,the ,city and the ,world and ,other    
,stories  ,,by  ,,francis ,,clement     
,,kelley   ,author of  ,the ,last       
,battle of the ,gods1 ,letters to ,jack4
 ,the ,book of ,red and ,yellow4 ,etc41 
,etc4   ,,second ,,edition   ,,extension
 ,,press #bbc ,w4 ,jackson ,boulevard   
,,chicago  #aiac     ,,preface   ,these 
stories were not written at one time1   
nor were they intended for publication  
in book form4 ,for the most part they   
were contributions to ,extension        
,magazine1 of which the author is       
,editor1 and which is1 above all1 a     
missionary publication4 ,most of them1  
therefore1 were intended primarily to be
 appeals1 as well as stories4 ,in fact1 
there was not even a remote idea in the 
author's mind when he wrote them that   
some day they might be introduced to    
other readers than those reached by the 
magazine itself4 ,in fact1 he might     
almost say that the real object of most 
of the stories was to present a         
,catholic missionary appeal in a new    

way4 ,apparently the stories succeeded  
in doing that1 and a few of them were   
made up separately in booklets and used 
for the propaganda work of ,the         
,catholic ,church ,extension ,society4  
,then came a demand for the collection1 
so the writer consented to allow the    
stories to appear in book form2 hoping  
that1 thus gathered together1 his little
 appeals for what he considers the      
greatest cause in the world may win a   
few new friends to the ideas which gave 
them life and name4  ,,francis ,,clement
 ,,kelley4  ,,chicago1 ,,illinois1 ,july
 #cj1 #aiac4     ,illustration3 ,father 
,ramoni suddenly felt his joy congealing
 into a cold fear4                      
,,contents          ,,titles            
,page  ,the ,city and the ,world        
#a ,the ,flaming ,cross                 
#bj ,the ,vicar-,general                
#dd ,the ,resurrection of ,alta         
#ec ,the ,man with a ,dead ,soul        
#fg ,the ,autobiography of a ,dollar    
#gd ,le ,braillard de la ,magdeleine    

#hb ,the ,legend of ,deschamps          
#hd ,the ,thousand ,dollar ,note        
#hi ,the ,occasion                      
#aji ,the ,yankee ,tramp                
#aai ,how ,father ,tom ,connolly ,began 
to ,be a ,saint   #abg ,the ,unbroken   
,seal                             #acf  
,mac of the ,island                     
#add     ,,the ,,city ,,and ,,the       
,,world   ,father ,denfili1 old and     
blind1 telling his beads in the corner  
of the cloister garden1 sighed4 ,father 
,tomasso1 who had brought him from his  
confessional in the great church to the 
bench where day after day he kept his   
sightless vigil over the pond of the    
goldfish1 turned back at the sound1     
then1 seeing the peace of ,father       
,denfili's face1 thought he must have   
fancied the sigh4 ,for sadness came     
alien to the little garden of the       
,community of ,san ,ambrogio on ,via    
,paoli1 a lustrous gem of a little      
garden under its square of ,roman sky4  
,the dripping of the tiny fountain1     

tinkling like a bit of familiar music1  
and the swelling tones of the organ1    
drifting over the flowers that clustered
 beneath the statue of ,our ,lady of    
,lourdes1 so merged their murmurings    
into the peacefulness of ,san ,ambrogio1
 that ,father ,tomasso1 just from the   
novitiate1 felt intensely that he knew  
he must have dreamed ,father ,denfili's 
sigh4 ,for what could trouble the old   
man here in ,san ,ambrogio on this1 the 
greatest day of the ,community8  ,for   
to-day ,father ,ramoni had returned to  
,rome4 ,even as ,father ,tomasso passed 
the fountain a group of ,fathers and    
novices were gathering around one of the
 younger priests1 who still wore his    
fereoula and wide-brimmed hat1 just as  
he had entered from ,via ,paoli4 ,the   
newcomer's eyes traveled joyously over  
his breathless audience1 calling ,father
 ,tomasso to join in hearing his news4  
,yes1 it is true1 he was saying4 ,i have
 just come from the audience4 ,father   
,general and ,father ,ramoni stopped to 

call at the ,secretariate of ,state1 but
 ,i came straight home to tell you4 ,his
 ,holiness was most kind1 and ,father   
,ramoni was not a mite abashed1 even in 
the presence of the ,pope4 ,when he     
knelt down the ,holy ,father raised him 
up and gave him a seat4 ',tell me all   
about your wonderful people and your    
wonderful work1' he said4 ,and ,father  
,ramoni told him of the thousands he had
 converted and how easy it was1 with the
 blessing of ,god1 to do so much4 ,the  
,holy ,father asked him every manner of 
question4 ,he was full of enthusiasm for
 the great things our ,father ,ramoni   
has done4 ,he is the greatest man in    
,rome to-day1 is ,ramoni4 ,he will be   
honored by the ,holy ,see4 ,the ,pope   
showed it plainly4 ,this is a red-letter
 day for our ,community4 ,the little    
priest paused for breath1 then hastened 
on4 ,rome knows that our ,father ,ramoni
 has come back1 he cried1 and ,rome has 
not forgotten ten years ago4  ,was it   
ten years that ,father ,ramoni passed in

 ,south ,america8 a tall novice asked   
,father ,tomasso4  ,ten years1 said     
,father ,tomasso4 ,he was the great     
preacher of ,rome when the old          
,general--he nodded toward the cloister 
corner where ,father ,denfili           
prayed--sent him away from ,rome4 ,no   
one knew why4 ,his fame was at its      
height4 ,men and women of all the city  
crowded the church to listen to him1 and
 he was but thirty-four years old4 ,but 
,father ,denfili sent him away to       
,marqua1 commanding the ,superior of our
 ,order out there to send him to those  
far-off mountain people of whom the     
papers were telling at that time4 ,i did
 not know ,father ,romani well4 ,i was a
 novice at the time4 ,but ,i knew that  
he did not want to go from ,rome2       
though1 being a good religious1 he      
obeyed4 ,now1 see what has happened4 ,he
 has converted over one-third of that   
people1 and the rest are only waiting   
for missionaries4  ,and the work is all 
,father ,ramoni's8 the novice asked4    

,all4 ,father ,tomasso drew him a little
 farther from the group that still      
listened to the little priest who had   
come from the ,vatican4 ,father ,ramoni 
found that the people had many          
,christian traditions and were almost   
white2 but it was he who instilled the  
,faith in their hearts4 ,there must be  
thirty of our ,fathers in ,marqua now1  
he continued proudly1 and sooner or     
later1 all novices will have to go out  
there4 ,father ,ramoni has made a       
splendid ,prefect-,apostolic4 ,no wonder
 they have summoned him to ,rome for    
consultation4 ,i have heard--he lowered 
his voice as he glanced over his        
shoulder to where ,father ,denfili sat  
on the bench by the pond--that it is    
certain that ,marqua is to be made a    
,province1 with an archbishop and two   
bishops4 ,there is a seminary in        
,marqua1 even now1 and they are training
 some of the natives to be catechists4  
,i tell you1 ,brother ,luigi1 missionary
 history has never chronicled such      

wonders as our ,father ,ramoni has      
wrought4  ,from behind them came the    
rising voice of the little priest1      
bubbling into laughter4 ,and as ,i came 
through the ,pincio all that ,i heard   
was his name4 ,i had to wait for a      
duchessa's carriage to pass4 ,she was   
telling an ,american woman of the times 
when ,father ,ramoni had preached at    
,san ,carlo4 ',his words would convert a
 ,hindu1' she was saying4 ,and the      
,marchesi di ,san ,quevo leaned from his
 horse to tell me that he had heard that
 ,father ,ramoni will be one of the     
,cardinals of the next ,consistory4 ,is 
it not wonderful8  ,the murmur of their 
responses went across the garden to old 
,father ,denfili4 ,father ,tomasso1     
crossing the path with the novice1      
suddenly saw a strange look of pain on  
the old priest's face1 and started      
toward him just as the gate to the      
cloister garden swung back1 revealing a 
picture that held him waiting4 ,four    
men--a great ,roman prelate1 the        

,general of ,san ,ambrogio1 ,father     
,ramoni and ,father ,pietro1 ,ramoni's  
secretary--were coming into the garden4 
,of the four ,father ,ramoni stood out  
in the center of the group as vividly as
 if a searchlight were playing on his   
magnificent bigness4 ,his deep black    
eyes1 set in a face whose strength had  
been emphasized by its exposure to sun  
and wind1 gleamed joyous with his mood4 
,his mouth1 large1 expressive1 the      
plastic mouth of the orator1 was curving
 into a smile as he gave heed to the    
speech of the prelate beside him4 ,once 
he shook his head as the great man1     
oblivious of their coming before a crowd
 of intent watchers1 continued the words
 he had been saying on ,via ,paoli4     
,and the ,holy ,see is about to make    
your ,marqua into a ,province4 ,is it   
not wonderful1 ,father ,ramoni1 that you
 will go back with that gift to the     
people you converted8 ,and yet to me it 
is more wonderful that you wish to go   
back4 ,why do you not stay here8 ,you1 a

 ,roman1 would advance4  ,not now1      
,monsignore1 the missionary answered    
quickly4 ,they were passing the group   
near the fountain1 going toward the     
bench where ,father ,denfili sat4       
,ramoni's secretary1 a thin1            
serious-visaged priest of about the same
 age as his ,superior1 with bald head   
and timid1 shrinking eyes1 took with the
 greatest deference the cloak and hat   
,father ,ramoni handed to him4 ,then he 
fell back of the old ,general4 ,the     
prelate answered ,ramoni4 ,but you are  
right1 of course1 he admitted4 ,it is   
best that you return4 ,the ,church needs
 you there now4 ,but later on--chi lo   
sa8 ,you are to preach ,sunday afternoon
 at ,san ,carlo8 ,i shall be there to   
hear you4 ,so will all ,rome1 ,i        
suppose4 ,ah1 you do well here6 ',filius
 urbis et orbis--son of the city and the
 world4' ,it's a great title1 ,ramoni6  
,they had come in front of the bench    
where ,father ,denfili told his beads4  
,the prelate turned to the old ,general 

of ,san ,ambrogio with deference4 ,is it
 not so1 ,father8 he asked4 ,but ,father
 ,denfili raised his sightless eyes as  
if he sought to focus them upon the     
group before him4 ,father ,ramoni1      
laughingly dissenting1 suddenly felt his
 joy congealing into a cold fear that   
bound his heart4 ,he turned away        
angrily1 then recovered himself in time4
 ,father ,denfili was no longer on the  
bench beside the pond4 ,he was groping  
his way back to the chapel4  ,it was a  
month before the ,consistory met to     
nominate the new hierarchy for ,marqua4 
,it had been expected that the first    
meeting would end in decisive action and
 that1 immediately afterward1 the great 
missionary of the ,community of ,san    
,ambrogio would return with increased   
authority and dignity to his charge4    
,but something--one of those mysterious 
somethings peculiar to ,rome--had       
happened1 and the nominations were      
postponed4  ,in the month that ,father  
,ramoni remained in ,rome he had tasted 

the fruits of his old popular success4  
,on his first ,sunday at home he        
preached in ,san ,carlo as well as      
ever--better than ever4 ,and the awed   
crowd he looked down on at the end of   
his sermon took away from the church the
 tidings of his greater power4 ,from    
that time nearly every moment was taken 
by the demands of people of position and
 authority1 who wished to make the most 
of him before he went back to ,marqua4  
,he scarcely saw his brethren at all1   
except after his ,mass1 when he went to 
the refectory for his morning coffee4   
,he had no time to loiter in the garden1
 and the story of the conversion of the 
people of ,marqua was left to the quiet 
,fr4 ,pietro1 who told the splendid     
tales of his ,superior's great work1    
till ,father ,tomasso and ,brother      
,luigi prayed to be given the           
opportunity to be ,ramoni's servants in 
the far-away land of the western world4 
,but1 if ,ramoni was but seldom in the  
cloister1 he did not avoid ,father      

,denfili4 ,the old blind priest seemed  
to meet him everywhere1 in the          
afternoons on the ,pincio1 in the       
churches where he preached1 in the      
subdued crowds at ecclesiastical        
assemblies4 ,once ,ramoni caught a      
glimpse of his face lifted toward him   
during a conference2 and a remembrance  
of that old look in the cloister garden 
gave him the sensation of belief that   
the old ,general could see1 even though 
,ramoni himself1 was the only one whom  
he saw4  ,on the day the letter from the
 ,vatican came1 ,father ,ramoni1        
detained in the cloister by the expected
 visit of a prelate who had expressed   
his desire to meet the missionary of    
,marqua1 passed ,father ,denfili on his 
way to the reception-room4 ,while       
,father ,ramoni1 summoning his secretary
 to bring some photographs for better   
explanation of the ,south ,american     
missions1 went on his way1 the blind man
 groped along the wall till he reached  
the ,general's office4 ,he had come to  

the door when he felt that undercurrent 
of anxiety which showed itself on the   
white faces of the ,general and his     
assistant1 who stood gazing mutely at   
the letter the former held4 ,he heard   
the ,general call ,father ,tomasso4     
,take this to ,father ,pietro1 my son1  
he said4 ,then he listened to the       
younger priest's retreating footsteps4  
,father ,tomasso1 frightened by the     
unwonted strangeness of the ,general's  
tone1 carried the atmosphere of tense   
and troubled excitement with him when he
 entered the room the prelate was just  
leaving4 ,father ,pietro glanced up at  
him from the table where he was         
returning to their case the photographs 
of ,marqua4 ,tomasso laid the letter    
before him and left the room just as    
,father ,ramoni1 bidding his visitor a  
gay good-bye1 turned back4              
,illustration3 ,i can't take it1 he was 
sobbing1 it's a mistake1 a terrible     
mistake4  ,father ,pietro was taking the
 letter from its large square envelope4 

,he read it with puzzled wonder rising  
to his eyes4 ,before he came to its end 
he was on his feet4  ,no6 ,no6 he cried4
 ,it is impossible4 ,it is a mistake4   
,father ,ramoni turned quickly4 ,the man
 who had been his faithful servant for  
ten years in ,marqua was very dear to   
him4 ,what is a mistake1 ,pietro8 he    
asked1 coming to the table4  ,the       
,consistory1 ,father ,pietro stammered1 
the ,consistory has made a mistake4     
,they have done an impossible thing4    
,they have mixed our names4 ,this letter
 to the ,general--this letter-- he      
pointed to the document on the table    
--says that ,i have been made           
,archbishop of ,marqua4  ,ramoni took   
the letter4 ,as he read it he knew what 
,pietro had not known4 ,the news was    
genuine4 ,the name signed at the        
letter's end guaranteed that4 ,ramoni   
caught the edge of the table4 ,the pain 
of the blow gripped him relentlessly and
 he knew that it was a pain that would  
stay4 ,he had been passed over1 ignored1

 set down for ,pietro1 who sat weeping  
beside the table1 his head buried in his
 hands4  ,i can't take it1 he was       
sobbing2 ,i am not able4 ,it's a        
mistake1 a terrible mistake4  ,ramoni   
put his hand on the other man's head4   
,it is true1 ,pietro1 he said4 ,you are 
,archbishop of ,marqua4 ,may ,god bless 
you6  ,but he could say no more4 ,pietro
 was still weeping when ,ramoni went    
away1 crossing the cloister on his way  
to his cell1 where1 with the door closed
 behind him1 he fought the battle of his
 soul4   ,,ii4  ,in the beginning       
,ramoni could not think4 ,he sat looking
 dully at the softened tones of the     
wall1 trying to evolve some order of    
thought from the chaos into which the   
shock of his disappointment had plunged 
his mind4 ,it was late in the night     
before the situation began to outline   
itself dimly4  ,his first thought was1  
curiously enough1 not of himself        
directly1 but of the people out in      
,marqua who were anxiously looking for  

his return as their leader1 confident of
 his appointment to the new             
,archbishopric4 ,he could not face them 
as the servant of another man4 ,from the
 crowd afar his thoughts traveled back  
to the crowd on the ,pincio--the crowd  
that welcomed him as the great          
missionary4 ,he would go no more to the 
,pincio1 for now they would point him   
out with that cynical amusement of the  
,romans as the man who had been shelved 
for his servant4 ,he resented the fate  
that had uprooted him from ,rome ten    
years before1 sending him to ,marqua4   
,he resented the people he had          
converted1 ,pietro1 the                 
,consistory--everything4 ,for that black
 and bitter night the ,church1 which he 
had loved and reverenced1 looked to him 
like the root of all injustice4 ,the    
more he thought of the slight that had  
been put upon him1 the worse it became1 
till the thought arose in him that he   
would leave the ,community1 leave ,rome1
 leave it all4 ,after long hours1 anger 

had full sway in the heart of ,father   
,ramoni4  ,at midnight he heard the     
striking of the city's clocks through   
the windows1 the lattices of which he   
had forgotten to close4 ,the sound of   
the city brought back to him the words  
of the great prelate who had returned   
with him to ,san ,ambrogio from his     
first audience with the ,holy           
,father--,filius urbis et orbis4 ,how   
bitterly the city had treated him6  ,a  
knock sounded at his door4 ,he walked to
 it and flung it open4 ,his anger had   
come to the overflowing of speech4 ,at  
first he saw only a hand at the         
door-casing1 groping with a blind man's 
uncertainty4 ,then he saw the old       
,general4  ,in the soul of ,ramoni rose 
an awful revulsion against the old man4 
,instantly1 with a memory of that first 
day in the cloister garden1 of those    
following days that gave him the        
unexpected1 uncanny glimpses of the     
priest1 he centered all his bitterness  
upon ,denfili4 ,so fearful was his anger

 as he held it back with the rein of    
years of self-control1 that he wondered 
to see ,father ,denfili smiling4  ,may  
,i enter1 my son8 he asked4  ,you may   
enter4  ,the old man groped his way to a
 chair4 ,ramoni watched him with        
glowering rage4 ,when ,father ,denfili  
turned his sightless eyes upon him he   
did not flinch4  ,you are disappointed1 
my son8 the old man asked with a        
gentleness that ,ramoni could not       
apprehend1 and you can not sleep8       
,ramoni's anger swept the question      
aside4 ,have you come here1 ,father     
,denfili1 he cried1 to find out how well
 you have finished the persecution you  
began ten years ago8 ,if you have1 you  
may be quite consoled4 ,it is finished  
to-night4 ,his anger1 rushing over the  
gates1 beat down upon the old man1 who  
sat wordless before its flood4 ,it was a
 passionate story ,ramoni told1 a story 
of years in the novitiate when the old  
man had ever repressed him1 a story of  
checks that had been put upon him as a  

preacher1 of his banishment from ,rome1 
and now of this crowning humiliation4   
,furiously ,ramoni told of them all     
while the old man sat1 letting the      
torrent wear itself out on the rocks of 
patience4 ,then1 after ,ramoni had been 
silent long moments1 he spoke4  ,you did
 not pray1 my son8  ,pray8 ,ramoni's    
laughter rasped4 ,how can ,i pray8 ,my  
life is ruined4 ,i am ashamed even to   
meet my brethren in the chapel4  ,and   
yet1 it is ,god one meets in the chapel1
 the old man said4 ,god1 and ,god alone2
 even if there be a thousand present4   
,god8 flung back the missionary4 ,what  
has ,he done to me8 ,do you think ,i can
 thank ,him for this8 ,yet ,i am a fool 
to ask you1 for it was not ,god who did 
it--it was you6 ,you interfered with    
,his work4 ,i know it4  ,i hope1 my son1
 that it was ,god who did it4 ,if ,he   
did1 then it is right for you4 ,as for  
me1 perhaps ,i am somewhat responsible4 
,i was consulted1 and ,i advised        
,pietro4  ,don't call me 'my son1' cried

 the other4  ,is it as bad as that with 
you8 ,there was only compassion in the  
old voice4 ,yet must ,i say it--my son4 
,with even more reason than ever before 
,i must say it to you to-night4  ,the   
old man's thin hands were groping about 
his girdle to find the beads that hung  
down from it4 ,he pulled them up to him 
and laid the string across his knees2   
but the crucifix that he could not see  
he kept tightly clasped in his hand4    
,his poor1 dull1 pathetic eyes were     
turned to ,ramoni who felt again that   
strange impression that he could see1 as
 they fixed on his face and stared      
straight at him without a movement of   
their lashes4 ,and ,ramoni knew how it  
was that a man may be given a finer     
vision than that of earth1 for ,father  
,denfili was looking where only a saint 
could look1 deep down into the soul of  
another4  ,son of the city and the      
world1 he said4 ,i heard ,monsignore    
call you that1 and he was right4 ,a son 
of the city and of the world you are2   

but alas6 less of the city than you     
know1 and more of the world than you    
have realized4 ,my son1 ,i am a very old
 man4 ,perhaps ,i have not long to live2
 and so it is that ,i may tell you why  
,i have come to you to-night4 ,ramoni   
started to speak1 but the other put out 
his hand4 ,i received you1 a little boy1
 into this ,community4 ,no one knows you
 better than ,i do4 ,i saw in you before
 any one else the gifts that ,god had   
given you for some great purpose4 ,i saw
 them budding4 ,i knew before any one   
else knew that some day you would do a  
great thing1 though ,i did not know what
 it was that you would do4 ,i was a man 
with little1 but ,i could admire the man
 who had much4 ,i had no gifts to lay   
before ,him1 yet ,i1 too1 wanted to do a
 great work4 ,i wanted to make you my   
great work4 ,that was my hope4 ,you are 
the ,apostle of ,marqua4 ,i am the      
,apostle of ,ramoni4 ,for that ,i have  
lived1 always in the fear that ,i would 
be cheated of my reward4  ,ramoni turned

 to him4 ,your reward8 ,i do not        
understand4  ,my reward1 the old man    
repeated4 ,i watched over you1 ,i       
instructed you1 ,i prayed for you1 ,i   
loved you4 ,i tried to teach you by     
checking you1 the way to govern         
yourself4 ,i tried to make a channel in 
your soul that your great genius might  
not burst its bonds4 ,i knew that there 
was conflict ever within you between    
your duty to ,god and what the world had
 to offer you--the old1 old conflict    
between the city and the world4 ,i      
always feared it4 ,all unknown to you ,i
 watched the fight1 and ,i saw that the 
world was winning4 ,then1 my son1 ,i    
sent you to ,marqua4  ,the old man      
paused1 and his trembling hand wiped    
away the tears that streamed down his   
face4 ,ramoni did not move4 ,i am       
afraid1 my son1 the voice came again1   
that you never knew the city--well      
called the ,eternal--where with all the 
evil the world has put within its walls 
the good still shines always4 ,this1 my 

son1 is the city of the soul1 and you   
were born in it4 ,it lives only for     
souls4 ,it has no other right to        
existence at all4 ,there is only one    
royalty that may live in ,rome4 ,we1 who
 are of the true city1 know that4  ,and 
you1 too1 might have been of the city4  
,the power of saving thousands was given
 to you4 ,i prayed only for the power of
 saving one4 ,i had to send you away1   
for you were not a ,philip ,neri4 ,only 
a saint may live to be praised and save 
himself--in ,rome4  ,when you went away1
 my son1 you went away with a sacrifice 
as your merit1 your salvation4 ,of that 
sacrifice the ,church in ,marqua was    
born4 ,it will grow on another          
sacrifice4 ,ask your heart if you could 
make it8 ,alas1 you can not6 ,then it   
will have to grow on ,pietro's pain4  ,i
 have not seen you1 for ,i am blind1 but
 ,i have heard you4 ,you want to go back
 an ,archbishop to finish what you say  
is 'your work4' ,you think that your    
people are waiting4 ,you want to bring  

the splendor of the city to the world4  
,my son1 the work is not yours4 ,the    
people are not yours4 ,the city1 the    
true city1 does not know you1 for you   
have forgotten the spirit of sacrifice4 
,you went out to the world an apostle1  
and you came back to the city a         
conqueror1 but no longer an apostle4    
,can't you see that ,god does not need  
conquerors8  ,the old priest pressed the
 crucifix tightly against his breast4   
,what would you take back to ,marqua8 he
 demanded4 ,nothing but your purple and 
your eloquence4 ,how could you1 who have
 forgotten to pray in the midst of      
affliction1 teach your people how to    
pray in the midst of their sorrows8     
,marqua does not need you1 for ,marqua  
needs the man you might have been1 but  
which you are not4 ,the city does not   
need you1 for the city needs no man2 but
 it is you who need the city1 that you  
may learn again the lesson that once    
made you the missionary of a people4    
,faintly1 through the silence that fell 

the deeper as the old man's words died  
away1 there came the sound of footsteps 
pacing in another room4 ,once more the  
old man took up his speech4  ,they are  
,pietro's steps1 he said4 ,all night    
long ,i have heard you both4 ,he has    
been sobbing under the burden he        
believes he is unworthy to bear1 while  
you have been raging that you were not  
permitted to bear it4 ,pietro was only  
your servant4 ,he would be your servant 
again if he could4 ,he loves you4 ,i1   
too1 love you4 ,perhaps ,i was selfish  
in loving you1 but ,i wanted for ,god   
your soul and the souls you were leading
 to ,him4  ,the old man arose4 ,he put  
out his hand to grope his way back to   
the door4 ,it touched ,ramoni1 sitting  
rigid4 ,he did not stir4 ,the hand      
reached over him1 caught the lintel of  
the door and guided the blind man to the
 hall4 ,then ,ramoni stood up4 ,without 
a word he followed the other4 ,when he  
had overtaken him he laid his hand      
gently on the blind man's arm and led   

him back to his cell4  ,when he came    
back the door of the chapel was open4   
,ramoni1 going within1 found ,pietro    
there1 prostrate at the foot of the     
altar4 ,ramoni knelt at the door1 his   
eyes brimming with tears4 ,he did not   
pray4 ,he only gazed upon the far-off   
tabernacle4 ,and while he knelt the     
,great ,plan unfolded itself to him4 ,he
 looked back on ,marqua as a man who has
 traveled up the hills looks down on the
 valleys4 ,and1 looking back1 he could  
see that ,pietro's had been the labor   
that had won ,marqua4 ,there came back  
to him all the memories of his servant's
 love of souls1 his ceaseless teaching1 
his long journeys to distant villages1  
his zeal1 his solicitude to save his    
superior for the more serious work of   
preaching4 ,pietro had been jealous of  
the slightest infringement on his right 
to suffer4 ,pietro had been the apostle4
 ,before ,god the conquest of ,marqua   
had been ,pietro's first1 since he it   
was who had toiled and claimed no       

