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Show ..Our Boys and rls.. Edited by Au-t Bus;. This department Is conducted solely in the Interests Inter-ests of our girl and boy readers. Aunt Eu..- is clad to hear any time from the r.ieces and nephews v.-ho read this page, and to ulvt them all the advice and help in her power. Write on one side of the paper only. Do not have letters too lone. Original stories and verses will be gladly received and carefully edited. j The manuscrips of contributions not accepted will be returned. Address r.ll letters to Aunt Busv. Intermountain Catholic. Salt Lake C.ir. AUNT BUSY HAS HER SAY. Dear .YVc-s wild Nephews: Aunt Busv revived s severe Wtur' today from a Salt hake s..-!k...1 lea'-hrr on necovmt of her Inter lfst week, in which Aunt Duty favored the "siKjrlinti trirls. Poor old Aum Busy -was really quite subdued when the ma- ' ioslir looking woman o-ot through scolding. You see. Ihe teacher is nearly six feet high end as thin well, a? air (Aunt Busy is afraid to say what she fir-t thought) and Aunt Busy is only four feer rk-ven with her shoe on; in fact, she is very short, fat and dumpy, so she really was frightened of the lady teacher. Now this person says it is Aunt Busy's duty to modify her statements of last week, fiui how can Aunt Busy modify her statements when she believes the statements she made? Poor old Aunt Bu.sy! Her hair, which was gray, is really white from worry. She is very old and she thinks she is very wise, but. never before has she been asked to modify what she has said. Some how that word ""modify" sounds like the kind a great fid!, thin school teacher would say. Aunt Busy will modify her statements by imploring her nieces not to laugh while in the school room o- during chss. hours or at any time during study. Aunt Busy would not want any of her dear girls to misunderstand misunder-stand her. when she says she likes 'piggling" girls. Indeed, Aunt Busy would be sorry to know that he? nieces were not serious when at study or recitation. A good student has no time or inclination to act giddy while at work, but' during the recreation time Aunt Busy thinks the girls should "giggle" if they wish. Xow this 'modifying' is all the "modifying" "modi-fying" Aunt Busy will do for the school teacher's benefit, and Aunt Busy will still admit that she "giggled" when she was n young girl, and she is glad 1o remember she did, because after she grew up she never had a chance to laugh, hardly, much less 'sriir.de.' Affectionately, your ''lnodifving" AUNT BUSY. LETTERS AND ANSWERS. Salt Lake City. Jan. 0. VM)7. Dear Aunt Busy: I have not written to you lor a long time. 1 had the mumps and felt bad l,rtide. -How are you. dear Auntie? "Did you have a nice Christmas Papa told me to send you 1his poem, "Santa Claus in Salt Lake." He says he bets old Santa is don? up when he get? through with I'tah. How many stockings were there in your house! Papa says he bets Uncle Busy had hole? in bis socks bee-map you are too busy to mend ihem, but T don't believe it. Good-bye for this time. Your loving nit .v. SADIE CAHXOPEX. Aunt Busy missed you. dear, and is very sorry 10 know you were ill. She remembers having- the T mumps once herself, many years ago. Of course, now ho is too old to get mumps, but ihe old world irives her ''bumps'' instead. Beally, dear, she would rather be young again and have the mumps, bad as i hey were. Aunt Busy is sorry your papa has such a bad opinion of her. Write soon again. Sadie. LITTLE BROTHER. An Old, Old Story Happily Retold. The fumes of incense followed the two acolyte" ts they went from the chapel into the courtyard of the monastery the fumes of incense and the fervent fer-vent Gregorian chant of the monks at Ycspors. The night was well on. A few stars and one bright planet shone from the misty sky. Here and there lie glimmer of a light, from the cells threw into relief re-lief the long, black shadow of the monastery. As the lads, arm in arm, walked slowly onward in the path of light that streamed from the open chapel door, their every feature stood out clear-cut and distinct from the darkness that walled them "round. And very beautiful features they were, for upon them were written in the characters which nature na-ture employs in her most gracious moments, sweetness sweet-ness winsomeness, modesty and, most striking- of ll. that lovely expression of innocence which not only does not know, but: which will not know. evil. ! The two boys were very delicate and slender. Their ! long, dark hair and black lashes emphasized the pallor pal-lor of their cheeks and their large serious eyes. They were orphans.' and. as could be seen at a nl? nee. brothers. Four years ag-o their father and mother had died, the one within a few weeks of the ther. leaving them tinder the guardianship of their irx-lc. Father Bernard, the prior of the monastery. And indeed Father Bernard had acquitted him--A'i well of his task. They had grown in the very -ha-low of the tabenir.clc, which very early they had 'a mod io love. And now, as they were pacing up and down the ourtyard. John, ihe elder, said:. "Harry, it is only a few hours from. midnight, pud then it i Christmas! I wonder whether the night when the dear Infant Jesus was born was like this! I fancy it must have been clearer.' "I was thinking- about it all during- benediction."' rejoined Harry, ''and 1hen I g-ot to looking at the r ' Sacred Host just over my head, and I began to think how nice it would be if I could see Him as He, used to be when he was a little bit of a boy like my- ' cf. Wouldn't you like to eee Him just once, John!" "Mamma sees Him all the time," said the elder ' I boy sof tly. ' "Yes. and she sees us, too," Harry added. "1 try to remember it always, and I feel so glad to think that she is watching me." "Why. Harry!' "Because I always try to think as if mamma were looking- at my thoughts, and I know she must be pleased when God lets her see my thoughts. Oh, listen! Isn't it beautiful?' He paused as he spoke and turned his face, lighted up with appreciation, toward the chapel door. "'How nice the Magnificat sounds tonight. It never sounded so beautiful before." 