The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-12-30

in the old mans voice.
No" she answered, adding IN q |
moment, Il fear have hurt his"
And then. feeling the old mans
sympathy, she told him what she be.
lieved had made the breach between
them. She concluded with: II sim
ply cant accept your saints the way
you and Mr.. Dalton do
You will not have them for your
friends In heaven?'' the old man ask
ed.
Margaret smiled at the naive ques-
ton.
"They are just our friends. you
know" Giovanni continued. did you
ever try them?"
7 don't believe they can help!" de-
clared Margaret.
You are not fair il you have not
tried them!" the old man exclaimed,
vigorously. He continued: .sSt. Jo-
seph, now. you never try him? He is
the good friend of the signorinas when
their heart is sore! You never try
him %
Margaret laughed gently at the idea
and then there flashed through her
mind something Dalton had once told
her as they came out Of st. Joseph's
church on one Of those occasions
when she had accompanied him thith-
er-something about how the young.
girls sometimes made novenas to this
particular saint for good husbands
No, ! have never tried him." she
answered meantime to the old gar.
dener's question.
"Ah, he is good" Giovanni reiter-.
ated. If now you only believed he
would not let Signor Dalton stay an
cry with you!"
A light kindled in Margaret's eyes,
as she said, refiectively, Il wonderw:
Meanwhile, the old man had cut
the armful Of flowers she had asked
for. He was about to turn towards
the house to get some tissue paper
to wrap them. Margaret detained him.
Don't wrap them!" said she. do
you think if took them over to st.
Joseph he would help me?"
she said, with a pretty hesitation that
won the old mans heart.
"Ah, / am sure, sure! And you win
come soon again, you and Mr.. Dalton"
he added, as he opened the old gate
for Margaret and her offering.
Good! He will see her and it
turns out all right" exclaimed Gio-
vanni, rubbing his hands together as
he went back through his garden re-
joicing- for he knew that Dalton made
a practice Of stopping at st. Joseph's
many an afternoon on his way home,
and that most likely he would be there
before Margaret left.
~ ** 80
When Dalton entered the church a
few moments after Margaret, he could
scarcely believe his eyes. She had
gone UP to the front of the little
church, expecting to find some one
| there with whom to leave the flowers.
There being no sign of the saeristan,
| she had sat down few moments in
the front pew and waited. In those
few moments various thoughts filter
ed through her mind. She was first
OF all amused at herself, this Presby-
terian-bred girl here with votive Of
fering to a Catholic saint. Then a
thought of old Giovanni passed to
and fro in her mind-how naive he
was, how interested in her and Dial.
ton, how kind, how eager for their
breach to be closed! And suddenly
as she reflected on his friendship, she
glanced up and saw st. Joseph's stat
ne looking down upon her, as it were,
with benignant eyes why not?"
The question rang out in her heart.
why not, after all. a friend in heav-
en-, as Giovanni says?p
/ And with that she rose, carried the
flowers to the sanctuary railing and
at mild, kind st, Joseph the friend
OF signorinas when their heart is
sore," Giovanni had said.
She turned then from the altar
and her glance encountered Dalton's
| smiling. He evidently understood
what had passed in her thoughts
about the Communion of Saints as
she had bent her head a moment at
the little altar.
| And now as she read his glance,
her heart sang out: "'St. Joseph is
certainly marvelously prompt!"
Afterwards, when they, next went
to see Signor Giovanni, one afternoon
when Dalton had taken her to see the
pastor of st. Joseph's, who was to
give Margaret her instructions, Dali
ton remarked as they left the garden:
"OId Giovanni's dahlias are his mas
terpieces next to his dark red roses. Z
| Margaret's eyes gloWed as she re-
called what the old gardener had told
| her about Dalton's preference for
those roses but she observed:
Il think heartsease is the best thing
he raises"
sHeartsease?' queried Dalton. Il
have never seen it. Where does he
keep it,"
ITS all over the garden!" answer
ed Margaret, art1essly. s
Anne Blanche McGil1, in Irish Cath
olic.
INDUSTRIAL uNIoNIsMa MAKING
i tiEADNfAY.