The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-06-03
AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR.


Visitors to the little town of Brake
ly always paused to see the flowers
that clustered about Mrs. Anna Dunn's
home. The sun shone no warmer there
than it did into the scores of other
yards in the village; the soil there
was no more fertile; yet in no other
place did crimson ramblers lift such
rich profusion of color, nowhere else
did dahlias grow so large or holly
hooks raise more multiflowered stalks.
From the time when the first crocus
opened its eye in the spring until the
frosts nipped the last blossom of gold
en- glow, Anna Dunn's doorway was
abloom.
Seems kind of sinful to me, spend
ing so much time over flowers" COM
mented Mrs. Brownell.
Mrs. Brownell was one of those tall,
angular women whose clothes hung
loosely on their spare shoulders. She
suggested neither repose nor energy;
a sort of negatively good personality,
common in small towns. 1t would
have been hard to imagine her as
having been pretty or young. Near
by was her daughters Ella. Youth
betrayed itself with her only by a
brighter color in her face; her figure
was as severe as the mothers. Ella
put down frame of embroidery she
was working and looked across the
wav Thnro che COW, Anna DYnn N
light shawl thrown over her stopped
shoulders, watering her flowers. The
waning light was kindly to the
woman; smoothing out the lines in
her face and leaving soft, Wistful
expression. She touched her flowers
lovingly, tying a rose bush into place,
or clipping away a faded blossom to
make room for a bud.
Mrs. Dunn is falling. | notice it
every time | see her., the daughter
began, following the unspoken trend
OF her mothers thoughts, as those do
who live together
She was good looking when she
first came here" Mrs. Brownell said
The Irish are often fine appearing
when they are young. | used to watch
her and her husband going down the
street to church with the other Cath
olics from up the hill and think she
was the prettiest woman in the town
You wouldn't know her for the same
person"
"She doesn't go to the Catholic
Church now, does she?"
I guess it's 20 years since she
went last" For that time and longer
Mrs. BroWnell and her daughter haG
sat on their porch and watched the
little world of Brakely pass Their
door.
A rafting farm wagon numbered
by and lost itself in cloud of dust
further up the road. Mrs. Brownell's
| eye followed it and rested upon 6
church spire, crowned by weather
cock that sprung out above the trees
Her glance drifted back to the woman
| among the flowers.
of course we ought to be Thankful
that she's left the Catholics and theil
superstitious ways. She did that after
her husband was taken away. They
say that she and the priest had some
trouble about cemetery lot. ! dont
think she ought to go back to the
Catholics, but tits too sad for hel
not to have some church connection
and our meeting house so near!"
/ oh n
to have her join with us"
| She's been invited often enough
goodness knows" said Mrs. Brownell
Mr.. Thompson, our minister before
| Mr.. Miller came, used to call on hel
and urge her to become member O.
our Church, but she just smiled ant
said she guessed she was through
with religion now"
I've noticed that when Catholic:
quit their Church they don't gener
ally go to any other"
But there was Mrs. Bates the
daughter put in, "she that was Mrs
Burns. She always went down to hel
/ Church, and we used to wonder how
a lady with so much money could
associate with the mere Irish. Wher
Mr.. Bates became acquainted with he
and proposed marriage. we found ou
that her first husband wasn't really
dead and the priest wouldn't allow {
divorce; so she left her Church ant
our minister married them, after the
courts gave her permission"
The funny part of that was, you
know" Mrs. Brownell put in, tive
months after they were married hi!
uncle died and left him plenty o
money, SO he needn't to have mar
ried a rich woman at all. They SAL
he was so mad he wouldn't speak tt
her for month. But he brings he
Ito Church and the ladies say she il
very nice"
Mrs. Dunn has better education
If she had any good clothes to q
out in she would look real refined
and genteel, even now"
/ i guess the little that her hus
band left won't much more than keel
the roof over head, particularly nov
when she isn't able to make anything