Bolax, Imp or Angel—Which?

  CHAPTER XVI.

  BOLAX LEAVES COLLEGE FOR VACATION.

  The following morning Monsieur Le Cure took both boys to the Falls ofMontmorency; when they returned home in the evening they found a letterfrom Mrs. Allen, telling her son of her safe arrival in Quebec andrequesting him to come to the Frontenac Hotel.

  Bolax was overjoyed, and so excited, he could not pack his trunk, soBrother Isadore did it for him; he took all his belongings, except hisbooks, which he gave in charge of the Brothers, because he expected toreturn to College in the Fall.

  Fulton had a very suspicious moisture in his eyes, as he shook handswith his merry chum, and Bolax hated to leave him alone, but consoledhimself with the thought that his friend would soon visit de Villiers,at Trois Pistolets.

  Monsieur Le Cure, and all the Brothers embraced "le cher enfant." "Aurevoir" was said, then the carriage drove to the station, where Bo tookthe train for Quebec.

  Such a happy reunion of parents and son. Mr. Allen was surprised to seehis whilom, fat boy so tall and shapely and in such splendid health,notwithstanding the "grub" he ate at College.

  "Mamma," said he, "I wonder how the Frontenac menu will agree with thisyoung gentleman?" "Indeed," answered Mamma, "I fear not so well asL'Islet bill of fare." Good-natured Bo did not mind being teased, butwhen seated at the table, his appetite showed that the Frontenac menuwas quite to his taste.

  Bolax felt he knew quite a little about Quebec from his visit atChristmas, so he offered to conduct his father and mother to theprincipal churches and places of interest in the environs of the city.

  They visited the monuments of General Montcalm and General Montgomery,the brave French and English Generals, who were killed at the assault onQuebec, 1775.

  Mr. Allen, being an Englishman by birth, took great pleasure inexamining the men-of-war belonging to the navy, and one afternoonclimbed up to the Citadel to see the Fort, and chat with the soldiers.Mrs. Allen was not able to walk up such a height, so she was carried,seated on a chair strapped to a man's back.

  Captain Wentworth, one of the officers, made himself very agreeable,took them into the Fort, explained to Bolax how the cannons were firedoff, and told of many interesting events relating to the history ofCanada from the time of the English invasion, etc.

  Mrs. Allen reminded her husband that it was growing late, and althoughthey were being so pleasantly entertained, she thought it time to takeleave. Then Mr. Allen presented his card and thanked the officer for hiskind courtesy. With the military salute, Captain Wentworth bowed, andconducting them down the steep descent, wished them "bon voyage."

  A week was spent in Quebec, making purchases and getting a new outfitfor Bolax, who had outgrown all his clothing. Mr. Allen proposed goingto one of the beautiful suburbs to give his boy an "outing."

  "If I had my choice," said Bo, "I would like to spend the whole summerat Montmorency Falls; when I was there last week with Monsieur Le Cure,we dined at a small hotel, kept by friends of his; everything was socomfortable and clean. There were three boys, who met us, as we wereleaving, they had fishing rods over their shoulders, their pants stuckinto their boots and looked as if they had had a jolly day of it. WhenMonsieur Le Cure introduced me, he called them his 'old friends.' Theyinvited me to stay with them a week, but I told them I expected to besent for by my parents."

  "Well, my boy, I would prefer a place of that kind where you can haveall the fun you want, and I a quiet time; we have had too much societyat Palm Beach."

  So all agreed to go to Montmorency, especially as it was at a convenientdistance from L'Islet and Quebec. During the seven weeks of their visit,Bolax made himself very agreeable to every one, and became a generalfavorite especially among the boys and girls, because he was an adapt inall games and always ready for fun.

  Among the boarders was an invalid, who spent most of his time seated ina corner of the piazza. Mr. Allen often entertained him, and Bolax wouldleave his companions to talk to him because he looked "so lonely." Hisname was "Cartier;" he prided himself on being a direct descendant ofthe famous Jacques Cartier, one of the first explorers of Canada.