reward4  ,a great peace suddenly mantled
 the troubled soul of ,father ,ramoni1  
and with it a great love for the old    
,general whose hand had struck him4 ,he 
thought of the painting hanging near    
where he knelt--,moses ,striking the    
,rock4 ,the features of ,father ,denfili
 merged into the features of the ,law   
,giver1 and ,father ,ramoni knew himself
 for the rock1 barren and unprofitable4 
,he fell on his face1 and then his      
prayer came3  ,christ1 humble and meek1 
soften me1 and if there be aught of     
living water within1 let me give one    
drop for thirsty souls yet ere ,i am    
called4  ,he could utter no other       
prayer4  ,morning found both master and 
servant1 now servant and master1 before 
the altar where both were servants4     
,,iii4  ,it was fifteen years later when
 the brethren of the little ,community  
of ,san ,ambrogio gathered in their     
chapel to sing the requiem over their   
founder and first ,general1 ,father     
,denfili1 who died1 old and blind1 after

 twenty years of retirement into        
obscurity4 ,but there were more than his
 brethren there4 ,for all those years he
 had occupied1 day after day1 the       
solitude of a little confessional in the
 chapel4 ,he had had his penitents      
there1 and1 in a general way1 the       
brethren of ,san ,ambrogio knew that    
there were among them many distinguished
 ones2 but they were not prepared for   
the revelation that his obsequies gave  
them4 ,cardinals1 ,roman nobles1        
soldiers1 prelates1 priests and citizens
 crowded into the little chapel4 ,they  
were those who had knelt week after week
 at the feet of the saint4  ,but there  
was one penitent1 greater than them all 
in dignity and sanctity1 who could not  
come4 ,the tears blinded him that       
morning when he said ,mass in his own   
chapel at the ,vatican for the soul of  
,father ,denfili4 ,at the hour of the   
requiem he looked longingly toward ,via 
,paoli1 where his old spiritual father  
was lying dead before the altar of the  

cloister chapel2 and the tears came     
again into eyes that needed all their   
vision to gaze far out1 from his        
watch-tower1 on the ,city and the       
,world4     ,,the ,,flaming ,,cross  ,i4
   ,it was already midnight when        
,orville1 ,thornton and ,callovan arose 
from a table of the club dining-room and
 came down in the elevator for their    
hats and coats4 ,they had spent an      
evening together1 delightful to all     
three4 ,this dinner and chat had become 
an annual affair1 to give the old chums 
of ,st4 ,wilbur's a chance to live over 
college days1 and keep a fine friendship
 bright and lasting4 ,not one of them   
was old enough to feel much change from 
the spirit of youth4 ,st4 ,wilbur's was 
a fresh memory and a pleasant one2 and  
no friends of business or society had   
grown half so precious for any one of   
these three men as were the other two1  
whom the old college had introduced and 
had bound to him4  ,the difference in   
the appearance of the friends was very  

marked4 ,thornton had kept his promise  
of growing up as he had started3 short1 
fat and jovial4 ,baldness was beginning 
to show at thirty-five4 ,his stubby     
mustache was as unmanageable as the     
masters of ,st4 ,wilbur's had found its 
owner to be4 ,he had never affected     
anything1 for he had always been openly 
whatever he allowed himself to drift    
into4 ,neither of his friends liked many
 of his actions1 nor the stories told of
 him2 but they liked him personally and 
were inclined to be silently sorry for  
him1 but not to sit in judgment upon    
him4 ,both ,orville and ,callovan waited
 and hoped for old ,thornton2 but the   
wait had been long and the hope very    
much deferred4  ,callovan was frankly   
,irish4 ,the curly black hair of the    
,milesian spoke for him as clearly as   
the blue-gray eye4 ,he shaved clean and 
he looked clean4 ,an ancestry of hard   
workers left limbs that lifted him to   
almost six feet of strong manhood4 ,his 
skin was ruddy and fresh4 ,two years    

younger than ,thornton1 he yet looked   
younger by five4 ,and ,callovan1 like   
,thornton1 was inwardly what the outward
 signs promised4  ,orville was tall and 
straight4 ,the ghost of a black mustache
 was on his lip4 ,his hair was scanty1  
and was parted carefully4 ,his dress    
showed taste1 but not fastidiousness4   
,he was handsome1 well groomed and      
particular1 without obtrusiveness in any
 one of the points4 ,he was just a      
little taller than ,callovan2 but he was
 grayer and a great deal more           
thoughtful4 ,he was a hard book to read1
 even for an intimate2 but the print was
 large1 if the text was puzzling4 ,he   
looked to be in the world1 but who could
 say if he were of it8  ,all three of   
these friends were very rich4 ,thornton 
had made his money within five years--a 
lucky mining strike1 a quick sale1 a    
move to the city1 speculation1 politics 
were mixed up in a sort of rapid-fire   
story that the other friends never cared
 to hear the details of4 ,callovan      

inherited his wealth from his           
hard-fisted old father1 who had died but
 a year before4 ,orville was the richest
 of the three4 ,he had always been rich4
 ,his father had died a month before he 
was born4 ,his mother paid for her only 
child with her life4 ,orville's guardian
 had1 as soon as possible1 placed him in
 ,st4 ,wilbur's ,preparatory ,school and
 then in the ,college2 but he was a     
careful and wise man1 this guardian1 so1
 though plenty of money was allowed him1
 yet the college authorities had charge 
of it4 ,they doled it out to the growing
 boy and youth in amounts that could    
neither spoil nor starve him4 ,it was   
good for ,orville that the guardian had 
been thus wise and the college          
authorities thus prudent4 ,he himself   
was generous and kind-hearted2 by nature
 a spendthrift1 but by training just a  
bit of a miser4 ,he had learned a little
 about values during these school and   
college days4  ,your car is not here    
yet1 ,mr4 ,orville1 said the doorman1   

when the three moved to leave the club4 
,very unlike your careful ,michael1     
remarked ,callovan4  ,orville came at   
once to the defense of his exemplary    
chauffeur4 ,i gave him permission to go 
to ,st4 ,mary's to-night for confession1
 he said4 ,michael will be here in a    
moment4 ,he goes to confession every    
,saturday night and is a weekly         
communicant4 ,i can stand a little      
tardiness once a week for the sake of   
having a man like ,michael around4      
,good boy is ,michael1 put in ,thornton4
 ,i wish ,i could get just a small dose 
of his piety4 ,candidly1 ,i am awfully  
lonesome sometimes without a little of  
it4  ,a page came running up4 ,telephone
 for you1 ,mr4 ,orville1 he said2 and at
 almost the same moment the doorman     
called out3 ,your car is here now1 sir4 
,orville went to the telephone booth1   
but returned in a moment4  ,lucky for us
 that we waited1 he said4 ,it was       
,marion who called4 ,she is at the      
,congress1 and she wants me to take her 

home4 ,she came down-town with her      
brother to meet the ,dixes from ,omaha1 
and that worthless pup has gone off and 
left her4 ,she knew that ,i was here    
to-night1 and 'phoned1 hoping to catch  
me4 ,we will pass around by the hotel   
and take her back with us4  ,when the   
friends came out1 ,michael was standing 
with his hand on the knob of the big    
limousine's door4 ,i am sorry if ,i made
 you wait1 sir1 he said4 ,i had a       
fainting spell in the church and could  
not get away sooner4 ,a doctor said it  
was a little heart attack2 but ,i am all
 right now4  ,orville answered kindly4  
,i am sorry you were ill1 ,michael1 but 
we are glad enough that you were late4  
,that ill wind for you blew good to us1 
for we have ,miss ,fayall home with us4 
,if you had been on time we would have  
missed her4 ,go around to the ,congress 
first4  ,the car glided down ,michigan  
avenue to the hotel1 where ,marion was  
already waiting in the ladies' lobby4   
,she looked just what she was1 the      

pampered and petted daughter of a rich  
man4 ,tonight her cheeks were flushed   
and her hand was very unsteady4 ,orville
 noticed both when she entered the car4 
,he was startled1 for ,marion was his   
fiance4 ,he knew that she was usually   
full of life and spirit2 but this       
midnight gaiety worried him1 and all the
 more that he loved the girl sincerely4 
,marion talked fast and furiously1      
railing continually at her brother2 but 
she averted her face from ,orville as   
much as possible and spoke to ,thornton4
 ,orville said nothing after he had     
greeted her4  ,the car sped on1 passed  
the club again and down toward the      
bridge at the foot of the avenue4       
,marion was scolding at ,thornton as    
they approached the bridge at a good    
rate of speed4 ,orville was staring     
straight ahead1 so only he saw          
,michael's hand make a quick movement   
toward the controller1 and another      
movement1 at the same time1 as if his   
foot were trying to press on the brake2 

but both movements seemed to fall short 
and ,michael's head dropped on his      
breast4 ,alarmed1 ,orville looked up4   
,he had a swift glimpse of a flashing   
red light4 ,a chain snapped like a      
pistol shot4 ,he heard an oath from     
,thornton1 and a scream from ,marion4   
,then1 in an instant1 he felt the great 
weight falling1 and a flood of cold     
water poured through the open window of 
the car4 ,he tried to open the door1 but
 the weight of water against it made    
this impossible4 ,the car filled and the
 door moved4 ,he was pushed out4 ,he    
thought of saving ,marion2 but all was  
dark around him4 ,he tried to call1 but 
the water choked him4 ,he could only    
think a prayer1 before he seemed to be  
falling asleep4 ,everything was fading  
away before him1 in a strange feeling of
 dreamy satisfaction2 so only vaguely   
did he realize the tragedy that had     
fallen upon him4   ,,ii4  ,when light   
and vision came back to ,orville1 he was
 standing up and vaguely wondering why4 

,before him he saw ,thornton and        
,marion1 side by side4 ,near them was   
,callovan with ,michael4 ,all were      
changed2 but ,orville could not         
understand just in what the change      
consisted4 ,in ,thornton and ,marion the
 change was not good to look at1 and    
,orville somehow felt that it was       
becoming more marked as he gazed4       
,michael was almost transformed1 and was
 looking at ,orville with a smile on his
 face4 ,callovan was smiling also1 so   
,orville naturally smiled back at them4 
,thornton was frowning1 and ,marion     
looked horrible in her terror4 ,orville 
could understand nothing of it4 ,he     
glanced about him and saw thousands of  
men and women1 all smiling or frowning1 
like his companions4 ,several seemed to 
be about to begin a journey and were    
moving away from the groups1 most of    
them alone4 ,some had burdens strapped  
to their shoulders and bent under them  
as they walked4 ,those who were not     
departing were preparing for departure2 

but ,orville could see no guides about4 
,all the travelers appeared to          
understand where they were to go4       
,orville watched the groups divide again
 and again1 wondering still1 not knowing
 the reason for the division4 ,some took
 a road that led upward to a mountain4  
,it was a rough1 hard and tiresome road4
 ,orville could see men and women far   
above on that road1 dragging themselves 
along painfully4 ,another road led down 
into a valley2 but ,orville could not   
see deep into that valley1 because of a 
haze which hung over it4 ,he looked long
 at the road before he noticed letters  
on a rock which rose up like a gateway  
to it1 and he vaguely resolved that     
later he would go over and read them4   
,but first he wanted to ask questions4  
,michael1 what does all this mean8      
,orville said2 all the time marveling   
that it was to his servant he turned for
 information4  ,michael still smiled1   
and answered3 ,it means1 sir1 that we   
are dead4  ,orville was astonished that 

he felt neither shocked nor startled4   
,dead8 ,i do not quite understand1      
,michael4 ,you are not joking8  ,no1    
sir4 ,it happened quickly4 ,we went over
 the bridge a minute ago4 ,our bodies   
are in the river now1 but we are here4  
,where8 asked ,orville4  ,michael       
answered1 ,that ,i do not know1 sir1    
except that we are in ,the ,land of the 
,dead4  ,but you seem to know a great   
deal1 ,michael1 said ,orville4  ,yes1   
answered ,michael2 ,i died a minute     
before you1 sir1 so ,i came earlier4 ,i 
was dead on my seat when we struck the  
chain and broke it4 ,one learns much in 
a minute here4 ,but tell me1 sir1 can   
you see anything at the top of that     
mountain8  ,orville looked up and saw a 
bright light before him on the very     
summit and seemingly at the end of the  
road4 ,as he gazed it took the form of a
 ,flaming ,cross4  ,i see a ,cross on   
fire1 ,michael1 he said4 ,michael       
answered simply3 ,thank ,god4  ,i can   
see a ,flaming ,cross1 too1 said        

,callovan1 speaking for the first time4 
,i can see it1 and what is more1 ,i am  
going up to it2 let us not delay an     
instant2 and ,callovan began to gird his
 strange-looking garment about him for  
the climb4  ,then ,orville knew that he 
himself was drawn toward that ,flaming  
,cross4 ,there was a something urging   
him on4 ,his whole being was filled with
 a desire to get to that goal1 and he1  
too1 prepared quickly for the ascent4   
,wait a moment1 sir1 said ,michael4 ,do 
the others see nothing on the mountain8 
,thornton and ,marion1 still frowning1  
were looking down into the haze of the  
valley4 ,they were paying no attention  
to their friends4  ,come1 let us go1    
said ,thornton to the girl1 as he       
pointed to the road which led down into 
the valley4  ,no1 no1 said ,michael1 not
 there4 ,look up at the mountain4 ,what 
do you see8  ,both ,marion and ,thornton
 glanced upward4 ,i see nothing1 said   
,marion4  ,i see a ,cross1 but it is    
black and repellant-looking1 said       

,thornton4 ,come1 ,marion1 let us go at 
once4  ,orville1 alarmed1 called out3   
,marion1 you will surely come with me4  
,the frown on her face changed to a look
 of awful sadness1 but she put her hand 
into ,thornton's while saying to        
,orville3 ,i can not go there with      
you--not upward4 ,i must enter the      
valley with him4 ,she moved away1 her   
hand still in ,thornton's4 ,orville     
watched them go1 only wondering why he  
had no regrets4  ,michael1 he said1 ,i  
loved her on earth4 ,why am ,i unmoved  
to see her leave me8  ,illustration3    
,but when their feet touched the road1  
they turned and looked their terror4    
,but ,michael answered1 ,it is not      
strange in ,the ,land of the ,dead4     
,there are stranger partings here2 but  
all of them are like yours--tearless for
 those who see the ,cross4  ,thornton   
and ,marion by this time had entered the
 valley road and were on the other side 
of the rock gateway4 ,but when their    
feet touched the road they turned and   

looked their terror4 ,suddenly they     
recoiled and struck viciously at each   
other4 ,then they parted4 ,with the wide
 road between them they went down into  
the valley and the haze together4       
,orville read the words on the rock     
gateway1 for now they stood out so that 
he could see plainly1 and they were3    
,,the ,,road ,,without ,,ending4        
,michael1 he said1 what does it mean8   
,michael answered1 ,she could not see   
the ,cross here1 who would not see it on
 earth4 ,it repelled him1 who so often  
had repelled it in life4   ,,iii4       
,neither ,orville nor ,callovan was at  
all moved by the tragedy each had       
witnessed4 ,orville's love for ,marion  
was as if it had never existed4 ,the    
friendship of both for ,thornton did not
 in the slightest assert itself4 ,they  
felt moved to sorrow1 but the           
overpowering sense of another feeling--a
 feeling of victory for some ,great     
,friend or ,cause--left the vague sorrow
 forgotten in an instant4 ,both men knew

 that ,thornton and ,marion had passed  
out of their ken forever1 and in the    
future would be to them as if they had  
not been4 ,all three made haste to go   
toward the road which led up to the     
,flaming ,cross4 ,then upon ,orville's  
shoulders he felt a heavy burden1 but   
still heavier was one which was bending 
,callovan down4 ,michael alone stood    
straight1 without a weight upon him4    
,it will be hard to climb to the ,cross 
with these burdens1 ,michael1 said      
,orville4  ,yes1 sir1 it will1 said     
,michael1 but you must carry them4 ,you 
brought them here4 ,they are the burdens
 of your wealth4 ,they will hamper you2 
but you saw the ,cross1 and in the end  
all will be well4  ,then these burdens1 
,michael1 are our riches8 asked both    
,orville and ,callovan in the same      
breath4  ,they are your riches1 replied 
,michael4 ,i have no burden1 for ,i had 
no riches4 ,poor was ,i on earth1 and   
unhampered am ,i now for the climb to   
the ,cross4 ,look yonder4 ,he pointed to

 a man standing at the fork of the      
roads4 ,his burden was weighing him to  
the earth4 ,he brought it all with him1 
sir1 continued ,michael2 in life he gave
 nothing to ,god4 ,now he must carry the
 burden up to the ,cross1 or leave it   
and go the other road4 ,he sees the     
,cross1 too2 but it will take ages for  
him to reach it4  ,the man had thrown   
down the burden and now started to climb
 without it4 ,but unseen hands lifted it
 back to his shoulders4 ,men and women  
going to the other road beckoned him to 
throw it away again and come with them2 
but he had seen the ,cross and1 keeping 
his eyes fixed upon it1 he crawled along
 with his burden upon him1 inch by inch1
 up the mountain4  ,in life he was good 
and faithful1 but he did not understand 
that riches were given him to use for a 
purpose and that he was not1 himself1   
the purpose1 said ,michael4 ,it was a   
miracle of grace that he could see the  
,cross at all4  ,i knew that man in     
life1 said ,callovan4 ,but why is not my

 burden heavier than his8 ,i was richer 
by far4  ,you lightened it by more      
charity than he1 said ,michael1 but you 
did not lighten it sufficiently3 ,had   
you given even one-tenth of all that you
 had1 you would now be even as ,i       
am--free of all burden4  ,i wish ,i had 
known that1 said ,callovan4  ,but1 alas6
 you did know1 replied ,michael4 ,we all
 knew these things4 ,we are not learning
 them now4 ,but look up1 sir1 and see   
the old man with the heavy burden above 
you4 ,you are going to pass him on your 
way1 yet he has been dead now for a     
year4  ,callovan looked up and gasped3  
,my father6  ,yes2 your father1 said    
,michael4 ,you had more charity than he1
 and when you did give you gave with    
better motives2 yet he always saw the   
,cross more plainly than you4 ,he was   
filled with ,faith4  ,is it possible    
that ,i will be able to help him when ,i
 get to his side8 asked ,callovan4  ,i  
think1 replied ,michael1 that you may2  
but you could have helped him better in 

life by prayers and the ,great          
,sacrifice4 ,you probably may go along  
with him1 when you reach him1 for you   
both see the ,cross1 and perhaps you    
will be allowed to aid him up the       
mountain4  ,they had by this time       
reached the first steps of the climb4   
,orville could read the words which     
marked the mountain road3 ,,the ,,road  
,,of ,,pain ,,and ,,hope4  ,but the     
,cross draws much of the pain out of it1
 said ,michael4 ,we must leave you here1
 sir1 he said to ,callovan1 turning to  
him4 ,you have far to go to reach your  
father2 but your load is heavier than my
 master's1 and then you must be lonely  
for a while4  ,but why must ,i be       
lonely8 asked ,callovan4  ,for many     
reasons1 sir1 replied ,michael4 ,you    
will know them all as you go along4     
,knowledge will come4 ,i may tell you   
but a few things now4 ,in life you loved
 company1 and it was often an occasion  
of sin to you4 ,you go alone for a while
 in the ,land of ,death1 on this        

pilgrimage to the ,cross1 so that you   
may contemplate ,god1 ,whom you failed  
to enjoy by meditation1 when you could  
have had ,him alone4 ,then you have few 
to pray for you now1 for such companions
 as you had in life did not and do not  
pray4 ,they will cover your coffin with 
flowers2 but the only prayers will be   
those of the poor whom you befriended4  
,one priest1 after your funeral1 will   
offer the ,great ,sacrifice for you4 ,he
 was a friend whom you helped to        
educate4 ,he will remember you at your  
burial1 and again1 too1 before the climb
 is over4  ,but1 ,michael1 said         
,callovan1 ,i gave a great deal to many 
good works4 ,will none of the gifts     
count for me8  ,yes1 sir1 it is true    
that you did give much1 but1 answered   
,michael1 the gifts were offerings more 
often to your own vanity than they were 
to ,god4 ,motives alone govern the value
 of sacrifice in the ,land of ,death4   
,look1 now1 behind you4 ,there is one   
who can best answer your question4      

,callovan turned to see an old and      
venerable looking man at the fork of the
 roads4 ,he was gazing anxiously at the 
mountain1 as if he dimly saw the ,cross2
 but his burden was terrific in its     
weight4 ,it rested on the ground before 
him4 ,he scarcely had the courage to    
take the mountain road1 knowing that the
 burden must go with him4  ,i have seen 
that man before1 said ,orville4 ,they   
gave him a reception at our club once4  
,he was a great philanthropist--yet1    
look at his burden4  ,philanthropist he 
was1 but ,i fear he will go on ,the     
,road without ,ending1 said ,michael4   
,he has many amongst those who can hate 
for eternity to hate him4  ,suddenly    
from the multitude of the dead came men 
and women1 who looked with hatred upon  
the old man1 and surrounded him on every
 side and menaced him with threatening  
fists4 ,beast6 shouted one4 ,i saw the  
,cross in life1 when ,i was young4 ,the 
unbelief your work taught denies me the 
sight of it in death4 ,i curse you6     

,one year in the schools you founded1   
wailed another1 lost me my ,god4  ,why  
do you stand at the foot of the hill of 
the ,cross1 you hypocrite8 cried        
another4 ,you have1 in the name of a    
false science1 encouraged by your gifts1
 destroyed the ,faith of thousands4 ,you
 shall not go by ,the ,road of ,pain and
 ,hope1 even though you might have to   
climb till ,judgment4 ,you shall go with
 us4  ,screaming in terror1 the old man 
was dragged away4 ,they could hear his  
voice in the distance1 as the multitude 
drove him along ,the ,road without      
,ending4  ,alas1 ,i understand--now1    
sadly said ,callovan4 ,he gazed at his  
friends with some of the pain of his    
coming solitude in his eyes4 ,good-bye4 
,shall we meet again8  ,michael         
answered3 ,we shall meet again4 ,your   
pain may be very great2 but there is an 
end4 ,he who sets his foot on this ,road
 has a promise which makes even pain a  
blessing4  ,callovan was left behind1   
for ,orville and ,michael climbed faster

 than he4  ,michael1 said his master1 ,i
 am greatly favored4 ,he was much better
 in life than ,i1 yet now he climbs     
alone4  ,you are not favored1 sir1      
answered ,michael4 ,many pray for you1  
because you loved the poor and sheltered
 and aided them4 ,he has all that is    
his1 all that belongs to him4 ,you have 
all that is yours4 ,do not forget that  
we are marching toward the ,sun of      
,justice4  ,and so they went on1 over   
,the ,road of ,pain and ,hope4          
,orville's feet were weary and bleeding4
 ,his hands and knees were bruised by   
falls4 ,the adders stung him and the    
thorns pierced him4 ,cold rain chilled  
him and warm blasts oppressed him4 ,he  
was one great pain2 but within a voice  
that was his own kept saying3 ,i go to  
the ,cross1 ,i go to the ,cross1 and he 
forgot the suffering4 ,he thought of    
earth for an instant2 but the thought   
brought him no longing to return4 ,his  
breast was swelling and seemed bursting 
with a wonderful great ,love that made  

him content with every tortured step4   
,he even seemed to love the pain2 and he
 could not stop1 nor could he rest for  
the ,flaming ,cross that was drawing him
 on4 ,he longed for it with a burning   
and intense desire4 ,his eyes were wet  
with the tears of devotion1 and his     
whole being cried out3 ,more pain1 ,o   
,lord6 more pain1 if only ,i may sooner 
reach the ,cross6  ,but ,michael tried  
to ease his master's burden4  ,at last  
,orville said to him3 ,how many ages    
have passed since ,i died8  ,you have   
been dead for ten minutes1 sir1 answered
 ,michael4 ,the minutes are as ages in  
the ,land of ,death until you reach the 
,cross1 and then the ages are as        
minutes4   ,,iv4  ,they kept toiling on1
 but had known no darkness along ,the   
,road of ,pain and ,hope4 ,orville's    
hand sought ,michael's1 and it opened to
 draw him closer4 ,michael1 my brother1 
he said1 may you tell me why there is no
 night8  ,michael smiled again when     
,orville called him brother and         

answered3 ,because1 my master1 on ,the  
,road of ,pain and ,hope there is no    
despair2 but it is always night along   
,the ,road without ,ending4  ,can you   
tell me1 ,michael1 my brother1 said     
,orville1 ,why my eyes suffer more      
keenly than all the rest8  ,because1    
said ,michael1 your eyes1 master1 have  
offended most in life1 and so are now   
the weakest4  ,but my hands have        
offended1 too1 said ,orville1 and       
behold1 they are already painless and   
cured of the bruises4  ,your hands are  
beautiful and white1 master1 said       
,michael1 and were little punished1     
because they were often outstretched in 
charity and in good deeds4  ,they had   
come to the brink of a ,chasm which it  
seemed impossible to cross1 but they    
hoped1 for they knew no despair4        
,multitudes of people were before them  
on the brink of the ,chasm looking      
longingly at the other side4 ,a few     
pilgrims were being lifted1 by unseen   
hands1 and carried across the ,chasm4   

