face of the fact
that he was committing the same
breach of business discipline fol
which he meant to punish his son.
The sense of vastness, of eternity
which had begun to steal over him
when he entered the tabernacle, light
ed in ghostly manner by the declining
daylight, which struggled through the
colored glass on which were depicted
scenes from the life of the Saviour
and heavy with the smell of incense
was suddenly checked, just as hi
crossed himself, for there, in the from
pew his curly head piously bowed, wa'
Giuseppe, and from the rapt manner
in which he told his beads, total!
oblivious of the cares of bread-winning
Antonio paused and gazed, wonder
struck, at his son. Why was the DO!
here. So far as he knew, Giuseppe
had been to church only once before
in his life; and that when he wal
christened in the old country. Ro
SARA, the mother, was not piou
woman, and Antonio had left the spiT
itual welfare of the little Lascolas tt
her in the manner of fathers. Hi
children had looked upon religion al
so many of the other children abou
them had; as something good enough
to retire to when old age came, blu
bad, very bad for those with youn,
blood in their veins and a hatred o
prohibitory laws.
All! Antonio knew! The boy hat
seen him on his track and had slippet
in here as a blind! He thought h,
could throw dust into the eyes of hi
old father so, did he? Very we'll! H,
should see!
Antonio said fewer prayers than b,
had intended to say. He grinned al
he mounted guard at the door, H,
would show the youngster how tn,
hand of wronged parent coult
chasten spirit! He would max,
Giuseppe's flesh tingle!
Presently. there was the noise o
footballs which Antonio knew for thos,
of Giuseppe, but their sound puzzleG
him. Antonio had expected them t,
come haltingly, as the steps of on,
who knew what awaited him, for HI
had made sure that Giuseppe had seeI
him leave the church. But they cam
on without sign of hating. The.
we're not quick but full and measures
as the steps of one who walks in pray
er.
When, moment later, the DO.
emerged, all the anger in the father,