BY THE QUEEN'S MERCY

New Zealand Tablet, 2 October 1913, Page 5

BY THE QUEEN'S MERCY

The rays of the western sun were struggling through the dense pine woods of the Black Hills one . sultry afternoon in the late summer. The tops of the tall pines that crowned the summits of the hills seemed etherealised with the glorious effulgence; not the ghost of a breeze stirred their sleeping branches. The lengthening shadows already lay heavy in the valleys, while in the distance the eastern ascent of Harvey Peak towered aloft in gloomy indistinctness. The dreary silence of the scene was unbroken save for the tramping of a solitary horse that moved at a brisk canter along the backbone of one of the lesser hills. His rider, a man still young in years, was dressed in the blue full-dress of one of Uncle Sam's i_ troopers. He was a man to hold the eye of even a casual observer—tall, lithe, and well proportioned, with the free and easy grace of perfect self-possession. : His face, though still handsome, had fallen into hard i ■ lines, while his sunken cheeks, and the dark hollow f * ;. beneath his eyes showed but too plainly that he was going the pace that kills.' The bridle hung loosely on his horse's neck the road across the hills was no new one to man or beast,-and in the little hamlet that nestled down there in the valley beyond, the name of Will Staunton, was one of unhallowed notoriety. Times without number he had ridden over from the fort, and bartered his manhood for a night's carouse.

' And it was a sad sight, , too, this ruthless blighting of such fair promises, this wearing away of the vital

forces in such a magnificent physique, this slow and relentless strangling of a spirit that still dared to dream of higher things. And was it to be no more than a dream ? Would all this unspeakable shame and loathing of its degradation never fan to a flame the last faint spark of nobility in the fettered soul? For there were still some shreds of nobility in Will-Staunton, a nobility born not only of nature, but of a deep, unshaken faith In a just and eternal God.- ' - It was in such a mood of half-hopeful remorse that he pulled his horse into a walk, and with his head sunk forward upon his breast, became wrapt in reverie. His thoughts went back through the years and rested on a scene of his boyhood. *** ' * * i It was the Feast of Corpus Christi. The sun peered over the eastern hills with a sleepy, sodden look in his bloated red face, as though he had been drinking hard the night before, and was not well pleased to be up at this early . hour. But when he had gained a height from which he could look down on the scene before him, he brightened up considerably. His jolly old face returned to its habitual size and color, and after a few hard winks to clear his eyes, he broke into a broad, good-natured smile that seemed to diffuse itself over everything. The myriad dew-drops that clung to the fresh green grass blinked and sparkled in a most witching way the violets and morning-glories opened their sleeping eyes, and tossed their little heads in a decidedly disdainful manner at the softly murmured protestation of the lovelorn breeze, for didn't he tell the same to all the flowers fickle minion! The thrushes whistled gaily in the hedges by the roadside, while from copse and thicket came the clear, strong note of the robin calling to his mate. Even the solemn old ocean seemed to enter into the fun as he heaved and shook with suppressed merriment, and then chafing at restraint cast himself with uproarious laughter upon the beach. The sweet-voiced bell from the little chapel overlooking the sea called out in its blithest, cheeriest tones; and over all bent the smiling clear blue of the Irish skies. 'Hurry, mother,' said little Will" Staunton, 'or we shall be late.'

The mother looked down proudly at the flushed and eager little face. It was her boy’s First Communion day, and who will say what that means for a good Catholic mother !

