The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-12-29
Miss Johnson's Retreat.

Miss Johnson was of uncertain age;I
that is to say, that although she was
aware OF the date of her birth, no one
who had not the means of knowing
how many summers or winters she had
seen could have guessed from her APP
pearance or her conversation. She
might have been anything between
thirty-five and fifty. She was small and
slight in figure, fair and freckled in
complexion, with nothing striking
about her, but an air of refinement
redeemed what might otherwise have
been condemned as very ordinary
personality. y
There had been hitherto nothing eX-
traordinary in her career, nothing of
paramount interest Her course had
been confined to the backwaters of
life. No great storms had troubled it's
calmness, no high waves of emotion
had carried her hither and thither,
no strong winds of adversely had re
tarded or advanced her progress. She
had just existed for this uncertain
number of years doing her daily duties
quietly anu uQODCruSlVoIy.
She was neither rich nor poor; she
had sufficient for her requirements,
which were easily Satisfied. Her
health never troubled her, she was
rarely ill, she had no subjective ex-
perience of pain and suffering. No
transporting joy had ever lifted her
soul one inch above &his earth. No
overwhelming sorrow had ever crushed
her fiat to it's dusty surface.
Calm, gentle, cheerful, : even-tem
pered, she pursued here daily avoca.
ton, and it never struck her that hel
life was dull or commonplace or a
useless one.
She was a good Catholic, but not
remarkable for her devotion. She full
filled those religious duties which were
of obligation regularly and faithfully;
| went to the Sacramento once month
| and occasionally she went to weekday
Mass or Benediction.
Therefore when she announced one
| morning at breakfast to her two sis
ters with whom she lived that she
was going into retreat for week
they were considerably surprised, and
| not particularly pleased. But with all
her gentleness, if Mary Johnson made
up her mind to do any given thing
her younger sisters, Clara and Cath
| crime, were quite aware that nothing
they could say or do would hinder her
So on this occasion they contented
themselves with inquiring what gooC
she supposed retreat would do her
Il don't suppose it will make any
difference to me, but | feel | must go
and l am going" And she went.
The retreat lasted week, from the
Saturday evening to the following Sat
urday morning, but although it wa.
the first Mary Johnson had ever made
she was quite calm and collected
about it. She asked no silly questions
about what she might do or might no
do; she was contented with the room
assigned her; she had no fancies abou
the place set aside for her in chapel
she had no complaints to make abou
the draught in the room in which tn,
addresses We're given.si Il Hss
She kept her silence and followed al
the exercises of the retreat punctually
She was not abnormally grave, neithe
was she seized with violent desire t,
laugh immoderately if fly settled OF
the nose of her opposite neighbor a
table. She was not discomposed if tn,
nun who read aloud the life of som
modern saint during meals lost he
place; if she privately hoped sh'
would not find it again, nothing in he
demeanor betrayed such a thought
/ But had she been consulted sh
would have elected not to have t
listen during luncheon and dinner t
the carefully enunciated and very con
ventual virtues of some French nun
whose cause was now before the Hol.
See. On the other hand she had no
the slightest desire to talk. All sh
wished was to be quiet and left t.
her own thoughts. She rather enjoyed
the silence-Clara and CATHERINE
talked all day at home-it was not al
unpleasant change.
She did not very much care for tn,
daily visit of the nun who was told OF
to look after her wants, temporal ant
spiritual, and who tried to elicit wha
had induced her to come into retreat
and was SO unnecessarily afraid tina
she found the exercises trying. Miss
Johnson was very gentle and polite
during these conversations, but sht
was also exceedingly glad when left tt
her own reflections
/ She evinced no desire for an inter
view with the conductor of the retreat
for which some were clamOring. Ever.
morning the nun who arranged TIT
order in which the retreatants were
to go to the parlor asked Miss John
son it she would like her name pu
down for that day, and every day Mis-
Johnson replied: mo, thank you.
have nothing to say or to ask about
will not take up his time" And ever!
day the nun in question looked mor'
surprised and less pleased.
The days passed slowly at first
quicker as the week wore on, and VI
to Thursday evening nothing hap
pened; nothing was said to disturb
Miss Johnson's habitual equanimity.
| There was a terrible thunderstorm
on the Wednesday night which fright