The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-03-25
WROUGHT BY PRAYER.

Mamma, does 90 know tomorrow is
my birthday"
Eyes, dearie; it is also the birthday
of your little Brother, the Sweet In
FAINT Jesus"
"Es, my little Brother in heaven.
Why don't he come and live with me?"
"Why, darling, He lives with papa
in heaven said the mother as the
little one nestled on her breast.
Mother and child were alone in the
world She heaved sigh. All too
soon she felt she would be obliged to
leave her darling, for, of late she had
felt more than one spasm in the re-
gion of the heart. Hard labor had
done its work, and tonight, Christmas
Eve, she felt more than usually tired.
''Dearie, would you be lonesome, if
the Infant Jesus called mother homer"
murmured the plaintive voice as she
closer pressed the little head. No
response from the child, happy in its
carefree childhood, happy in the in
nocent sleep of the young.
'Tis Christmas Eve! the blessed sea-
son of peace to men of good will. A
man sits in his cosy club. About him
are all the comforts of life, save one
home! He sits in lounging chair,
an unread paper in his lap, a half
smoked cigar in his hand. His
thoughts are far from pleasant.
Christmas means nothing to him.
Why should it? He is stranger to
God, to the things of God and Christ
mas is prominently Gods.
He takes UP the paper, turns to his
favorite page, tries to read, throws
| it down in disgust--even the stocks
cannot interest him. Nothing can
chase from him the phantoms of the
past, especially at this time of the
year when the very air breathes~ the
peace of home. Home! the name to
him is a mockery. Once he had a
lhome-but now--had he needed his
mothers warning, how different would
this Christmas be! But we SOW what
we reap. Lured by. the wiles of a
pretty woman, contrary to his moth
er's pleadings, he contracted a mixed
marriage, and worse still, marriage
in name only, for the Church, inflex-
ible, refused to perform the ceremony,
as she, in spirit of caprice, to test
her power, declined to make the nee
essary promises. And he, in q spirit
of pride, set aside conscience and
founded a home without God Is it
any wonder that it fell inside of a
year?
Less than six months after the So
called marriage, he discovered that
his partners charms were all on the
surface; heart, she had none. Ex-
travagant in the extreme, pouty when
he delicately called her to account,
the clouds gathered until finally the
only resort was the divorce court.
How he hated Christmas! 1t was
on a Christmas Eve that he found the
chilling note as he went home telling
him that the same roof would no
longer shelter both. Is it any wonder
that Christmas brought to him no
longing as it does to those of good
will?
Buzz, buzz rang the phone
"Mr. Hamilton wanted shouted
the operator from the desk.
"Bosh, why can't they let me
lalone!" murmured he, as he leisurely
strolled to the booth.
"Mr. Hamilton"
Eyes"
This is the City Doctor"
"Well?'
"a Mrs. Hall, your sister, is dying
of heart failure and calls for you at
|276 Windsor ST."
Good Cod" he calculated. Had it
come to this! His sister, the one
link that bound him to his innocent
past, lying at deaths door and at
tended by the city doctor! With all
his opulence, she dying of want! He
was stunned. Nursing his grief all
these years he had lost sight of the
little girl who was once his idol. She
had married a poor clerk, and he, dy-
ing early, had left her to struggle
alone with her child. Years before
she had paid a visit to his mansion,
but being but coldly received by ma
dame who was entertaining her bridge
club. she had blamed her brother.
and ever afterWard was too proud to
appeal to his aid. Had he but known,
how different it would have been.s
But too late comes renlorse. With
q heavy heart he rusles to his ma
chine and is soon at her door.