,some ,power there was to bear them     
which neither ,orville nor ,michael     
understood4 ,many1 however1 had waited  
long1 while some were taken quickly4    
,every hand was outstretched toward the 
,cross1 and it could easily be seen that
 waiting was a torture worse than the   
bruises4  ,alas1 ,michael1 said         
,orville1 it is harder to suffer the    
wait than the pain4  ,yes1 master1      
,michael replied1 but this is ,the      
,chasm of ,neglected ,duties4 ,we must  
stay until those we have fulfilled may  
come to bear us across4 ,the one who    
goes first will await the other on the  
opposite side4  ,alas1 ,michael1 said   
,orville1 you must wait for me4 ,i have 
few good deeds and few duties well done4
  ,even as he spoke1 ,michael's face    
began to shine and his eyes were        
melting4 ,orville looked and saw a      
little child with great wings1 and      
beautiful beyond all dreaming4 ,her gaze
 was fixed on ,michael with the deepest 
love and longing4 ,her voice was like   

the music of a harp1 and she spoke but  
one little word3  ,daddy6  ,bride6 ,my  
little ,bride1 whispered ,michael4      
,orville knew her1 ,michael's first-born
 child1 who had died in infancy4 ,he    
remembered her funeral4 ,in pity for    
poor ,michael1 and feeling a duty toward
 his servant1 he had followed the coffin
 to the church and to the grave1 and had
 borne the expenses of her burial4 ,his 
friends wondered at such consideration  
for one so far beneath him4  ,daddy1    
whispered the beautiful spirit1 ,i am to
 bring you across1 and master1 too4 ,god
 sent me4 ,and1 daddy1 there are        
millions of children who could bring    
their parents over quickly1 if they had 
only let them be born4 ,it was you and  
mother1 daddy1 who gave me life1 baptism
 and ,heaven4 ,had ,i lived only a      
minute1 it would have been worth it4    
,and1 daddy1 mother is coming soon1 and 
,i am waiting for you both4  ,then the  
beautiful child touched and supported   
them1 and lo6 they were wafted across   

,the ,chasm of ,neglected ,duties3      
,michael1 because he followed the       
command and made his marriage a ,holy   
,sacrament to fulfil the law of ,god2   
,orville1 because he had shown mercy and
 recognition of his servant's claim upon
 him4  ,without understanding why1      
,orville found himself repeating over   
and over again the words3 ,blessed are  
the merciful1 for they shall obtain     
mercy4 ,michael heard him and turned to 
say3 ,yes1 master1 and ',blessed are the
 clean of heart1 for they shall see     
,god'6 ,how well it was for us that we  
had the heart of a child to plead our   
cause when we came to ,the ,chasm of    
,neglected ,duties4   ,v4  ,michael1    
said ,orville1 after a long and tiresome
 climb over a steep part of the ,road1  
these rocks are sharp and treacherous1  
and ,i have toiled hard and have made   
but very little progress4  ,i know1     
master1 said ,michael1 but these rocks  
are the little faults of our lives4     
,such rocks cover the mountain at this  

spot and are constantly growing more    
numerous1 yet one meets only one's own4 
,the ,plain is not far away now4 ,we are
 just reaching it1 and these stones are 
the only way to it4  ,what ,plain is it1
 ,michael8 asked ,orville4  ,it is      
called1 master1 said ,michael1 ,the     
,plain of ,sinful ,things4 ,it is       
between us and the foot of the ,cross4  
,is it hard to pass over1 ,michael8     
again asked ,orville4  ,it is very hard 
to most men1 sir1 said ,michael4 ,no one
 knows how hard who has not been on it2 
and yet when one has been over1 one     
remembers nothing1 for all is forgotten 
when ,the ,flaming ,cross is reached4   
,they stood now at the top of the       
stones1 and on the edge of the vast     
,plain1 which lay white and scorching   
before them4 ,multitudes1 as far as the 
eye could see1 were upon it4 ,they      
struggled painfully along2 but none     
stopped to rest1 for all faces were     
turned to ,the ,flaming ,cross4         
,michael took but one step and a great  

change came over him4 ,orville looked at
 him again and again1 but ,michael did  
not seem to notice the change in        
himself4 ,his face shone with a         
marvelous beauty4 ,his garments became  
robes of brilliant white4 ,about his    
head a light played1 the like of which  
,orville had never seen4 ,it was more   
wondrous than dreams of ,paradise4 ,his 
bleeding feet were healed and shone like
 his visage4 ,orville thought that he   
heard sweet voices about ,michael1 but  
voices which spoke to ,michael only4    
,michael1 my brother1 he said1 what is  
this2 tell me8 and ,orville's voice     
sounded soft1 as if he were praying4    
,michael1 who are you8  ,but ,michael   
only smiled kindly and humbly4 ,i am    
none other than your servant1 sir1 he   
answered4 ,he who serves1 reigns2 for   
his glory is in the service4 ,i will be 
with you to the foot of the ,cross4 ,in 
life you were a good master4 ,you will  
need me until you reach your own ,master
 there4 ,michael pointed to where the   

,cross shone out over the blistering    
,plain4  ,then they went on1 but the    
heat penetrated to ,orville's very      
marrow and he seemed to faint under it1 
yet he always kept struggling forward4  
,the burning sands cooked his bleeding  
feet1 but the anguish did not halt him4 
,torrents of tears and sweat rolled down
 from him1 but his hunger for the ,cross
 made him forget4 ,to his pain-racked   
body it felt as if the ,cross gave out  
the great heat1 but ,orville was more   
grateful than ever for it4  ,does this  
heat really come from the ,cross1       
,michael8 he asked4  ,yes1 from the     
,cross1 master1 said ,michael1 for this 
is ,the ,plain of ,sinful ,things1 and  
the ,cross is the ,sun of ,justice4     
,then like a flash ,orville began to    
understand1 even as ,michael had        
understood from the beginning4 ,michael 
saw the change in him4 ,his face became 
more radiant before he spoke4  ,master1 
he said1 my service is almost over4 ,it 
was my prayer constantly that ,i could  

return your goodness to me and mine2 but
 on earth you were rich and ,i was poor4
 ,here1 master1 in ,the ,land of the    
,dead1 ,i am rich and you are poor4 ,god
 let me make my pilgrimage with you4    
,the child you buried when ,i had       
nothing1 bore you over ,the ,chasm of   
,neglected ,duties1 where your hardest  
lot was to be found4 ,you did not even  
see another ,chasm1 which almost all    
meet1 ,the ,chasm of ,forgotten ,things1
 for the prayers gathered in a little   
chapel which you builded in a           
wilderness1 a charity you forgot the day
 after you did it1 filled up the ,chasm 
before you came to it4 ,here on ,the    
,plain of ,sinful ,things we would      
naturally separate1 for ,i had never    
wilfully sinned against ,god4 ,but you  
needed me1 and ,he let me stay4 ,master1
 your burden has fallen from you4  ,it  
was true4 ,orville was standing erect1  
with his eyes looking straight at ,the  
,flaming ,cross1 which did not blind    
him4 ,his burden had vanished1 and his  

face had almost the radiance of         
,michael's4  ,the ,cross is near you    
now1 master4 ,look1 ,it comes toward    
you4 ,your pilgrimage is ending4        
,orville could see ,it coming1 gently   
and slowly4 ,the ,plain was now all     
behind him1 and yet it seemed as if he  
had scarcely gone over more than a few  
yards of it4 ,the harping of a thousand 
harps was not sweet enough for the music
 that filled the air4 ,like the falling 
of many waters in the distance came the 
promise of coolness to ,orville's       
parched throat and his burning lips4    
,his breast heaved and he felt his      
heart1 full of ,love1 break in his      
bosom2 but with it broke the bond of    
,sin1 and he knew that he was dead1     
indeed1 to earth1 as out from the staind
 cover came his purified soul4  ,the    
,cross was close to him now4 ,with his  
new spiritual vision he saw that in form
 it was ,one like himself1 but ,one with
 eyes that were soft and mild and full  
of tenderness1 with arms outstretched   

and nail-prints like glittering gems    
upon them1 with a wounded side and out  
from it a flood pouring which cooled the
 parched sands1 so that from them the   
flowers sprang up1 full panoplied in    
color1 form and beauty1 and sweetly     
smelling4 ,around ,the ,flaming ,cross  
fluttered countless wings1 and childish 
voices made melody1 soft and harmonious 
beyond all compare4 ,all else that      
,orville ever knew vanished before the  
glance of the ,beloved2 faces and forms 
dearest and nearest1 old haunts and     
older affections1 all were melted into  
this ,one ,great ,love that is ,eternal4
 ,the outstretched arms were wrapped    
around them4 ,the blood from the wounded
 side washed all their pains from them4 
,on their foreheads fell the ,kiss of   
,peace1 and ,orville and ,michael had   
come home4     ,,the ,,vicar-,,general  
,the ,vicar-,general was dead4 ,with his
 long1 white hair smoothed back1 he lay 
upon a silk pillow1 his hands clasped   
over a chalice upon his breast4 ,he was 

clad in priestly vestments2 and he      
looked1 as he lay in his coffin before  
the great altar with the candles burning
 on it1 as if he were just ready to     
arise and begin a new ,introibo in      
,heaven4 ,the bells of the church       
wherein the ,vicar-,general lay asleep  
had called his people all the morning in
 a sad and solemn tolling4 ,the people  
had come1 as sad and solemn as the      
bells4 ,they were gathered about the    
bier of their pastor4 ,priests from far 
and near had chanted the ,office of the 
,dead2 the ,requiem ,mass was over1 and 
the venerable chief of the diocese1 the 
,bishop himself1 stood in cope and      
mitre1 to give the last ,absolution4    
,illustration3 ,the ,bishop himself     
stood in cope and mitre to give the last
 absolution4  ,the ,bishop had loved the
 ,vicar-,general--had loved him as a    
brother4 ,for was it not the            
,vicar-,general who had bidden ,his     
,lordship welcome1 when he came from his
 distant parish to take up the cares of 

a diocese4 ,with all the timidity of a  
stranger1 the ,bishop had feared2 but   
the ,vicar-,general guided his steps    
safely and well4 ,now the ,bishop1      
gazing at the white1 venerable face1    
remembered--and wept4 ,in the midst of  
the ,absolution1 his voice broke4       
,priests bit their lips1 as their eyes  
filled with hot tears2 but the ,sisters 
who taught in the parochial school and  
their little charges1 did not attempt to
 keep back their sobs4 ,for others than 
the ,bishop loved the ,vicar-,general4  
,there was one standing by the coffin1  
whom neither the ,bishop1 priests nor   
people saw4 ,it was the ,vicar-,general1
 himself4 ,he still wore his priestly   
vestments4 ,was he not a priest forever8
 ,his arms were folded and his face was 
troubled4 ,he knew every one present2   
but none of them knew that he was so    
near4 ,he scanned the lines of the      
,bishop's face and seemed to wonder at  
his tears4 ,he was quite unmoved by the 
sorrow around him1 did not seem to care 

at all4 ,yet in life the ,vicar-,general
 had cared much about the feelings of   
others toward him4 ,his eyes wandered   
over the great congregation and rested  
on the children1 but without tenderness 
in them4 ,this1 too1 was very unlike the
 ,vicar-,general4 ,then the eyes came   
back and rested on the priestly form in 
the coffin1 and the trouble of them     
increased4  ,the ,absolution was over   
and the coffin was closed when the      
,vicar-,general looked up again1 and    
knew that ,another ,unseen besides      
himself was present4 ,the ,other was    
looking over the coffin at the          
,vicar-,general2 looking steadily1 with 
eyes that searched down deep and with   
lashes that were very1 very still4 ,he  
wore a long robe of some texture the    
,vicar-,general had never seen in life4 
,it shimmered like silk1 shone like     
gold1 and sparkled as if dusted with    
tiny diamonds4 ,the hair of the ,other  
was long1 and fell1 bright and          
beautiful1 over his shoulders4 ,his face

 seemed to shine out of it1 like a jewel
 in a gold setting4 ,his limbs seemed   
strong and manly in spite of his        
beardless face4 ,the ,vicar-,general    
noticed what seemed like wings behind   
him2 but they were not wings1 only      
something which gave the impression of  
them4 ,the ,vicar-,general could not    
remove his eyes from the ,other4        
,gradually he knew that he was gazing at
 an ,angel1 and an ,angel who had       
intimate relation to himself4  ,the body
 was borne out of the church4 ,the      
,angel moved to follow1 and the         
,vicar-,general knew that he also had to
 go4 ,the day was perfect1 for it was in
 the full glory of the summer2 but the  
,vicar-,general noticed little of either
 the day or the gathering4 ,the ,angel  
did not speak1 but his eyes said come3  
and so the ,vicar-,general              
followed--whither1 he did not know4     
,the ,vicar-,general was not sure that  
it was even a place to which the ,angel 
led him2 but he felt with increasing    

trouble that he was to be the center of 
some momentous event4 ,there were people
 arriving1 most of whom the             
,vicar-,general knew--men and women of  
his flock1 to whom he had ministered and
 many of whom he had seen die4 ,they all
 smiled at the ,vicar-,general as they  
passed1 and ranged themselves on one    
side4 ,the ,silent ,angel stood very    
close to the ,vicar-,general4 ,as the   
people came near1 the priest felt his   
vestments grow light upon him1 as if    
they were lifting him in the air4 ,they 
shone very brightly1 too1 and took on a 
new beauty4 ,the ,vicar-,general felt   
glad that he was wearing them4  ,the    
,silent ,angel looked at him1 but spoke 
not a word2 yet the ,vicar-,general     
understood at once1 knew that he was to 
answer at a stern trial1 and that these 
were his witnesses--the souls of the    
people to whom he ministered1 to whom he
 had broken the ,bread of ,life4 ,how   
many there were6 ,they gladdened the    
,vicar-,general's heart4 ,there were his

 converts1 the children he had baptized1
 his penitents1 the pure virgins whose  
vows he had consecrated to ,god1 the    
youths whom his example had won to the  
altar4 ,they were all there4 ,the       
,vicar-,general counted them1 and he    
could not think of a single one missing4
  ,on the other side1 witnesses began to
 arrive and the ,vicar-,general's look  
of trouble returned4 ,he felt his       
priestly vestments becoming heavy4      
,especially did he feel the weight of   
the amice1 which was like a heavy iron  
helmet crushed down over his shoulders4 
,the cincture was binding him very      
tightly4 ,he felt that he could scarcely
 move for it4 ,the maniple rendered his 
left arm almost powerless4 ,the stole   
was pulling at him1 and the weight of   
the chasuble made him very faint4  ,he  
knew some of the witnesses1 but only a  
few4 ,he had seen these few before4     
,they were his neglected spiritual      
children4 ,he remembered each and every 
case4 ,one was a missed sick-call3 his  

had been the fault4 ,another was a man  
driven from the church by a harsh word  
spoken in anger4 ,the ,vicar-,general   
remembered the day when he referred to  
this man in his sermon and saw him arise
 in his pew and leave4 ,he did not      
return4 ,another was a priest--his own  
assistant4 ,the ,vicar-,general had no  
patience with his weaknesses4 ,from     
disgust at them his feelings had turned 
to rancor against the man--and the      
assistant was lost4 ,the ,vicar-,general
 trembled2 for these things he had      
passed by as either justified by reason 
of the severity necessary to his office1
 or as wiped out by his virtues--and he 
had many virtues4  ,the                 
,vicar-,general's eyes sought those of  
the ,silent ,angel1 and he lost some of 
his fear1 while the weight of his       
vestments became a little lighter4 ,but 
the ,silent ,angel's gaze caused the    
,vicar-,general again to look at the    
witnesses4 ,those against him were      
increasing4 ,the faces of the new-comers

 he did not know4 ,the ,vicar-,general  
felt like protesting that there must be 
some mistake1 for the new-comers were   
red men1 brown men1 yellow men and black
 men1 besides white men whose faces were
 altogether strange4 ,he was sure none  
of these had ever been in his parish4   
,the new-comers were dressed in the     
garbs of every nation under the sun4    
,they all alike looked very sternly at  
the ,vicar-,general1 so that he could   
not bear their glances4 ,still he could 
not understand how he had ever offended 
against them1 nor could he surmise why  
they should be witnesses to his hurt4   
,the ,silent ,angel still stood beside  
the ,vicar-,general2 but the troubled   
soul of the priest could find no        
enlightenment in his eyes4 ,all the     
while witnesses kept arriving and the   
multitude of them filled him with a     
great terror4  ,at last he saw a face   
amongst the strangers which he thought  
familiar1 and he began to understand4   
,it was the face of a priest he had     

known1 who had been in the same diocese1
 somewhat under the ,vicar-,general's   
authority4 ,on earth this priest had    
been one of the quiet kind1 without     
ambition except to serve in a very      
humble way4 ,he had always been in a    
parish so poor and small1 that the      
priest himself had in his manner1 his   
bearing1 even his clothes1 reflected its
 humility and its poverty4 ,the         
,vicar-,general remembered that the     
priest had once come to him as a matter 
of conscience to say that1 while he was 
not complaining1 nevertheless he really 
needed help and counsel4 ,he said that  
his scattered flock was being lost for  
the want of things which could not be   
supplied out of its poverty4 ,he told   
the ,vicar-,general what was needed4    
,the ,vicar-,general remembered that he 
had agreed with him2 but had informed   
him very gently that it was the policy  
of the diocese to let each parish       
maintain and support itself4 ,the       
,vicar-,general had felt justified in   

refusing his aid1 especially since1 at  
that time1 he was collecting for a new  
organ for his own church1 one with three
 banks of keys--the old one had but two4
 ,the ,vicar-,general now knew that his 
slight feeling of worry at the time was 
not groundless2 but while then he had   
felt vaguely that he was wrong in his   
position1 now he was certain of error4  
,his eyes sought all through his own    
witnesses1 but they found no likelihood 
of a testimony in his favor based on the
 purchase of that grand organ4 ,then it 
all came to the ,vicar-,general1 from   
the eyes of the ,silent ,angel1 that he 
had received on earth all the reward    
that was due to him for it4  ,the       
presence of the men of all colors and of
 strange garbs was still a mystery to   
the ,vicar-,general2 but at last he saw 
among them a bent old priest with a long
 beard and a crucifix in his girdle4 ,at
 once the ,vicar-,general recognized him
 and his heart sank4 ,too well he       
remembered the poor missionary who had  

begged for assistance3 money1 a letter1 
a recommendation--anything2 and had     
faced the inflexible official for half  
an hour during his pleading4 ,the       
,vicar-,general had felt at that time1  
as he felt when his poor diocesan       
brother had come to him1 that there was 
so much to be done at home1 absolutely  
nothing could be sent out4 ,there was   
the ,orphanage which the ,bishop was    
building and they were just beginning to
 gather funds for a new ,cathedral4 ,the
 ,bishop had acquiesced in the          
,vicar-,general's ruling4 ,the diocese  
had flourished and had grown strong4    
,the ,vicar-,general had always been its
 pride4 ,he was humbled now under the   
gaze of the ,silent ,angel1 whose eyes  
told him wherein he had been at fault4  
,he knew that the fault was not in the  
building of the great and beautiful     
things1 which of themselves were good   
because they were for ,god's glory2 but 
rather was it in this3 that he had shut 
out of his heart1 for their sakes1 the  

cry of affliction and the call of       
pleading voices from the near and far   
begging but for the crumbs which meant  
to them ,faith here and ,life hereafter4
  ,now1 ,o ,god6 there were the red men1
 the brown men1 the yellow men and the  
black men2 not to speak of these white  
men whose faces were so strange2 and    
they were going to say                  
something--something against him4 ,he   
could guess--could well guess what it   
was they would say4 ,the ,vicar-,general
 knew that he had been wrong1 and that  
his wrong had come into ,eternity4 ,he  
doubted if it ever could be made right1 
for he knew now the value of a soul even
 in a black body4 ,he knew it1 but was  
it too late8 ,his vestments were as     
heavy as lead4  ,trembling in every     
limb1 the ,vicar-,general looked for his
 ,judge2 but he could not see ,him4 ,he 
only felt ,his ,presence4 ,the ,silent  
,angel had a book in his hand4 ,the     
,vicar-,general could read its title4   
,there was a chalice on the cover1 as if

 it spoke of priests1 and under it he   
read3  ,,the ,,law ,,by ,,which ,,they  
,,shall ,,be ,,judged4  ,the ,silent    
,angel opened the book and the          
,vicar-,general saw that it had but one 
page4 ,shining out from the page he     
read3  ,,thou ,,art ,a ,,priest         
,,forever4  ,and under it3  ,,go ,,ye1  
,,therefore1 ,,and ,,teach ,,all        
,,nations4  ,sorrow was over the soul of
 the priest4 ,only the hope in the eyes 
of the ,silent ,angel gave him hope1 as 
he bowed his head before the judgment4  
,,the ,,resurrection ,,of ,,alta        
,father ,broidy rushed down the stone   
steps and ran toward the ,bishop's      
carriage which had just stopped at the  
curb4 ,he flung open the door before the
 driver could alight1 kissed the ring on
 the hand extended him1 helped its owner
 out and with a beaming face led the    
,bishop to the pretty and comfortable   
rectory4  ,welcome6 welcome to ,alta1   
,bishop1 he said as they entered the    
house1 and sure the whole ,deanery is   

here to back it up4  ,the ,bishop smiled
 as the clergy trooped down the stairs  
echoing the greeting4 ,the ,bishop knew 
them all1 and he was happy1 for well was
 he aware that every man meant what he  
said4 ,no one really ever admired the   
,bishop1 but all loved him1 and each had
 a private reason of his own for it that
 he never confided to anyone save his   
nearest crony4 ,they were all here now  
to witness the resurrection of          
,alta--the poorest parish in a not too  
rich ,diocese1 hopeless three years ago1
 but now--well1 there it is across the  
lot1 that symphony in stone1 every line 
of its chaste gothic a ,te ,deum that   
even an agnostic could understand and   
appreciate2 every bit of carving the    
paragraph of a sermon that passers-by1  
perforce1 must hear4 ,to-day it is to be
 consecrated1 the cap-stone is to be set
 on ,father ,broidy's ,arch of ,triumph 
and the real life of ,alta parish to    
begin4  ,i thought you had but sixteen  
families here1 said the ,bishop as he   

watched the crowd stream into the       
church4  ,there were but eighteen1      
,bishop1 the young priest answered1 with
 a happy smile that had considerable    
self-satisfaction in it4 ,there are     
seventy-five now4  ,and how did it come 
about1 my lad8 questioned the ,bishop4  
,mostly through my mission bringing back
 some of the 'ought-to-be's1' but ,i    
suppose principally because my friend   
,mc,dermott opened his factory to       
,catholics4 ,you know1 ,bishop1 that    
though he was born one of us he had     
somehow acquired a bitter hatred of the 
,church1 and he never employed          
,catholics until ,i brought him around4 
,there was a shadow of a smile that had 
meaning to it on the ,bishop's face1 as 
he patted the ardent young pastor on the
 arm1 and said3  ,well1 ,god bless him6 
,god bless him6 but ,i suppose we must  
begin to vest now4 ,is it not near ten  
o'clock8  ,father ,broidy turned with a 
little shade of disappointment on his   
face to the work of preparation1 and    

soon had the procession started toward  
the church4  ,shall ,i describe the     
beauty of it all8--the lights and       
flowers1 the swinging censers1 with the 
glory of the chant and the wealth of    
mystic symbolism which followed the     
passing of that solemn procession into  
the sanctuary8 ,that could best be      
imagined1 like the feeling in the heart 
of the young pastor who adored every    
line of the building4 ,he had watched   
the laying of each stone1 and could     
almost count the chips that had jumped  
from every chisel4 ,there had never been
 so beautiful a day to him1 and never   
such a ceremony but one--three years ago
 in the ,seminary chapel4 ,he almost    
forgot it in the glory of the present4  
,dear me1 how well ,kaiser did preach6  
,he always knew it1 did ,father ,broidy1
 that young ,kaiser had it in him4 ,he  
did not envy him a bit of the           
congratulations4 ,they were a part of   
,father ,broidy's triumph1 too4 ,it was 
small wonder that the ,dean whispered to

 the ,bishop on the way back to the     
rectory3  ,you will have to put ,broidy 
at the top of the list now4 ,he has     
surely won his spurs to-day4  ,but again
 the shadow of the meaning smile was on 
the ,bishop's face1 and he said nothing2
 so the ,dean looked wise and mysterious
 as he slapped the young pastor on the  
back and said3  ,proficiat1 ,god bless  
you6 ,you have done well1 and ,i am     
proud of you1 but wait and listen4 ,then
 his voice dropped to a whisper4 ,i was 
talking to the ,bishop about you4  ,the 
dinner8 ,well1 ,anne excelled herself4  
,is not that enough to say8 ,but perhaps
 you have never tasted ,anne's cooking8 
,then you surely have heard of it1 for  
all the ,diocese knows about it1 and    
everyone said that ,broidy was in his   
usual good luck when ,anne left the     
,dean's and went to keep house for the  
priest at ,alta4  ,story followed story1
 as dish followed dish1 and a chance to 
rub up the wit that had been growing    
rusty in the country missions for months

 never passed by unnoticed4  ,the ,dean 
was toastmaster4  ,right ,reverend      
,bishop and ,reverend ,fathers1 he      
began1 when he had enforced silence with
 the handle of his fork1 it is my       
pleasure and pride to be here to-day4   
,three years ago a young priest was sent
 to one of the most miserably poor      
places in the ,diocese4 ,what he found  
you all know4 ,the sorrowful history of 
the decline of ,alta was never a secret 
record4 ,eighteen careless families     
left4 ,bigotry rampant4 ,factories      
closed to ,catholics4 ,church           
dilapidated4 ,only the vestry for a     
dwelling place4 ,that was three years   
ago1 and look around you to-day4 ,see   
the church1 house and school1 and built 
out of what8 ,that is ,father ,broidy's 
work and ,father ,broidy's triumph1 but 
we are glad of it4 ,no man has made such
 a record in our ,diocese before4 ,what 
have we others done by the side of his  
extraordinary effort8 ,yet we are not   
jealous4 ,we know well the good         

