The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-12-31
HER INSPIRATION.

queer, dazed feeling of unreality. She
sat down on the edge of the bed, fold,
ing her hands and sitting oddly STILL.
Duly she tried to make her mind
give an active consideration to her
plight; middle aged, broken in health,
and out of position; she had no rel
atives to whom she could turn for
help, and only seven hundred dollars
saved during the years of teaching
that had Slapped her strength; what
would become of her when that sum
was spent? She glimpsed herself in
the mirror-a worn, sallow face, dull
eyes, and CRAVING hair. q worn out
piece of machinery she decided hope.
lessly.
She had just come from the school
where in the office of the superinten-
dent she had been told that her work
was unsatisfactory, and that she could
not expect reelection for the coming
year. Superintendent Kemper, intent
only upon keeping the school up-to-
date and keeping the pupils interest.
ed, had been giving close scrutiny to
Miss Meroney's classes, noting lack
of original devices for making the
lessons interesting; he made no al
lowanee for the over-crowded course
of study which made deviations from
regular recitation difficult. "No pep -
he decided concerning the tired, over
worked teacher. Been teaching too
long,
A more kindly disposed superinten-
dent might have urged her to take a
years vacation, to travel, or try some
other line of work as a rest from the
strain of teaching. AS it was, Miss
Mereney found his severe critical
phrases ringing in her mind, bringing
with repetition an exaggerated sense
of failure and incompetency.
During the remaining month of
school, Margaret wrote several appli-
cations to other schools, but with no
success. With each failure, her self.
depreciation became greater, and she
became more convinced that her days
of usefulness were over. Other teach
ers, as the close of school drew near,
We're talking of going home, and plan
ming pleasant. vacations. Margaret,
feeling lonely and discouraged, began
taking a roundabout way home from
school to avoid their company.
On one Of the side streets which
she thus traFersed, stood vacant
house which Margaret had noticed
several times. 1t was a shabby lit.
tie one-story house, dark and discol
lored by time; slender-pillared porch
it's boards broken and rotted, sagged
dismally at one end9 Through the
windows one could see the wall pa
Iper hanging in strips from the walls
| It was just these .bedraggled strips
Of wall paper that caught Margaret's
eye. Her mind was keyed to rem
iniscences of former days. She be
l gan thinking of how she had once
| helped an economical friend paper
her house. 1t was in the early years
of her teaching, a busy, happy year
/ She recalled how she had papered two
Of the rooms alone, with almost pro
fessional skill. She paused in hel
walk, and stood staring absently al
the old house while she visioned her
self, capable and energetic, measur
ing, cutting, getting the correct align
ment of the strips. For a moment
a. wave of her old self confidence
swept over her.
Il believe could do it again." sh,
found herself thinking, and with tn,
thought an idea suddenly sprang III
in her mind: she could paper tina
lhouse she could paint it, too If sh,
were to buy it and fit it up habitabl!
I-she would have, at least, a home
she could surely find something to d,
that would earn enough to live on
she could sew, she remembered, re
calling her recognized ability in tn,
i Red Cross work of war time. @
lperhaps she could take a few of tn,
| teachers for table board-she ha,
kept house one year with two othe
i teachers, and they had always beel
glad when it was her week to cook.
n A voice broke in upon her musing
81 helped to build that house!''
Margaret looked up with a start
n An old man had paused beside her
, / bent and gray. he leaned upon hi
cane, turning eager eyes from tn
. shabby house to Margaret. In tn
. usefulness of the old face Margare
thought she read a recognition Q
!. present uselessness that tried to fin
Ecomfort in reviewing past achieve
mer1t.
9 did you live here once?" she asl
led.
did not, thin; l was a carpente
, land good wan, too IT'S man
! the house put up here in the airl
days, but they're nearly all gone noy
/ mot good enough for thin that &c
II rich. This house here now--'y Gu
/ buy it for almost nawthin -four hui
!, dred dollars, hear"
RI Is that so?" demanded Margare
] deeply interested. why. was jus
thinking that / could paint and D;
! per it myself, and If the porch wa
Z fixed it wouldn't be so bad, after all
81 The old man came step neare
81 interest alight in his eyes. He san
i his voice to a confidential tone:
Il Let me tell y now-it's wan O. lib
ii best built houses in the town; | buil
IL it mesilf, d y mind: It's warmer tina
i three halves O. tllinl that's bni
nov" d