The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-05-14
THE LITTLEST LADY.

I -f 4 / :. -. f ) rs /
Mrs. Zettler smiled at the picture
her children made grouped around the
little old lady on the lawn of the Old
Ladies Home AS they spied their
mother they few to greet her.
who is your new friend?" the
mother asked as, surrounded in her.
turn, she made her way along the
street toward home.
The children answered in hasty
chorus:
Isn't she sweet? They call her
the Iittlest Lady"
She's a corker," James asserted.
"She used to live in the West"
And can't she tell the stories
thought" from small Anne.
She seems to have captured you
ALL" Mrs. Zettler smiled, pleased at
their enthusiasm. The Zettlers were
newcomers in Centerville and SO far
the children had not many interests.
Eyes, we like her" Anne stated
conclusively.
Il hope You don't mind, mother"
Marion began diffidently, "but we in
vited her to go down with us to May
| devOtions some night"
| oh, is she a Catholic?"
Yes. And she has no way of get
/ ting to church in the evenings, though
on Sundays the Home sends her down
/ in it's own car When I mentioned
something about May devotions she
said what treat it would be to get.
to go once again. So I thought you
1 would be glad if l asked her to go
i with u.s.
/ Indeed am glad, dear the moth
er returned gently. ''It was very
thoughtful in my small daughter; and
we will take her with us every night
if she wishes to co.
| Mrs. Zettler's husband, Major Zet-
tier, was stationed at a training camp
iabout twenty miles distant from Cen
terville, and the family had settled
! here to be near him and because of
:, the educational facilities afforded by
; the city. The major was extremely
busy at the training camp and would
: have few Burroughs, but his family
nearness would enable him to see
;. them frequently for day or so at a
:. time. The house Mrs. Zettler secured
: was in a quiet residential district not
} far from a Home devoted to the care
: of old ladies, and it was in their early
: exploration of the neighborhood that
the children made the acquaintance of
| Mrs. Stewart who, because of her size,
: and general air of fragility, had come
Y to be known as the Littlest Lady. She
was the only Catholic in the Home,
and alone in the world, with no. near
1, relatives and no acquaintance in the
town to which she was a stranger.
She was a very cheerful little lady
though, and if she was ever lonely no
one found it out.
All during May Mrs. Stewart went
down to ST. James Church every
evening to May devotions in the Zet.
tier car Mrs. Zettler soon became as
g deeply interested as the children in
the gentle little old, lady, SO quiet sc
: refined, so agreeable, but around whom
there appeared to cling a veil of i'm
penetrable reserve, not to say sad
| ness. ,%.s.,
IF anyone with such tremendous
j strong faith could be sad," Mrs Zet
: tier reflected one evening after they
= had left the Littlest Lady at the
: Home 81 don't believe I ever met
! any one with such powerful and con
!, vincing belief in the providence Of
!, God. 1t has really been blessing tt
;, me to know her.'
RI It was Friday evening, toward the
close of May. Mrs. Stewart was sit
j. ting on the front porch with her wraps
). on. waiting for the Zettlers to cal
8 for her. It had been dark day, one
h of clouds and drizzle, and the Titles
q / Lady confessed to an unusual feeling
!. of WEAKNESS and dependency. Clouds
d had prevailed in the Home also, ant
$ drizzle of tears from sundry of TIL,
; inmates who were susceptible to at
n mospheric changes All day the Lit
e tlest Lady had done her best to cheer
g and comfort, and sustain. She hat
e soothed the querulous, poured oil OF
IL the troubled waters of acrimonious
r discussion, and by her tender minis
10 trations beguiled tedious hours fo1
q lonely and impatient-and, alas, Otter
.. Observation-Disclosures The one CLEAN
of brightness in the day had been tn,
. thought of May devotions in the even
f. ing; the restful quiet of the big church
r. the dear familiar strains of the Bene
diction hymns, and then the BLESSING
at the end How could she conside
any day hard that brought her S,
FL close to Christ at the close, Himself
lifted high in the priests hands, bless
ing the kneeling throng? And the rid'
t. down and back in the machine will
o, the dear Zettler children and thef
b. kind mother-she did enjoy that thor
n oughly. Why, then, should she com
g plain of the darkness of day tina
s. was to end so brightly? Thus child
e ing herself for her momentary sad
ness, the Littlest Lady waited as thu
II shadows grew longer and the sof
n-l lights turned to gray in the western
ID sky. And still they did not come
MI Twice she stepped into the front hal
to look at the clock, and the SECOND
time it's hands indicated 7:30.
"They are not coming" she whis
pered to herself, chill settling
around her heart. Il suppose the.
forgot" at
esn;dr,t 1,o,,r friends o0Y,on tnnioht o.