The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-03-15

and me wanting her every hour of
the day. All that was nearly thirty
years ago. And II never defed
God before, but I said No Norah
waited for awhile, and I still said
No She waited until Father O'Sul-
livan told her that she was risking
her vocation, and then she left home
and came to America to enter"
Again he paused before going on
| shame-facedly. SISTER, you can't
| blame me more than l blame myself,
but II forbade her to write to us,
! for they were angry, too The Lord
soon punished me. My sons died, all
of them, and year by year I've grown
! lonelier and lonelier, and more hun
cry for the sight of her face. I
! longed for her until couldn't rest,
/ and she--it's been hard on her,
though didn't think of that for many
day. had two hundred and fifty
dollars, so I came to look for her.
I She came to New York I knew that,
but [ hadn't guessed America is SO
big, and New York-why, it's got
more people in it than dozen Ire
lands. And 1 hadn't known Norah
O'Connors are SO plentiful. [ went,
all smiling and hopeful at first, to
every convent in New York City, and
some of them have Norah O'Connors,
but not my Norah. And | went to
Brooklyn, and to Albany-walked
most Of the way, and it was winter
then, because my money was nearly
gone. Then l came here. l can't do
any more. If only she could know
how sorry | am, and-hoW long I've
been sorry
Sister Evangelista said nothing.
She was thinking less of him than of
his daughter; thinking, too, how many
nun carries some such weight upon
her heart She had almost forgotten
Tim, when he began again.
I'm happier here than l have been
in many years. You may think I'm
out of my head if | tell you, but some
times l hear her voice out there in
the corridor, or even close~to my bed,
and I've thought some nights that |
saw her face again quite plainly, not
as rosy as it used to be, but as sweet
and happy
Sister Evangelista smiled indul-
gently and tried to comfort him a
little; and a few minutes afterWard
meeting Sister Imelda in the phar-
macy she said to her: "You will be
on duty tonight in my ward, and
want you to be very good to poor old
Tim He is not going to last long
and most Of us left lovely fathers be-
hind us"
"Oh, / will be good to him. He
seems to like me. ! have always
! been particularly sorry for him. Poor
old man." Sister Imelda answered.
/ His daughters nun, and he is
! broken-hearted because he can't find
her. Norah O'Connor was her name.
! She left home many years ago And
! now his sons are dead and he's alone
in the world and grieving his heart
out for sight of his little girl"
! Sister Imelda looked at her strange
+ ly for a moment. Hes looking for
! LIS llC LII " SOll-
nor-from County Cork" she said. Il
Sister, am going to speak to him, -
and she almost ran towards the ward.
"She Will never grow up Sister
Evangelista thought indulgently.
Sister Imelda was by the old mans
bed before he saw her, and in an in
slant she was leaning over him and
-, hands.
'Daddy-dear, dear daddy-don' t
you know me?" she whispered.
For a few moments he could not
answer Then, Its Norah. It's my
little girl. Sure l know now that the
Lords forgiven mel"
Florence Gilmore. in The Maonifcat.