The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-08-19

Sary textbooks and OCner requisites
could be supplied"
Again he climbed stairs, and again
he was admitted into home. This
time it was by slovenly dressed,
coarse-featured woman, carrying an in
FAINT in her arms. She was intoxi-
Gated, and as she staggered to a chair
Anthony feared for the life of the
child.
On another chair head down, eyes
shut, and mouth open, sat a shabby,
unkempt man in drunken stupor.
Two small children were sleeping on
the bare floor. A girl of about thirteen
was trying to make a ragged dress
look presentable. Anthony turned to
her.
You are the oldest child?"
mo, I've got brother Fred older
than / am
Where is he? At SCHOOL,"
HE ought to be, but he's absent
every time he gets chance. There's
gang of them"
rs he out with the gang very
much?"
ooh, yes, most of the time. Last
night he didn't come home at all.
IF he doesn't like school, why
doesn't he go to work."
HE can't get a job. He says no.
body will hire him. l guess he's too
ragged"
How many other children are
there?"
Three, Frank, Carl and joe"
Where are they?"
"Oh, papa. got mad and started for
them, and they ran out into the
street.
Does your father get angry very
often?"
Almost every day when he's home
and that's about half the time"
do you like to stay at homer"
Il would if l could get enough to
eat and wear. And" she added, after
a moments pause, eff papa and NAM
ma wouldn't drink so much. I've got
to stay here, anyway, to take care of
the others"
Don't you get enough to eat?"
my brothers do sometimes, but
they steal it,
| "Where?"
Il don't know"
That isn't right. Do you think it
isl"
81 know it isn't, and tell them so.
| won't let them bring any of it home,
but they keep on doing it just the
same. They say they are starving
do you ever have to go to bed
without any SUPPER"
Eyes, lots of times. Sometimes
without any dinner, either. Sometimes
l go to the folks who live around here
and ask them for something to eat. "
do they give it to you?"
Sometimes they do. Sometimes
they don't until I began to cry. Some
times l have to cry hard before they
give it."
You don't like to do that, do your"
mo, and l wouldn't do it for my
self. I'd starye first. But I've got to
| do it for Willie and Annie. They are
to little to take care of themselves"
Have you always lived here?"
mo, we used to live in some nice
rooms on another street near here,
until papa began going to that saloon
on the corner. Then he used to bring
the drink home in pail and then
mamma began to go. Then we had
to move here"
Il should think you would tell the
man who keeps that place not to sell
your parents any more drink"
Il did. l told him four times. The
last time when l began to cry
couldn't help it, mamma had just
given me a terrible thrashing-he
| called me an awful name and told me
to get out. And he said lot of other
things that made me cry more. And
as l was going out l heard him say
| to another man there that he'd sell
to anybody who had the money for it. y
"Why don't you ask your parents
some day if they won't take the
pledge?"
They did take it a year ago. I
went to Father Martin He's awful
good to me. If it wasn't for him, I'm
afraid I'd run away. He sends us lots
of good things that nobody but we
children know about. He came and
talked for almost an hour with papa
and mamma, and they knelt down and
took the pledge. And, oh, l felt so
| glad! l thought it was going to be
as it used to be. But the men coaxed
papa to go back to the saloon and
take drink. Then he brought more
home and mamma broke her pledge,
and now they won't STOP"
Hiding her face in the dress she was
mending the girl wept as if her heart
would break.
Anthony Farrell rose quietly and
stole from the room. His generous
soul could not endure the scene.
Would that l could help that poor
child! The parents deserve punish,
ment; but it is unjust to permit those
children to endure shame, hunger and
want. Among the thousands of people
in this great city who have riches SO
vast as to be burdensome, is there nc
one with sufficient Christianity to
come to the relief of children dying
of Starvation"
The words of Christ seemed to re
sound again and again: Il was hun.
| CRY, and you gave me not to eat; |
was thirsty, and you gave me not to
drink. | was stranger, and you took