The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-01-18

told me how often he had disturbed
her during the night. He groaned, she
said, so that she could not sleep. She
had to get up to give him a drink,
all of three times during the night
He was "a great trial. to her She
was mot WE'LL herself, she declared
again and again. She was nervous"
The man was "a care This she said
over and over again.
There was, to me, no installing the
sincerity and the bitterness of her
complaints. But always, James said,
cheerfully: Don't mind her, Doctor
She doesn't mean the half of it. She's
the best wife in the world"
| liked James Acheson for that fine
loyalty. But l knew. that Mary
thought more about her own comfort
than about his suffering. Her view
plainly was, if he were sick, he might
be sick, but 'he ought not to be sick
There he was "all the time, never GO
ing out of the house, always in the
chair, always needing to have food or
drink brought to him, not sleeping
regularly and evenly, but moaning
when his breath became unduly short,
wheeling most of the time, discom-
fort and an irritation to her. This I
saw to be her view and I felt the
disgust that inevitably springs in ones
| heart in the face of such want of SYM
pathy.
Little by little, as visited the sick
| man, she told me of their history
They had been sweethearts in Ireland
over fifty years ago. James was a
| laborer and the countryside looked
| forward to the wedding. But bust
ness man came from Belfast to settle
in the village of James and Mary.
| He took charge of an establishment
which employed twenty men. He had
means and position, and he looked at
Mary with longing eyes And Mary
cast off James and married the bust
ness man. Then James moved away
to another village miles distant.
twenty-five years Mary lived with
! her husband and then he died. Three
years after death James reappeared
| in the village and paid court to Mary.
James was now farmer, owning his
| Mary accepted James.
She it was who induced James to
| sell out and to come to America When
they settled in New York, James OBJ.
tanned employment in small factory
where he had remained in unbroken
service for thirty years.
This she told me one day, in the
hall, outside of the door, when James
had sunk to sleep from the opiate
had given him. And she went on:
But he was a bad man. That
man'd drink, and no man could stop
him. When he wanted drink he'd &C
out, no matter what I'd say, and get it
Even if took away his clothes, and
locked the door, actually he'd go out
the window in his underwear and get
the drink. Oh, he was a terrible
man."
But he would never make you I'M
lock the door Or hand him back his
clothes?' l asked
"Oh, no. she answered.; he'd never
find fault with my taking the clothes
or locking the door"
Did he never drink in the house?'
| | queried. .... $780,. .-...
"Oh, no, he'd never take drink il
the house. was her reply.
did he ever bring liquor into the
house, or any drunken men with him? p
/ inquired.
mo, SIR" she quickly said.
did he ever abuse you, or ever
make you fetch drink in to him.
| put those questions to make the facts
come clearly before her and my mind
''Oh, no." she fastened to say; "he't
never take drink in the house, ant
never threatened me-"
"Well,' said l, whether or not he
took drink, he respected his house
Don't you see that? Maybe he could
not master the passion for the drink
but his view was that drink ought no
to be taken in his house, and that view
he stuck to. think that was fine o.
him.
i But the old woman shook her head
He was bad man. she said mechan
ically, as if repeating both the accuse
ton of him and defense of herseI
in the same terms.
i