  One day in speaking to Mr. Allen, the old gentleman praised Bolax forthe thoughtful kindness he had shown him on all occasions, at the sametime remarking it was a pity the boy should have been given such an oddname.

  "I admit it is an odd name," answered Mr. Allen, "and I doubt if any oneever owned it before." "Well," said Monsieur Cartier, "it suits Bolaxfor he certainly is an odd boy--a remarkable mixture of king's fool andprofound philosopher."

  * * * * *

  The nineteenth of July, St. Anne's Day, was to be celebrated with greatpomp and ceremony in the Basilica, at Beaupre. Bolax wanted to join thePilgrimage going from L'Islet, but his mother and father preferredvisiting the shrine when there would be less of a crowd.

  On the twenty-second of August, our friends put on their traveling arrayonce more, the note of preparation was struck, the destination this timebeing St. Anne de Beaupre. When all was ready for their departure, theytook leave of the pleasant company at Montmorency, but their hostess,Madame Coteau, would not hear of an "Adieu;" it must be an "Au revoir,"said the kind woman. "You must stop on your way back."

  "That's true," agreed Mr. Allen, "we will be obliged to pass this way onour road to L'Islet, suppose we leave our trunks and take only handbags.We won't need anything more for the ten days we propose remaining atBeaupre."

  "Justement! I'm glad you thought of that. Now we are sure of yourreturn." All bid a warm-hearted "good-bye," too warm for Mr. Allen, whobeing an Englishman, could not appreciate the French custom of menembracing, but he submitted with grace, when dear old Monsieur Cartierput his arms around his neck and wished him a fervent "God bless you."

  Arrived at Beaupre, our friends made their first visit to the Basilica.They were just in time for Benediction, not wishing to disturb thecongregation they knelt at the door, but the Beadle (an imposingpersonage in red cassock and bearing a staff) came and invited them intoa pew.

  After Benediction several men and women knelt before the shrine of St.Anne; one mother held up a child in her arms, imploring its cure, sheprayed aloud: "Oh! bonne Ste. Anne guerissez mon enfant, je vous suplie,au non de Jesus a qui rien n'est impossible." (Oh, Blessed St. Anne curemy child, I beg of you, in the name of Jesus, to whom nothing isimpossible.)

  Mr. Allen looked on, then turning to his wife, whispered: "There was atime when I would have considered this rank superstition, but now I amgreatly edified, for I see the faith and devotion of people is ferventand sincere."

  When they left the Church, Mr. Allen surprised his wife and son bytelling them that his chief desire now was to make a retreat and preparefor Baptism. Mrs. Allen was so overjoyed, she rushed back into theChurch, threw herself on her knees and thanked our Lord. Bolax and hisfather followed and all knelt in prayers of gratitude for so great afavor.

  A few paces from the Basilica stood Hotel Orleans, to which they hadbeen recommended by Monsieur Cartier; having secured rooms, they wentout for a walk. They climbed a hill from which they saw a beautifulpanorama of white sails and verdant islands set like jewels on the bosomof the St. Lawrence.

  The next morning after Mass, Mr. Allen went to the Monastery and askedthe Abbot to allow him to begin his retreat. The good Priest wasdelighted to receive him and found on examining his neophyte that he wasvery well informed on religious matters and firmly believed in all thetruths of the Catholic religion.

  When Mr. Allen entered on his retreat, he requested that no one shouldvisit him. His wife and son willingly agreed to make the sacrifice ofbeing separated from him for a time, so that their beloved one mightgive all his attention to preparing for the most important events of hislife, viz: The reception of Baptism and Holy Communion.

