The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-11-29

arm with an appealing little gesture, II
and she had pleaded in the coaxing
tone that gained innumerable favors
from both Ted and her father when
everything else failed. George was
q genius at wheedlng.
The Frenchman had told himself
that her eyes were almost too serious
for child's; then he had noticed that
her curls, were brown and silky, just
like those of the little sister he had
lost year ago; besides he had want
ed an opportunity to rest his foot.
I'll come, little girl, "avec plaisir!'
You haven't met that phrase in your
French yet. suppose It's our French /
way of saying, with pleasure By the |
way, if I'm to take Ted's place, you'd !
better tell me how he conducts him |,
self at these affairs"
He always eats three drumsticks"
George had made that statement
very bluntly and very seriously. The
Frenchman had laughed heartily.
In that case, | think / can't i'm
prove on the. original in this role he
had said good-humoredly.
He had talked so wittily and so
cleverly that no one had time to miss
Ted. Moreover he had enjoyed his
dinner immensely, and while he ate
three dfumsticks, George had sat be-
side him and forgotten about her dim
ner. She couldn't think of anything
except that Monsewer Sevres had
said that he didn't believe in God and
she had told herself that he was,
without doubt, like the man in the
story, one of those poor atheists, that
Sister Teresa had read to the class
The man in the story wasn't an athe-
ist though. He was only trying to
make himself believe that he was,
and George was sure Monsewer was
doing the same thing, for he seemed
too clever and too intelligent not to
know there is a God. She wished she
could think of some way of making
him Christian and then an inspira-
tion came to her.
"Monsewer," she whispered, taking
advantage of the first pause in the
conversation, 81 wish you would give
Teds toast
Certainly, l will the Frenchman
had agreed, what is it,"
Its queer toast Ted made it
| up when he was only five you see, and
| he's given it every year since. Uncle
Phil was here to dinner the Thanks
giving he made it up. He likes to
tease Ted, so he asked him for a
toast and Ted said 81 thank God for
everything specially for George.
Here's to her health"
| Monsieur Sevres had looked con-
| fused. a...
why, Georgie,'' he stammered, 81
can't say, I thank God when l don't
believe in Him.
'Tll be SO disappointed, if you don't,
| Monsewer,' George had pouted. It'll
| be the first Thanksgiving in all my
| life that | haven't been toasted that
way I'm sure you'll give it though,
because you said certainly and you
wouldn't break your word, would
your
| Of course, after that Monsieur
Sevres couldn't do anything but COM
ply with Georges wish, but he gave
the toast in way that Ted had never
| given it. The words seemed to stick
in the F'renchman's throat and to
choke him, and the all-observing
| George had decided that things were
just as she thought them to be.
Then it was her turn ito make
something up" not a toast such as
Ted had composed, but prayer in
which she asked God every night and
morning to bless the nice Frenchman
who had taken Ted S place on Thanks
giving and the last words of her
| prayer were:
| please, Lord, make it easy for Mon
sewer Sevres to say, Thank Cod"
Just as the cook had dismissed
George from the kitchen, footsteps and
voices sounded in the hall. She
dashed through the dining room and
into-ah, the joy of that dash
straight into the strong khaki-clad
arms of Ted, to be sure. He pressed
! her close for moment Then he
held her at arms length and surveyed
her approvingly. ~
'Whilikins," he exclaimed in a
voice that sounded like bass fiddle.
Its mighty fine to get look at you,
George Then he seemed suddenly
to remember something. Look here,
George, I've brought friend Of yours
home with me- he said. .-...
"The scapegoat whom you befriend-
ed last Thanksgiving, said voice
not altogether unfamiliar to George,
and turning from Ted she gazed into
| the warm brown eyes of the guest
she had invited to dinner a year ago.
81 ran up against him over in
France, about three months ago. Ted
remarked teasingly, with a nod at the
Frenchman. Somehow or other he
found out that I belonged to you
Now he's come all the way across the
sea for a Thanksgiving dinner"
Now, now Monsieur Sevres in
terrupted. Your brother doesn't
mind stretching things bit, does he,
George? l had to come to the states
on business, but to tell the truth I
would come across the sea for such
another Thanksgiving dinner as l had
last year. L hope you're going to in
wife me- little, girl y ,,1a fe -