The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-03-13
HIS RlRTHRloHT.

Mother, haven't we any saints? The
Catholics seem to have SO many"
Mrs. Stewart dropped her EN-
broidery into her lap and looked at
her little son, the slow color rising in
her cheeks.
why, Archie, dear, what do you
mean?" she questioned in surprise.
'"The saints do not belong exclusively
to any church.
but we never ask their help, like
the Catholics do" the boy persisted.
"And-and they have the Virgin!
There's beautiful white marble
statue of her in st. Leo's Church, and
there's always flowers before it and
| lighted candles and"
Archie Stewart! What took you to
| st. Leo's church," his mother de-
manded sternly, all the soft color dy-
ing out of her cheeks.
why, l went with Billy Andrews.
He was taking basket Of flowers for
the Sisters to put on the affairs. All,
mother, it was all SO beautiful" he
went on with shining eyes. There
we're statues of so many saints. Billy
told me their names, but the beauti-
fullest one of them all was the Virgin.
Billy's father is sick, and before we
came away Billy lit a candle and knelt
| down before her and asked her to
make his father we'll. She seemed to
smile down at him as if she under
stood. 1 wish we had statue of the
Virgin in our church." he concluded
Wistfully.
| Mrs. Stewart wisely refrained from
making any reply. She was more dis
turbed than she cared to admit. This
dreamy little son of hers had devel-
oped some strange notions.
| His passionate admiration for the
doors of valorous deeds" had at first
been a source of amusement to his
father and herself, but of late she had
in gentle way tried to discourage his
extrayagant devotion. This new In
terest to one of his temperaments was
rather alarming.
'This magazine contains a splendid
description of Napoleon; shall read
it to your" she asked presently, anx-
| ious to divert his attention.
For moment his eyes lighted, then
he sighed. I'D rather hear about
the Virgin he said slowly. "She was
| greater even than Napoleon. Why, she
was the Mother of God! Think of that,
the. Mother of God!''
| Mrs. Stewart forced herself to smile
indulgently, humoring his childish
whim, but she was really alarmed.
Eve will visit the art gallery, per
haps tomorrow" she said gently. Il
did. not know my little boy was such a
lover of art" she added smiling.
But the nude marble figures did not
appeal to the boy. He stood for a long
time before life-sized bust of George
Washington, his face luminous with
the old hero-worship.
Mrs. Stewart congratulated herself
upon her wisdom in bringing him here,
where, while feasting his eyes on the
chisled features of dead and gone
heroes (his vivid imagination supply
ing the local COLOR, he could worship
to his hearts content the brave men he
SO passionately loved. Bit in the
midst of her self-congratulatory
thoughts she became conscious OF a
painful shock. HE was the father OF
his country" she heard him murmuf
'but she was the Mother Of Cod"
When Mrs. Stewart related the story
of Arches new infatuation to her hus
band that night, she met another UNI.
expected shock, one so. totally unex'
peeted that she felt stunned mentally
and physically.
| A wave of apoplectic color. swept
over John Stewards face as he lis.
tened, then slowly receded, leaving
| him quite pale. II have never told
you, Ethel" he said little. thickly,
"butI-I was raised Catholic"
"'John!" was all his wife had
strength to say.
ooh, know your father would turn
over in his grave if he knew you had
married a Catholic" John said, a little
bitterly. but don't look so fright
ened," he added. The world and its
money-getting has too deep hold on
me now for me to be anything but the
suave, gentlemanly money-grabber you
know SO WELL" And putting on his
hat, John Stewart, restless, unhappy
dissatisfied with all the world. but par
tfcularly with himself, strobe off to his
! club.
The old friendly relation between
husband and wife seemed to have van
ished, and in its place was one of con
Straint.
The subject of religion was never
mentioned, but each knew that it was
uppermost in the others thoughts.
Stewart entered heart and soul into
business, spending most of his spare
time at the club, smoking long, black
cigars and frowning into space, while
his wife rushed feyerishly from one
social function to another, finding no
where the contentment she sought.
So Archie was left much alone with
his books, his pictures and his long
long thoughts. Because of a peculiar
delicacy, which had followed him from
babyhood, he did not attend school,
like other boys of his age, but had q
tutor for few hours every day at his
own home.
Its poor mite of a lonely he is, :
thought Mamie, the parlor maid, and
4 in The kindness of her heart, in spite