qualities of soul and body in our young 
friend1 and ,god bless him4 ,we are     
pleased to be with him1 though          
completely outclassed4 ,we rejoice in   
the resurrection of ,alta4 ,let me now  
call upon our beloved ,bishop1 whose    
presence among us is always a joy4      
,when the applause subsided the ,bishop 
arose1 and for an instant stood again   
with that meaning smile just lighting   
his face4 ,for that instant he did not  
utter a word4 ,when he did speak there  
was a quiver in his voice that age had  
never planted and in spite of the jokes 
which had preceded and the laughter     
which he had led1 it sounded like a     
forerunner of tears4 ,he had never been 
called eloquent1 this kindly-faced and  
snow-crowned old man1 but when he spoke 
it was always with a gentle dignity1 and
 a depth of sympathy and feeling that   
compelled attention4  ,it is a great    
satisfaction1 my dear ,fathers1 he      
began1 to find so many of you here to   
rejoice with our young friend and his   

devoted people1 and to thus encourage   
the growth of a priestly life which he  
has so well begun in ,alta4 ,no one     
glories in his success more than ,i4 ,no
 one more warmly than ,i1 his ,bishop1  
tenders congratulations4 ,this is truly 
a day the ,lord has made--this day in   
,alta4 ,it is a day of joy and gladness 
for priest and people4 ,will you pardon 
an old man if he stems the tide of mirth
 for an instant8 ,he could not hope to  
stem it for long4 ,on such an occasion  
as this it would burst the barriers1    
leaving what he would show you once more
 submerged beneath rippling waters and  
silver-tipped waves of laughter4 ,it    
seems wrong even to think of the depths 
where lie the bodies of the dead and the
 hulks of the wrecked4 ,but the bottom  
always has its treasure as well as its  
tragedy4 ,there are both a tragedy and a
 treasure in the story ,i will tell you 
to-day4  ,you remember ,father ,belmond1
 the first pastor of ,alta8 ,yes6 ,then 
let me tell you a story that your       

generous priestly souls will treasure as
 it deserves4  ,the table was strangely 
silent4 ,not one of the guests had ever 
before known the depth of sympathy in   
the old ,bishop till now4 ,every chord  
in the nature of each man vibrated to   
the touch of his words4  ,illustration3 
,i asked him how he lived on the        
pittance he had received4  ,it was ten  
years ago1 went on the ,bishop--ah1 how 
years fly fast to the old6--a friend of 
college days1 a bishop in an ,eastern   
,state1 wrote me a long letter          
concerning a young convert he had just  
ordained4 ,he was a lad of great        
talents1 brilliant and handsome1 the son
 of wealthy parents1 who1 however1 now  
cast him off1 giving him to understand  
that he would receive nothing from them4
 ,the young man was filled with zeal1   
and he begged the bishop to give him to 
some missionary diocese wherein he could
 work in obscurity for the greater glory
 of ,god4 ,he was so useful and so      
brilliant a man that the bishop desired 

to attach him to his own household and  
was loath to lose him1 but the priest   
begged hard and was persistent2 so the  
bishop asked me to take him for a few   
years and give him actual contact with  
the hardships of life in a pioneer      
state4 ,soon1 he thought1 the young man 
would be willing to return to his larger
 field4 ,the bishop1 in other words1    
wanted to test him4 ,i sadly needed     
priests1 so when he came with the oil   
still wet on his hands1 ,i gave him a   
place--the worst ,i had--,i gave him    
,alta4 ,some of you older men know what 
it was then4 ,the story of ,alta is full
 of sorrow4 ,i told it to him1 but he   
thanked me and went to his charge4 ,i   
expected to see him within a week1 but  
,i did not see him for a year4 ,then ,i 
sent for him1 and with his annual report
 in my hand ,i asked him how he lived on
 the pittance which he had received4 ,he
 said that it took very little when one 
was careful and that he lived well      
enough--but his coat was threadbare and 

his shoes were sadly patched4 ,there was
 a brightness in his eyes too1 and a    
flush on his cheek that ,i did not quite
 like4 ,i asked him of his work and he  
told me that he was hopeful--told me of 
the little repairs he had made1 of a    
soul won back1 but in the conversation  
,i actually stole the sad tale of his   
poverty from him4 ,yet he made no       
complaint and went back cheerfully to   
,alta4  ,the next month he came again1  
but this time he told me of the dire    
need of aid1 not for himself1 but for   
his church4 ,the people1 he said1 were  
poor pioneers1 and in the comfortless   
and ugly old church they were losing    
their grip on religion4 ,the young      
people were falling away very fast4 ,all
 around were well ordered and beautiful 
sectarian churches4 ,he could see the   
effect1 not visible to less interested  
eyes but very plain to his4 ,he feared  
that another generation would be lost   
and he asked me if there was any        
possibility of securing temporary aid   

such as the sects had for their building
 work4 ,i had to tell him that nothing  
could be done4 ,i told him of the       
poverty of my own ,diocese1 and that1   
while his was a poor place1 there were  
others approaching it4 ,in my heart ,i  
knew there was something sadly lacking  
in our national work for the ,church1   
but ,i could do nothing myself4 ,he     
wrote to his own ,state for help1 but   
the letters were unanswered4 ,except for
 the few stipends ,i could give him and 
which he devoted to his work1 it was    
impossible to do anything4 ,he was brave
 and never faltered though the eyes in  
him shone brighter and in places his    
coat was worn through4 ,a few days later
 ,i received a letter from his bishop   
asking how he did and saying that he    
would appoint him to an excellent parish
 if he would return home willingly4 ,i  
sent the letter to ,alta with a little  
note of my own1 congratulating him on   
his changed condition4 ,he returned the 
letter to me with a few lines saying3   

',i can not go4 ,if ,i desert my people 
here it would be a sin4 ,there are      
plenty at home for the rich places but  
you have no one to send here4 ,please   
ask the bishop to let me stay4 ,i think 
it is ,god's will4' ,the day ,i received
 that letter ,i heard one of my priests 
at the ,cathedral say3 ',how seedy that 
young ,belmond looks6 for an ,eastern   
man he is positively sloppy in his      
dress4 ,he ought to brace up and think  
of the dignity of his calling4 ,surely  
such a man is not calculated to impress 
himself upon our separated brethren4'   
,and another chimed in3 ',i wonder why  
he left his own diocese8'  ,i heard no  
more for two years except for the annual
 report1 and now and then a request for 
a dispensation4 ,i did hear that he was 
teaching the few children of the parish 
himself1 and every little while ,i saw  
an article in some of the papers1       
unsigned but suspiciously like his      
style1 and ,i suspected that he was     
earning a little money with his pen4    

,one winter night1 returning alone from 
a visitation of ,vinta1 the fast train  
was stalled by a blizzard at the ,alta  
station4 ,i went out on the platform to 
secure a breath of fresh air1 but ,i had
 scarcely closed the door when a boy    
rushed up to me and asked if ,i were a  
,catholic priest4 ,when ,i nodded he    
said3 ',we have been trying to get a    
priest all day1 but the wires are down  
in the storm4 ,father ,belmond is sick  
and the doctor says he will die4 ,he    
told me to look through every train that
 came in4 ,he was sure ,i would find    
some one4' ,reaching at once for my grip
 and coat ,i rushed to the home of the  
,pastor4 ,the home was the lean-to      
vestry of the old log church4 ,in one   
corner ,father ,belmond lived2 another  
was given over to the vestments and     
linens4 ,everything was spotlessly      
clean4 ,on a poor bed the priest was    
tossing1 moaning and delirious4 ,only   
the boy had attended him in his sickness
 until the noon of that day when two    

good old women heard of his condition   
and came4 ,one of them was at his       
bedside when ,i entered4 ,when she saw  
my collar she lifted her hands in that  
peculiarly ,hibernian gesture that means
 so much1 and said3  ',sure1 ,god sent  
you here this night4 ,he has been       
waiting since noon to die4'  ,the sick  
priest opened his eyes that now had the 
brightness of death in them and appeared
 to look through me4 ,he seemed to be   
very far away4 ,but slowly the eyes told
 me that he was coming back--back from  
the shadows2 then at last he spoke3     
',you1 ,bishop8 ,thank ,god6'  ,he made 
his simple confession4 ,i anointed him  
and brought him ,viaticum from the      
tabernacle in the church4 ,then the eyes
 went wild again1 and ,i saw when they  
opened and looked at me that he had     
already turned around1 and was again    
walking through the shadows of the      
,great ,valley that ends the ,long      
,road4  ,illustration3 ,then ,i         
learned--old priest and bishop as ,i    

was--,i learned my lesson4  ,through the
 night we three1 the old woman1 the boy 
and myself1 watched him and listened to 
his wanderings4 ,then ,i learned--old   
priest and bishop as ,i was--,i learned 
my lesson4 ,the lips that never spoke a 
complaint were moved1 but not by his    
will1 to go over the story of two       
terrible years4 ,it was a sad story4 ,it
 began with his great zeal4 ,he wanted  
to do so much1 but the black            
discouragement of everything slowly     
killed his hopes4 ,he saw the ,faith    
going from his people4 ,he saw that they
 were ceasing to care4 ,the town was    
then1 as it is to-day1 ,mc,dermott's    
town1 but ,mc,dermott had fallen away   
when his riches came1 and some terrible 
event1 a quarrel with a former priest   
who had attended ,alta from a distant   
point1 had left ,mc,dermott bitter4 ,he 
practically drove the pastor from his   
door4 ,he closed his factory to the     
priest's people and one by one they     
left4 ,only eighteen families stayed4   

,the dying priest counted them over in  
his dreams1 and sobbed as he told of the
 others who had gone4 ,then the bigotry 
that ,mc,dermott's faith had kept       
concealed broke out under the           
encouragement of ,mc,dermott's          
infidelity4 ,the boys of the town flung 
insults at the priest as he passed4 ,the
 people gave little1 and that           
grudgingly4 ,i could almost feel his    
pain as he told in his delirium how1 day
 after day1 he had dragged his frail    
body to church and on the round of duty4
 ,but every now and then1 as if the     
words came naturally to bear him up1 he 
would say3  ',it's for ,god's sake4 ,i  
am nothing4 ,it will all come in ,his   
own good time4'  ,then ,i knew the      
spirit that kept him to his work4 ,he   
went over his visit to me4 ,how he had  
hoped1 and then how his hopes were      
dashed to the ground4 ,oh1 dear ,lord1  
had ,i known what it all meant to that  
sensitive1 saintly nature1 ,i would have
 sold my ring and cross to give him what

 he needed4 ,but my words seemed to have
 broken him and he came home to die4    
,the night of his return he spent before
 the altar in his log church1 and1      
,saints of ,heaven1 how he prayed6 ,when
 ,i heard his poor1 dry lips whisper    
over the prayer once more ,i bowed my   
head on the coverlet and cried as only a
 child can cry--and ,i was only a child 
at that minute in spite of my white hair
 and wrinkles4 ,he had offered a supreme
 sacrifice--his life4 ,i gleaned from   
his prayers that his parents had done   
him the one favor of keeping up his     
insurance and that he had made it over  
to his church4 ,so he wanted to die at  
his post and piteously begged ,god to   
take him4 ,for his death he knew would  
give ,alta a church4 ,he seemed         
penetrated with the idea that alive he  
was useless1 but that his death meant   
the resurrection of ,alta4 ,when ,i     
heard that same expression used so often
 to-day ,i lived over again the whole   
story of that night in the little       

vestry4 ,all this time he had been      
picking the coverlet1 and his hands     
seemed1 during the pauses1 to be holding
 the paten as if he were gathering up   
the minute particles from the corporal4 
,at last his hand found mine4 ,he clung 
to it1 and just an instant his eyes     
looked at me with reason in them4 ,he   
smiled1 and murmured1 ',it is all right1
 now1 ,bishop4' ,i heard a sob back of  
me where the boy stood1 and the old     
woman was praying4 ,he was trying to    
speak again1 and ,i caught the words1   
',god's sake--,i am nothing--,his good  
time4' ,then he was still1 just as the  
morning sun broke through the windows4  
,that minute1 ,reverend ,fathers1 began 
the resurrection of ,alta4 ,the old     
woman told me how it happened4 ,he was  
twenty-five miles away attending one of 
his missions when the blizzard was at   
its height4 ,mc,dermott fell sick and a 
telegram was sent for the priest--the   
last message before the wires came down4
 ,father ,belmond started to drive      

through the storm back to ,alta4 ,he    
succeeded in reaching ,mc,dermott's     
bedside and gave him the last           
,sacraments4 ,he did not break down     
himself until he returned to the vestry1
 but for twenty-four hours he tossed in 
fever before they found him4            
,mc,dermott grew better4 ,he sent for me
 when he heard ,i was in town4 ,the     
first question he asked was3 ',is he    
dead8' ,i told ,mc,dermott the story    
just as ,i am telling you4 ',god forgive
 me1' said the sick man1 'that priest   
died for me4 ,when he came here ,i      
ordered him out of my office1 yet when  
they told him ,i was sick he drove      
through the storm for my sake4 ,he      
believed in the worth of a soul1 and he 
himself was the noblest soul that ,alta 
ever had4'  ,i said nothing4 ,somebody  
better than a mere bishop was talking to
 ,mc,dermott1 and ,i1 ,his minister1 was
 silent in ,his presence4 ',bishop1'    
said ,mc,dermott1 after long thought1   
',i never really believed until now2    

,i'm sorry that it took a man's life to 
bring back the ,faith of my fathers4    
,send us a priest to ,alta--one who can 
do things3 one after the stamp of the   
saint in the vestry4 ,i'll be his friend
 and together we will carry on the work 
he began4 ,i'll see him through if ,god 
spares me4'  ,dear ,fathers1 it is      
needless to say what ,i did4  ,father   
,broidy1 on this happy day ,i have not  
re-echoed the praises that have been    
showered upon you as much as perhaps ,i 
might have done1 because ,i reserved for
 you a praise that is higher than all of
 them4 ,i believed when ,i sent you here
 that you were of his stamp4 ,you have  
done your duty and you have done it     
well4 ,i am not ungrateful and ,i shall 
not forget4 ,but your best praise from  
me is1 that ,i firmly believe that you1 
under like circumstances1 would also    
have willingly given your life for the  
resurrection of ,alta4     ,,the ,,man  
,,with ,a ,,dead ,,soul   ,years ago    
there lived a man whose soul had died2  

and died as only a soul may die1 by the 
man's own deed4 ,his body lived still   
for debauchery1 his mind lived still to 
ponder on evil1 but his soul was stifled
 in a flood of sin4 ,so the man lived   
his life with a dead soul4  ,when the   
soul died the man's dreams changed4 ,the
 fairy children of his youth came no    
more to play with him and his visions   
were of lands bare and desolate1 with   
great rocks instead of green trees2 and 
sandy1 dry and arid plains instead of   
bright grass and flowers4 ,but out of   
the rocks shone fiery veins of virgin   
gold and the pitiless sun that dried the
 plain reflected countless smaller suns 
of untouched diamonds4 ,hither in dreams
 came often the man with the dead soul4 
,the years passed and the man realized  
with his mortal eyes the full of his    
dreams and touched mortal foot to the   
desert that now was all his own4        
,greedily he picked and dug till his    
weary body cried enough4 ,then only he  
left1 when his strength could dig no    

more4 ,so he began to live more evilly  
because of his new power of wealth2 and 
his soul was farther than ever from     
resurrection4  ,now it happened that the
 man with the dead soul soon found that 
he had become a leper because of his    
sins1 and so with all his gains was     
driven from among men4 ,he went back to 
the desert and watched the gold veins in
 the rocks and the shining of the       
diamonds1 all the time hoping for more  
strength to dig4 ,but while waiting1 his
 musings turned to hateful thoughts of  
all his kindred1 and abhorrence of all  
good4 ,so he said3 ,i have been driven  
from among men because they love virtue1
 henceforth ,i will hate it2 because    
they loved ,god1 henceforth ,i will love
 only evil2 because they use their      
belongings to work mercy1 henceforth ,i 
will use mine to inflict revenge4 ,i may
 not go to men1 so ,i will go to those  
who do men harm4  ,so the man with the  
dead soul went to live among the beasts4
 ,he dwelt for a long time in the       

forests and the most savage of the      
brutes were his friends4 ,one day he saw
 a hermit at the door of his cave4 ,how 
livest thou here8 he asked4  ,from the  
offerings of the raven who brings me    
bread and the wild bees who give it     
sweetness and the great beasts who      
clothe me1 answered the hermit4 ,then   
the man with the dead soul left the     
beasts because they did good and were   
merciful4  ,out of the forest the ,north
 ,wind met the man and tossed him upon  
its wings and buffeted him and chilled  
him to the marrow4 ,in vain he asked for
 mercy1 the ,north ,wind would give     
none4 ,half frozen and sore with blows  
the man gasped--  ',tis well6 ,i will   
dwell with thee for thou givest nothing 
but evil4 ,so he went to dwell in the   
cave of the ,north ,wind and the chill  
of the pitiless cold was good to him on 
account of his dead soul4  ,one day he  
saw the clouds coming1 headed for his   
own desert1 and the ,north ,wind went to
 meet them and a mighty battle took     

place in the air2 but the ,north ,wind  
was the victor4 ,white on the ground    
where the chill had flung them lay the  
clouds in snow crystals2 and the man    
laughed his joy at the sight of the     
ruin--for he knew that the rain-clouds  
would have greened his desert and made  
it beautiful4 ,but he heard the men who 
cultivated the land on which the snow   
had fallen bless the ,north ,wind that  
it had given their crops protection and 
promised plenty to the fields of wheat4 
,then the man with the dead soul cursed 
the ,north ,wind and went to dwell in   
the ocean4  ,the waters bade him stay   
and daily he saw their work of evil4    
,down in the depths dead men's bones    
whitened beside the wealth of treasure  
the ocean had claimed4 ,he walked along 
the bottom for years exulting in        
destruction before he came to the       
surface to watch the storms and laugh at
 the big waves eating the great ships4  
,but there was only a gentle breeze     
blowing that day1 and he saw great      

vessels laden with treasure and wealth  
passing from nation to nation4 ,he saw  
the dolphins play over the bosom of the 
waters and the sea-gulls happy to ride  
the waves4 ,then afar off he saw the    
bright columns where all day long the   
sun kept working1 drawing moisture to   
the sky from the waters to spread it1   
even over the man's barren desert1 to   
make it bloom4  ,cursing again1 the man 
with the dead soul left the waters and  
buried himself beneath the earth1 to    
hide in dark caves where neither light  
nor sound could go4 ,but a glowworm that
 lived in the cave made it all too      
bright4 ,by its lantern he saw the      
hidden mysterious forces working4       
,through tiny paths warmth and          
nourishment ran to be near the surface  
that baby seeds might germinate1 live   
and flourish for man's benefit4 ,he saw 
great forests draw their strength from  
the very ,earth into which he had       
burrowed1 to fall again in death into   
its kindly arms and so to change into   

carbon and remain stored away for man's 
future comfort4 ,then the man with the  
dead soul could live in earth no longer1
 and neither could he go to the beasts1 
to the air1 or to the waters4  ,i will  
return to my desert1 he said1 for there 
is more of evil in the gold and diamonds
 than anywhere else4  ,so he went back  
where the gold still shone from the     
veins in the cliffs and the diamonds    
twinkled in the pitiless sun rays4 ,but 
a throne had been raised on a hillock   
and a king sat thereon with a crown on  
his head and a trident in his hand4     
,who art thou who invadest my desert8   
asked the man4  ,thy master1 answered   
the king4  ,and who is my master8 asked 
the man4  ,the spirit of evil4  ,then   
would ,i dwell with thee1 said the man4 
,thou hast served me well and thou art  
welcome1 said the king4 ,behold6  ,he   
stretched forth the trident and demons  
peopled the desert4  ,these are thy     
companions4 ,thou shalt dwell with them1
 and without torture1 unless thy evil   

deeds be turned to good to torture me4  
,know that thou hast passed from mortal 
life1 and thy deeds of evil have brought
 thee my favor4 ,if thou hast been      
successful in reaping the evil thou has 
sown1 thou shalt be my friend4 ,but know
 that for every good thing that comes   
from it1 thou shalt be tortured with    
whips of scorpions4  ,so the man with   
the dead soul walked through rows of    
demons with whips in their hands2 but no
 arm was raised to strike1 for he had   
sown his evil well and the king did not 
frown on him4  ,then one day a single   
whip of scorpions fell upon his         
shoulders4 ,pain-racked he looked at the
 king and saw that his face was twisted 
with agony3 then he knew that somewhere 
an evil deed of his own had been turned 
to good4 ,and even while he looked the  
whips began to fall mercilessly from all
 sides and the king1 frantic with agony1
 cried out3  ,tear aside the veil4 ,let 
him see4  ,in an instant the whips      
ceased to fall and the man with the dead

 soul saw all the ,earth before him--and
 understood4 ,a generation had passed   
since he had gone1 but his keen eye     
sought and found his wealth4 ,the finger
 of ,god had touched it and behold good 
had sprung from it everywhere4 ,it was  
building temples to the mighty ,god     
where the poor could worship2 and the   
hated ,cross met his eye wherever he    
looked1 dazzling his vision and blinding
 him with its light4 ,wherever the      
,finger of ,god glided the good came    
forth2 the hungry were nourished1 the   
naked clothed1 the frozen warmed and the
 truth preached4 ,before him was the    
good growing from his impotent evil     
every moment and multiplying as it grew2
 and behind him he heard the howls of   
the tortured demons and the impatient   
hisses of the whips that hungered for   
his back4  ,shuddering he closed his    
eyes1 but a voice ringing on the air    
made him open them again4 ,the voice was
 strangely like his own1 yet purified   
and sweet with sincerity and goodness4  

,it was singing the ,miserere1 and the  
words beat him backward to the demons as
 they arose4  ,he caught a glimpse of   
the singer1 a young man clad in a brown 
habit of penance with the cord of purity
 girt about him4 ,his eyes looked once  
into the eyes of the man with the dead  
soul4 ,they were the eyes of the one to 
whom he had left his legacy of hate and 
wealth and evil--his own and his only   
son4  ,shuddering1 the man with the dead
 soul awoke from his dream1 and behold1 
he was lying in the desert where the    
gold tempted him from out of the great  
rocks and the diamonds shone in the     
sunlight4 ,he looked at them not at all1
 but straightway he went to where good  
men sang the ,miserere and were clad in 
brown robes4 ,and as he went it came to 
pass that his dead soul leaped in the   
joy of a new resurrection4     ,,the    
,,autobiography ,,of ,a ,,dollar   ,i   
was born in a beautiful city on the     
banks of a charming river1 the capital  
of a great nation4 ,unlike humans1 ,i   

can remember no childhood1 though it is 
said that ,i had a formative period in  
the care of artists whose brains        
conceived the beauty of my face and     
whose hands realized the glory of their 
dreams4 ,but to them ,i was only a      
pretty thing of paper with line and     
color upon it4 ,they gave me nothing    
else1 and ,i really began to live only  
when some one representing the ,great   
,nation stamped a seal upon me4 ,though 
a bloodless thing1 yet ,i felt a throb  
of being4 ,i lived1 and the joy of it   
went rioting through me4  ,i remember   
that at first ,i was confined in a      
prison1 bound with others by an elastic 
band which ,i longed to break that ,i   
might escape to the welcoming hands of  
men who looked longingly at me through  
the bars4 ,but soon one secured me and  
,i went out into a great1 wide and very 
beautiful world4  ,of the first months  
of my life ,i can remember but very     
little1 only that ,i was feverishly     
happy in seeing1 and particularly in    

doing4 ,i was petted and admired and    
sought after4 ,i went everywhere and did
 everything4 ,so great was my popularity
 that some even bartered their peace of 
mind to obtain me1 and others1 forced to
 see me go1 shed tears at the parting4  
,some1 unable to have me go to them     
otherwise1 actually stole me4 ,but all  
the time ,i cared nothing1 for ,i was   
living and doing--making men smile and  
laugh when ,i was with them and weep    
when ,i went away4 ,it was all the same 
to me whether they laughed or cried4 ,i 
only loved the power that was in me to  
make them do it and ,i believed that the
 power was without limit4  ,i was not   
yet a year old when ,i began to lose my 
beauty4 ,i noticed it first when ,i fell
 into the hands of a man with long hair 
and pointed beard1 who frowned at me and
 said3 ,you poor1 faded1 dirty thing1 to
 think that ,i made you6 ,but ,i did not
 care4 ,he had not made me4 ,it was the 
,great ,nation4 ,anyhow ,i could still  
do things and make even him long for me4

