The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-12-10
GATE OF HEAVEN.

9 Ellen MallOy bent over her knitting,
straining her eyes to catch the last of
the rapidly fading daylight. There
was only half a row left to do on the
gay little wooden garment that lay
upon her lap. 1t was a sweater for
Eugenia's 8-year-old John and she was
anxious to finish it before supper
A fine old figure was Ellen as she
sat in her rocker by the open window
A peace well-earned reflected itself in
the clear grey eyes, and rested like a
halo upon the white hair, which crept,
in spite of frequent brushing, from
beneath the snowy cap. There was a
hint of humor about the corners of
the shrewd mouth and the broad fore
head and firm, generously formed fin
gers that welded the flashing needles
bespoke capability.
The kettle on the kitchen stove was
humming merrily when Ellen folded
her knitting, rose from her rocker and
gave vent to sigh of satisfaction
WELL" said she, half aloud. otis
done, and I'm glad of it. He'll have
need of it for a while yet before the
real warm, weather comes, and I've
made it plenty big against his grow
ing by next fall"
She had scarcely finished speaking
when "honk-honk" sounded in the
near distance. Ellen turned about,
shaded her eyes with her hand, and
peered into.the gathering gloom. Two
giant eyes were approaching along
the highway. from the north. In their
wake game a furry of dust and an
other shrill ''honk" of the horn. In a
second the motor had vanished around
a bend in the road A moment later
its lights reappeared in the grove of
trees, where windows began to shine
brightly from the house of stucco and
brick.
Ellen sighed again and went inside.
Absentlys she made ready her. solitary
supper; tea Of liquid amber, honey
with comb as white as the clover that
had yielded it, pats of golden butter
and flake biscuits fresh from the oven
Yet she ate sparingly. The meal was
left almost untasted and Ellen set
|methodically about the task of dish.
washing and putting things to rights
Working on the sweater had brought
back many memories to her today
memories of small boy with tousled
yellow hair, her John, who on even.
ings like this had trudged by his ia.
Gil xxrhn 11n IN no
cows and had carried his own diminu
tive bucket brimful from the barn
Afterwards there had come the story
before bedtime, with the 1.-the warm
body clasped passionately in her arms
All, but God had been good to he1
when He. made her a mother. Last
| of all were. the night prayers. How
we'll she remembered the pride and
the sweetness of the first Our Father
and Hail Mary! They had been won
derfully happy in those days. Twas
only the old log cabin of her girlhood
that sheltered them, but, sure, thought
Ellen, that was more than the Holy
Family had. She and John and the
child had enough to. eat and com
Portable place to sleep. They were
beholden to no man.
The years that followed were HARD
Jones, but she Strengthened with hon
est pride as she recalled Them The
fever came that took away her mar
and left her alone with little John
But they managed somehow or other
Young John worked his way through
high school and through college, too
Then it had been one rise after an
other for him until it ended in the
presidency of the bank in the town.
| And John had married. At this
| point in her reverie a crease made
by more than mere thought lined Ell
lens smooth brow. If the gay little
sweater had summoned a throng Of
memories, the two glazing eyes anl
the honk of the motor horn had call
ed up others And these last were no
all pleasant.
was all right John and she had me-
during his schooldays. Her father was
a big man in the college town. They
were Catholics of a sort. She wa:
pushing and energetic and bound tt
get ahead. She was always nice tt
her mother-in-law (she never failed t.
speak of her as such before stran
gers), but there. never had been much
fof an understanding between them
Ellen was, as it were, continually run
/ ming into blind alleys in her inter
course with this new daughter.
It had not taken long to see which
Way the wind blew, religiously
You've no pictures of Our Lord o.
the saintsaD the older woman hat
asked, with no thought Of harm, al