The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-01-31
REGISTERED.

frmation; then he had passed on tc
Three Oaks, which was the next par,
ish. The following day Father Joe
O'Neill, very young priest, who was
| acting pastor for Larmon, asked for
his horse and set out for Clark's Cove,
parish not very far away.
1t was beautiful afternoon and
the road to Clark's Cove lay along
| the great sandy shore of the bay. A
light breeze blew in over the waves
bearing the cool salt breath of the
ocean. ,- ~ D. Z. -.
Away out on the sea few white
sails of fishing boats, frightened by
the strong sunlight, could be seen as
| the vessels came slowly homeward to
port And above the offing, different
species of sea-birds flew, uttering
| their sibilant calls as they searched
| the waves for their prey. Along the
shore some fishermen were at work
tarring the seams of large fishing
craft that had been hauled up, high
and dry, on the shore. Near the craft
a huge black iron pot almost filled
with boiling tar hung from a tripod
over a great blazing fire of dry drift
wood
AS the young priest drove along
the beautiful summer afternoon, he
should have been as care-free as the
sea- thirds that skinned the waves so
gracefully; but he was not. In fact,
he was somewhat troubled; and it
was because he was troubled that he
had set out for Clark's Cove to see
Father Mcclure.
For six weeks Father Joe had been
very busy preparing the children for
confirmation. Besides instructing
| those of his parish he had taught the
boys and girls of two outlying mis-
sions; but all the children had come
| to Larmon to be confirmed. He had
worked very hard and had promised
himself a good rest when his labors
would be over; but today he could
| not rest. He had stayed up nearly
| the whole night before confirmation
lay, writing the names of the candi.
dates on little white cards, for he haC
been occupied all the afternoon hearing
| The children's confessions, and in the
evening he had been busy entertain.
ing the Bishop and the two priests
who accompanied him. And again
last night, he had not slept very we'll
There had been SO much work for sc
long a time that now that it was
| finished he seemed to feel too tired tC
rest. Perhaps he was still thinking
of the Bishops visit, for to the youns
priest it seemed that His Iordship had
| not been pleased by many things dur.
ing his stay. And Father Joe, as he
drove along breathing the strong
| fresh air of the sea- redolent with the
odors Of boiling tar and smoke OF
burning driftwood, wondered how he
had happened to be SO unsuccessful
in his attempt to please him. What
worried him mostlwas the fact that
| the Bishop had left without making
any comment as to- how he had found
the children instructed in Christian
Doctrine 'f'.
AS we have already said, Father
Joe was a very young priest: he had
not been more than a year ordained
when old Father John Lynch, parish
priest at Larmon. passed away. A
week after the death of the old pastor
letter came from the Bishop to
Father Joe, who was assistant at
| Black Brook, telling him that he was
to administer the parish of Larmon
| until a regular pastor would be ap-
pointed at the Conference to be held
after the next annual retreat. And
| so, in obedience to his Bishop, the
young priest packed all his belongings
| in his little trunk, and after saying
goodbye to old Father Allen whose
assistant he had been, went out, feel
;ng very small and lonely, to take
| charge of the parish of Larmon And
because he was SO young and took
things very seriously, and because this
was the first time that the Bishop
had visited him, he was bothered over
many little things as he drove along
by the gently waving sea to visit
Father MCGUIRE
| Father Mcclure was tall we'll
built man with a red face. He was
slightly bald and his light brown hair
was beginning to turn grey. His eyes
were brown and nearly always they
were alight with laughter. All his
parishioners loved him; but the little
children never tired of looking up in
to those smiling brown eyes, which
seemed to hint mysteriously at some
common bond between them.
AS young Father Joe stepped down
from the wagon and gave the reins
to the man, the elder priest came
quickly out to the veranda and
greeted him warmly. Then as they
sat down on seats that had beer
placed outside, Father Mcguire asked
the young priest why in the Worl(
he had not come over sooner.
Then Father Joe, who was waiting
for just such question as an opening
for what he wished to say, began t.
lspeak, and as he talked the Older
: priest noticed that he looked tiret
and that his words came hurriedly
At times the eyes of the more expert
!; enced priest twinkled, as the younge
man laid particular stress on some
little event more or less Indifferent.
you know, Father" the youn.
priest went on to say. II don't thinl
: have pleased the Bishop in any way
) He arrived at half-past five, and hat
: just come from the church, where