'Very well; now I am ready. Don't forget your prayer-book, Will.' ' No, mother, I have it here in my pocket.* ' Oh, mother,' said the boy, as the two hurried on to church. 'I am so happy ! I don't think I shall ever be so happy again in my life.' . ' Yes, dear,' said Mrs. Staunton very tenderly, ' and you must pray very hard when our dear Lord comes to you this morning, that He may keep you ever good and dear to Him.' 'I will, I will, mother, and I'm going to pray for you and papa, too.' And your promise You haven't forgotten your promise, have you, Will?' ' No, indeed, mother. I am to promise the Blessed Mother to say the ' Angelus' and three ' Hail Marys ' in her honor every day.' , "And now it was the Communion of the Mass. A solemn hush went through the little chapel. The children knelt with bowed heads, as the good old pastor turned towards them, and lifting one tiny Host in his fingers, said in a voice tremulous with emotion: ' Ecce Agnus Dei,' Behold the Lamb of God! ' Domine non sum dignusOh, Lord, I am not worthy.' And then with love and awe Will Staunton received his God. A great sob broke from the young roue, and a tear stole unheeded down his sunken cheek. It was a pure vision from life's morning, calling the prodigal home. : ' A sorrow's crown of sorrows Is remembering happier things.' And ah ! the sadness in the thought of what might have been ! And how the sorrowful yet loving face of the

mother whose Heart he had broken rose before Him and called him back to God and virtue. The memory of the first, fatal step came back to him now, and it was bitter as wormwood. ~He recalled the stormy' scenes with his father, the tears and the prayers of his mother, and the lure of sin that closed his heart to all but sensual pleasure. . , • ■ " Then came the last effort, the final struggle, but alas How. brief, how fruitless ! He had torn himself from his sinful associations and companions, and had gone to a distant university, there to recover the lost ground. In little more than a week he was peremptorily dismissed as being a source of scandal to his fellow students. :^ " That was the end. In a spirit of shame and desperation he had sailed for America, and given himself up to a life of vice. But there was still one tie that bound him to the past. He had -- kept his First Communion promise. In his deepest degradation he had ever been faithful to that. Yes, and would ever be; and then some day, some day he would make it all right, He would 'straighten up,' but not yet, not yet. . A sudden gust of wind sweeping through the pines roused him from His reverie. Great black clouds were running up swiftly from the south-west, and ominous and sullen came the rumbling of the deep-voiced thunder, like- the boom of distant cannon. The freshness of the coming rain was in the wind. v 'Come, Ned, old boy,' said Staunton, pushing his horse into a gallop, ' or we shall get a ducking, and water, you know, is not on the evening's programme. Did it but rain whisky for a change, I shouldn't so much mind a bath.' ' Still the storm drew on apace. The roar of the thunder was now almost incessant. Like a fiery serpent the lightning leaped hissing from its lair. The tall trees tossed* their arms wildly as if in fright. And then with a sudden clap of thunder, the floodgates of heaven were thrown wide, and the sheeted rain swept down in torrents. ;;;; The trooper's face grew white with fear; to him the roaring of the storm was as the voice of anangry God. With a quick resolve he checked his horse and sprang from the saddle, and there in the pouring rain he knelt with uncovered head, and said the three Hail Marys of his First Communion promise. Did he but realise it, it was a terrible mockery of the Omnipotent, this prayer from a heart intent on sin ! But it gave him fresh courage, and leaping once more in the saddle, he put spurs to his horse and galloped on through the raging storm. " Of a sudden there was a sharp hiss in the air, a blinding flash of light; a crash that seemed to split the hill to its very base, and a giant pine, riven by the bolt, was hurled across the road almost at the horse's feet. The animal reared back upon his haunches, and with a wild neigh dashed off through the trees. The suddenness of the movement flung the trooper, blinded and dazed, from the saddle. In falling, his right foot remained caught in the stirrup. In vain he tried to extricate it. 'Ned, Ned,' he cried, 'whoa! For God's sake, whoa His voice was drowned in the howling of the storm, and on, on through the trees went the terrified, plunging Horse, dragging His prostrate rider at his heels. A sickening fear seized upon the heart of Will Staunton, as he was dashed against the trees and stones and dead branches that strewed the path of the flying horse. This, then, was the end of if all. It is appointed for man once to die, and after death the judgment.' With a cry that burst from his very soul, the unhappy man prayed aloud in anguish: ' Mary, Mother of God, help me this once, and, before God, I promise to amend!' His head struck hard, upon a stone, there was a noise in his ears as of many rushing waters, and then all was darkness. " ' : .

