The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-12-16

though the inner emotion might be
hidden in the soft low-pitched, habit
ually lazy voice. There was no deceit
in the. eyes,--they flashed everything,
and they were kept busy, for Mary
Ellen was person of many moods.
The rest of her face didn't count,
there was that distinct tilt, and the
large smile. But the glory of mean
ing in the wide eyes was enough
Now while she counted the improve
| ments which met her glance from the
train, building of such superb dimen-
sions and grace of architecture loom
ed up that it put an end to all count
ing. The very town seemed to shrink
and look shabby in its presence. And
Mary Ellen recognized it Immediately
as .our new school, of, her mothers
letters. Mary Ellen's smile was
proud and tender beyond description.
Her town had done this for the child
of Russian-Jew exile and of the Lith-
uanian peasant. And then her old
child-mood spoke a little,-a little re-
greet for the modest grey building that
sat so humbly under lordly hemlOck
where she had gone to school.
But, at last, there was her own
hcn1e The relatives were all there
to greet her. Automobiles were
waiting before the door, as though
for a christening or wedding. And
Mary Ellen forgot that she was
educated" and an honor to the family
and felt the full joy of her return
home with all the delicious care-free-
ness of a prodigal son! And that
night she fell asleep in the sweet
quiet of the home-rest and irresponsi-
BILE youth, unconscious of what was
being discussed and planned for her
down stairs.
In the morning after long, COM
Portable conversation about every
thing that had happened in the Range
during the last four years, mother
said, Isn't it fortunate, Mary Ellen,
that your being twenty-one and being
at home and the school election all
coincide Aunt Minnie and / were
congratulating ourselves last night.
Mr.. Nelson has another vote!'s
Mary Ellen's eyes were filled to
their roundest with surprise, and then
her goldenest smile danced into them.
Was this her benighted town? We're
her own dear women, her own mother
and domestic Aunt Minnie talking
about the ballot! The great surprise
of it brought over her feeling of
being suddenly all alone and sepa-
rated from her people, and yet it was
so funny to hear them discussing her
as a likely politician and diplomat.
"Of course we have been waiting for
| you to champion our side in the best
scientific manner" her mother. con-
tinued. Study and travelling make a
woman broad-minded and able to
grasp a question that has human and
economic value such as all these edu-
cational problems have. We've been
working at them with brute-force, you
might say, and we've made an i'm
preston, but it's the trained mind we
| want now"
Mary Ellen wanted to scream and
run to the woods for breath. This
| talk was too strange-"But I'm not
going to vote, mother; I'm dying to
forget everything I've learned, and
really have forgotten every last thing.
| | came home to find the little girl
again that left it, and she's right
here" This fact was made more GER
| tain by warm convincing hug.
| Don't talk this stuff to me, mother!
Tell me, are there any laws in my
beloved country against girl and
her dog going shooting the first day
of September? If not I'm off. What.
ever got you all switched into this
horrid business" And Mary Ellen
laughed and Rugged both of them SO
enthusiastically that they could only
| forgive her wild talk and ask her to
| listen to reason.
You are surely going to use your
privilege, dear" said Aunt Minnie,
You can't be good citizen unless
you do, you know" +
Dear me! Am citizen? 1t
sounds like being My Lady Mayoress
or French revolutionist."
| -"Of course you are a citizen" said
her mother You were twenty-one
your last birthday" This statement,
though simple enough, was effectual
| in bringing to the surface the deep
est bit of Wilfulness in Mary Ellen's
heart.
"Ye gods! Mother, is that why /
have to vote? to tell the town my
ancient age? But just won't do that.
feel younger than have ever felt
in my whole life. I won't be twenty
one for anybody"
20 yes, you will for Mr.. Nelson.
He is the one man that can make the
board ,a.sensible body of men. They
are. all crazy about fads and piling
the school house full of things that
serve no purpose except to impoverish
the taxpayer and teach the foreign
v L II y