  Bolax accompanied his mother to all the chapels and shrines in theneighborhood. They went up the Holy Stairs on their knees, at the topwas a figure of Pilate, and one of Christ standing, both life-siz
e. Inother Chapels were representations of the different stages of our Lord'spassion; all the figures were life-size and so realistic as to startleone, who came upon them unawares. In a tiny room with barred windows,resembling a prison, Bolax came upon the statue of Christ as He is beingcrowned with thorns. The God-man sits with His Garments torn from Hislimbs, which are covered with wounds; streams of blood flow from thedivine face; a soldier is in the act of spitting on Him, another drivingthe thorns into the sacred head. On seeing this, the boy burst intotears, he felt as though he was really in the presence of his sufferingRedeemer. Knowing the effect such a pitiful sight would have on hismother, he went with her everywhere, carefully avoiding the distressingimage.

  One day while watching the sailboats landing the pilgrims, Bo heard hisname called, looking around he saw Leon Casgrainie, his mother andsister, from L'Islet; they were so glad to meet again. Bo introduced hismother. Madame Casgrainie embraced Mrs. Allen as if she had been an oldfriend, for these Canadians are so full of hearty friendliness. In a fewdays the ladies were almost on intimate terms.

  The day appointed for Mr. Allen's reception into the Church was Augustthirty-first. Madame Casgrainie expressed a wish to be present, so Mrs.Allen invited her and the children to the ceremony, which was to takeplace at the seven o'clock Mass, in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart.

  The altar was a blaze of light; tiny electric lamps of all colors wereplaced in every available position, and full-blown roses shed sweetperfume over all.

  The Abbot celebrated Mass. Just before the Offertory, he read theprayers admitting a catechumen to Holy Baptism. Mr. Allen bowed his headin all humility while the Priest poured upon him the saving water whichmade him a child of God and heir to Heaven. Immediately after this theAbbot placed a white cope over the newly baptized, emblematic of thepurity with which his soul was adorned by this most Holy Sacrament.

  After the Priest's Communion, Mr. Allen mounted the altar steps, stillwearing the white robe and received our Lord for the first time. At the"Domine non sum dignus," the tears rolled down his cheeks; he was soovercome with the sanctity of the act, so full of faith and love forJesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Mrs. Allen and Bo also went to HolyCommunion. After Mass, Mr. Allen asked that his wife and son be admittedto see him. I have no words to describe the ecstasy of delight thatthrilled their hearts when congratulating the beloved one. Mr. Allenpressed them both to his heart in silence. When he could speak, he said:"I feel our Angel child is rejoicing with us on this, the happiest dayof my life." The good Abbot came to bid farewell, and shed tears of joywhile bestowing the Papal Benediction on the family.

  A few days after the events related, our friends were compelled to leavethe holy place and take their departure for L'Islet; Madame Casgrainieoffered to take them on her steam yacht, and begged them to accept thehospitality of her house during their stay in the village. Mr. Allenthanked the amiable lady, but told of his promise to return toMontmorency. "That can be easily arranged," said Mrs. Allen. "We are notin need of our trunks; after our visit to L'Islet we can keep ourengagement with our friends at Montmorency and send Bo's baggage to himby express."

  The next morning the yacht steamed out of the harbor bearing away ajolly party, young and old were full of merriment, so true it is that aclean conscience makes a happy heart. The mid-day bells were chiming theAngelus as they landed at the pier, where Monsieur Le Cure and BrotherDirector gave them a warm welcome to L'Islet. The good, old gentlemaninsisted on having his niece and her family dine at the Parsonage everyday, for, said he, "I must see all I can of you, my children, it may bemy last opportunity." Bolax conducted his father and mother through theCollege; they were perfectly satisfied with all the arrangements, andthanked the good Brothers for the interest they had shown in their son.

  Madame Casgrainie proved herself a most entertaining hostess, she waslavish in her attention to her guests and made their visit to her anever-to-be-forgotten pleasure.

