The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-10-05

mighty God will not permit so great
a calamity" he answered deVoutly.
Simple soul! l had meant to be so
considerable, too, and avoid all pit
falls, and yet here / was, at the very
outset, sowing new poisonous seeds IN
his mind that might bear all the bitter
fruits of suspicion and distrust. For
tunately for me, they fell upon ground
in which no rank or poisonous weeds
would grow.
but sit down." I continued. for We
had been standing all this time.
He was about to expostulate, Tus-
can fashion, when his eye caught
picture on the WALL and in an instant
he was before it with hands ciasped
in strong emotion. 1t was the Death
of st. Francis" by Ghirlandaio,
colored reproduction of the Arundel
Society.
When he had satisfied his hunger
for gazing, he turned to me, and his
blue eyes were moist.
The signore is Catholic, then,
he said, that he has a picture of our
holy founder?'
Your holy founder" l answered,
'if the product of one Church, if the
founder of one order, is the Inherit
ance of all mankind
Fra Pacifico opened his eyes wide in
surprise rs he so great as that?'
he exclaimed so great that even the
Protestants love him! | had not
known it. Alas! in my dear country,
so changed from what it was, there
are those who revile him and his
| children. as they revile the holy faith
| he professed!"
| How musical his voice was, and
how innocent, how captivating his
| enthusiasm.
| My mind wandered as he talked
courteous commonplaces to me, and
took instead to gazing at him and
! specializing about him. What was
he before he put on that habit? What
| was his rank in life from which he
| sprang ere he had become transmitted
! by the magic wand of st. Francis
| Was he of patrician family, or was he
a peasants son? Surely the son oil
prince or duke, If gentle manners arc
an index of noble birth. These were
gentle manners, certainly, but there
was a quality in them that could MOI
be ascribed to mere gentility of birth
1t was a quality that might have beer
attained by peer or peasant, but no
easily by either the one or the other
For want of better word | must cal
it spirituality. And then sudden ex
PLANTATION of lit all rushed into m!
mind; this was religious man, ant
had never been face to face witt
such one before.
"Is your convent far from here?'
asked presently.
, Some twelve miles or so along thu
coast"
"And do you come into towr
, often?"
Every week or ten days, accord
ing to our necessities, for we live en-
tirely on aims"
J But there is no train or othel
conveyance along the coast"
i 81 walk" answered Fra Pacifico
: simply. IF l start at in the
morning am here by 8 o'clock, ant
have the whole day before me to dis
turb the good and kind"
| Fra Pacifico shrugged his shoulders
breakfast is not meal" he said
"but there are kind friends who give
: me breakfast in the town"
. 'Then you walk here without hav
ing eaten anything!" / cried. FIR;
Pacifico blushed when he saw that
had discovered his act Of mortified
ton Il hope" resumed, that yol
! will sometimes do me the pleasure o
breakfasting in this house,
The friar rose from his seat ant
made me bow.
/ II shall indeed be honored, sig
, nore," he replied.
r "And may l come and pay you t.;
visit at the convent? I shall drive
! though, and not walk" / added
! laughing
Again the humble friar rose AM
!, bowed to me- 1.-The guardian will b.
honored to welcome you, signore," b,
!, said. But our convent is a poo
2 place, and we have neither picture
nor marbles to show. 1t is thu
5 infirmary of the Order. The old ia
theirs who are past work go there t
: die; those who are sick come to seel
health from the strong tonic breeze
3 of the Tyrrhenian Sea-"
Il will certainly" ! said, ''and tina
Y very soon."
Fra Pacifico rose to go. came t
2 the front door with him and held
open for him. expect me very soon,
i said. He smiled upon me, and bad
me polite adieu. Then only did
t occur to me. why, santo cielo!
: (holy heavens) / cried, Il am sendin
t you empty away"
o Fra Pacifico smiled again.
produced my pocketbook an
offered him two francs. He wa
). covered with confusion, and | after