 ,so ,i was happy4  ,i was one year and 
a half old when ,i formed my first great
 partnership with others of my kind1 and
 it came about like this3 ,i had been in
 the possession of a poor woman who had 
guarded me for a week in a most         
unpleasant smelling old purse1 when ,i  
heard a sharp voice ask for me--nay1    
demand me1 and couple the demand with a 
threat that my guardian should lose her 
home were the demand refused4 ,i was    
given over1 ,i hoped1 to better         
quarters1 but in this ,i was sadly      
disappointed1 for my new owner confined 
me in a strong but ill-favored box where
 thousands like myself were growing     
mouldy and wrinkled1 away from the light
 of day4 ,sometimes we were released at 
night to be carefully counted by        
candle-light1 but that was all4 ,thus we
 who were imprisoned together formed a  
partnership1 but even then we were not  
strong enough to free ourselves4 ,one   
night the box was opened with a snap and
 ,i saw the thin1 pale face of my master

 looking down at us4 ,he selected me and
 ninety-nine of my companions and placed
 us outside the box4  ,there's the      
money1 he said1 as ,i told you4 ,it's   
all yours4 ,are you satisfied now8 ,i   
looked across the table at a young girl 
with a white1 set face that was very1   
very beautiful4 ,she did not answer4    
,if you want it why don't you take it8  
he snarled at her4 ,i can tell you again
 that there is nothing else for you4    
,the girl had something in her hand that
 ,i saw4 ,i see more than most men4 ,the
 thing she had made a sharp noise and   
spit a flame at him4 ,he fell across the
 table and something red and warm went  
all over me4 ,i began to be unhappy1 for
 ,i thought ,i saw that there was       
something in the world that could not be
 bought4 ,for him ,i cared nothing4  ,it
 was strange that after my transfers ,i 
was at last used to pay the judge who   
tried the girl4 ,i was in the judge's   
pocket when he sentenced her to death4  
,he said3 ,may the ,lord have mercy on  

your soul4 ,but ,i knew1 for ,i told you
 ,i could see more than most men1 that  
he didn't believe in the ,lord or in    
souls4 ,he left the court to spend me at
 a ----1 but ,i think that ,i will not  
mention that shameful change4 ,there was
 nothing strange about my falling into  
the hangman as part of his pay4 ,i had  
been in worse hands in the interim4  ,i 
saw her die4 ,not a word did she say    
about the man she killed1 though it     
might have saved her to tell of the mock
 marriage and the other things ,i knew  
she could reveal4 ,she thought it better
 to die1 ,i suppose1 than be shamed4 ,so
 she died--unbought4 ,it made me still  
more unhappy to think of it at all4 ,the
 dark stain never left me1 but ,i cared 
nothing for that4 ,what troubled was    
that ,i knew she wanted me1 was starving
 for what ,i could buy1 but spurned me  
and died rather than take me4 ,there was
 something that had more power than ,i  
possessed4  ,i made up my mind to       
forget1 so my next effort was the       

greatest ,i had yet made--my partnership
 with millions of others4 ,i traveled   
long distances over and over again4 ,i  
dug gold from the earth and so produced 
others like myself4 ,i built railroads1 
skyscrapers1 steamships and great public
 works4 ,i disguised myself1 in order to
 enhance my power1 under new forms of   
paper and metal1 coin1 drafts1 checks1  
orders and notes4 ,indeed ,i scarcely   
knew myself when ,i returned to the bill
 with the red stain upon it4 ,my        
partners were nearly all with us one day
 when the master came in with a man and 
pointed us out to him4 ,the man shook   
his head4 ,it was a great1 massive head1
 good to look at4 ,my master talked a   
long time with him but he never changed4
 ,then he placed a great roll of us in  
his hand4 ,he threw us down1 kicked us1 
and went out without a look back4 ,i was
 more unhappy than ever4 ,he had spurned
 me1 though ,i knew by his look that he 
wanted me4 ,i felt cursed4 ,i had not   
much power at all4 ,there was another   

thing ,i could not buy4  ,but a curse   
came in good earnest two days later4    
,the terror of that has never left me4  
,i saw a man die who loved me better    
than his honor or his ,god4 ,he refused1
 dying1 to give me back to the man from 
whom he had stolen me4 ,the priest who  
stood by his bed implored him4 ,he      
refused and the priest turned from him  
without saying the words of absolution4 
,when the chill came on him he hissed   
and spit at us1 and croaked his curses1 
but the death rattle kept choking them  
back into him1 only to have him vomit   
them into our faces again and again till
 he died4 ,the priest came back and     
looked at him4  ,poor fool6 he said to  
him1 but to me and my companions he     
said3 ,,you sent him to ,hell4  ,ah6    
,what a power that was1 but while ,i    
rejoiced in it ,i was not glad enough4  
,he could have conquered had he only    
willed it4 ,i knew he was my master long
 before ,i mastered him4  ,his          
dissipated and drunken children fought  

for us beside his very bed4 ,i was      
wrenched from one hand to the other1    
falling upon the dirty floor to be      
trampled on again and again4 ,when the  
fight ended ,i was torn and filthy1 so  
that1 patched and ugly1 my next master  
sent me back to the great capital to be 
changed2 to have the artists work again 
on me and restore my beauty4 ,they did  
it well1 but no artist could give me new
 life4  ,again ,i went forth and fell   
into the hands of a good man4 ,i knew he
 was good when ,i heard him speak to me 
and to those who were with me4 ,god has 
blessed me1 he said1 with riches and    
knowledge and strength1 but ,i am only  
,his steward4 ,this money like all the  
rest shall be spent in ,his service4    
,then we were sent out1 thousands of us1
 returning again and again1 splitting   
into great and small parties1 but all   
coming and going hither and thither on  
errands of mercy4  ,now ,i felt my love 
of doing return4 ,never did ,i now see a
 tear that ,i did not dry4 ,never did ,i

 hear a sigh that ,i did not change to a
 laugh2 never a wound that ,i did not   
heal2 never a pain that ,i did not      
soothe2 nor a care ,i did not lighten4  
,where the sick were found1 ,i visited  
them2 where the poor were1 ,i bought    
them bread4 ,out on the plains and in   
the desert ,i lifted the ,cross of ,hope
 and the ,chalice of ,salvation4 ,to the
 dying ,i sped the ,minister of ,pardon4
 ,into the darkness and the shadow of   
death ,i sent the ,light of love and    
hope and truth1 till1 rich in the deeds 
of mercy ,i did in my master's name1 ,i 
felt the call to another deathbed--his  
own4 ,i saw my companions flying from   
the bounds of the great earth to answer 
the call4 ,they knew he needed them now 
with the rich interest of good deeds    
they had won for him4 ,fast they came   
and the multitude of them filled him    
with wonder4 ,the enemy who hated him   
pointed to them in derision4 ,gold buys 
hell1 not heaven1 he laughed1 but we    
stood around the bed and the enemy could

 not pass us4 ,then we1 and deeds we did
 for him at his command1 began to pray  
and the prayer was like sweetest music  
echoing against the very vault of       
heaven2 and other sounds1 like the      
gentle tones of harps1 were wafted over 
us1 swelling louder and louder till all 
seemed changed to a thousand organs1    
with every stop attuned to the praying4 
,they were the voices of the children   
from parts and regions where we had     
lifted the ,cross4 ,one by one they     
joined the mighty music till on the     
wings of the melody the master was borne
 aloft1 higher and higher as new voices 
coming added of their strength4 ,i      
watched till he was far above and still 
rising to heights beyond the ken of     
dreams4  ,an ,angel touched me4  ,be    
thou clean1 he said1 and go1 ,i charge  
thee1 to thy work4 ,thy master is not   
dead1 but only begins his joy4 ,while   
time is1 thou shalt work for him and thy
 deeds of good shall be his own4        
,wherever thou shalt go let the ,cross  

arise that1 under its shadow1 the       
children may gather and the song find   
new strength and new volume to lift him 
nearer and nearer the ,throne4  ,so ,i  
am happy that ,i have learned my real   
power2 that ,i can do what alone is     
worth doing--for ,his sake4     ,,le    
,,braillard ,,de ,,la ,,magdeleine#a    
,this is the story that the old sailor  
from ,tadousac told me when the waves   
were leaping1 snapping1 and frothing at 
us from the ,st4 ,lawrence1 and over the
 moan of the wind and the anger of the  
waters rose the wail of the ,braillard  
de la ,magdeleine4  ,you hear him8      
,every storm he calls so loud4 ,i think 
of my own baby when ,i hear him1 always 
the same1 always so sorrowful4 ,poor    
baby6  ,yes1 it is a baby4 ,across there
 you might see1 but the storm darkens   
everything1 yonder toward ,gaspe1 where 
the little mother lived--pauvre mre4    
,she was only a child1 innocent and good
 and happy1 when he came--the great     
lord1 the ,grand ,seigneur1 from        

,france--came with the ,commandant to   
,quebec and then to ,tadousac4  ,she    
loved him1 loved him and forgot--forgot 
her father and mother--forgot the good  
name they gave her--forgot the innocence
 that made her beautiful--forgot the    
pure ,mother and the good ,god1 for him 
and his love4 ,she went to ,quebec with 
him1 but the ,cur had not blessed them  
in the church4  ,then the baby came4    
,that is the baby who cries out there in
 the storm4 ,the ,grand ,seigneur killed
 the little baby1 killed it to save her 
from disgrace1 killed it without        
baptism1 and it cries and wails out     
there1 pauvre enfant4  ,the mother8 ,she
 is here1 too1 in the storm4 ,she has   
been here for more than two hundred     
years listening to her baby cry4 ,poor  
mother4 ,the baby calls her and she     
wanders through the storm to find him4  
,but she never sees1 only hears him cry 
for her--and ,god4 ,till the great ,day 
of ,judgment will the baby cry1 and     
she--pauvre mre--will pay the price of  

her sin1 pay it out of her empty mother 
heart and hungry mother arms1 that will 
not be filled4 ,you hear the soft wind  
from the shore battle with the great    
wind from the ,gulf8 ,perhaps it is she1
 pauvre mre--perhaps4  ,the ,grand      
,seigneur8 ,he never comes1 for he died 
unrepentant and unpardoned4 ,the lost do
 not return to ,earth and ,hope4 ,he    
never comes4 ,only the mother comes--the
 mother who weeps and seeks1 and hears  
the baby cry4   ,,footnotes3  #a ,near  
the mouth of the ,st4 ,lawrence can be  
heard a sound like wailing whenever     
there is a great storm4 ,the people call
 it ,le ,braillard de la ,magdeleine and
 countless tales are told concerning it4
     ,,the ,,legend ,,of ,,deschamps    
,from ,tadousac to the far-off ,lake of 
,saint ,john the rock-bound ,saguenay   
rolls through a mystic country1 sublime 
in natural beauty1 and alive with       
traditions1 legends and folk-lore tales4
 ,ghosts of the past people its shores1 
phantom canoes float down the river of  

mystery2 and disembodied spirits troop  
back to earth at the dreamer's call2    
traders1 trappers1 soldiers1 women      
strong in love and valor1 heroes in the 
long ago1 and saintly missionaries      
offering up mortal life that savages may
 know the ,christian's ,god4  ,beauty1  
mysticism and music--music in all       
things1 from the silver flow of the     
river to the soft notes of the native's 
tongue1 and dominating all1 simple faith
 and deep-rooted1 ,god-implanted        
patriotism4  ,such was ,french ,canada1 
the adopted country of ,deschamps the   
trapper1 a native of old ,france1 who   
made his home in ,tadousac while ,quebec
 was yet a growing city2 and1 caring    
nothing for toil or hardship1 gradually 
grew to be a grand monsieur in the      
estimation of the people about him4 ,he 
loved his country well and1 when war    
came1 sent forth three sturdy sons to   
help repel the ,british foe4 ,many were 
the tears the patriot shed1 because age 
forbade the privilege of shouldering    

musket and marching himself4  ,weary    
months dragged by before tidings came4  
,quebec had fallen4 ,the gallant        
,montcalm had passed through the ,gate  
of ,saint ,john to a hero's rest1 and   
two of the trapper's sons lay dead on   
the ,plains of ,abraham4 ,they had died 
bravely1 as ,deschamps hoped they would1
 with their faces to the foe1 and with a
 whispered message of love to the old   
father at ,tadousac4  ,and ,pascal1 the 
best beloved8  ,pascal was--a traitor6  
,the blood of ,deschamps in the veins of
 a traitor6 ,wife1 daughter and gallant 
sons had been riven from him by death   
and the ,christian's hope lightened the2
 mourner's desolation4 ,but disgrace6   
,neither earth nor heaven held          
consolation for such wrong as his4      
,deschamps brooded on his woe2 alone he 
endured his agony1 giving utterance to  
his despair in the words3 ,france6      
,pascal6 ,traitor6  ,years passed and   
the trapper lived on1 a senile wreck1   
ever brooding on defeat1 then breaking  

into fierce invective4 ,misery had      
isolated him from his kind2 the grand   
monsieur was the recluse of ,tadousac4  
,one day he disappeared from his lonely 
cabin and no one knew whither he had    
gone4  ,treason had purchased prosperity
 for the recreant son4 ,wealth and      
honors were his and an ,english wife1 a 
haughty woman of half-noble family1 who 
completed the work of alienation4       
,traitorous deed1 kindred and race were 
all forgotten1 and when the joy-bells   
rang for the birth of an heir there was 
revel in the magnificent mansion of     
,pascal ,deschamps4  ,summon our        
friends1 said the happy father4 ,a son  
to the house of ,deschamps6 ,let his    
baptism be celebrated as becomes the    
heir of wealth1 power and position4  ,so
 heralds went forth from town to town1  
making known the tidings1 but bore no   
message to the lonely grandsire in      
,tadousac4  ,the curse is lifted6 said  
the pious peasants1 mindful of ,pascal's
 treason4 ,a child at last6 ,the good   

,god has forgiven him4  ,from ,quebec to
 ,malbaie came so-called friends1       
,english who despised his treachery1    
,french who hated his name1 but         
courtiers all2 and with them came an    
unbidden guest1 an aged trapper1 unshorn
 and roughly clad1 who lurked in the    
shadows of the great hall1 and whispered
 ever3 ,france6 ,pascal6 ,traitor6      
,beautiful as an angel was the baby     
heir1 fair with the patrician beauty of 
his ,english mother1 strong of limb as  
befitted the trapper's descendant4      
,unconscious of the homage paid him1 he 
slept in his nurse's arms1 his baptismal
 robes sweeping the floor4  ,a sturdy   
fellow1 my friends1 said his laughing   
sponsor4 ,an ,english ,deschamps4  ,an  
,english ,deschamps6 cried the ,english 
guests1 pleased with the conceit4 ,long 
may his line endure4  ,a traitor        
,deschamps6 said a voice instinct with  
wrath4 ,unhappy man1 your taint is in   
him6  ,the revelers shrank back         
appalled1 as from the shadows came the  

unbidden guest and stood among them1 his
 mien majestic with the dignity of      
sorrow4 ,pascal alone recognized him and
 forced his ashen lips to speak the     
word3 ,father4  ,yes1 your father1      
unhappy boy2 unlettered1 old and broken 
with the burden of your disgrace1 but   
loyal still to ,god and country4 ,i have
 guarded those great virtues well1 for  
,god gave them to me1 and ,i would have 
transmitted them to my posterity1 and   
linked the name of ,deschamps forever   
with patriotism and ,faith4 ,but your   
treachery has destroyed my hope and     
smirched the memory of your brothers1   
whose names are written on the roll of  
martyrs to their ,faith and country4    
,ah1 ,pascal1 how ,i loved you6 ,and    
your son8 ,an ,english ,deschamps you   
say6 ,a son born to perpetuate his      
father's degradation6 ,no1 ,pascal1 ,i  
shall save my honor6 ,your traitor blood
 shall never taint posterity4 ,you may  
live your life of misery1 but you shall 
live it alone4  ,and snatching the child

 from its nurse's arms the old trapper  
passed from the house and had reached   
his canoe before the stupefied revelers 
were roused into pursuit4 ,but they had 
no boats4 ,the old trapper had driven   
holes through the sides of every one but
 his own4  ,with swift strokes          
,deschamps paddled down the ,st4        
,lawrence1 through the rocky entrance to
 the ,saguenay1 and over its dark waters
 till a harbor was reached in a cleft of
 the coast4 ,here the madman landed1    
climbed to the summit of the rock1 and  
laying down the boy1 kindled a fire of  
driftwood4 ,i may see his face1 he      
muttered4 ,the last of my line6 ,the    
,english cross shows6 ,the strain shows6
 ,i must wash it out6 ,hush1 my little  
one1 thy grandfather guards thee2 soon  
shalt thou sleep in my arms--arms that  
cradled thy father1 and shall hold thee 
forever4 ,i1 who was ever gentle1 who   
spared the birds and beasts1 and        
sorrowed with the trapped beaver1 will  
spare thee1 too1 my baby--will save thee

 from thy father4 ,here where the wind  
speaks of freedom2 here where the river 
even in its anger1 as to-night1 whispers
 peace2 here where ,deschamps worked and
 hoped2 here where ,deschamps sorrowed  
and mourned2 here1 little one1 shall we 
rest together4 ,child1 for you and me   
life means disgrace2 the better part is 
death and freedom4  ,a leap from the    
rock6 ,the baptismal robes1 fluttering  
white like angels' wings1 dipped to the 
surface and disappeared4 ,the race of   
,deschamps was ended4 ,the black water  
of ,saguenay was its pall1 the storm its
 requiem4     ,,the ,,thousand ,,dollar 
,,note   ,the three men who sat together
 around the little library table of the 
,rectory felt the unpleasant tension of 
a half-minute of dead silence4 ,the big 
burly one1 with his feet planted        
straight on the carpet1 passed his      
tongue over his lips and nervously      
folded and opened the paper in his      
hands4 ,the tall young chap with creased
 trousers kept crossing and re-crossing 

his legs4 ,neither of them looked at the
 young priest1 who ten minutes before   
had welcomed them with a merry laugh and
 had placed them in the most comfortable
 chairs of his little bookish den1 as   
cordially as if they were the best      
friends he had in the world4 ,now the   
young priest looked old and the         
half-minute had done it4 ,he was just an
 enthusiastic boy when the contractor   
and architect arrived2 but he was a     
care-filled man now1 as he sat and      
nervously passed a handkerchief over his
 forehead1 to find it wet1 though the   
room was none too warm4 ,he seemed to be
 surmounting an actual physical barrier 
when he spoke to the big man4  ,i do not
 quite see1 ,mr4 ,mc,murray 7it had been
 ,john ten minutes before71 ,i do not   
quite see1 he repeated anxiously1 how ,i
 can owe you so much4 ,you know our     
contract was plain1 and the bid that ,i 
accepted from you was six thousand eight
 hundred dollars4  ,yes1 sur2 yes1 sur2 
it was1 sur1 answered ,mc,murray with   

shifting embarrassment1 but you know    
these other things were extras1 sur4    
,but ,i did not order any extras1 ,mr4  
,mc,murray1 urged the priest4  ,yes1    
sur2 yes1 sur1 you did1 sur4 ,i told you
 the foundations was sandy1 sur1 and    
that we had to go down deeper than the  
specifications called fur4 ,it cost in  
labor1 sur1--,mc,murray did not seem to 
be enjoying his explanation--fur diggin'
 and layin' the stone4 ,then you know1  
sur1 it takes more material to do it1   
sur4 ,you said1 yes--to go ahead1 sur4  
,but you did not tell me it would cost  
more1 urged the priest4  ,no1 sur2 no1  
sur2 ,i didn't1 sur2 but a child would  
know that4 ,now look here at the plans4 
,just a minute1 ,mr4 ,mc,murray1 broke  
in the architect1 suavely4 ,let me      
explain4 ,you see1 ,father1 ,i was your 
representative both as architect and    
superintendent of the building4 ,i know 
that ,mc,murray's bill of extras is     
right4 ,i passed on them and everything 
he did was necessary4 ,there are extras1

 you know1 on every building4  ,but1    
said the priest1 ,i told you ,i had only
 eight thousand dollars1 and that the   
furnishings would take all over the     
amount called for by the contract4 ,you 
can not expect to get blood out of a    
stone4 ,here now you say ,i must pay a  
thousand dollars more2 but where can ,i 
get the money8  ,well1 ,father1 said the
 architect1 ,i don't think you will have
 to worry much about that4 ,you priests 
always manage somehow1 and you got off  
cheap enough4 ,that church is worth ten 
thousand dollars1 if it's worth a cent2 
and ,mc,murray did you a clean1 nice    
job4 ,now one thousand dollars won't    
hurt you2 the ,bishop will be reasonable
 and you will get the money in a year or
 so4  ,it looks as if ,i had to get it1 
somehow4 ,i don't see how ,i can do     
anything else1 answered the priest4     
,this thing has sort of stunned me4     
,give me one month and let me do my     
best4 ,i wish ,i had never started that 
building at all4  ,yes1 sur2 yes1 sur1  

said ,mc,murray quickly4 ,you can have a
 month1 sur4 ,i am not a hard man1 sur2 
but ,i've got to pay off me workers1 you
 know4 ,but take the month1 sur1 take   
it--take it4  ,mc,murray looked         
longingly at the door4  ,all three had  
arisen2 but the priest's step had lost  
its spring as he escorted his visitors  
out4  ,both of them were silent for the 
distance of a block away from the       
,rectory1 and then ,mc,murray said3     
,yes1 sur2 yes1 sur2 ,i feel like ----4 
,i do too1 broke in the architect4 ,i   
know what you were going to say4 ,he    
took it pretty hard4  ,not another word 
was spoken by either of them until the  
hotel was reached1 and they had drowned 
the recollection of the young face1 with
 the look of age upon it1 in four drinks
 at the bar4  ,when the priest1 with a  
slight look of relief1 closed the door  
upon his visitors and bolted it after   
them1 he had perhaps seen a little humor
 in the situation2 but the bolting of   
the door was the only sign of it4 ,his  

face was still grave when he stood1     
silent and stunned1 staring at the bill 
on the table4  ,the good ,lord help me1 
he prayed4 ,one thousand dollars and the
 ,bishop coming in two weeks6 ,what can 
,i say to him8 ,what can ,i do8  ,he    
pulled out a well thumbed letter from   
his pocket and read it to himself1      
though he knew every word by heart4     
,,dear ,,father ,,ryan1--,i am pleased  
at your success1 especially      that   
you built the church1 as ,i told you to1
 without debt4      ,the congregation is
 too poor for any such burden4 ,i will  
be      there for the dedication on the 
#bfth4       ,and by the way4 ,you may  
get ready for that change ,i spoke      
of4 ,i am as good as my word1 and will  
not delay about      promoting you4 ,the
 parish of ,lansville is vacant4 ,in a  
month      you may consider yourself its
 pastor4 ,in the meantime1 ,i      will 
look around to select one of the young  
men to take      your place and begin   
the work of building a house4 ,god bless

      you4       ,sincerely yours in    
,christ1       ,,thomas1 ,bishop of     
,tolma4  ,all these years1 whispered the
 young priest1 all these years1 ,i have 
waited for that place4 ,i meant to have 
a home and mother with me1 and at least 
enough to live on after my ten years of 
sacrifice2 but one thousand dollars     
spoils it all4 ,how can ,i raise it8 ,i 
can not do it before the #bfth and the  
,bishop will ask for my report4 ,how can
 ,i tell him after that letter8  ,he    
dropped the letter over the contractor's
 bill and sat down1 with discouragement 
written on every line of his face4 ,he  
was trying to think out the hardest     
problem of his life4  ,the town wherein 
,father ,ryan had built his church had  
been for years on the down-grade1 so far
 as religion was concerned4 ,there were 
in it forty indifferent1 because        
neglected1 ,catholic families4 ,they had
 just enough religion left in them to   
desire a little more1 and they had a    
certain pride left1 too1 in their       

,faith4  ,father ,ryan builded on that  
pride4 ,it was a long and arduous work  
he had faced4 ,but after ten years he   
succeeded in erecting the little church4
 ,his warnings to the architect had gone
 without heed2 and he found himself     
plunged into what was for him an        
enormous debt1 just at the time when    
promotion was assured4  ,all night long 
his problem was before him1 and in the  
morning it was prompt to rise up and    
confront him4  ,after breakfast the     
door-bell rang4 ,he answered it himself1
 to find two visitors on the steps4 ,one
 was a very venerable looking old       
priest1 who had a kindly way about him  
and who laid his grip very tenderly on  
the floor before he shook hands with    
,father ,ryan4 ,his companion looked    
vastly different as he flung a little   
satchel into the corner1 and with a     
voice as big and hearty as his body     
informed his host that both had come to 
stay over ,sunday4  ,barry and ,i have  
been off for two weeks and we got tired 

of it1 said ,father ,fanning1 the big   
man4 ,first vacation in ten years for   
both of us1 but there is nothing to it4 
,barry got worrying over his school1 and
 ,i got worrying over ,barry1 so there  
you are4  ,but why didn't both of you go
 home8 asked ,father ,ryan4  ,home6     
confound it1 that's the trouble4 ,i     
would give anything to go on the other  
ten miles and get off the train at my   
little burg1 and so would ,barry1 for   
that matter2 but we were both warned to 
stay away until ,wednesday--reception   
and all that sort of thing4 ,so now we  
are going to stay here4  ,that's all    
right1 said ,father ,ryan4 ,i am glad to
 have you1 but this is ,saturday and    
to-morrow is ,sunday1 and--  ,now1 now1 
go easy1 young man1 go easy4 ,i simply  
won't preach4 ,it is no use asking me4  
,i am on a vacation1 ,i tell you4 ,so is
 ,barry4 ,he won't talk1 so ,i have to  
defend him4 ,you wouldn't want a man to 
work on his vacation1 would you8  ,well1
 if you won't1 you won't1 replied       

,father ,ryan1 but you will say the late
 ,mass1 anyhow8 ,you'll have to do      
something for your board4  ,all right1  
,i will1 then4 ,barry can say his ,mass 
in private1 and you say the first1      
yourself4 ,then you can preach as short 
and as well as you can1 which is not    
saying much for you4  ,well1 seeing that
 it is ,seminary ,collection ,sunday1   
interrupted ,father ,ryan1 ,i won't lack
 for a subject4  ,father ,ryan had a    
great weakness for the ,seminary1 which 
was entitled to an annual collection in 
the entire ,diocese4 ,he had studied    
there for six years and1 since his      
ordination1 not one of his old          
professors had been changed4 ,then he   
knew his obligations to the ,seminary2  
he was one of those who took obligations
 seriously4 ,so ,father ,fanning was    
obliged1 after hearing the sermon next  
day1 to change his mind regarding his   
friend's ability to preach well4 ,father
 ,ryan's discourse was an appeal1 simple
 and heartfelt1 for his ,alma ,mater4   

