The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-03-19

house with as few worries as possible.
In the years before the famous
Main Drainage scheme was put in OPP
Grafton, Dublin was certain to be Wis
tied more or less frequently by one
or other very serious epidemics.
When the boarders at Mrs. Curran's
came back from their several vaca-
tions that September they were not
well pleased to find that diphtheria
the houses at the back 1t was of
peculiarly virulent kind, and the
papers recorded many deaths each
day. The boarders took their de-
parture for new lodgings in the south
ern district. One alone remained-a
bedridden, elderly lady who had a
morbid dread of death and of "bac-
teria," and was constantly affirming
that the old house itself was ''alive
with germs" She was, no doubt, cor
rect in her opinion about the house,
for the day before she left Kitty was
taken with typhoid-pneumonia.
The poor mother sought out the doc
highest, and for six weeks these were
coming to the house. They pulled
the patient through.
On the day that Kitty was able,
leaning on her mothers arm, to tot
tie down to their little sitting room,
the old lady boarder had, from "con-
scientious motives and to prevent 9TH
er people from being put in danger
of their lives" made a statement
about the house to the health depart
ment. This resulted in visit from
officials of the board, and condem-
nation of the place. The occupants
were notified to be ready to leave the
house on the 18th of the month, and
this was the 7th already.
"I'll tell you, darling, what I'm 60
ing to do" Kitty said, with her arms
| around her mothers neck. est. Pat
| rick's day will be on the eve of our
leaving. I'm going to ask him to help
| u.s."
But in the empty, "condemned'
house, where the scuttling of the
rats, above and below, was the only
sound, it was hard to keep up a hope
full heart. In the dingy little back
room, furnished with the few ar
ticles that they had been able to re-
tain, they awaited the result of the
rams hopes had been about the lat
ter, it was still with something of a
shock that she read the figures on
the auctioneer's check when it reach
ed them. Beyond paying their debts,
the amount would leave them with
only a shilling or two in hand. And
this was the 16th-after tomorrow
| they would have to leave.
All night the unhappy mother lay
awake and wretched beside her sleep
| ing daughter Somehow she could
not share the girls feelings that
something was sure to turn up, that
help would be extended to them. 1t
was a, hard world, she thought; God
tried people sorely; they worked and
strove and yet He turned His face
from them She groaned in her mis-.
cry
Out of the burst of weeping that
followed, sleep fell upon the over
tired mind, and it was broad day
light when a knocking at the front
door awakened her.
All her trouble had come back in
a moment r~ -e.-@- *v~~
81 suppose tbs the people to remind
us about tomorrow" she said, while
she hastily and Quietly dressed. "HoW
much afraid they are that We'll be
trespassing day or two
A real st. Patrick's day shower Of
) sharp sleet was battering on the win
dow, and she shuddered as she closed
the room door and took her way dowr
stairs to face the hard messengers Of
the law.
then Kitty, who had Just awakened
heard a kind of stumbling, flying up
stairs, and her mother broke into the
} room with an open letter and paper:
in her hands.
, ooh, child, DEAR" she cried, "woult
any one believe it? A letter from Ell
LEM"
Dear MOTHER" the mother began
II am breaking the long, long silence
at last with terrible fear that i
may be too late. For long time
now / have understood that it wa'
your love and poor fathers that pu
; me off the ill-judged step I wanted
to take, and have been grateful.
had it in my mind when / heard O
fathers death-a year afterwards
the news reached me-to write to you
but the same person that told m,
about father mentioned that you ant
Kitty had left the old home, ant
. gone to Australia. | write to on
cousins there for tidings of you, blu
could learn nothing, and SO I've beef
: living with my remorse and regret
, ever since. Lately, the agony of
9 seemed uncomfortable, and last nigh
in some kind of a vision-dream
could hardly be, for it was too life
> like, saw you and Kitty, spectral
: thin and hollow eyed, and full o
trouble, in terribly old house. A
first l thought it was your ghost
saw, but something told me tina
! you were alive and in Ireland, an
! in urgent want of help. | have a.
q abundance of money. l started a Iii
e tie millinery place after coming here
$ a small venture at first, but it pros
n pered, and I am sending by this mai