The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-07-31
THE CHILDREN'S HOUR.
HIS SACRED PROMISE.

by his mothers side and looking up
into her sweet face, the face of the
one he loved best of all in the world.
Holding his hands in hers, she spoke
to him earnestly and convincingly,
as only mother can, about the great
happiness that was to be his on the
morrow and the sacred promises she
wished him to make to the sweet
Jesus.
After a time she took from her
watch chain a beautiful antique sill
yer crucifix that he had always seen
her wear and, slipping it on to stout
silken cord, she hung it around his
neck and tucked the cross in under
his collar.
Reggie she said in a voice that
trembled with her deep emotion, this
cross was my own dear mothers; she
gave it to me on the day of my first
Holy Communion and it is one of the
sess. / want you to promise me that
you will wear it all your life and that
you will never go to bed without hay
ing held it in your hand and, looking
at your crucifed Savior, who died for
love of you, tell Him that you will
Holy Faith TO your dying day. Will you
promise me that you will always do
this, Reggie?''
"Oh, yes, l promise! You may be
sure that I will never, never break
my word, mother dearest" exclaim,
ed the boy, kissing her tenderly.
She looked earnestly into his eyes
always remember that this is a sac.
red promise, darling, and that you
would break your mothers heart if you
should fail to keep it. You know how
terribly | have grieved over the death
| of your dear sister, yet l would a
| thousand times rather have you lying
beside her, my boy, than know you
| to be untrue to our God and His Holy
| Church.
Many years had passed since then
| the boy had grown into a man and
| to his bitter sorrow had, a few years
before, lost his dearly loved mother
She had been taken suddenly sick
| while he was at college and he had
| arrived only just in time to receive
| her last blessing and farewell. She
had had barely strength to murmur
| as she pressed his hands and looked
lovingly up into his face: "Remem
Der your promise"
Reginald had now been away from
home for some time and he was, that
very evening, to take the night train
so as to join his family on the morn
| ing of the next day, which would be
his fathers birthday. He had been
rather reckless in the great city he
was about to leave, and his conscience
was anything but easy. He knew he
ought to go to confession before start
ing on his journey, but-he put it of
during the whole day, finding no enc
of plausible excuses for delay, unit
he finally discovered that he had bare
| ly time to catch the express.
| He had arrived at the depot at the
very last minute and was just prepar
ing to step on to the train when he
suddenly recollected that he had lef
| his scapular and the cross his mother
had given him in the dressing room
| of his hotel. He hesitated; if he wen
back he would inevitably lose the trai1
and could not take another until the
next day, and SO would have to disap
point his family, but on the othe
hand if he did not do so, mis- eros:
might be stolen and irretrievably los
to him. Well-he could write or ever
| telegraph about it to the hotel man
ager, he thought, and so he went VI
| the car steps and settled himself com
fortably in the smoking compartment
Suddenly he remembered that hi
would for the first time be unable tt
fulfil his promise to his mother an(
on the impulse of the moment, hi
seized his travelling bag and jumped
out upon the platform again just a.
the train was moving off.
He hurried back to the hotel, found
his cross, which he Immediately pu
on again, telegraphed home, then, hav
ing nothing further to do, he went tt
church and to confession.
The next morning, on getting up
he was appalled, to hear that thu
train he had meant to take had beef
almost totally wrecked, and that tn,
smoking car in which he hal
taken his seat had been smashed t.
splinters and all it's occupants killet
outright!
1t is needless to say how Thankful
he was that he had been faithful t.
his promise and how grateful he fel
to God who had thus saved him from
the awful misfortune of a suddel
death in state of sin! He felt sur
that it was his beloved mothers in
tercession for him which had save,
him from the calamity, and all his lif
long he remained more than ever faith
full to the promises he had made he
on that blessed eve of his first Hol
Communion.
| Young Catholic MESSENGER