The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-03-04


called the names of dear old friends
and teachers, long since gone to their
rest in God. At every pause my
thoughts slipped back, back into the
past, running over the catalogue of
names now great in the nations his
tory. 1t was from one of these de-
lightful rambles that he recalled me
with:
Father Frank, do you remember
the Lees of Georgetown"
(Which Lees?" said I. There were
Virginia Lees, Maryland Lees, New
York Lees"
"The New Workers. One Of them
was a mischievous little chap
Named Harry Lee. Yes, I remem-
Der him very we'll.
did you know he had a
"And I remember, too" interrupted,
chow you thrashed old Bully Brigham
back of the old bake house for plagu-
ing the little fellow, and how / adj
mired your generosity in champion
ing the cause of that helpless child"
Generosity, did you say?" he quer-
led, with a laugh. "Ah, Frank, fear
l must have been sad hypocrite in
those days. l guess poor Harry's
helplessness would have helped him
very little if he hadn't sister over
in the Visitation academy"
81 don't believe q word of it,"
reioined.
"Of course, you don't. Catch You
crediting a fellow with such a motive.
But it's true, all the same. Don't you
remember her, Helen Lee?"
"Helen Lee?" I slowly repeated, and
then-"Yes, now that you mention it,
it all comes back to me. Wasn't she
considered quite brilliant and highly
talented?"
VERY; and extremely beautiful, as
WE'LL"
"No doubt. And weren't we ushers
or something at her graduation?"
splendid" he cried. What men,
Dry you have!"
Indeed I retorted with some spir-
it. Il have good reason to remember
that occasion, for I never felt more
awkward in my life. But can't say
that I remember the young lady her.
self; and besides "-here l looked
quite sharply at him-"I had no idea
that yoll--"
"Of course, you hadn't. But every
other chap at Georgetown knew all
about it. Why do you suppose l en-
dured such long and exquisite tor
lures, 'toiletting au BEAU as we used
to say on Sunday afternoons, if not
for the delightful hour or two, which
some score Of us, real or alleged
cousins were allowed to pass with
the convent girls in the academy par
lor? And if you yourself hadn't been
the dearest, mustiest old poke that
ever spent a Sunday afternoon tramp
ing the Virginia hills, or hunting out
cool spots around the walks to sit
and read away the afternoon, or bor-
ing through the hours with your old
cello, you too, would have Joined me,
passed for a cousin as | did, and met
the most refined and accomplished lit
tie company of girls that ever assem-
bled. And who knows? You might
have lost your heart as did so many
another and-but, no; don't look
alarmed; I'm only joking, Frank; I
firmly believe that from your very
cradle God destined You to be the
dearest, hottest old priest that ever
wore out his knees with praying or
his hands with Shaving for his peo-
pie, Or"
| Charley CARROLL" cried with
great severity; don't be an ass,
sir!"-and, indeed, who ever heard of
such intolerable nonsense?
He met my burst Of indignation
with roar that shook the table. AS
it's echoes died away his face became
more serious and his voice rang with
feeling as he slowly said:
| Frank, those hours in the Vista
ton parlor did much to shape my
after life. There | met Helen Lee
and loved her. After graduation
stepped out into the world with one
ambition-to win a name for myself
and then to lay it at her feet. | WIS.,
tied her constantly. You may be sure
| had no lack of rivals; there were
suitors by the score, but somehow I
felt that I should win her in spite of
them all. | felt, too, that she read
my thoughts, my ambition to prove
my worth to her, and l dared to think
that I could read approval in her
mind and a willingness to wait for
me. / may say with all sincerity that
my life has been one of hard and
earnest effort; but not all the COM
bined labors of my after life could
equal the tremendous exertions of
those first years. True, had helps
which maAy another lacked; my FAM
lily, my cohpections, my fathers pre-
eminence in the law; but believe me,
Frank, 1 won my honors then and
since unaided, single-handed. At last
success came-you will remember the
Wendell case"
His voice, deep with feeling, had
grown softer; his words came more
slowly. I made no answer, for /
could not bring myself to break in
upon his emotion.
THAT night / laid my heart bare
before her. I saw the tears spring
to her eyes. would have taken her
to my heart, but she weakly raised
her hand, and turning half away,
slipped noiselessly to a chair. l was
beside her in an instant, but her
| weakness was gone: her voice was