The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-05-12
AN ANSWERED PRAYER

AS Agnes Delaney walked down the
steps OF her handsome city residence
on bright morning in early April,
her pretty face was very thoughtful;
contrary to her usual disposition she
felt no delight in the budding trees of
the parks and sidewalks, in the red
tipped buds of lilac and SNOWFALL, in
the velvet green of the freshening sod,
or the Vapory blue of the spring sky.
For the first time in her twenty
two years cloud had gathered and
rested over the family roOf-tree-the
first cloud since the dark days of the
penal laws when her ancestors had
fled from the Irish castle to seek a
new home in America. Fortune had
smiled upon the family; for they had
had brains and energy and fortitude
But like true children of Erin, they
regarded their worldly success as
nothing compared with the priceless
treasure of the faith which they had
brought across the waters. And there
had never been a renegade in the
family-until now. This was Agnes
bitter thought as she walked down the
broWnstone steps and glanced back
with sad pride at the beautiful home
She would give it all, she thought, for
one big grace. There was her father,
even now bending sturdily over his
desk III the office of Il big factory
which he owned; her mother still
pretty, kind, and charitable, blending a
helping hand in all the pious works
OF large parish church; her two
eldest brothers laboring for souls in
distant mission, and her five clever
pretty sisters, two of them happily
married, and all of them following,
| like herself, in their mothers foot
steps in piety and charity among the
poor; there was Marie, the youngest
and favorite, soon to enter the con-
vent and add one more honor to the
| family.
AS Agnes thought of all these
members of her family she felt CRATE
| full to the God who had SO blessed
| them. But there was still another in
the Delaney home, her own twin, and
the only remaining brother, hand.
some, clever young man, who had won
i honors at college and had been their
pride until now. No one knew how
the change had come about, unless
Maurice had fallen among evil com.
panions, but Agnes knew that he no
longer attended Mass or the sacra.
ments, that he scoffed at religion, that
he had joined a local branch of the
Y. NJ. c. A., and threatened to be.
come a Free Mason
! Agnes went slowly down the sunny
street and entered the church. All
during Lent she had prayed very fer.
vently and offered up many little sac,
rifices. But she could see no change
in Maurice.
81 will think of something quite
new and sweet, something very pleas
ing to the Sacred Heart she thought
as she knelt later at the Sacred Heart
shrine. But she was very puzzled as
| to what she could do.
| 1.-The Sacred Heart will judge me
dSSOI ulllSo W IN 0lIChSth, po1u
| softly. He only expects little things
of little people. Meanwhile, l will go
| down to the department stores and do
| all mammals errands and then run in
| to see papa
She had really come out to buy her
new spring clothes and the two hun
| dred dollars in new crisp notes in her
pocketbook had been given to her only
that morning for that very purpose,
| but, somehow when 90 is thinking
of an immortal soul and the way to
win it back to God, fashions and colors
seem to look very trivial.
I'll have to come out again tomor-
row. she said to herself with d half.
smile. ~ should certainly waste my
money today if attempted to select a
suit or hat
So she hurried through the various
small errands which her mother had
| given her and then went down to her