,he closed it very effectively3 ,i owe  
the ,seminary1 my dear friends1 he said1
 about all that ,i have of priestly     
equipment4 ,nothing that ,i may ever say
 or do can repay even a mite of the     
obligation that is upon me4 ,as for you1
 and the other ,catholics of this       
,diocese1 you owe the ,seminary for     
nine-tenths of the priests who have been
 successfully carrying on ,god's work in
 your midst4 ,the collection to-day is  
for that ,seminary4 ,in other words1 it 
is for the purpose of helping to train  
priests who shall take our places when  
we are gone4 ,on the ,seminary depends  
the future of the ,church amongst you3  
therefore1 the future of religion in    
your families4 ,looking at this thing in
 a selfish way1 for the present alone1  
there is perhaps no need of giving your 
little offering to this collection2 but 
if you are thinking of your children and
 your children's children1 and the      
future of religion1 not only in this    
community but all over our ,state1 and  

even in the ,nation1 you will be        
generous--even lavish1 in your gifts4   
,this is a poor little parish4 ,we have 
struggled hard1 ,god knows1 to build our
 church1 and we need every dollar we can
 scrape together2 but ,i would rather be
 in need myself than refuse this appeal4
 ,i am entitled by the laws of the      
,diocese to take out of the collection  
the average amount of the ,sunday       
collection4 ,i would be ungrateful if ,i
 took a cent1 so ,i don't intend to4    
,every dollar1 every penny that you put 
into this collection shall be sent to   
the ,bishop for the ,seminary2 to help  
him educate worthy priests for our      
,diocese4  ,after ,mass1 ,father        
,fanning shook hands with the preacher4 
,i feel ashamed of myself1 ,ryan1 he    
said1 that ,i never looked at things in 
such a light before4 ,that was a great  
appeal you made4 ,my collection is      
probably postponed until next ,sunday1  
when ,i get home to take it up2 and ,i  
tell you ,i am going to use every bit of

 that sermon that ,i can remember4      
,father ,ryan had had little time to    
think over his troubles since his two   
friends arrived2 but1 somehow1 they     
seemed to worry him now that the sermon 
was off his mind4 ,the one thousand     
dollar debt was weighing upon him even  
when he went to the door of the church  
to meet some of the people4  ,a stranger
 brushed past him--a big1 bluff1 hearty 
looking man1 all bone and muscle1       
roughly dressed and covered with mud4   
,there was a two-horse rig from the     
livery1 at the curb4 ,the stranger      
started for it2 but turned back on      
seeing the priest4  ,i am a stranger    
here1 ,father1 he said4 ,i have just    
come down from the mountains1 where ,i  
have been prospecting4 ,i have to drive 
over to ,caanan to get the fast train4  
,i find that you have no trains here on 
,sunday4 ,i hadn't been to ,mass for    
three months1 for we have no place to go
 out there where ,i was2 so it was a    
great consolation for me to drop in and 

hear a good sermon4 ,and ,i tell you it 
was a good sermon4 ,that was a great    
appeal you made4  ,father ,ryan could   
only murmur1 ,thank you4 ,you are not   
staying very long with us8  ,no1 ,i     
can't stay1 ,father4 ,i have to get to  
,new ,york and report on what ,i found4 
,i have about fourteen miles of mud     
before me now1 and have driven twenty   
miles this morning4 ,i don't belong     
around here at all4 ,i live in ,new     
,york2 but ,i may be here a good deal   
later1 and you are the nearest priest to
 me4 ,take this and put it in the       
collection4  ,the rough man shoved a    
note into ,father ,ryan's hand4 ,by this
 time they both had reached the livery  
rig4 ,a quick ,good-bye from the        
visitor1 and a ,god bless you from      
,father ,ryan1 ended the conversation4  
,the priest thrust the note into his    
pocket and returned to the house4 ,when 
he entered the dining-room1 ,father     
,fanning was taking breakfast at the    
table4 ,father ,barry was occupying     

himself with a book1 which he found     
difficulty in reading1 on account of the
 enthusiastic comments of his friend on 
,father ,ryan's sermon4  ,we were       
talking about you1 ,ryan1 he said4 ,and 
there is no need of telling you what we 
had to say about you2 but there is one  
thing ,i would like to ask4 ,what's     
wrong with you since we came8  ,why1    
nothing1 said ,father ,ryan4 ,haven't ,i
 treated you better than you deserve8   
,that is all right1 that is all right1  
interrupted his big neighbor1 but there 
is something wrong4 ,you were worried at
 first4 ,then you dropped it1 but you   
started to worry again just as soon as  
you came out of the sanctuary4 ,you were
 at it when we came in and you are at it
 now4 ,come1 ,ryan1 let us know what it 
is4 ,if it is money1 well--  ,father    
,barry looked up quickly from his book  
and said3 ,surely1 it is not the new    
church1 is it8  ,the young pastor sat   
down in a chair at the table and looked 
at his friends1 before he spoke4 ,well1 

,i never could keep a secret1 he said4  
,therefore1 ,i suppose ,i never will be 
a trusted counselor of anybody1 and must
 always be seeking a counselor for      
myself4  ,i always hate a man who can   
keep a secret1 said ,father ,fanning4 ,i
 always believe that the fellow who can 
keep a secret is the fellow you have to 
watch4 ,you never know what he is       
thinking about1 so nobody ever is sure  
of him4 ,don't be ashamed now of not    
being able to keep a secret1 and don't  
worry yourself by keeping this one4 ,out
 with it4  ,well1 it is about the       
church1 said ,father ,ryan4  ,and he    
told his story4  ,well1 of all the      
strange characters ,i ever met1 said    
,father ,fanning1 you certainly are the 
worst1 ,ryan4 ,here you are in a box    
about that thousand dollars and yet this
 morning you gave away your own share of
 the collection1 besides booming the    
,seminary4 ,why man1 the ,seminary ought
 not ask anything from you1 in your     
present condition4 ,but there is no use 

trying to pound sense into you4 ,what   
are you going to do about this8 ,it is  
too much money for ,barry and myself to 
take care of4 ,bless your heart1 ,i     
don't think he has fifty dollars to his 
name and ,i wouldn't like to tell you   
the state of my finances4 ,we have to   
think out some way4 ,maybe ,barry can   
see the ,bishop4  ,well1 we'll have to  
stop thinking about it1 said ,father    
,ryan4 ,i might just as well settle down
 where ,i am4 ,i certainly will not get 
very much of a promotion now4 ,by the   
way1 did you notice the big man1 covered
 with mud1 in the church8  ,no1 said    
,father ,fanning1 ,i did not notice him4
 ,who was he8 ,what about him8  ,he was 
a stranger1 said ,father ,ryan1 and was 
very pleasant4 ,he is a prospector from 
,new ,york4 ,he has been up in the      
mountains and away from church for the  
last three months4 ,he must have found  
something up there1 because he is going 
on to ,new ,york to meet his backers2 at
 least1 that is what ,i judged from his 

talk4 ,he is driving over to ,caanan    
to-day to catch the fast train4  ,i     
wonder if he put anything in the        
collection8 said ,father ,fanning4  ,no1
 he did not1 answered the pastor1 but he
 gave it to me afterward and told me to 
put it in4 ,by the way1 here it is4  ,he
 pulled the note out of his pocket and  
laid it flat on the table4 ,the three   
men gasped for breath4 ,it was a        
thousand dollars4  ,father ,fanning was 
the first to find words4 ,great ,scott1 
,ryan1 he said1 you ought to go out and 
thank ,god on your knees before the     
altar4 ,here is the end of your trouble4
 ,why the man must be a millionaire4    
,father ,ryan's face was all smiles4    
,yes1 he said1 it is the end of my      
trouble4 ,i never dreamed it would come 
to an end so easily4 ,thanks be to ,god 
for it4  ,the little old priest with the
 book in front of him seemed to have no 
comment to make4 ,he let his two friends
 ramble on1 both overjoyed at the good  
fortune that had extricated ,father     

,ryan from his dilemma4 ,but he was not 
reading4 ,he was thinking4 ,by and by he
 spoke4  ,what did you say you preached 
on to-day1 ,father ,ryan8  ,why1 broke  
in ,fanning1 he preached on the         
,seminary4 ,didn't ,i tell you6 ,and a  
good sermon--  ,yes1 ,i preached on the 
,seminary1 said ,father ,ryan4  ,but did
 ,i not hear ,father ,fanning say that  
you pledged every dollar that came into 
the collection to the ,seminary4  ,why1 
surely1 said ,father ,ryan1 but this did
 not come in through the collection4    
,yes1 persisted ,father ,barry1 but did 
you not say that the strange man told   
you to put it into the collection8      
,why--yes--yes1 he did say something    
like that4  ,well1 then1 urged ,father  
,barry1 is it not a question to be      
debated as to whether or not you can do 
anything else with the money8  ,oh1     
confound it all1 ,barry1 cried ,father  
,fanning4 ,you are a rigorist4 ,you     
don't understand this case4 ,now there's
 no use bringing your old syllogisms    

into this business4 ,this man is in a   
hole4 ,he has got to get out of it4     
,what difference is it if ,i put my     
money in one pocket or in the other     
pocket4 ,this all belongs to ,god       
anyhow4 ,the thousand dollar note was   
given to the ,church1 and the most      
necessary thing now is to pay the debt  
on that part of it that's here4 ,why the
 ,seminary doesn't need it4 ,the old    
,procurator would drop dead if he got a 
thousand dollars from this parish4      
,well1 so far as ,i can see1 said       
,father ,barry1 what you say does not   
change matters any4 ,father ,ryan       
promised every dollar--and every cent   
for that matter--in that collection to  
the ,seminary4 ,this money forms part of
 the collection4 ,i know perfectly well 
that most men would argue as you do1 but
 this is a case of conscience4 ,the     
money was given for a specific purpose1 
and in my judgment1 if ,father ,ryan    
uses it for any other purpose than the  
one for which it was given1 he simply   

will have to make restitution later on  
to the ,seminary4  ,that's an awful way 
of looking at things1 said ,father      
,fanning4 ,confound it1 ,i am glad ,i   
don't have to go to you for direction4  
,why1 its getting worse instead of      
better1 you are4 ,the giver of this     
money would be only too glad to have it 
go to pay off the debt4 ,what does he   
know about the ,seminary8 ,he was       
attending the little church out here1   
and whatever good he got from his visit 
came through ,father ,ryan and his      
people4 ,he is under obligation to them 
first4 ,can't you see that it does not  
make any difference1 after all4 ,it is  
the same thing4  ,no1 it is not the same
 thing1 said ,father ,barry4 ,perhaps we
 are too much tempted to believe that   
gifts of this kind might be             
interchangeable4 ,we are full of zeal   
for the glory of ,god at home1 and that 
means that sometimes we unconsciously   
are full of zeal for our own glory4     
,look it up4 ,i may be wrong1 and ,i do 

not want to be a killjoy2 but we would  
not wish our friend here to act first   
and do a lot of sorrowful thinking      
afterward4  ,it was ,wednesday morning  
when the two visitors left1 and the     
discussions only ended when the door    
closed upon them4 ,there was not a      
theological book in ,father ,ryan's     
library left unconsulted4  ,when ,father
 ,fanning was at the door1 grip in hand1
 he said3 ,well1 ,i guess we have come  
to no conclusion1 ,ryan4 ,you will have 
to finish it1 yourself1 and decide for  
yourself4 ,but there is one thing ,i can
 testify to1 besides the stubbornness of
 my venerable friend here1 and that is  
that ,i have learned more theology out  
of this three-day discussion than ,i    
learned in three years previously4      
,there is nothing like a fight to keep a
 fellow in training4  ,his friends gone1
 ,father ,ryan went straight to his desk
 and wrote this letter to his ,bishop3  
,,your ,,lordship--,i am sending        
herewith enclosed my ,seminary          

collection4 ,it amounts to #a1jfc4aj4   
,you may be surprised at      the first 
figure2 but there was a thousand dollar 
note      handed to me for that         
particular collection4 ,i congratulate  
the ,seminary on getting it4       ,the 
church is ready for dedication as your  
,lordship      arranged4       ,kindly  
wire me and ,i will meet you at the     
train4  ,then ,father ,ryan went to bed4
 ,he did not expect to sleep very much  
that night2 but in spite of his worry1  
and to his own great surprise1 he had   
the most peaceful sleep of all the years
 of his priesthood4  ,the church was    
dedicated4 ,the ,bishop1 severe of face1
 abrupt in manner1 but if the truth were
 known1 kindly at heart1 finished his   
work before he asked to see the books of
 the parish4  ,father ,ryan was alone   
with his ,lordship when the time for    
that ordeal came4 ,he handed the books  
to the ,bishop and laid a financial     
statement before him4 ,the ,bishop      
glanced at it1 frowned and then read it 

through4 ,the frown was still on his    
face as he looked up at the young priest
 before him4  ,this looks as if you had 
been practicing a little deceit upon me1
 ,father ,ryan1 he said4 ,you wrote me  
that the church was finished without    
debt4  ,i thought so1 my ,lord1 when ,i 
wrote you the letter4 ,i had the money  
on hand to pay the exact amount of the  
contract4 ,the architect and the builder
 came to me later and informed me that  
there had been extras1 of which ,i knew 
nothing1 amounting to one thousand      
dollars4 ,i am one thousand dollars     
behind4 ,i assure your ,lordship that it
 was not my fault1 except that perhaps  
,i should have known more about the     
tactics of the men ,i was dealing with4 
,i will have to raise the money some    
way2 and1 of course1 ,i do not expect   
your ,lordship to send me to ,lansville4
 ,i am sorry1 but ,i have done the best 
,i could4 ,i will know more about       
building next time4  ,the ,bishop had no
 word to say4 ,though the frown appeared

 pretty well fixed upon his face1 it did
 not seem quite natural4 ,there was a   
twinkle in his eye that only an expert  
on bishops could perceive4  ,but you    
sent me one thousand dollars more than  
,i could have expected only this week1  
for the ,seminary1 he said4 ,that surely
 indicates that you have some people    
here who might help you out of your     
dilemma4  ,i am sorry1 your ,lordship1  
said ,father ,ryan1 but it does not     
indicate that at all4 ,i have no rich   
people4 ,all of my people have done the 
best they could for the new church4 ,i  
will have to give them a rest for a year
 and stay here and face the debt4 ,the  
man who gave the thousand dollar bill   
was a stranger--a miner4 ,i do not know 
him at all4 ,he did not even give his   
name1 but said the money was for the    
collection4 ,i could not find any       
authority for keeping it for the church 
here1 though1 to be candid1 ,i wanted to
 do it4 ,that is all4  ,the ,bishop     
still kept his eye on him4 ,of course   

you know that your appointment to       
,lansville was conditional4  ,i         
understand that1 your ,lordship1 said   
,father ,etan4 ,you have no obligation  
to me at all in that regard4  ,will you 
kindly step to the door and ask my      
,chancellor to come in8  ,when the      
,chancellor entered1 the ,bishop said to
 him3 ,have you the letter ,i received  
from ,mr4 ,wilcox8  ,the ,chancellor    
handed the ,bishop the letter1 who      
unfolded it and1 taking another glance  
at the dejected young pastor1 read it to
 him4 ,it was very much to the point4   
,,dear ,,bishop1--,you may or may not   
know me1 but ,i knew you      when you  
were pastor of ,st4 ,alexis in my native
 town4 ,the      fact is1 you baptized  
me4 ,i would not even have known where  
you were1 had it not been for a mistake 
,i made this morning4      ,i came down 
from the mountains and went to ,mass at 
,ashford4      ,when ,i was going away  
,i gave the young priest a thousand     
dollar note4 ,if you recognize my name1 

you will understand      that it was not
 too much for me to give1 for though ,i 
am a      stingy sort of fellow1 the    
,lord has blessed me with               
considerable wealth4 ,i remember saying 
to the young priest      that ,i wanted 
him to put it in the collection1 which  
as ,i      remember now1 was for the    
,seminary4 ,i figured it out that he    
would be sending the collection to you4 
,now1 ,i don't like to disappoint you1  
dear ,bishop1 but ,i did      not intend
 that money to go to the ,seminary1 but 
to the      pastor for the little       
parish4 ,later on1 when developments    
start in the mountains1 and they will   
start when ,i get back      to ,new     
,york1 ,i may need that young priest to 
come up and      take care of my men2 so
 ,i want the money to go to his         
church1 which1 from what my driver told 
me coming over1      needs it4 ,i may   
take care of the ,seminary later on1 for
 ,i      expect to be around your       
section of the country a great deal     

in the future4        ,respectfully     
yours1       ,,paul ,,wilcox4  ,through 
tear-dimmed eyes ,father ,ryan saw all  
the sternness go out of the ,bishop's   
face4  ,mr4 ,wilcox1 said his ,lordship1
 is a millionaire many times over4 ,he  
is one of the largest mine operators in 
the world4 ,he likes to do things of    
this kind4 ,you may go to ,lansville1   
,father ,ryan2 but ,i think1 if ,i were 
you1 ,i would stay here4 ,when ,wilcox  
says things are going to move1 they     
usually do4 ,think it over and take your
 choice4 ,here is your thousand dollars4
 ,i do not find it a good thing1        
,father1 to praise people2 especially   
those ,i have to govern1 so ,i am not   
going to praise you for what you have   
done4 ,it was right1 and it was your    
duty4 ,i appreciate it4     ,,the       
,,occasion   ,mr4 ,o',brien of ,no4 #cb 
,chestnut street had his entire family  
with him1 as he hurried to the eight    
o'clock ,mass4 ,mrs4 ,o',brien was      
already tired1 though she had gone only 

a block from the house2 for ,elenora1   
who always was tardy1 had to be dressed 
in a hurry4 ,then ,tom had come down    
stairs with an elegant part to that     
portion of his hair which was right     
above his forehead1 but the back        
section1 which the mirror did not show1 
was tousled and unkempt4 ,it took an    
effort on ,mrs4 ,o',brien's part to make
 the children presentable2 and hurry    
plus effort was not good for--well1 for 
folks who do not weigh as little as they
 did when they were younger4  ,dr4      
,reilly met the ,o',briens at the       
corner4  ,hello1 he called1 it's the    
whole family1 bedad4 ,what brings ye all
 to the 'eight o'clock'8  ,mr4 ,o',brien
 answered his family doctor only when   
the children were left behind where they
 could not hear3 ,it's ,father ,collins'
 turn to preach at the ,high ,mass1     
,doc1 he explained4  ,sure1 it is1 said 
the ,doctor4 ,faith1 ,i forgot that4 ,i 
was going to ,high ,mass meself1 but ,i 
ran over to see ye4 ,yes1 it's his turn4

 ,sure1 the poor man puts me to sleep1  
and sleepin' in the ,house of ,god is   
neither respectful nor decorous4 ,but   
what is a man to do8  ,he is the finest 
priest in the city1 said ,mr4 ,o',brien1
 looking back to see if his regiment was
 following1 and the worst preacher4 ,i  
can't sit still and listen to him4 ,he  
loses his voice the minute he gets      
before the people1 and some day ,i think
 he'll pull the pulpit down1 trying to  
get his words out4 ,faith1 ,doc1 he     
makes me want to get up and say it for  
him4  ,well1 ,o ',brien1 ,i believe you 
could say it1 judging from the way you  
lecture us at the council meetings4 ,and
 that brings me to the business ,i had  
when ,i ran off to see you4 ,couldn't   
you let the ,missis take care of the    
children at this ,mass8 ,mc,garvey wants
 to talk over something with us4 ,he's  
sick and can't get out4 ,we'd both go to
 the 'nine o'clock' and that will miss  
the sermon1 too4  ,mr4 ,o',brien nodded 
his head complacently4 ,they had reached

 the front of the church1 and whom      
should they meet but ,father ,collins   
hurrying out from the vestry on his way 
to the rectory across the street4  ,good
 morning1 ,father1 cried the children in
 chorus1 just as they did when one of   
the priests visited their room in the   
parochial school4 ,the two men touched  
their hats in greeting4 ,father ,collins
 returned the salute4 ,he crossed the   
street quickly and ran up stairs to his 
own room in the rectory1 but did not    
notice that ,o',brien and the doctor    
went past the church4  ,be it known that
 ,father ,collins was the third         
assistant4 ,he had been ordained one    
year4 ,the first assistant1 who was     
still fasting1 with the obligation of   
singing ,high ,mass upon him1 was       
installed in ,father ,collins' favorite 
chair1 when the owner of it entered4    
,come in1 come in1 ,collins1 come in to 
your own house1 the first assistant     
called4 ,come in1 man1 and be at home4  
,i couldn't sleep1 so ,i had to get up  

and wait around1 hungry enough2 but1 he 
had caught the expression on his        
friend's face1 what is the matter8  ,oh1
 nothing much1 nothing much1 replied    
,father ,collins1 only ,i see the whole 
parish is turning out to-day for the    
eight o'clock ,mass4 ,the ,o',briens and
 ,doctor ,reilly have just gone in4 ,you
 know1 they always go to ,high ,mass4   
,which1 remarked ,father ,grady1 is no  
compliment either to my singing1 or your
 ,eminence's preaching1 or to both4     
,oh1 your singing is all right1 assured 
,father ,collins4  ,well1 said ,father  
,grady1 ,i accept the correction4 ,i am 
a modest man1 but ,i must acknowledge   
that ,i can sing--at least1 relatively  
speaking1 for ,i haven't very much to   
compete against4 ,however1 if it is not 
my singing1 then it must be your        
preaching4  ,it is1 it is1 answered his 
friend1 with just a touch of shakiness  
in his voice4 ,look here ,grady1 you    
know ,i made a good course in the       
,seminary4 ,you know ,i am not an       

ignoramus and you know that ,i work     
hard4 ,i prepare every sermon and write 
it out2 when the manuscript is finished 
,i know it by heart4 ,now1 here is the  
sermon for to-day4 ,look at it and if   
you love me1 read it4 ,tell me what is  
wrong with it4  ,father ,grady took the 
papers and began to look them over1     
while ,father ,collins picked up a book 
and pretended to be interested in it4   
,in truth1 he was glancing at his       
companion very anxiously over the top1  
until the manuscript had been laid down4
  ,my dear ,collins1 you are right1 said
 ,father ,grady4 ,it is a good sermon4  
,i wish ,i could write one half as good4
 ,there is absolutely nothing wrong with
 it4  ,but1 urged ,father ,collins1 ,i  
shall spoil it4  ,well1 said his friend1
 candor compels me to acknowledge that  
you probably shall4 ,i don't know why4  
,can't you raise your voice8 ,can't you 
have courage8 ,the people won't bite    
you4 ,you can talk well enough to the   
school children4 ,you can talk well     

enough to me4 ,why can't you stand up   
and be natural8 ,just be yourself and   
talk to them as you talk to us4 ,that is
 the whole secret4  ,it is my           
nervousness1 ,grady1 said ,father       
,collins4 ,i am afraid the minute ,i    
enter the church to preach4 ,when ,i    
open my mouth1 ,i lose my voice out of  
fear4 ,that is what it is--fear4 ,i am  
simply an arrant coward4 ,i tell you1   
,grady1 ,i hate myself for it4  ,now1   
look here1 said his companion earnestly1
 you are not a coward4 ,you can preach4 
,it is in you1 and it will come out1    
yet4 ,i call this sermon nothing short  
of a masterpiece4 ,if you can not brace 
up now1 the occasion will come to loosen
 your tongue4 ,it surely will4  ,this is
 the worst day ,i have had1 groaned poor
 ,father ,collins4 ,i am shaking like a 
leaf1 already4 ,look here1 ,grady1 do me
 a favor just this once4 ,you preach so 
easily4 ,you can get up a sermon in half
 an hour4 ,you have nothing to do until 
half past ten4 ,now1 let me go out and  

make the announcements and read the     
,gospel at the nine o'clock ,mass4 ,most
 of the children will be there and ,i   
can say a few words to them4 ,you preach
 at ,high ,mass4  ,well1 ,i ought not to
 do it1 said ,father ,grady1            
thoughtfully1 for if ,i do such things1 
it may spoil you4 ,you ought not to give
 way1 but--you are white as a sheet1    
man4 ,well1 ,i am going to do it this   
time1 so ,i had better look over        
something4  ,father ,collins was        
overjoyed4 ,he could not help it4 ,he   
went to the church to prepare for the   
,mass and prompt to the minute he was in
 the sanctuary4  ,the ,mass had         
proceeded as far as the end of the first
 ,gospel1 when the ,sacristan came to   
the priest's side and whispered a       
message4 ,he was plainly excited1 and   
trying hard to conceal it from the      
congregation4 ,father ,collins leaned   
over to hear what he had to say4  ,keep 
your head1 ,father4 ,there is a fire in 
the church basement now1 right under    

your feet4 ,the firemen are working on  
it1 but can't put it out4 ,we have      
stopped people from coming in to        
stampede the others4 ,the galleries are 
filled with the children1 and we have to
 get them out1 first4 ,if there is a    
rush the children will be killed at the 
bottom of the gallery stairs1 where they
 meet the people from the body of the   
church out in that vestibule4 ,the chief
 sent me to you to tell you to go on    
preaching and hold the grown folks down 
stairs for ten minutes4 ,the firemen    
will get the little ones out without    
noise or fuss1 if you can keep the      
attention of the people4 ,i'll whisper  
'all right' to you when they are gone4  
,then you tell the rest to file out     
quietly4 ,it is the only chance you have
 to save those children in this         
ramshackle old building1 so you preach  
for all you are worth and don't let the 
people look up at the galleries4 ,there 
will be hundreds of little ones owe     
their lives to you1 ,father1 if you can 

hold the fort4  ,the ,sacristan left    
and1 with a gasp of horror1 the priest  
thought of the galleries emptying into  
the little vestibule and meeting a rush 
of the people from the church4  ,father 
,collins took off his chasuble and      
maniple and placed them upon the altar4 
,he wondered at his own coolness4 ,he   
advanced to the front of the altar      
platform1 opening his book2 but he      
closed it again coolly4 ,then1 in a     
clear voice1 that reached every corner  
of the building1 which he could not     
believe was his own1 he began4  ,on     
second thought1 my friends1 he said1 ,i 
will not read the ,epistle or the       
,gospel to-day4 ,i have a few words to  
say to you1 though a sermon is not      
expected at this ,mass4  ,in a front pew
 ,doctor ,reilly and ,mr4 ,o',brien     
groaned softly4 ,they had been caught by
 the dreaded sermon4  ,father ,collins  
announced his text4 ,the congregation   
was surprised that it was to have a     
sermon instead of the usual reading1 but

 it was more surprised at the change in 
,father ,collins2 so much1 indeed1 that 
it was almost breathless4 ,the priest   
glanced up at the gallery1 quickly1 and 
saw that the children had begun to leave
 the rear pews4 ,he had ten minutes to  
fill in4 ,the people below could see    
only the front rows of the gallery1     
which in this church1 built in the old  
style1 ran on three sides4 ,so ,father  
,collins preached4 ,it was the sermon he
 had prepared for the ,high ,mass1 but  
which he could not deliver4 ,the beauty 
of it had been plain to ,father ,grady  
when he read it2 but it was plainer to  
the enraptured congregation which sat   
listening to every syllable4 ,neither   
the ,doctor nor ,mr4 ,o',brien attempted
 to sleep4 ,in fact there were no       
sleepers at all1 for upright in the pews
 sat every man and woman1 hanging on the
 preacher's words4  ,in the midst of his
 discourse ,father ,collins detected the
 smell of smoke and thought that all was
 lost4 ,but he made another effort4 ,his

 voice rose higher and his words        
thundered over the heads of the         
astonished people1 who were so rapt that
 they could not even ask themselves what
 had wrought the miracle4 ,if they      
smelled the smoke1 they gave no sign1   
for a born orator1 who had found        
himself1 held them in the grip of his   
eloquence4 ,father ,collins took another
 glance at the gallery4 ,the front row  
would go in a moment4 ,above all1 the   
people must not be distracted now4      
,something must be done to hold their   
attention when the noise of the moving  
of that front row would fall upon their 
ears4 ,in two minutes all would be well4
 ,that two minutes were the greatest of 
the priest's life4 ,into them centered  
every bit of intensity1 earnestness and 
enthusiasm he possessed4 ,he rapidly    
skipped part of his sermon and came to  
the burst of appeal1 with which he was  
to close4 ,the people could see him     
tremble in every limb4 ,his face was as 
white as his surplice4 ,his eyes were   

wide open and shining as if he were     
deeply moved by his own pleadings4 ,he  
quickly descended the steps of the altar
 and advanced to the railing4 ,the      
congregation did not dare to take its   
eyes away from him4 ,the noise of the   
departing children fell upon unheeding  
ears4 ,the intensity of the man had been
 transferred to his listeners4 ,a       
whispered 'all right' reached the priest
 from the lips of the ,sacristan behind1
 and ,father ,collins stopped4 ,his     
voice dropped back to the tone with     
which he began his discourse4 ,it was a 
soft1 musical voice1 that people till   
now did not know he possessed4  ,my     
friends1 he said1 keep your seats for a 
moment4 ,those in the front pews will go
 out quietly now4 ,let one pew empty at 
a time4 ,do not crowd4 ,there is no     
danger1 at present1 but a fire has      
broken out below1 and we want to take   
every precaution for safety4  ,stop1 he 
thundered1 and his voice went up again4 
,you1 who are leaving from the center of

 the church1 remain in your seats4 ,do  
not start a rush4 ,do not worry about   
the children1 they are all out4 ,look at
 the galleries4 ,they are empty4 ,the   
children were cool4 ,do not let the     
little ones shame you4 ,now1 give the   
old and feeble a chance4  ,with voice   
and gesture1 he directed the movement of
 the people1 and then1 the church       
emptied1 he looked toward the vestry    
door4 ,the ,sacristan was there4        
,hurry1 ,father1 he called1 tearing off 
his cassock4 ,the floor here may give   
way any moment4 ,father ,grady has the  
,blessed ,sacrament4 ,hurry6  ,they were
 out before the floor fell and the      
flames burst into the big church1 which1
 poor old relic of the days of wood1    
went down into the ashes of destruction4
  ,mr4 ,o',brien of #cb ,chestnut street
 walked home with ,dr4 ,reilly1 but     
neither of them had much to say4 ,both  
paused at the corner where their ways   
parted4  ,then ,mr4 ,o',brien spoke3    
,what did you think of the sermon1 ,doc8