  On September 8th, the whole family went on an excursion to Isle St.Roch. This is a charming spot. On the island is a ledge of rocks, andseemingly carved on the stones can be seen the footprints of a man andthose of a dog; they extend the length of half a mile and are then lostin a maze of tangled brushwood. The pious people of the place believethat St. Roch, the great hunter, came here long ago and left hisfootprints and those of his faithful dog. The ladies and girls roamedover the island gathering blue berries, and the boys caught a basket offine fish. While they were resting, after a substantial luncheon, ashrill sound floated down from high overhead. Gazing up, Bolax tracedaloft against the blue sky, the V-shaped phalanx, pointed southward ofthe wild goose--the swift Canadian bird by its own instinct followingafter summer heat.

  "Ma, dear," said the boy, "I fear that is the signal for your departure;the frosts come soon after the passage of those big birds, and Papa willnot be able to bear our cold winds. But, oh, how I shall miss you!" "Mydarling, my heart will be very empty without you, but your father and Imake the sacrifice of leaving you because we are sure you are under thebest of care, both for your temporal and spiritual interests."

  Madame Casgrainie and her daughter comforted Bolax, promising to havehim at their house as often as the Brothers would permit. "After all,Bo," said Leon, "you are better off than most boys, even if you are athousand miles from home; you have your uncle, Monsieur Le Cure, socheer up and let us have a race on this hard beach. Whoever wins shallhave the biggest peach in the basket." (Peaches are a rarety in Quebec,and its environs and are very costly.)

  That evening Mr. Allen had a long talk with his son. He gave soundadvice on several points, notably the following: "Let conscience be yourking, and never attempt to weaken or to deviate from its commands. It isGod's merciful messenger within you to testify of Himself, to warn youof danger, and point the right. Beware of trifling with conscience or ofweakening its force. You can do so, but when you have silenced it, youwill be left like a man, who, on a dark night, in a strange countryextinguishes his lantern.

  "There are three words which perhaps every school boy has written as atext-hand exercise, but which few lay to heart while they are followingthe copy. They are these: 'Sin causes sorrow.' A mighty truth; wouldthat every boy would so learn it that the suffering which sin inevitablybrings with it might be escaped.

  "Be truthful in the slightest matters; never allow yourself toexaggerate. Have your mind occupied always with something good, pure,useful. Remember the old saying, 'A vacant mind is the devil'sworkshop.' Beware of the slightest propensity to evil, no pleasurederived from sense can be compared with the tranquil joy which springsfrom a pure heart.

  "Let me tell you, my dear child, boyhood with all its little griefs andtroubles, is the most joyous time of life; its very spring time wheneverything is fresh and beautiful. I did not appreciate it when I was aboy, but now I sometimes sigh for it. If boys who are longing for thetime to come when they may be men could only know what a man's life andwork mean, they would pray to be kept at school all their lives.

  "I wish I could gain the ear of all the boys in the world, I would sayto them affectionately, in the language of the Holy Apostle St. Paul. Bestrong; shun anything and everything that has a tendency to weaken yourmental and moral life.

  "For you, my beloved son, I now say: Be strong in the grace you willobtain by constantly and devoutly approaching the Sacraments. If thelove of God is the motive power of your life, you will grow from anoble boy into a noble man."

  Father, mother and son sat together late into the night; then kneelingin devout prayer they retired to rest.

  At seven o'clock on Wednesday morning, Monsieur Le Cure sent hiscarriage to take his niece and her husband to the station. MadameCasgrainie and Mrs. Allen bade each other a tearful farewell.

  When on the train, Bolax bravely suppressed his emotion, so that theparting should not be too painful for his parents; then Monsieur Le Cureinvited him to spend the night at his house, hoping to comfort him. Inthe morning, our brave boy entered the College, where he
found thatseveral of his classmates had returned. Fulton, Adolph and Tardeef gavehim a hearty greeting; soon they were exchanging droll stories andmaking each other laugh at their adventures during vacation. On thewhole, Bolax's second year opened with pleasant prospects and under morepromising auspices than that which had preceded it.

  Here we must leave our hero, asking the readers who are interested inhis story to pray that his future life may prove all that his parentsare trying to make it, viz: Pure, honest and noble in every sense of theword.

  END.