The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-04-22
FATHER JOHNS GIFT.

alive Mill Those five years had been
prosperous ones, and the toWnspeople
were grateful to, the young man who
had been directly instrumental in
bringing about the new state of az
fairs. Not only his own workers, but
those from the other mills also were
DESTROYS of expressing their apprecia-
ton of his disinterested efforts in
their behalf.
1t was true that his experiment had
been a success. He had demonstrated
that it was possible to operate with.
out loss a mill in which the workers
health and general welfare were made
a special object. To be sure, the prof
| it's would never make him magnate
and there had been times when there
we're no profits at all. 1t was those
slack times, those days that might so
easily have been filled with hardship
and were not, that had proved that
Paul Carslake was disinterested, that
had endeared him to West Hadley for
ever.
While the preparations for the cele-
bration were in progress the question
of his contribution to the occasion
seriously troubled Father John Cavan
He had special reasons for being
grateful to Paul Carslake and it
panied his generous heart that he had
never been able to express his graft
tude. Somehow or other he never had
very much money and just then he
seemed to have scarcely any at ALL
Everything he could think of that
would be suitable would cost quite
a sum.
Just as he. was about to give up
in despair, deciding with an amused
smile that his presence at the vari-
Gus events that were being planned
was all he would be able to contribute,
small Jackie Langston from the little
brown house across the way solved the
problem for him most happily.
Jackie ran over at least once a
week to acquire if the Angel Book"
! with the pretty pictures (the latter
pronounced with painstaking distinct
ness) had come yet. Our Lady's Mes
sage was a monthly magazine, but
months did seem Unfortunately long to
Jackie. When it finally arrived there
was always quite ceremony. If
| Jackie failed to be on the spot Father
John would call to him or send him
word, and he would arrive out of
breath, dancing about impatiently the
while the smiling priest took off the
wrapper. Then the little fellow would
| climb into his favorite big chair with
the magazine under one arm, and,
buried in cushiony corner, proceed
to exclaim his delight over the pretty
pictures" He would pore over the
big letters in the titles, and coming
to the end pages make a brave effort
to spell out the children's stories,
making terrible mess of it much to
Father Johns concealed amusement.
1t was while Jackie was thus en-
gagged one day that a brilliant idea
came to Father John Our Lady's Mes
sage, with it's beautiful illustrations,
it's fine articles ana good stories, cost
only one dollar year. The sum total
of his wealth just then was S.. He
had searched all his pockets and gone
through every wallet and billbook that
kind friends had bestowed upon him
as Christmas and anniversary pres.
ents, and that was positively all he
could find. He would give the Co.
operative Mill five subscriptions to Our
Lady's Message.
i That would be his gift.
In his great relief and joy he began
to sing. Jackie stopped droning out
disconnected syllables to listen. Fa
Their John had no voice at all for
singing, but Jackie liked the sound
none the less.
To him everything his hero did was
perfect.
And now, when six months had
elapsed, Father Johns gift was the
most tangible evidence of the great
celebration. The entertainments, the
banquet, the flowers, the speeches, the
concert, were memories. The five cop
: les of Our Lady's Message came regu
1
coined by the mill workers. Father
John often wished as he watched those
who had to wait, wistfully cycling &
copy in other hands, that he had made
it ten subscriptions. To be sure hi
could not have afforded the ten, bu
: he decided to order the increase al
Christmas. Since Jackie was so very
! fond of the magazine, Father JohI
had made that his gift on the LITTLE
fellows sixth birthday, so that hi
might have copy of his very own
: 1t was the wise priests intent to in
terest Mrs. LangstOn also, for there
were many things in Our Ladys Mes
sage he would like to have her read.
Having copy of his very own wa!
a wonder and joy to Jackie. A!
soon as it came and he had looked
at all the pictures, he would rur
across to compare his Angels Book
with Father Johns. Tt never ceased
to amaze him that they were Away!
just the same, that the very same
lpictures and all the big letters were
on the very same pages in each
He completed his task of compari
, son one lovely June day and wen
home to lunch, leaving Father Johr
in his garden smiling at the recollec
ton. The kindly rays of the sun ant
the gentle rains had wrought anew
the miracle of beauty in Father John!
, garden. The roses that Jackie hac