  ,i think1 said the doctor1            
deliberately1 that though it cost us the
 price of a new church1 'twas well worth
 it4     ,,the ,,yankee ,,tramp   ,they 
were old cronies1 ,m4 le ,cure de ,st4  
,eustace and ,m4 le ,cure de ,ste4      
,agatha1 though the priestly calling    
seemed all they had in common4 ,the     
first was small of stature1 thin of     
face1 looking like a medival1 though he 
was a modern1 saint2 the other tall1    
well filled out like an epicure1 yet not
 even ,bonhomme ,careau1 the nearest    
approach to a scoffer in the two        
parishes1 ever went so far as to call   
the ,cure of ,ste4 ,agatha by such an   
undeserved name1 since the good1 fat    
priest had the glaring fault of         
stinginess which all the country knew   
but never mentioned4 ,they loved him too
 much to mention his faults4 ,he was    
good to the sick and faithful to their  
interests1 though--,il etait fort tendu1
 lui1 mais bien gentil1 tout de meme4   
,besides1 the ,cure of ,st4 ,eustace was

 too generous4 ,every beggar got a meal 
from him and some of them money1 till he
 spoiled the whole tribe of them and    
they became so bold--well there was     
serious talk of protesting to the ,cure 
of ,st4 ,eustace about his charities4   
,the garden of ,st4 ,eustace was the    
pleasantest place on earth for both the 
cronies after ,vespers had been sung in 
their parishes on ,sunday afternoons1   
and the three miles covered from the    
,presbytery of ,ste4 ,agatha to the     
,presbytery of ,st4 ,eustace4 ,on a fine
 day it was delightful to sit under the 
great trees and see the flowers and chat
 and smoke1 with just the faint smell of
 the evening meal stealing out of       
,margot's kingdom4 ,it was a standing   
rule that this meal was to be taken     
together on ,sunday and the visit       
prolonged far into the night--until old 
,pierre came with the worn-looking buggy
 and carried his master off about       
half-past ten4 ,grand ,dieu4 ,quelle    
dissipation6 ,only on this night did    

either one stay up after nine4  ,what   
experiences were told these ,sunday     
nights6 ,big and authoritative were the 
words of ,m4 le ,cure de ,ste4 ,agatha4 
,stern and unbending were his comments  
and the accounts of his week's doings4  
,and his friend's8 ,bien1 they were not 
much1 but they made him a little        
pleasure to narrate--what he would tell 
of them4  ,this night they were talking 
of beggars1 a new phase of the old      
question4 ,they had only beggars in     
,quebec1 mild old fellows mostly4 ,a few
 pennies would suffice for them1 and    
when they got old there were always the 
good ,sisters of the ,poor to care for  
them4 ,there were no tramps4  ,this     
fellow was different1 mon ami1 the ,cure
 de ,st4 ,eustace was saying1 he would  
almost bother you yourself with all your
 experience4 ,he came from over the     
line--from the ,states1 and he had a    
remarkable story4  ,bien oui1 they all  
have1 broke in his friend1 but ,i send  
them to ,marie and she feeds            

them--nothing more4 ,they can not trap  
me with any of their foolish tales4 ,it 
is not charity to give to them4 ,i am   
hard of heart about such things1 and    
very sensible4  ,well1 ,i will tell you 
about him4 ,it will pass the time till  
dinner4 ,i found the man seated on the  
gallery in front4 ,he spoke only        
,english4 ,when ,i came up he arose and 
took off his cap1 very politely for a   
,yankee too4 ,but1 ,god forgive me1 ,i  
had no right to say that1 for the       
,yankees are as the bon ,dieu made them 
and they are too busy to be polite4     
',you are the priest8' he asked me4     
',yes1 ,monsieur1 ,i am4'  ',you speak  
,english8'  ',enough to understand4     
,what is it8'  ',i am not a tramp1      
,father1'--he looked very weary and     
sad--'and it is not money2 though ,i am 
very hungry4 ,you will give me          
something8 ,thanks1 but ,i want you to  
hear my story first4 ,yes1 you can      
help--very much4'  ,i gave him a seat   
and he dropped into it4  ',father1 do   

not be shocked if ,i tell you that ,i am
 just out of prison4 ,i was discharged  
yesterday in ,new ,york and ,i lost no  
time in coming here4 ,this is not my    
first visit4 ,i was here ten years ago  
with my chum4 ,we were burglars and we  
were running away after a big operation 
in ,new ,york4 ,we had stolen #h1jjj in 
money and valuables1 and we had it all  
with us4 ,we wanted to rest here in this
 quiet village till the storm would blow
 over4 ,among the valuables was a       
strange ring4 ,i had never seen anything
 like it and my chum wanted it for      
himself1 but we were afraid and took it 
to one of your jewelers--right down the 
street to the left--,nadeau was his     
name--to have it altered a little and   
made safe to wear4 ,that little jeweler 
suspected us4 ,i saw it at once and we  
were alarmed4 ,he informed the constable
 of the ring matter4 ,we were watched   
and then we saw that it would be better 
to go4 ,we feared that the ,new ,york   
police would learn of us1 so we took the

 stuff out three miles in the country   
one dark night and buried it4 ,i know   
the spot1 for it is near the old school 
where the road turns for ,sherbrooke4   
,then we went ,west1 to ,michigan4 ,we  
broke into a store there and we were    
arrested1 but ,new ,york heard of the   
capture and the ,michigan authorities   
gave us up4 ,we were tried and a lawyer 
defended us by the ,judge's order4 ,he  
got us off with ten years in ,sing      
,sing4 ,i have been there till          
yesterday1 as ,i told you4 ,my chum8    
,well1 that brings me to it4 ,pardon me4
 ,i did not intend to break down4 ,he is
 dead4 ,he died well4 ,a priest         
converted him1 and my chum repented of  
his life and begged me to change mine   
when ,i got out4 ,i am going to do it1  
,father4 ,i am1 so help me ,god4 ,i'll  
never forget his death4 ,he called me   
and said3 ',bunky1 that loot is worrying
 me4 ,the priest says that it must be   
returned if the owner or his heirs can  
be found4 ,if they can not it must be   

spent in works of charity4 ,promise me  
that you will go to ,st4 ,eustace and   
get it1 ,bunky1 and give it back4       
,promise6'  ,then he broke down1 mon    
ami1 and ,i fear that ,i cried just a   
little too4 ,it was sad1 for he was a   
great strong man4  ,when he could1 he   
looked up and continued3 ',well1        
,father1 ,i am here to do it4 ,i want   
your help4 ,may ,i have it8'  ,i told   
him ,i would do what ,i could4 ,he      
wanted me to take the money and give it 
to the owner4 ,he would tell me his     
name4 ,i was glad to aid the poor man   
who was so repentant4  ',all ,i want is 
a pick and shovel and a reliable man to 
go with me to-night4 ,i can find the    
place1' he said4  ,i offered to send the
 sexton with him and let him have the   
pick and shovel from the cemetery4 ,i   
gave him food and thanked ,god as ,i    
watched him eat1 that grace was working 
in his heart again4  ',i will wait for  
the man at seven to-night1 ,father1' he 
said when he was leaving4 ',let him meet

 me with the horse and buggy just       
outside of the town4 ,if there is danger
 ,i will not see him1 and he can return4
 ,i will take the pick and shovel now1  
and bring the stuff to you in a valise  
by #aj o'clock4 ,wait up for me4'  ,he  
left and the sexton went to the road at 
seven1 but did not see him4 ,at #aj     
o'clock ,i heard him coming4 ,it was    
very dark and he knocked sharply and    
quickly1 as if afraid4 ,i opened the    
door and he thrust a valise into my     
hand4 ,it was heavy4  ',here it is1     
,father4 ,keep it till morning when ,i  
will bring the key4 ,the valise is      
locked4 ,give me something that ,i may  
buy a night's lodging and ,i will come  
back at seven4'  ,i gave him the first  
note in my purse and he hurried away4   
,now ,i fear1 mon ami1 that ,i never    
quite overcame my childish curiosity1   
for ,i felt a burning desire to see all 
that treasure1 especially the strange   
ring4 ,i must root out that fault before
 ,i die or my purgatory will be long4 ,i

 went to the kitchen where ,i had a good
 chisel1 and ,i am sorry to confess that
 ,i opened the valise just a very little
 to see the heap of precious things4    
,there was an old cigar-box and         
something heavy rolled in cotton4 ,i    
thrust the chisel down till ,i opened   
the box4 ,there was no treasure in it at
 all1 but just a lot of iron-shavings4  
,i felt that ,i had been fooled and ,i  
broke the valise open4 ,the heavy stuff 
rolled in the cotton was only a lot of  
old coupling-pins from the railroad4 ,i 
was disgusted with this sinner1 this    
thief4 ,but it was droll--it was        
droll--and ,i could scarcely sleep with 
laughing at the whole farce4 ,i know    
that was sinful4 ,i should have cried4  
,but he was clever1 that ,yankee tramp4 
,illustration3 ,mon ,dieu6 ,it was mine4
  ,and the valise8 ,what did you do with
 it8 asked the hard-hearted ,cure of    
,ste4 ,agatha1 who must have felt sorry 
that the friend could be so easily      
duped4 ,what did you do with the valise8

  ,i let it go4 ,i knew that he had left
 it with me and ,i couldn't understand  
why4 ,it was so good--almost new4 ,i    
felt that the sight of it would make me 
hard to the poor who really were        
deserving4 ,i wanted to forget how      
foolish ,i was1 so ,i gave it to the    
good ,sisters at the ,hospital1 to use  
when they must travel to ,sherbrooke4   
,the ,cure of ,ste4 ,agatha was         
agitated4 ,he plainly wanted to speak   
but choked back twice4 ,then he rose and
 looked at his friend with a face as red
 as fire1 and started toward the gate4  
,he took two steps1 came back1 and spoke
 rapidly4 ,do you think the ,sisters    
will bring it back1 the valise8 ,mon    
,dieu6 ,it was mine4  ,ten miles from   
,st4 ,eustace and thirteen miles from   
,ste4 ,agatha a ,yankee tramp was       
hurrying toward the parish of ,ste4     
,catherine4 ,he had the money for one   
pick and one shovel in his pocket       
keeping company with one note from the  
purse of the generous ,cure of ,st4     

,eustace and one of a much larger       
denomination1 from the wise but         
hard-hearted ,cure of ,ste4 ,agatha1 who
 never gave to tramps4  ,and this is the
 lesson of the story as the ,cure of    
,st4 ,eustace saw it3 that some gloomy  
and worried millionaires are lost to the
 ,states1 to make a few irresponsible   
but happy rascals who live by their     
wits1 and whose sins even are amusing4  
,one must not blame them overmuch4  ,as 
to the ,cure of ,ste4 ,agatha4 ,he has  
no opinions on the matter at all1 for   
the ,sisters gave him back his new      
valise4     ,,how ,,father ,,tom        
,,connolly ,,began ,,to ,,be ,a ,,saint 
,if you knew ,father ,tom ,connolly1 you
 would like him1 because--well1 just    
because ,father ,tom ,connolly was one  
of the kind whom everybody liked4 ,he   
had curly black hair1 over an open and  
smiling face2 he was big1 but not too   
big1 and he looked the priest1 the      
soggarth aroon kind1 you know1 so that  
you just felt that if you ever did get  

into difficulties1 ,father ,tom         
,connolly would be the first man for you
 to talk it all over with4 ,but ,father 
,tom had a large parish1 in a good-sized
 country town1 to look after2 and so1   
while you thought that you might        
monopolize all of his sympathy in your  
bit of possible trouble1 he had hundreds
 whose troubles had already             
materialized1 and was waiting for yours 
with a wealth of experience which would 
only make his smile deeper and his grasp
 heartier when the task of consoling you
 came to his door and heart4  ,now1     
there lived in the same town as ,father 
,tom another priest of quite a different
 make4 ,he1 too1 had a ,christian name4 
,it was ,peter2 but no one ever called  
him ,father ,peter4 ,every one addressed
 him as ,father ,ilwin4 ,somehow this   
designation alone fitted him4 ,it was   
not that this other priest was          
unkind--not at all--but it was just that
 in ,father ,tom's town he did not quite
 fit4  ,father ,ilwin had been sent by  

the ,bishop to build a new church1 and  
that on a slice of ,father ,tom's       
territory1 which the ,bishop lopped off 
to form a new parish4 ,father ,ilwin was
 young4 ,he had no rich brogue on his   
tongue to charm you into looking at his 
coat in expectation of seeing his big   
heart burst out to welcome you4 ,he was 
thoughtful-looking and shy1 so he did   
not get on well and his new church      
building grew very slowly4  ,i have     
given you the characters of my little   
story1 but1 for the life of me1 ,i can  
not tell you which one is to be the hero
 and which the villain--but1 let that   
go1 for ,i am sure of one thing at      
least3 this story has no villain4 ,but  
it followed just as naturally as day    
follows night--for which figure of      
speech1 my thanks to ,mr4               
,shakespeare--that when ,father ,ilwin  
failed to do well1 he grew gloomy and   
sad2 and just as naturally--,god help   
us--there was enough of human nature in 
,father ,tom to say1 ,i told you so to  

himself1 and to have him pity ,father   
,ilwin to others in that superior sort  
of way that cuts and stings more than a 
whip of scorpions4 ,then1 when ,father  
,tom spoke to some of his people of     
,father ,ilwin's poor success and said1 
,he meant well1 good lad1 they all      
praised the soft1 kind heart of ,father 
,tom2 but when ,father ,ilwin heard of  
this great kindness he just shut his    
lips tightly1 and all the blood was     
chased from his set face to grip his    
heart in a spell of resentment4 ,why8   
,oh1 human nature1 you know6 and human  
nature explains a lot of things which   
even story-writers have to give up4 ,of 
course1 people did say that ,father     
,ilwin was ungracious and               
unappreciative2 yet1 as ,i write1 much  
as ,i like ,father ,tom1 ,i have a tear 
in my eye for the lonely man who knew   
well that the only obstacle to his      
success was the one that people never   
could see1 and that the obstacle himself
 was never likely to see4  ,but let us  

go on4 ,of all the things in this world 
that ,father ,tom believed in1 it was   
that his parish rights were first and   
foremost4 ,so he never touched foot in  
his neighbor's parish1 except to pay him
 a friendly visit1 or to go to his      
righteous confession4 ,he visited no    
homes out of his territory1 though he   
had baptized pretty nearly every little 
curly-headed fairy in each4 ,they were  
his no longer and that was enough4 ,he  
wanted no visitor in his limits either1 
except on the same terms4 ,so no one in 
,father ,tom's parish had helped much in
 building the church across the river4  
,the people understood4  ,it had never  
occurred to ,father ,tom that his own   
purse--not too large1 but large         
enough--might stand a neighborly        
assessment4 ,no1 he had built his church
 by hard scraping1 and that is how      
churches should be built4 ,now1 do not  
get a bad opinion of ,father ,tom on    
this account4 ,he thought he was right1 
and perhaps he was4 ,it is not for me to

 criticize ,father ,tom1 whom every poor
 person in the town loved as a father2  
only ,i did feel sorry that poor ,father
 ,ilwin grew so thin and worn1 and that 
his building work was stopped1 and      
people did not seem to sympathize with  
him1 at all1 at all4 ,over in his parish
 there were open murmurs that the people
 had built one church and should not be 
asked now to build another2 or what was 
good enough for ,father ,tom was good   
enough for anyone2 or the ,bishop should
 have consulted us before he sent this  
young priest into ,father ,tom's parish4
 ,in the other part of the town1        
however1 everything was quiet enough1   
and none would think of offending his   
pastor by showing any interest in       
,father ,ilwin1 financially or          
otherwise4 ,father ,ilwin said nothing2 
but do you wonder that one day when a   
generous gift was announced from the    
,rev4 ,thomas ,connolly1 our respected  
fellow citizen1 to help in the erection 
of a ,soldier's ,monument for the town1 

,father ,ilwin read it and went back    
into his room1 where1 on the table1 were
 laid out the plans of his poor little  
church1 and cried like a baby8          
,illustration3 ,father ,ilwin read it   
and went back into his room1 where on   
the table were laid out the plans of his
 poor little church1 and cried like a   
baby4  ,it happened that ,father ,tom   
rarely ever left his parish1 which was  
again much to his credit with the       
people4 ,sure1 he never takes a vacation
 at all1 they said4 ,but at last a call 
came that he could not refuse1 and1     
having carefully made his plans to      
secure a monk from a monastery quite far
 away to take his place over ,sunday1 he
 left to see a sick brother from whom he
 had seldom heard1 and who lived far in 
the ,southwest4 ,perhaps it was         
significant1 perhaps not--,i do not     
know1 and ,i do not judge--that ,father 
,tom was particular to say in his letter
 to the monastery that1 as the weather  
is warm1 the father who comes to take my

 place need only say a ,low ,mass and   
may omit the usual sermon4 ,it was known
 that ,father ,tom did not care for     
preachers from outside4 ,he could preach
 a little himself1 and he knew it4  ,it 
was a long and tiresome journey to the  
bedside of ,father ,tom's dying brother1
 so when the big1 good-natured priest   
stepped off the train at ,charton       
station in ,texas1 he was worn out and  
weary4 ,but he soon had to forget both4 
,a dapper young man was waiting for him 
in a buggy4 ,the young lad had a white  
necktie and wore a long coat of clerical
 cut4 ,father ,tom passed the buggy1 but
 was called back by its occupant4  ,are 
you not the ,reverend ,thomas ,connolly8
  ,i am1 said the priest in surprise4   
,then father is waiting for you4 ,i am  
your nephew4 ,get in with me4  ,father  
,tom forgot his weariness in his        
stupefaction4  ,you--you are a          
clergyman8 he stammered4  ,oh1 yes6     
,baptist pastor over in the next        
village4 ,father was always a ,romanist1

 but the rest of us1 but one1 are       
,christians4  ,if you could only have   
seen ,father ,tom's face4 ,no more was  
said2 no more was needed4 ,in a few     
minutes the buggy stopped before the    
,connolly farm home and ,father ,tom was
 with his brother4 ,he lost no time4    
,patrick1 said he1 is that young        
,baptist minister your son8  ,yes1 ,tom1
 he is4  ,good ,lord6 ,thank ,him that  
mother died before she knew4 ',twill be 
no warm welcome she'll be giving ye on  
the other side4  ,perhaps not1 ,tom4    
,i've thought little of these things1   
except as to how ,i might forget them1  
till now4 ,somehow1 it doesn't seem     
quite right4 ,but ,i did the best ,i    
could4 ,i have one of the children to   
show her4  ,how did one stay8  ,she     
didn't stay4 ,she came back to the      
,faith4 ,she was converted by a priest  
who was down here for his health and who
 was stationed in this town for about a 
year4 ,he went back ,north when he got  
better4 ,i would not have sent even for 

you1 ,tom1 only she made me4  ,father   
,tom felt something grip his heart and  
he did not speak for a long minute4     
,then he took his brother's hand and    
said in his old boy language3 ,paddy1   
lad1 tell me all about it--how you fell 
away4 ,maybe there was something of an  
excuse for it4  ,i thought there was1   
said the dying man1 but now all seems   
different4 ,when ,i came here first1 ,i 
was one of the few ,catholic settlers1  
and ,i was true to my religion4 ,i saw  
the other churches built1 but never went
 into them1 though they tried hard      
enough to get me1 ,god knows4 ,but ,i   
was fool enough to let a pretty face    
catch me4 ,it was a priest from ,houston
 who married us4 ,she never interfered2 
and later a few more ,catholics came4   
,the children were all baptized and we  
got together to build a church4 ,i gave 
the ground and all ,i had in the        
bank--one hundred and fifty dollars4 ,we
 were only a few1 but we got a thousand 
dollars in all4 ,we could get no more1  

and money was bringing twelve per cent1 
so we couldn't borrow4 ,we had to give  
it all back and wait4 ,without church or
 priest1 the children went to the       
,sunday-schools and--,i lost them4      
,then1 ,i1 somehow1 seemed to drift     
until this priest came for his health4  
,he got us few ,catholics together and  
converted my best--my baby              
girl--,kathleen4 ,she was named after   
mother1 ,tom4 ,we could only raise eight
 hundred dollars this time1 but the     
priest said3 ',i'll go to my neighbors  
and ask help4' ,so he went over to      
,father ,pastor and ,father ,lyons1 but 
they refused to help at all4 ,they have 
rich parishes1 whose people would be    
glad to give something2 but the priests 
said1 ',no4' ,they thought helping was a
 mistake4 ,it hurt our priest1 for he   
could do nothing on eight hundred       
dollars4 ,we needed only another five   
hundred4 ,but that ended the struggle4  
,i say my beads and wait alone4 ,murphy 
and ,sullivan went away4 ,keane died4   

,his family are all 'fallen away4' ,my  
boy went to a college his mother        
liked--and you saw him4 ,the            
others--except ,kathleen--are all       
,baptists4 ,i suppose ,i have a heavy   
load to bear before the judgment seat1  
but ,tom--,tom1 you don't know the      
struggle it cost1 and the pain of losing
 was greater than the pain of the fight4
  ,a beautiful girl came into the room4 
,the sick man reached out his hand which
 she took as she sat beside him4  ,this 
is ,kathleen1 ,tom4 ,he's your uncle and
 a priest1 my darling4 ,she sits by me  
this way1 ,tom1 and we say our beads    
together4 ,i know it won't be long now1 
dearie1 'till you can go with your uncle
 where there is a church and a chance to
 profit by it4  ,father ,tom closed his 
brother's eyes two days later4  ,he left
 with ,kathleen when the funeral was    
over4 ,his nephew accompanied them to   
the train and said with unction3        
,good-bye1 brother1 ,i shall pray for   
you1 and ,father ,tom groaned down to   

his heart of hearts4  ,father ,ilwin was
 at the train when ,father ,tom and his 
niece arrived home1 though quite by     
accident4 ,kathleen's eyes danced when  
she saw him and she rushed to shake     
hands4 ,father ,tom said3  ,sure1 ,i had
 no idea that you knew one another4     
,yes1 indeed1 we do1 cried the child4   
,why1 uncle1 it was ,father ,peter who  
converted me4  ,father ,tom heard1 but  
did not say a word4  ,it was only three 
days later when ,father ,tom stood in   
the miserable little room that ,father  
,ilwin called his library4 ,on the table
 still reposed the plans of the new     
church1 but no sound of hammer was heard
 outside4 ,father ,tom had little to    
say1 but it was to the point4 ,he had   
profited by his three days at home to   
think things out4 ,he had arrived at his
 conclusions1 and they were remarkably  
practical ones4  ,ilwin1 me lad1 ,i     
don't think ,i've treated ye just as a  
priest and ,christian should--but ,i    
thought ,i was right4 ,i know now that  

