The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-12-18

falling from his lips, and spirit which
he had thought was dead within him
seeming to be winging and singing it's
way upward with the thoughts and the
words!
He couldn't tell how it was-but he
who had knelt to that Rosary under
compulsion, arose with reluctance, not
the same man.
And then as he made his mission
and himself known to the family who
gathered around him, the elder only
of whom recollected Dinny Kilbride,
the words were suddenly stilled on his
tongue, and he sat with mouth agape
staring strangely, almost wildly, at
one singularly handsome, dark-eyed
colleen, who, her sweet face lit up
with sympathy and interest, he now
saw leaning toward him from a seat
in the chimney corner Pointing a
finger at her he slowly arose from his
seat, half dazedly. When words came
with him, he said: "Who-who-who
are your" But his dazedness was
completed when he saw sweep over
her countenance a smile that instantly
carried him back twenty years, and
heard her reply: "Me? I'm Oracle
Brennan
Dennis Kilbride swayed as though he
might fall, so that Lanty acFadden
stretched out hand to support him.
"Is anything the matter, craiture?"
Mrs. MacFadden appealed.
He recovered himself, rubbed his
hand across his forehead. "It's all
right" he said. Bue he felt it was all
wrong. Or something, anyhow, was
wrong.
Maybe it's no wonder little Oracle
'ud make you start" said Mrs. Mac
Fadden. "Her mother, my own niece,
if my memory serves me right, took
more than start out O. We, when you
were bit of bouchaill-and young
Oracle is the dead spit O her Ct wish
her God restD that's under the green
sod"
Dennis Kilbride recovered himself
as suddenly as he had a minute be.
fore, lost himself. He took Oracle
Brennan's hand in both of his, and
without saying word seated her
next to him. She looked twice as at.
tractive now, blushing as she was
for the honor done her by the grand
and handsome stranger. And Gracies
bushes were delightedly renewed
again, when in the course of his con:
versation with the family he would oc.
in both of his and. sometimes with a
far-away look in his eyes, sometimes
looking deep into her eyes, say, with
measured shake of his head: well
we'll, well!'' Then he would drop
again the hands of the blushing maid
en- and resume his discourse.
Come, children at length said the
bean-a-tighe, Mrs. MacFadden. "'Tis
time we were all of us footin' it tc
Mass" Dennis Kilbride turned to her
staring, and said: ITO Mass!'
Midnight Mass, to be sure. This is
Christmas Eve" replied Mrs. MacFad
den.
Immediately he remembered-that
and something more. He took
Gracie's hands again in his, and bent
his head for thoughtful minute
Then he said: with your poor moth
er-God rest her!"-he broke off what
he was going to say, with start. He
found coming off his tongue, as easily
as if he had always used it, this phrase
of his home people, which he had ut
terly forgotten for an age. What was
coming over him?
He resumed, after a moment, with
her 1 walked to the Midnight Mass
two and twenty years ago-the night
1 first met her. If may, I'll walk to
Midnight Mass with her again, this
night" Oracle understood and
nodded her head. They all under
stood and nodded.
Then Lanty, having ushered all, OLD
and young, out of the house, sent them
forth with torches. Picturesque in
deed was the scene that met their eye
and met the eye of Dennis. Down
the hillside on which he stood, along
the valley below, across the hillsides
opposite, many lights like Will-o'.the
wisps were tossing, dancing, twinkling
glimmering. There were dozens
scores, hundreds, myriads of them, ap
pearing and disappearing as they
moved athwart the blackened land
scape. Below him on the hillside he
saw torches pass so close as to dis
close to him the forms of those that
bore them. Men and women, old and
middle-aged, were going singly, in
pairs, or in groups-mostly in groups
and boys and girls were moving for
ward, too-nostly in pairs, the one
torch sufficient to light each couple
The pairs and groups of young people
we're laughing and chatting right gayly
as they went, and when one made a
mis-step in the dark, and met with a
mishap, volleys of light-hearted laugh
ter pealed from the many bands
Everyone this holy eve was light
hearted. Everyone was happy; every
one was carefree. Except Dennis Kill
bride.
Yet, though he could not feel happy
he recognized and recollected the
beauty of the night, the beauty of the
scene, the invisible beauty, too, that
seemed to envelop the world and all
in it. This was wondrous revelation
to him-to whom for years all beauty