The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-11-20
A Strange Sick Call.

per when the door bell rang, and the
girl who answered the summons came
back with a telegraph message. 1t
read: Send me a priest at once to -
Station, man dying. There was no
name signed to the message, and the
priest who attended the missions in
that part of the State told me that
there was no Catholic living at -,
for there was no place there for him
to live, since there was no house
there, but a shed, or small house,
which was only open on the arrival or
departure of freight trains; and the
man who had charge lived fully a
mile away and was not a Catholic.
However, we did not lose any time
in discussing the conditions at -.
l went to the phone and asked the
Union Station people if there was a
train for - that night and was
promptly informed that the train on
the E. T. V. and G., which left at
tbs, did not stop there; and the first
train which stopped at = left at $3.50
the next morning. Father c. however
said he would make a try at it, and
getting all things that were necessary
he went down to the station. The
agent would not sell him a ticket to
=, telling him that as the train did
not stop there he was not permitted
to sell tickets. Father G.. said: "Well,
if l have to take that early train to-
morrow morning | will not have much
time to buy a ticket then, SO just let
me have one now" The agent sold
him. the ticket; and Father G.. went
out and got on the 7:15 train. When
the conductor came around collecting
the tickets he said to the priest:
This train don't stop at - Station.
You will have to so to the next station,
or get off at our first stop, - at M. )"
Father C. told the conductor the story
of the sick call, and begged him to
let him off at -, but the conductor
told him that it would cost him his
place if he did it. The conductor left
him to continue his work, and when
he had taken up the tickets he came
back and sat down by the priest.
While they were talking the matter
over the whistle blew for their first
stop at M. and the conductor left.
On his return he said: Father, l have
had talk with the engineer, and he
is q member of your Church, and |
told him your story and he says that
he can arrange things so as to let you
off at your station. Just as we are
nearing that place he is going to see
some sort of an obstruction on the
track, and he will slow down suffi-
GENTLY for you to jump off. He can't
stop entirely; but he says if you go
TO the rear platform you will have a
chance to jump"
Well, the plan was a success, and as
the train slowed down, the priest,
who had meanwhile gone to the plat
form of the last car, jumped off in the
darkness and suffered no other mis-
hap except tumble down into a
ditch which was fortunately dry. He
scrambled to his feet and looked
around as we'll as he could, for the
night was very dark, trying to see if
anyone was there waiting for him.
He crossed the track and went to the
shed: but he was not at all surprised
to find no one there. After delay OF
some minutes he heard mans
voice: Hello. Are you the priest?'
He very promptly answered that he
was the priest; and going in the
direction of the sound of the voice
found man, and asked him who was
sick, and how the sick man was. The
man told him that he did not know
anything about the man; didn't ever
know his name; but that they haG
quite long drive ahead of them;
and if the priest would walk over to
the woods and get into the buggy they
would make a start. Father G. fol
lowed the man, and going back across
the track and entering the woods
found the buggy. He got i'll and they
set off OH their way. The driver was
singularly communicative, and in
sisted that all that he knew was thai
man came to his house and paiC
him very handsomely to drive dowI
to the station, meet the train, anC
bring the priest away with him, anc
keep his mouth shut! After driving
for fully an hour the man stopped
his horse and said: Nov, Father
I've been told what to do, and, o.
course, I've got to follow my instruc
tions. They told me that when l got
here was to blindfold you ant
bring you the rest of the way blind
folded" Naturally enough Father G
demanded to know the cause of this;
but the driver said he knew nothing
about the reasons, but that he was
paid to do something the way they
told him to do it, and he had giver
his word that he would, and SO he
had no option in the matter. But
suppose" said Father c., "that l oh
ject to being blindfolded, what are
you going to do about it?" Why
lie replied, "they told me that if yol
objected to being blindfolded all
had to do was to turn around ant
take you back to where | picked yot
up" After little hesitation Father
G. concluded that as there was ques
tion of administering the last Sacra
ments to q dying man, he should no
refuse; SO the driver pulled out a bis
handkerchief and neatly and com
pletely blindfolded him.
Father G.. had no idea which direc
ton they drove, nor the distance
fpoVclnd for tho rcSf 0f fhp drive Al