,i wasn't4 ,ilwin1 we can build that    
church and we will4 ,here are a thousand
 dollars as a start to show that ,i mean
 it4 ,there'll be a collection for you  
in ,st4 ,patrick's next ,sunday4 ,after 
that ,i intind going about with ye4 ,i  
think ,i know where we can get some     
more4  ,then and there ,father ,tom     
,connolly began to be a ,saint4         
,,the ,,unbroken ,,seal   ,the priest   
ran right into a mob of strikers as he  
turned the corner of the road leading   
from the bridge over the shallow1       
refuse-filled ,mud ,run1 and touched    
foot to the one filthy1 slimy street of 
the town4 ,he was coming from the camp  
of the militia1 where he had been called
 to administer the last ,sacraments to a
 lieutenant1 whom the strikers had shot 
down the night before4  ,slevski was    
haranguing the mob and his eye caught   
that of the priest while he was in the  
midst of an impassioned period1 but a   
look of hate alone showed that he had   
seen him4 ,only a few of the people in  

the rear of the crowd noticed the       
priest's presence at all4 ,he was glad  
enough of that1 for suspicion was in the
 air and he knew it4 ,right in his way  
was ,calvalho1 who had been one of his  
trustees and his very best friend when  
he first came to the parish4 ,it looked 
now as if he had no longer a friend in  
all the mud-spattered1 bare and         
coal-grimed town4 ,calvalho returned his
 salute with a curt nod4 ,the priest    
caught a few words of ,slevski's burning
 appeal to hatred and walked faster1    
with that peculiar nervous feeling of   
danger behind him4 ,he quickened his    
steps even more for it4                 
,company--oppressors of the             
poor--traitors2 even these few words1   
which followed him1 gave the priest the 
gist of the whole tirade4  ,the women   
were in the crowd or hanging about the  
edges of it4 ,a crash of glass behind   
him made the priest turn for an instant1
 and he saw that ,maria ,allish had     
flung a stone through the bank window4  

,she had a shawl quite filled with large
 stones4 ,with the crash came a cheer   
from the crowd around ,slevski1 who     
could see the bank from their position  
in front of the livery stable4  ,a      
soldier almost bumped into the priest1  
as he came running down the street1 gun 
in hand1 followed by half a dozen       
others4 ,one of them saluted4 ,bad      
business1 ,father1 he said4 ,will the   
lieutenant live8  ,i am afraid he will  
not1 answered the priest4  ,they will   
surely burn down the company's          
buildings1 said the soldier4 ,god6      
,there they go now4 ,and the soldier    
hurried on4  ,later the priest watched  
the red glow from his window4 ,it       
reminded him of blood1 and he shuddered4
  ,his old housekeeper called him to his
 frugal supper4  ,i can not go out much 
now1 he said to her4 ,i am a ,pole4     
,what could a ,pole do with these ,huns 
who have no sympathy with him1 or the   
,italians whose language he can not     
speak8  ,he wondered if he were a       

coward4 ,why should he discuss this with
 his servant8  ,slevski1 she said1 makes
 the people do what he wants4 ,he cursed
 me on the street this morning4  ,yes1  
said the priest1 he speaks in curses4   
,he has never tried to speak to ,god1 so
 he has never learned any other         
language2 and these men are his property
 now4  ,there will be no one at ,mass   
next ,sunday1 said the old housekeeper4 
,even the women won't come4 ,they think 
you are in league with the soldiers4    
,never mind1 ,judith1 said the priest1  
at heart they are good people1 and this 
will pass away4 ,the women fear ,god4   
,they fear ,god sometimes1 said ,judith1
 but now they fear ,slevski always4     
,the priest said nothing in reply4 ,he  
was here the patient ,church which could
 wait and does not grow old4  ,after his
 meal1 he again stood at the window to  
watch the red glow of the burning       
buildings4 ,he heard shots1 but he knew 
that it would be useless to interfere4  
,he waited for some one to come and call

 him to the dying2 for he feared people 
had been hurt1 else why the shots8  ,a  
knock sounded on the door4 ,he opened   
it1 and a woman entered4 ,the priest    
knew her well1 by sight1 and wondered1  
for she was ,slevski's wife4 ,she was   
not of these people by race1 nor of his 
own4 ,she was ,english-speaking and did 
not come to church4 ,slevski had married
 her three years before in ,pittsburgh4 
,she looked frightened as he waited for 
her to speak4  ,tell me1 she began very 
rapidly1 is it true that no single word 
of a confession may ever be revealed by 
the priest8  ,it is true1 he answered4  
,even if he were to die for it8 she     
urged4  ,even if he were to die4  ,the  
priest's eyes wore a puzzled expression1
 but she went on3  ,may he even not     
betray it by an action8  ,not even by an
 action4  ,even if he died for it8 ,her 
voice was full of anxiety4  ,even then4 
,i wish to confess1 she said4 ,may ,i do
 it1 here8 ,i will kneel afterward1 if  
necessary1 but ,i can tell it better    

here--and ,i must do it quickly4  ,it   
will take only a minute if we go to the 
church1 he answered4 ,it is irregular to
 hear your confession outside of the    
proper place1 unless in case of illness4
  ,then let us go1 she said1 and hurry4 
,they entered the church1 and she knelt 
on the penitent's side of the           
confessional4 ,later she told all that  
had happened4  ,what troubles you8 asked
 the priest4 ,have you been to          
confession of late8  ,three years ago1  
and she shuddered1 ,i was to confession4
 ,it was before ,i married him1 never   
since4 ,yes1 yes1 ,i ought to be known  
to you4 ,listen now1 for there isn't    
very much time4 ,he bent his head and   
said3 ,i am listening4  ,she went on    
without taking breath4 ,they are going  
to murder you4 ,i heard it1 for ,i was  
in the secret4 ,i consented to summon   
you1 but ,i could not4 ,they charged    
that you were in the company's pay and  
working against the men4 ,one of them   
will come to-night and ask you to go on 

a sick-call4 ,they intend to shoot you  
at the bridge over ,mud ,run4 ,i had to 
warn you to prepare4 ,i could not see   
you killed without--without a prayer4   
,it is too cruel4 ,do what you can for  
yourself4 ,that's all ,i can say4  ,it  
is very simple1 said the priest4 ,i need
 not go4  ,then they will know that ,i  
told you1 she answered breathlessly4    
,her eyes showed her fright4  ,you are  
right1 said the priest4 ,i fear that it 
would violate the ,seal if ,i refused to
 go4  ,yes1 she said1 and he would know 
at once that ,i had told1 and he--he    
suspects me already4 ,he may have       
followed me1 for ,i refused to call you4
 ,if he knows ,i am here he will be sure
 ,i confessed to you4 ,i am not ready to
 die--and he would kill me4  ,then do   
not trouble your mind about it any more4
 ,god will take care of me1 said the    
priest4 ,finish your confession4  ,in   
ten minutes she had left4 ,the priest   
was alone with himself1 and his duty4   
,through the open door of the church he 

saw ,slevski--and he knew that the woman
 had been followed4  ,he sat for a long 
time where he was1 staring straight     
ahead with wide open eyes1 the lashes of
 which never once stirred4 ,then he went
 back to the house and mechanically1    
almost1 picked up his breviary and      
finished his daily office4 ,he laid the 
book down on the arm of his chair1 went 
to his desk and wrote a few lines1      
sealed them in an envelope and left it  
addressed on the blotter4 ,he was       
outwardly calm1 but his face was gray as
 ashes4 ,his eyes fell upon the crucifix
 above his desk and he gave way in an   
instant1 dropping on his knees before   
it4 ,the prayer that came out of his    
white lips was hoarse and whispering3   
,oh1 ,crucified ,lord1 ,i can not1 ,i   
can not do it4 ,i am young4 ,have pity  
on me4 ,i am not strong enough to be so 
like ,you4  ,then he began to doubt if  
the ,seal would really be broken if he  
did not go4 ,perhaps ,slevski had not   
suspected his wife at all--but had the  

priest not seen him outside the church8 
,the sweat was over his face1 and he    
walked to the door to get a breath of   
air4 ,the priest knew there was no      
longer even a lingering doubt as to what
 he should do4 ,he went back to the     
church1 and1 before the altar1 awaited  
his call4  ,it was not long in coming4  
,the old housekeeper appeared in half an
 hour to summon him4  ,kendis is in the 
house4 ,he lives on the other side of   
the ,run4 ,it is for his wife1 who is   
sick1 that he comes4 ,she is dying4     
,the priest bowed and followed the old  
servant into the house1 but ,kendis had 
left4  ,the priest looked at his few    
books and lovingly touched some of his  
favorites4 ,his reading chair was near4 
,his eyes filled as he looked at it1    
with the familiar breviary on its wide  
arm4 ,the crucified ,christ gazed down  
from ,his cross at him and seemed to    
smile2 but the priest's eyes swam with  
tears1 and a great sob burst from him4  
,he opened the door1 but lingered on the

 threshold4 ,when he passed out on the  
street his walk was slow1 his lips      
moving1 as he went along with the step  
of a man very weary and bending beneath 
the weight of a ,great ,something4  ,the
 people did not know then that their one
 dark and muddy street was that night a 
,via ,dolorosa2 that along it a man who 
loved them dragged a heavy ,cross for   
their sake2 that it ended for him1 as   
had another sorrowful way ended for his 
,master1 in a cruel ,calvary4  ,slevski 
told the whole story before the trap of 
the gallows was sprung4     ,,mac ,,of  
,,the ,,island   ,when the ,boston ,boat
 drew near ,charlottetown ,i could see  
,mac waving me a welcome to the ,island 
from the very last inch of standing     
space upon the dock4 ,when ,i grasped   
his hard and muscular hand fifteen      
minutes later1 ,i knew that my old      
college chum had changed1 only          
outwardly4 ,true1 the stamp of ,prince  
,edward ,island1 which the natives call 
the ,island1 as if there were no other1 

was upon him2 but that stamp really made
 ,mac the man he was4 ,the bright red   
clay was over his rough boots4 ,could   
any clay be redder8 ,it1 with his       
homespun clothes1 made the ,greek       
scholar look like a typical farmer4  ,we
 had dinner somewhere in the town before
 we left for the farm4 ,it was a plain1 
honest dinner4 ,i enjoyed it4 ,of       
course1 there was meat2 but the mealy   
potatoes and the fresh cod--oh1 such    
potatoes and cod--were the best part of 
it4 ,i then and there began to like the 
,island for more reasons than because it
 had produced ,mac4  ,we drove out of   
town1 across the beautiful river and    
away into the country1 along red clay   
roads which were often lined with       
spruce1 and always with grass cropped   
down to a lawnlike shortness by the     
sheep and kept bright green by the      
moisture4  ,you must enjoy this         
immensely1 you old hermit1 ,i said to   
,mac1 as the buggy reached the top of a 
charming hill1 overlooking a picture in 

which the bright green fields1 the dark 
green spruce1 the blue sky and the bluer
 waters were blended4  ,yes1 ,i do1     
replied ,mac4 ,this is ,tea ,hill4 ,you 
know ,i think if ,i were in ,africa but 
wanted to write something about home1 ,i
 could close my eyes1 think of red and  
green slopes and blue waters and the    
smell of haymaking1 and have the        
atmosphere in an instant4 ,just look at 
that1 he pointed toward the water4 ,we  
call it ,pownal ,bay4 ,do you see how it
 winds in and out everywhere among the  
spruce and the fields4 ,then look off in
 the distance4 ,that is ,hillsboro ,bay4
 ,you passed through it this morning4   
,do you see the little islands out      
there8 ,one is called ,st4 ,peter's and 
the other is called ,governor's4 ,it is 
a funny thing1 but every man1 woman and 
child on the ,island knows them by name1
 yet ,i could wager a farm that not one 
in a thousand has ever set foot upon    
them4 ,but it is a grand scene1 isn't   
it1 ,bruce8  ,yes1 yes1 ,i replied4 ,it 

is a grand scene1 ,mac1 and-- ,but ,mac 
turned to salute a gentleman wearing a  
silk hat who was passing in a buggy4    
,good morning1 ,doctor1 he called4 ,the 
doctor bowed with what looked like      
gracious condescension4  ,mac turned to 
me again4 ,what were you saying1 ,bruce8
 ,oh1 yes1 that ,i must love it4 ,why1  
of course ,i do4 ,wasn't ,i born here8  
,by the way1 that chap who passed us is 
,franklin1 ,doctor ,franklin4 ,he is    
head of a college in ,charlottetown4    
,prince of ,wales they call it4 ,it is a
 very important part of ,island life4   
,but ,i do not think1 ,mac1 ,i          
suggested1 that he was quite as         
fraternal in his greeting as ,i might   
have expected him to be4  ,oh1 he does  
not know me1 except as a farmer1 said   
,mac quickly4 ,in fact1 nobody around   
here does4 ,you see1 ,bruce1 ,i am just 
plain ,alec ,mc,kinney1 who went to     
,boston when a young fellow--you know   
that ,boston1 ,bruce1 is another name   
for the whole ,united ,states1 on this  

,island--and who came back a fizzle and 
a failure to work his father's farm4    
,but say1 ,bruce1 and ,mac turned to me 
very quickly1 what brought you here1    
anyhow8 ,i wager there is a reason for  
the visit4 ,now1 own up4 ,he stopped the
 buggy right in the middle of the road  
and looked me in the face4 ,surely1 he  
went on1 you would not have thought of  
coming to the ,island just to gossip    
about old times4  ,well1 perhaps ,i     
would1 ,mac4 ,in fact1 ,i am glad ,i    
came1 ,i answered1 but you guess well1  
for this time ,i was sent4  ,mac        
interrupted me with a ring of joy in his
 voice3 ,you were sent8 ,good6 ,i am    
glad4 ,now1 out with it4  ,well1 ,i am  
glad if it pleases you1 ,mac1 for it    
looks as if ,i had a chance to get you4 
,get me8 ,mac grew grave again4  ,yes1  
the old place wants you--for ,greek1    
,mac4 ,we need you badly4 ,old ,chalmers
 is dead4 ,his place is vacant4 ,no one 
can fill it better than the best ,greek 
scholar the college ever produced4 ,mac1

 you must come1 and ,i must bring you   
home4 ,you know the old college is home 
for you4 ,you can't fool me1 ,mac4 ,you 
love it better even than this4 ,and ,i  
waved my hand toward the bay4  ,mac's   
face showed emotion4 ,i expected it     
would4 ,i had prepared for the          
interview1 and ,i knew ,mac4 ,i thought 
,i had won2 but he changed the          
conversation abruptly4  ,look over      
there1 ,bruce1 and he pointed with his  
whip toward the distance4 ,away off on  
the other side of the ,island is where  
,schurman of ,cornell was born4 ,there  
are lots of such men who come from      
around here4 ,down in that village is   
the birthplace of your ,secretary of the
 ,interior4 ,these people1 my people1   
worship ,god first and learning next4   
,they are prouder of producing such men 
than they are of the ,island itself1 and
 to use student language1 that is 'going
 some4'  ,yes1 ,i suppose you are right1
 ,mac1 ,i answered1 not quite seeing why
 he had thrown me off1 but they do not  

seem to know you4  ,no1 he answered     
quickly4 they do not1 and ,i do not want
 them to4 ,it would frighten them off4  
,it would require explanations4 ,what   
difference if ,i have six letters after 
my name8 ,to these people1 worshiping   
what ,i know rather than what ,i am1 ,i 
would not be ,alec any more4  ,but ,mac1
 you will come back now1 won't you6 ,the
 college wants you2 you mustn't refuse4 
,there was still more emotion in ,mac's 
voice1 when he answered3 ,bruce1 old    
man1 don't tempt me4 ,you can not know1 
and the faculty can not know4 ,you say  
,i ought to love all this and ,i do2 but
 not with the love ,i have for the old  
college1 though ,i was born here4 ,can  
you imagine that old ,roman general1    
whom they took away from his plow to    
lead an army1 refusing the offer but    
keeping the memory of it bright in his  
heart ever after8 ,that is my case now1 
old man4 ,there is nothing in this world
 ,i would rather have had than your     
message1 but ,i must refuse the offer4  

,now ,mac1 ,i urged1 be reasonable4     
,there is nothing here for you4 ,scenery
 won't make up4  ,don't ,i know it8 and 
,mac stopped the buggy again4 ,don't ,i 
know it8 ,but there is something bigger 
to me here than the love of the things  
,god made me to do--and he surely made  
me for ,greek1 ,bruce4 ,do not think ,i 
am foolish or headstrong1 ,i long for my
 work4 ,but ,bruce1 if you can not have 
two things that you love1 all you can do
 is to give up one and go on loving the 
other1 without having it4 ,that's my    
fix1 ,bruce4  ,yes1 ,mac1 but are you   
sure you realize what it means to you8  
,i began urging1 because ,i knew that ,i
 would soon have to play my trump card4 
,here you are1 a grayhead at            
thirty-five1 without a thing in life but
 that farm1 and you--heavens1 ,mac1     
don't you know that you are one of the  
greatest ,greek scholars in the world8  
,don't you think you owe the world      
something8 ,what are you giving8        
,nothing6 ,you have suppressed even the 

knowledge of what you are from the      
people around you4 ,you get a curt nod  
from the head of a little college4      
,these people call you ,alec1 when the  
whole world wants to call you ,master4  
,you are doing work that any farm hand  
could do1 when you ought to be doing    
work that no one can do as well as      
yourself4 ,is this a square deal for    
other people1 ,mac8 ,were you not given 
obligations as well as gifts8  ,yes1    
,bruce4 ,mac said it sadly4 ,there's the
 rub4 ,i was given obligations as well  
as gifts1 and ,i am taking you home with
 me now1 instead of threshing this out  
in the hotel at ,charlottetown1 because 
,i want you and you alone to realize    
that ,i am not just a stubborn          
,islander4 ,and there is home4  ,he     
pointed to a cottage in the field4 ,the 
cottage was back from the road nearly a 
quarter of a mile4 ,mac opened the gate1
 led the horse through it1 closed it    
again and climbed back into the buggy   
beside me4 ,there were tears in his     

brown eyes4  ,is every one well8 said   
,mac hesitatingly4 ,is everybody        
well--,i mean of the people ,i knew best
 back there8 he asked4 ,i knew what he  
meant4  ,yes1 ,mac1 she is well1 ,i     
said1 and ,i know she is waiting4  ,i   
had played my trump card1 but ,mac was  
silent4  ,the farm was typical of the   
,island4 ,the kitchen door opened       
directly on the farmyard1 and around it1
 at the moment1 were gathered turkeys1  
ducks1 geese and chickens4 ,mac brought 
me to a little gate in the flower-garden
 fence1 and1 passing through it1 we     
walked along the pathway before the     
house1 so that ,i could enter through   
the front door and be received in the   
front room4 ,island opposition to       
affectation or putting on1 as the people
 say1 forbade calling this front room a 
parlor4 ,no one would think of doing    
such a thing1 unless he was already well
 along the way to aristocracy4 ,one dare
 not violate the unwritten ,island law  
to keep natural and plain4  ,i noticed  

that when ,mac spoke to me he used the  
cultured accents of the old college2 but
 before others he spoke as the          
,islanders spoke--good ,english1 better 
,english than that of the farmers ,i    
knew1 but flat--the extremity of        
plainness4 ,i could not analyze that    
,island brogue4 ,it sounded like a      
mixture of ,irish and ,scotch1          
unpleasant only because unsoftened4 ,but
 you could scarcely call it brogue4 ,it 
struck me as a sort of protest against  
affectation2 as the ,islander's way of  
explaining1 without putting it in the   
sense of the words1 that he does not    
want to be taken at a false valuation4  
,the ,island brogue is a notice that the
 user of it meets you man to man4 ,so it
 reflected ,mac1 and it reflected his   
people1 unspoiled1 unvarnished1 true as 
steel1 full of rigid honesty2 but       
undemonstrative1 with the wells of      
affection hidden1 yet full to the top1  
of pure1 bright1 limpid water4  ,the    
front room had a hand-woven carpet on   

the floor1 made of a material called    
drugget4 ,a few old prints1 in glaring  
colors1 were on the walls4 ,there was a 
,sacred ,heart and an odd-looking       
picture of the dead ,christ resting in a
 tomb1 with an altar above and candles  
all around it4 ,it was a strange        
religious conceit4 ,on another wall was 
a coffin plate1 surrounded with waxed   
flowers and framed1 with a little       
photograph of a young man in the center 
of the flowers4 ,the chairs were plain  
enough1 but covered with a coarse       
hand-made lace4 ,it was not ,mac's kind 
of a room1 at all4 ,it made me shudder  
and wonder how the scholar who loved his
 old book-lined college den and knew the
 old masters1 could even live near to   
it4  ,mac came in very soon1 leading an 
old lady1 who walked with a cane4 ,she  
was bent and wrinkled with age4 ,i could
 see that she was blind4 ,she had a     
strange-looking old shawl1 the like of  
which ,i had only a vague recollection  
of seeing as a boy1 about her shoulders2

 and on her head was a black cap with   
white ruching around her face4  ,my     
mother1 ,bruce1 he said1 very simply4   
,as ,i took the old lady's hand1 he said
 to her3 ,this is my old friend1        
,professor ,bruce1 mother4 ,he has come 
all the way from ,new ,york to see me4  
,i'll leave you together while ,i go to 
see sister4 ,sister has been bedridden  
for years1 ,bruce4  ,the old lady was   
too much embarrassed to speak4 ,mac     
smiled at me as he led her to a chair   
and said3 ,bruce does not look like a   
professor1 mother4 ,he just looks like  
me4  ,i could see all the ,island       
respect for learning in the poor old    
lady's deference4 ,mac left us1 and his 
mother asked if ,i would not have some  
tea4 ,i refused the tea1 giving as      
excuse that it was so close to the hour 
of the evening meal4  ,so1 you knew my  
son at college8 said the mother4  ,i    
knew him well1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinney4 ,he was
 my dearest friend4  ,the old lady began
 to cry softly4  ,i am so sorry1 she    

said1 that he failed in his             
examinations1 and yet1 ,i ought to be   
glad1 ,i suppose1 for it is a comfort to
 have him4 ,ellie is a cripple and      
without ,alec what would we do8 ,of     
course1 if he hadn't failed1 ,i couldn't
 hope to keep him1 so it is better1     
perhaps1 as it is4 ,but he was such a   
smart boy and so anxious to get on4 ,it 
was a great disappointment to him2 and  
then1 of course1 none of us liked to    
have the neighbors know that the boy was
 not cut out for something better than a
 farmer4 ,but you must have liked him1  
when you came all the way from ,new     
,york to see him4  ,i began to          
understand4  ,that night ,i thought it  
all out in my little room1 with the     
flies buzzing around me and the four big
 posts standing guard over a feather    
bed1 into which ,i sank and disappeared4
 ,i was prepared to face ,mac in the    
morning4  ,he had already done a good   
day's work in the fields1 before ,i was 
up for breakfast1 so we went into the   

garden to thresh it out4  ,mac1 ,i said 
severely1 did you tell your mother and  
sister and the people around here that  
you had failed in your examinations8    
,well1 ,bruce1 he said haltingly1 ,i did
 not exactly tell them that1 but ,i let 
them think it4  ,good ,lord6 ,i thought1
 the man who easily led the whole       
college4 ,but aloud3 ,did you tell them 
you had no career open to you in ,new   
,york8  ,well1 ,bruce1 ,i had to let    
them think that1 too4  ,and you did not 
tell them1 ,mac1 of the traveling       
scholarship you won1 or the offers that 
,yale made you8  ,oh1 what was the use1 
,bruce8 said ,mac desperately4 ,i know  
it was wrong1 but it was the only way ,i
 saw4 ,look here4 ,when ,i got back     
home1 with all these letters after my   
name and that traveling scholarship to  
my credit1 ,i found sister as ,i told   
you she was--you'll see her yourself    
this morning1 poor girl--and mother     
blind4 ,brother1 the best brother that  
ever lived--it is his picture they have 

in that hideous frame in the front      
room--died two months before ,i         
graduated4 ,bruce1 there was no one but 
me4 ,if ,i had told the truth1 they     
would not have let me stay4 ,they would 
have starved first4 ,why1 ,bruce1 sister
 never wore a decent dress or a decent  
hat1 and mother never had that thing    
that every old lady on the ,island      
prizes1 a silk dress1 just because she  
saved the money for me4 ,i told you that
 these people worship learning after    
,god4 ,he put his hand to his eyes4     
,bruce1 ,i am lonely4 ,i have grown out 
of the ways of my people4 ,but you      
wouldn't ask me to grow out of a sense  
of my duty too8  ,no1 ,i don't want you 
to come with me1 ,mac1 ,i said4 ,i am   
going back alone4 ,when you are free1   
the college is waiting4 ,she can be as  
generous as her son1 and1 ,i hope1 as   
patient4  ,mac drove me back over ,tea  
,hill and looked with me again from its 
summit over the waters of ,pownal ,bay4 
,i understood now its appeal to him4    

,the waters1 beautiful as they were1    
were barriers to his ,promised ,land4   
,would ,tea ,hill1 plain little         
eminence1 be to ,mac a new ,mount ,nebo1
 from which he should gaze longingly1   
but never leave8  ,plain ,mac of the    
,island1 farmer with hard hands1 scholar
 with a great mind1 son and brother with
 heart of purest gold6 ,i could not see 
you through the mist of my tears as the 
boat carried me from this your ,island  
of the good and true amongst ,god's     
children1 but ,i could think only of you
 as she passed the lighthouse1 and the  
two tiny islands that every one knows   
but no one visits1 and moved down the   
,strait of ,northumberland toward the   
world that is yours by right of your    
genius1 that wants you and is denied4   
,and ,i did not ask ,god to bless you1  
,mac1 though my heart was full of       
prayer1 for ,i knew1 oh1 so well1 that  
already had ,he given you treasures     
beyond a selfish world's ken to value or
 to understand4