going along in silence,
Father Boone began to speak--half to himself, half to Frank. "I suppose
you wondered that I talked to them as though Bill's death were a
certainty? Well, from my experience, I think it is. If I were sure of
being present when he dies, I would not have anticipated. But suppose he
goes off tonight, and no one is there but themselves! They have
something now to sustain them.

"Our Faith is a wonderful thing. People outside know nothing of the
comfort and strength it brings in affliction. There may be some excuses
for a fellow when he is young, and healthy, and well-off, to say he has
no use for religion. But the whole world isn't young, nor in health, nor
rich. Most people have ills of one kind or another. Some are poor, some
in ill-health, some old, or misunderstood. So our Lord chose poverty
and suffering. He did not want better treatment than His followers were
to have.

"When anything hard happens to me, I try to bear it cheerfully, and tell
myself I should be ashamed to have better treatment than My Lord. And
I've had some pretty tough things. I don't show it, but your hair would
stand straight up if I were to tell you some of the things I've gone
through. And do you know, when I have something terribly hard to endure,
I take a positive pleasure in kneeling before the altar and saying to
God: 'This costs me a lot, Lord, but I am glad it does, for I have
something worth while to offer Thee'." He heaved a deep sigh.

"Frank, excuse me for talking about myself. Just thinking aloud. You
see, that afflicted mother and father bring out serious reflections."

By now they had reached the rectory. "Good bye, Frank," said the priest.

"Good bye, Father," answered Frank, grasping the priest's hand very
firmly.

As Frank went on his way, he said to himself, "Gee, now I know where he
gets his power. When he prays, he prays. No wonder he does so much
good, and so quietly. No one knows anything about it unless by
accident."

(IV)

At the hospital, Daly was sinking fast. The doctor came in frequently.
And then, as often happens shortly before death, the delirium terminated
for awhile. Bill looked up and saw his father and mother standing over
him. It took him some seconds to realize where he was. It all came back
to him in a rush. He also felt very weak. He had never felt like this
before. Something told him he was going to die.

In a low voice he said to his father, "Pop, I guess I am wanted up