The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-06-03

night.
For time Mrs. Dunn filled in the
void by private devotions, but little
by little these shortened and finally
ceased altogether. They failed to sat.
isfy. Her religious life slipped from
her like a handful of sand More than
once she was ready to start for the
priests house; but what would the
neighbors say? Human respect was
again too strong and the visit was
put off until more convenient sea-
son. Here was but one of the tens
Of thousands of human banks that
float into the Sargasso Sea, to drift
there becalmed and tangled in the
seaweed. Nothing changed with her.
The flowers to which she devoted all
spare time blossomed and faded, while
with each winter her step was less
elastic, her eye duller.
Mrs. Dunn, are you real well?"
Mrs. Brownell had watched for an
hour next day until her neighbor
Should leave the house and take her
morning walk to the village post
Office.
AS we'll as usual, thank you."
I'm SO glad to hear that. My
daughter and | were saying yester-
day we thought you looked tired"
On her way down town two others
stopped to inquire about her health.
Mrs. Dunn looked in the glass on her
return. The mirror returned the color
less image she had grown to expect,
little paler, perhaps, more lines
about the eyes, but no great difference
What if / should be sick here,
alone!" The thought went through
her mind many times during the day
Back OF it was another thought, only
half-formed. IF | should die alone
what them" Mrs. Dunn could not en-.
terrain the suggestion. Was she not
through with religion forever"
Whether it was a physical reaction
from Mrs. BrownelPs tireless efforts
in spreading the report that Mrs
Dunn had been looking very peaked
of late" and the constant queries OF
the villagers that followed it, or the
result of years of constant strain
Mrs. Dunn found herself steadily los
ing strength. Mrs. Brownell heard the
outcome one morning when word got
about that Mrs. Dunn had collapsed
in the street and had been carried
home. The village doctors automobile
was standing in front of the door ar
hour later. Mrs. Brownell decided she
would ask sthe physician himself JUS
how his patient was.
I'm afraid her condition is very
serious the doctor replied in re
spouse to Mrs. Brownell's questions
Mrs. Dunn does not appear to have
any recuperative power. OF course
her age has something to do with it
but she does not respond to treat
ment as woman ought to in he
general state of health"
rs it as bad as that? Can we hell
in any way?"
She will not need constant care
at present, at least-but one of thu
neighbors ought to drop in every
afternoon and see that things are go
ing right. am sending her a nurse.
The nurse arrived, secured from {
| hospital in a nearby city, but Mrs
Dunn did not improve. Neighbors who
paid visits returned with sober faces
bringing the news that the patient
seemed very i'll indeed. She appeared
to take no interest in life, to care
nothing as to whether she lived or not
Would you mind sitting with Mrs
Dunn for couple of hours this after
noon?" The nurse asked this of Mrs
Brownell few days later. Il have
an errand must attend to and sht
is resting quietly"
Il would be glad to-"
Mrs. Brownell would be delighted
Worrying the sick with well mean
but lugubrious talks on death and the
uncertainty of any being saved, anC
narrowing the feelings of survivors
by lengthy and dismal calls of con
| dolence, were dear to her. A whole
afternoon with gravely sick woman!
Such an opportunity did not come
often. Mrs. Brownell had no inten
ton of being cruel. Death was al
anomaly in the misty generalities o.
her religious thought. Her theory
the thoroughly Protestant one of faitE
without works, supplemented by the
equally Protestant practice of exactly
the opposite method of life-there was
so little definite for her to believe il
the system she followed-left her un
prepared for the crisis of life.
Any plot will do in fair weather. II
is storm and stress that tests. The
weakness of Mrs. Brownells religion
the weakness of Professionalism, lay il
it's lack of definiteness, its absence o
logical continuity. She believed the
gates of heaven would swing oper
to those who were saved through
grace" But how was one to know Il
one were really of the number of tht
elect?"
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