It was night. The last angry muttering of the storm had died away in the distance. Faint and low rose the lullaby of the soft-voiced breeze hushing the

affrighted trees to sleep. A shaft of moonlight piercing through a clump of trees, rested on the pale and bleeding face of Will Staunton who was stretched senseless on the ground. He was lying in a little pool of blood that oozed from a deep and ugly gash, in his -Headv The face was v as the face of the dead. His" hat was gone, his uniform torn to shreds. ~ --'"-.'- Suddenly he started up and looked around in a dazed, bewildered way. He tried to rise, but fell back Helpless to the ground. His body ached in every limb. The blood trickled down into his eyes and blinded him. Slowly the recollection of what had happened was coming back. He called to his horse. There was no sound save the sighing of the night wind through the pines. Painfully he , rose to his knees ; and dragged himself along in search of a clearing. He had crawled, but a few feet when he started back in fear, for just at the edge of the knot of trees where he had been lying,- the hill abruptly fell away into a sheer wall of rock that reached down to the valley below. Cautiously he peered over the brink. The valley was flooded with moonlight, and there far below he could see the dead body of his horse shattered on the rocks. With a quick impulse he turned and looked at his right foot.. The stirrup was"still there, jammed tight on-the shoe, but the strap above it was cut through, clean and straight as with a knife. For an instant' his ; heart almost ceased beating, as he realised how narrowly he had escaped being dashed to death over the precipice. -'Great God!' he murmured, 'and my soul would now be in hell!' - And then in a very ecstacy of gratitude and love, he clasped his hands and cried: :' Oh, Mary, my sweetest Mother, thou-Hast heard my prayer; thou hast helped me in my hour of need; and I will be true to my promise. Now, at last, I will turn back to God and thee! - Mother, help me!' The first streaks of dawn were creeping over the sky, when Staunton heard the tramp of an approaching horse, and a well-known voice calling his name. He had been missed at the fort, and his friend had come to seek him. He sent back an answer to the loud hallo. ■"•■;-■ Coming, old man,' was the reply, and in a few moments a trooper rode in under the trees and sprang from his horse. • _.:'"••' ' For God's sake, man,' said Jack Farrell, ' what's up?' -.-■■: i* ■- 'Just this, Jack,' said Staunton, with great solemnity, 'I was as near the "great divide" and eternal hell-fire last night as I ever care to be. • I'm going to cut this sort of life and live clean.' .._ Jack was on his knees beside him, binding up the wound in his head, as Staunton related the-night's, events. Jack Farrell was a good Catholic, and he * was profoundly moved by his friend's recital. Many a: time he had spoken earnestly to Will ~ Staunton, and tried to induce him to go to church and the sacraments, and to keep away from the haunts of vice. .. 'lt's no go, Jack,' was the invariable:reply, ',"""' haven't the strength to do it.- - '.. ••'•■• But Jack knew of Staunton's fidelity to his First Communion promise, and he felt sure that the good Queen was watching over the erring one. Now at last the great change that he had hoped and prayed for was come, and Jack was glad. Without a word he took his friend's hand and pressed it warmly. Neither spoke for some time, Jack helped Staunton on his horse and took the bridle. - Jack.' ' , : .-... Yes, Bill.' ' Take me down to the village; I'm going to confession.' Before the Lady altar in the little village chapel, a man with blood-stained face, and tattered garments knelt with bowed head. Sweet and clear on the morning rang out the Angelus bell. ,*\- -\ '^. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. Hail Mary,' prayed the kneeling figure.And there was joy before the angels of God, for the lost sheep was found, the prodigal had come Homerby the Queen's mercy.— Liguarian. " " v ;