The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-01-08

WcJ III ~ - - -
dreamed OF at all.
Then came the letter telling him
that his mother was In her last sick
ness, and too poor to- return, he
pawned his watch, his Sunday suit and
what little money he could collect. sent
it home. that his mother might at
least have decent funeral Next
day the boy, grim and sad, Joined a
party Of California gold seekers, and
that was the last that was heard Of
him for many year.
Mrs. M'Guirk did not die but crept
back to life cripple. The little
delicate hands twisted in on them
selves and the joints became un-
slightly knobs. She sat by her former
maids poor fire not able to put a coal
off her foot, as the saying was among
the neighbors, and the days length
ened into years, but brought no word
of her wandering boy. Her letters
were returned unopened, and the
neighbors through charity accounted
him dead; but in one heart there
burned the light of hope, and one pair
of eyes looked, out expectant over the
distant hills, where the road wound
down to the little village, for hope dies
hard in a mothers heart.
The afternoon on which our story
really begins grew dark early, as is
the fashion with December evenings,
the turf fire burned low and the little
cabin was getting very cold, but Mrs.
M'Guirk was not thinking of her
bodily discomfort. She was fighting
the old fight for her son. "Oh Mary!
Mother" she cried, and her voice
sounded shrill and earnest in the
lonely cabin, bring me back my boy.
He is not dead, for if he. was, the
peace of the dead would be on me.
He's entangled with the world, and it S
your hand that can loose him.. Turn
to your God, Mary, and mine, and ask
Him for help in our extremity. He
won't hold anything back from you
this night of all nights. Ask, Him! ask
Him and the tears that she was not
able to wipe away ran down her white
cheeks.
1t was long after shutdown, and the
Angelus was ringing from the village
steeple when Mrs M'Carrick, strong
and blowsy, hustled in. She stamped
the snow from her coarse boots, lit
the candle, and kneeling said the first
joyful Mystery before she turned her
attention to her companion, and when
she spoke it was to take shame to
herself for being the last in the vii
lage to welcome the Light of the
World Then she brisked up the fire,
hung on the kettle and spread the sim
pie meal for the old lady whom she had
to feed like a child, before she
allowed herself the luxury of explain
ing why she was so long after dark. "
God forgive the Whalens for their
carvings on this blessed night. /
thought I'd never get out of the place
alive, with their nine childer and
two dogs running under me feet,
and me trying to cook the pudding
and wash the chiney at once, and
clane the silver. And Jim and Ally
have no more sence nor the smallest
child in the house and them home
from their dacent schools with the
priests and the sisters watching over
them.
I but you couldn't guess what their
doing there this night" Making a
crib she went on without waiting for
the guess.
1 Mrs. M'Guirk looked her mild
establishment. Il thought" she ven
turned, that cribs were for chapels,
and not for common human homes =
This was very strong criticism for
the little widow to make for she OBJ
i served the precept ito keep a guard
upon her tongue, and gate of pru,
dence before her lips" well, com.
mon or human" went on the other,
taking a few Of the last speaker
words to give her start, They're
making a crib, and taking the parts OF
the Holy Family themselves. There
/ herself is to sit with little Peter the
/ baby in her arms, on an old sofa, and
la blue cloak she's to wear, and a veil
over her head. And there's to be
/ straw all about, straw in the parlor,
wisps and wisps of it, and himself
to be standing there with his big
cothamore, and staff in his hand
for st. Joseph, if you please"
Mrs. M'Guirk rolled her blue eyes
to heaven in establishment. The
other went on, ''and what do you think
them Inns are having for the OK and
the ASST There two dogs, nothing
less, Watch, with a pair of horns
strapped on his head, and poor old
Munty with strip of black bomba.
zine down her back and over her
shoulders to make an ass of her, the
innocent beast. May never if ]
wasn't afraid that the earth would
open and swally them. And James
carrying lamp nearly as big as him.
self up from the byre. And when it
was all ready. they lighted the big
christmas candle and everybody was
in their places the children dressed
like shepherds and Ally played and
they all sang, angels we have
heard on high" and "Stilly Night,
Holy Night" and they are going to
keep the with hearts truly CRATE
full, Come all We faithful for the last
thing before they go to the Midnight
Mass.
THAT II be aahouse to clean UP when
it's all over"
Agnes was always the strange
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