The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-31
THE GEISHA.
BY C.. r. M.
(Continued.)

From the day that the mother learn
ed of Henry's marriage to o Fana, she
had no peace. She did not know o
Fana, and what was more, she could
not even hear her name mentioned
without a tremOr. Nay, the name of
this girl had never so much as sullied
the immaculate lips of this Christian
matron. And why? Well, according
to her view this horrid Geisha was
guilty of three capital sins; she be-
longed to the Monaghan race, in other
words, she was a barbarian; she was
a pagan; and, to make matters worse,
she had passed a whole year as a
Geisha in public house, and although
this was her uncle's hotel, still they
were all pagans. And was her darling
Henry going to live with such a wOm-
an? Give her his heart? His wealth?
The honored name of Wendes? Never!
1t was her duty as mother to make
use of every means in her power, to
resort to every artifice known to wom-
an to detach her son from that willy
creature, to sever that bond which no
law upheld or sanctioned, no religion
had blessed, bond disgraceful for
her son, for herself and for the entire
family. Above all things the good lady
grieved for Henry's soul. Without re-
ligion, with lax morals, what would
ever become of him in pagan land,
a land reeking with scandalous Gus
toms and the greatest incentives to
evil? He would die like pagan, and
his soul would be lost forever. Were
not those sufficient reasons to make
her fear?
At the very thought, the pious old
lady shuddered, and inspired, as she
thought, by a true love, maternal solic-
itude and religious zeal, she concocted
the plan that was to free her son
from the snares of that constituencies
creature and make him remain in
Europe. Charlotte was therefore pre-
walled upon by the mother to under
take the conquest of Henrys heart,
with the certainty, in case OF success,
of marriage which would prove in
every respect most honorable and adj
vantageous to her. AS for Charlotte,
she never felt real love or even affec-
ton for Henry, but at the suggestion
OF the mother, she readily consented
to act her part, if only, as she thought,
for the sake of the adventure. After
all, Henry was good proposition,
handsome and rich, and at the same
time, it would be the means OF saving
his soul, as the mother kept constant
ly repeating. This was enough to
make Charlotte enter gladly into the
spirit of the task of gaining the heart
and affection of the son; she was soon
amply rewarded for her efforts.
After two months of social inter-
course, daily conversations and mutual
attentions Charlotte ceased to be
something Indifferent to Henry. His
friendship gradually became warmer
until it changed into an affection
which was dangerously near to love;
and the remembrance of 0 Fana, his
young son and Japan, all so far away,
seemed every day to become more
faint and indistinct The same hap
pened to Charlotte, for no longer did
she indulge in the game for mere di-
version. She entirely forgot the ma
ternal intention and pious desires of
the mother. She now found herself
deeply in love with Henry. and this
love was pure, disinterested and sin
cere. Forgetting all else. she loved.
him merely for himself alone. Char
lotte Keller had now fallen victim
into the very net she had with such
cunning spread for Wendes, and, the
unconscious prisoner of her own Wiles,
she now felt the bonds OF love clos
ing in tight around her, she expe-
rienced its yearnings, its strength, its
grand aspirations and it's secret sor-
rows.
For the first time in her life Char