The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-03-06

coming out upon the wide, vine-shad
ed porch to call some word to him as
he started down the street; Muriel in
the little row boat on the lake, the
light shining on her winsome face;
himself and his school-boy friends
lounging in the shade of the great
oaks, planning their futures. Such
pictures came with strange little
pang, and a subtle sense of loss, but
the lure of the gold trail held.
Even now in the Goals of his camp
fire panorama of the past was being
depicted.
In the old room in the west gable a
lad was packing his suit-case-a new
suitcase, bright with brass trappings,
bought for first venturing into the
world of strangers. Copeland could
see the garments that the lad was
handling, the careful folding showing
a mothers hand; he could see the lit
tie inconsequent travelling accessories
that bespoke the feminine giver.
The door opened and middle-aged
woman entered, plump motherly
woman whose face bore lines of care
and thought. She seated herself upon
the bed beside the suitcase, picking
up and refolding something that the
boy had rumpled.
80 you can't give up the trip, son."
she began tentatively. 1t was last
attempt and, she almost knew, futile
one.
"Why, mother" his voice doomed
cheerily in the room, seeming to EN-
phasize the hopeless note in hers
why, mother l thought you had giver
up expecting me to change my plant"
His voice rose in surprise as he re-
membered the-to him-unanswerable
arguments that he had advanced in its
favor
There are good openings here-as
good as there are anywhere-hills
look green far away, you know
Her voice trailed a little with the
unconvincing note of one who knows
the futility of argument She had said
it all before.
JLLETIN-Olson EIGHT
Look at Jack Adams, and Joe
Kipp,' he reminded, bringing up again
local men who had attained celebrit!
in far away places.
You're not like them, Danny She
had arisen and stood with her han(
upon his arm, as her mother-instinct
reached forward to draw him bacl
from the dangers she foresaw. "You've
the Copeland temperament Best sta!
among friends and let them help you
Her eyes pleaded with his.
He knew she was thinking of Am
brose Copeland, his uncle, who hat
gone West and fallen in with a wild
crowd His life had been ended in {
shooting affray in a gambling room
There were stories, too, of other Cope
'ands in whom a wild streak had
shown up in one way or another. He
knew the Copelands had been analyz
ed as men in whom deviation from
normal pursuit was dangerous, witt
them concentration of purpose devel
oped into an obsession and unsus
pected evil came to the surface.
His mother watched his face, follow.
ing his thought She had tided hi:
father over more than one critica
epoch, holding him back to the saving
practically of commonplace life, until
a peaceful death claimed him.
well, there's one Copeland that car
keep his head, you'll see," he assured
her in the arrogance of youth
BEST stay with those that will help
you,' his mother urged.
He knew she was thinking of Mu
riel. he would have said His mother
saw other qualities in the practical
| healthy minded girl, and hoped much
Tor her influence.
He sat on the suitcase that he had
closed and strapped: 'I'll be coming
back for some of my friends, don't
forget" he laughed.
"Of course" his mother had agreed
But something in her face spoke doubt
The cry of coyote awoke the hills
| to clamorous echoing discord. Cope
land stirred from his musng to fine
| that stars had whitened the sky anG
| the glow of his fire was hidden under
| 4 rim of ashes. He piled fuel on the
fire and spread his blanket for sleep
| In his sleep strange dream came
| to him. He thought he was lying al
the foot of the hill where-on grew the
| queer little pine. The pine was muir
| nuring a message that was a message
% him and always the twisted limt
| pointed steadily downward to the un
seen side of the hill; then the murmu1
changed to low insistent calling. He
| thought that he rose and made his
way up the hill up to the pine tina
pointed Then the dream became con
fused at the grotesque and he coult
not tell what it was that he fount
there, only that it was something TO-
him.
When he awoke, the spell of thu
dream was still upon him. He cooked
his breakfast mechanically and sa
lost in thought He recalled super
stitions common among miners he hat
known, and strange experiences tina
had been told around the camp fires
Horton, who was credited with bein
> man of learning, had contended tina
minds of certain type were able t
work out in sleepy suggestions wha
the waking mind had received bu
could not grasp. Horton had the
DRY on the subject. Copeland kne,
little of psychology, but he did believ