The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-08
Alma started and BIT her Inns

& Il Alna4 SI6TICu anu DlL uGT lids.
"Strange!" he smiled, "but it is true,
nevertheless"
She did not answer, but waited for
him. to go on.
There is something in your life,
Alma, that have begun to feel that
l have never quite shared, and it's
from that thing that you seem to get
your real happiness"
He swept the room with an apprais-
ing glance.
"You seem to get more out of it
than anything that can give you, and
it is beginning to be so with Carmel,
too. Did you not see her face when
she came in from school today? All
that 1 have done to please the child
has never brought such a look into
her eyes, has never given her the
happiness that Father Elton gave her
when he told her to attend these in
structions. It's your Church that's
shutting me out of part of your lives,
and l am beginning to be jealous of
it. I've tried to down the feeling"
he finished with half-smile, "but it
grows and grows
How about the feeling of prejudice
that grows and grows-have you tried
to down that, too?''
The smile left his face.
eve must understand each other.
Carmel must not attend these in
| structions. I forbid it."
i T7o4bor EIfnn ooncilorc No nm al
old enough to attend them, as | said
BEFORE" she answered with quiet
ness that was disconcerting, The must
be the judge
Then you mean to go against my
wishes?"
81 must" she returned.
81 cannot prevent it, | suppose, ii
you insist on sending her." burst from
his bps, "but can prevent her being
at the Church on the morning she is
to receive-and shall do it,
She gazed at him serenely, but he1
face had gone very white.
/ Il never expected to hear a thing
like this from you. Have you for
| gotten your promises? You made
them so willingly l never thought that
you would ever think of breaking
i them. Think-think what it would
mean, Hugh, if you broke your prom
Uses now-unhappiness for all of US
for Carmel must not be interfered
with in the practice of her faith"
! Her voice broke for the first time
and she looked at him through a mist
of tears.
i BE generous in this as you have
been in every other thing"
She waited for his answer, but il
never came He took out his watch
and glanced at the time, then hastily
kissing her, he left the room.
: Alma had intended to try the new
} electric that Hugh had given her thai
very week, but the unhappy occurrence
of the dinner hour had left her will
, little spirit for enjoyment; so, instead
/ of taking the drive, the machine made
: quick detour into Lawrence Street
J and it was not long before it stopped
, before Saint Peters. She got out O.
the machine and went into the Church
; Save for an old woman, dressed il
shabby black, who moved slowly dow
; the middle aisle making the Stations
} she found herself alone. She knel
, in the rear of the Church for while
r then rose and went up to the BLESSED
Virgins altar.
The minutes passed until the
2 heightened into half hour; still sh
! knelt there. She did not raise he
t eyes to Our Lady's lovely face. 1t wa
a enough to cling to her feet, and in tn
] words of the good Saint Bernard be
D an answer to her prayer that sh
might be wise in all she said and did
that she might do her duty toward
q her child and God, and still bring bac
e the harmony that in that short aftel
d noon seemed to have SO completed
d vanished from the home.
v In the semi-darkness that began t
fill the Church she asked herself
r there had not been times when sh
e had been a little Indifferent toWar
o the prejudice that she had seen GRO
out in Hugh even before he becam
t openly rebellious regarding his prom
h Uses; if, after all, this first res
v trouble of her married life had nc
It been something sent to test he
t loyalty and faith. How she praye
|. for strength to meet the test! Whe
a she rose to leave the Church she wa
e sure that from that prayer she ha
q gathered courage.
IS 1t was the evening before Carmt
y was to make her First Holy Commul
p ion. She and her mother had returne
al from confession and were sitting G
d the broad, rose-covered piazza.
"Mother!" Carmel looked up fro
FL the little stool on which she ha
a. perched herself at her mothers fee
"Why isn't daddy glad I'm going
1T make my First Communion? He ism
is glad; he's sorry.
le Her mother covered her with
quick glance.
E. "sBut then daddy isn't Catholic, I'll
or child decided for herself. "He doesn
ly know why tomorrow's going to be Il
e, happiest day in my whole life, do'
" he, mother?"
ot How her mother longed to thro
r her protecting arms about her;
save her from the unhappiness TIL
re must inevitably follow should h
n father carry out his word and preyel
is her from attending Mass on that wo
derful morning that the child
10 aar.-r.w 1z11~a5 fnrrrnr.7 40 Tst. -,