'Et miserioordia ejus a progerne in progenies . limentibus eum." It was a fervent burst of triumphant tri-umphant chords. "It does sound strangely beautiful, assented John in a whisper which grudged the loss of a silicic sili-cic chord or word. "But, after all, it is natural. All these holv men are thinking of the dear little Infant. How I should like to hear them sing the Benedictu, too; it is nothing but a song in honor of the dear Infant Jesus." And now, with faces turned toward the chapel, the.- listened eagerly while the 'glad-' canticle rolled ... forth in a full chorded swell of harmony, and while they listened their pallid faces flushed for very joy and their hearts were lifted and attuned to lofty prayer. "Suscepit Israel puerum suum. recordatus mis-cricordiaie mis-cricordiaie suae." "It sounds so beautiful on earth, what rnut it be in heaven !" murmured Harry, j As they stood in rapt attention there appeared at the door of the chapel the form of a child. The light seemed to fall full upon his features. ITis hair was long; unlike theirs, it was very fair in color, and sparkled in the light as though it was shot with gold. His eyes were large and full of tenderness. His features were singularly delicate and marked with a strange beauty. As he advanced toward Ihe brothers then1 was a smile tender and subdued upon his face, a smile the like of Avhich the two lads had never seen before. The child was a stranger to them, and yet when they caught, that Miiilo, they felt that, they were meeting a dear friend. "Welcome, little boy." said John: "I am John, and this is my" brother Harry." With a gesture of winning- grace the' newcomer took the eagerly extended Hands f the two brothers broth-ers and pressed them gently to hi-, bo-om. Again he smiled. "i u look like my mother." said Harry, gazing frankly into the blue eyes that met his in a glance of love. "So you do," added John, "only he was dark and you are fair. But it is the look-. When mother used to tell ns of the 'dear little Infant' her face looked like yours. Tell us your name, little friend." "Call me little brother, my brothers," answered the child in a voice so musical that at its ound all that. wa lovelv and exquisite in the thoughts and memories of Harry and John seemed to vibrato in answering: harmony. ' ou shall be our brother from now on." said John. "Shall he not, Harry !" "Yes," assented Harry; "we like you to be with us. John and I before you came were listening to the singing of the Magnificat, and it made us feel so happy, but now that you are with us 1 feel a thousand times happier than I did when T was listening lis-tening to the song. So Vou must be our broiher. It is easy for us to think it. for you look so like our j dear mother. And now. little brother, do you know ' anything; about Christmas!' ! "It is the day I love," answered the child. "Then you must talk to us about it." said John. "Tell us the story about the birth of the dear little lit-tle Jesus.' added Harry, eagerly. "Ami be sure to bring in the angels." "Little brother" told the sweet story, the old, old story. He told it as though he himself had been an eye witness. Presently the child ceased to speak, and as though it had been a preconcerted signal, every bell in the monastery broke into a gladsome chiming ; a strange light burst through the floor of heaven, and from the chapel came the voices of the monks, solemn but jubilant, singing the Adeste Fi-deles. Fi-deles. Ai dlas they concluded the stanza with Yenite Adorlmus Dominmn, the light in the heavens heav-ens seemed ti spring and shiver, as though it were a living thing, till in a few seconds ihe whole sky was glorious ;'(hcn in a full burst of harmony there fell upon the ehrs of the lads the songs of the angels. an-gels. imiicvMie1b as the great masters bad nev-.r j even imagined. IThe heavenly strain ceased as sud- j deuly as it had fiegun. and in the silence (n;d night -i that succeeded " little brother" stood gazing on; his j transfixed companions. ........ r I "Oh. thank you. thank you!'' cried John. "Come with us, now, little brother, and we shall visit the dear little Testis." As they went toward the chapel their strange visitor said: "I must go away soon." "Then weshall go with you," cried John. "No. my brother, not yet. Whither I go yor, cannot go.' "Yes. we can," said Harry, confidently; "wo know that where you are everything will be .;s it should be. and so we want to go, too." "But very soon you are to serve the Christina-Mosses Christina-Mosses of Father Bernard." "That is true." assented Harry, "and we would not miss these Masses for anything. But after that you must come for tis, and then we shall go home . with you." The child smiled and said: "Yes, tomorrow I shall return, and then you shall come home with me." v They entered the chapel and fell upon their knees in a prayer that was ecstasy. An hour had passed when a trembling; hand touched the kneeling lyothers. They turned and saw the aged prior, hot the child had disappeared. On tiptoe, obedient to the prior's signal, they left the chapel. "My little, ones," he s-tid. reprovingly, ''you should liave been in bed this long time." "Oh, but if you had heard the way our little brother told us mamma's story," said Harry, 'S ou would have felt like praying: forever. It was beautiful.". beau-tiful.". "Yes, but it was unkind .of our little brother to slip away," added John. "Besides, he promised io take us home with him tomorrow." "Of whom are you talking?" asked the prior. The brothers told their story with animation and eagerness. The prior listened very silently. Suddenly the brothers looked at each other in great perplexity. "Isn't it strange!" exclaimed John. "It was all so beautiful, and now 1 cannot think of one word j he said." "Nor I," said Harry; "and then all that music; it was so nice and so easy, and now T can't evrn imagine how it sounded." The prior's face had grown very serious. He looked at his nephews with reverence and awe. "My dear little ones." he said, after a moment's thought, "did your little brother promise to take you to his home tomorrow?" "Yes, Father," cried both in chorus. The prior paused again a strange light came into his eyes. "0. my God," he exclaimed, "can it be? My children, I desire to go home with your little lit-tle brother, too." "You shall go, Father." said Harry. "But, you must get his permission," said John. "Oh, we'll make him let you come along." said Harry, confidently. "We can do jsut what we please with him." "That's true," assented John: "I can't imagine him refusing us anything:, he is so grood." "Well. then, my little ones, you may go back to the chapel and ask the dear Infant to induce, your little brother to take me home, too." "O, thank you. Father," cried Harry. "And may we stay up as long as we like!" asked John. - "Yes. my dears. 1 da not think you will need much sleep tonight. And tomorrow at Mass remember remem-ber when you go to holy Communion to pray that I mav go away with you." ( I The prior and his two acolytes. re-entered the sacristy at the end of the Christinas Masses. "How happy I should be," whispered Harry to . - John "if our little ibrother would come now. He ought to be here by this time. J think I will scold him when he comes.'' "Perhaps he is Avaiting for us in the chapel." suggested John. Harry walked to the door, then looked out. ami even as he looked a great joy lit up his wan features. fea-tures. In a stride his brother was bf.ddc him. "0, Father!" cried Harry, "then- is little bro'V j er standing on the altar ami beckoning: us. i b i ouglit not to stand on the altar , t li"imb.' . j The aged Father tottered to the door, gave ..mo' j look, and cried : "Knee!, mv children, kneel!. It i the dear little j Tn f ant Himself!" They fell upon their knees in bidden awe. and as they knelt the Child glided to their am ..vjij.-- j pered in the ear of each. And as vach one l.eard j the message his face shown with th..- iirht of hear- j en. .Again the Child went to each ..f the kneeling I group and pressed each head to Hi- bosom. . j - " :: j When the sacristan came at carlv dawn he -irv j the three figures 'bent in seeming adoration before the tabernacle. On coming nearer though and -.'- 1 ainininy their irresponsive laeis he was niu'-h j frightened, for he did not know tli.-n Link- Brother ! had taken them to Hi? home Catholic Colinn na. ST. JOSEPH AT THE CRIB. Bowed low in reverent attitude. ; With aspect grave and nold. Our Blessed Saint gazed wi-tfullv Ou Christ the Holy Child. O'erjoyed with sincere graiirr.de. For Heaven's (Jift. Divine. Our Blessed Saint prayed fervently j And lo! the mystic sijrn ! ; With outstretched anus th God of might, I From Bethlehem's humble throne. Our Blessed Saint embra.-cd with joy. For love had found it- own! And only those of humble heart Shall know the joy and power Our Blessed Saint enraptured felt At this dark midnight kmr. The weary years of patient strife Had vanished now for aye; And souls that bless life's dreary night Shall hail eternal day! Kathleen Kane. Sacred Heart Aeadeinv. Oiiden. : Utah. ; Read the Same Backward. It is not generally known that there are nu:uv 1 words in the English language -which read th-' j same backward as forward, says an exchange. Su'-'i : common words as "nun." "noon," etc., are examples i of this, and one notices them every day. j But there are other examples which are a little j surprising- when they are pointed out. "Repaper," for instance, is an unexpected palindrome. "Glen-elg" "Glen-elg" is another. "Deified." "Hannah," "madam." j "reviver' these are-all more or less surprises and some of them very apt. especially "reviver," for (whichever way you take it the effect is the same. There are others: "lledder." "rotator." "shahs." "sexes," "level.'j "minim.' but the strangest are those which, nif.being palindromes themselves, lend j their aid in ..thwfatvuetion of a palindromis sen--. tcuc-ev The following is-a' good example: j "Desserts I (desire not, so long no lost one rise j distressed." |