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Show ROCKY MOUNTAIN SKETCHES. Rev. J. J. GibbonsEntertaingly Describes De-scribes a Missionary's Experience. "Notes of a Missionary Priest in the Kocky Mountains," from the Christian Press association of New York, is a lively little book from the pen of Rev. J. J. Gibbons, and though it has had to wait for perusal for longer time than It deserved, still the reading of it was a pleasure. Like the mountains of which it is redolent, it is crisp and breezy. It is a book of about 200 pages, consisting con-sisting of a dozen sketches, telling some of the rough experiences of a missionary in Colorado. It smacks of ice, and snow, gold and silver, humor and pathos, and while it will prove interesting reading to any and everybody, every-body, one can heartily recommend It to the clergy; it will prove an entertaining entertain-ing as a novel, above all the one chap- m". Ten Days on a Sick Cal1-" Vi the autnr does not attempt anythlng more than a mere sketch, sun parts of the work are dramatic and of a high order of literary good sense The ;book is illustrated with some fine Rocky mountain scenery and altogether is a charming book in its , green cover, with here and there its I touch of practical philosophy, as for Instance when the author says, "Build-, "Build-, Ing churches, collecting money and j paying debts soon wear a man out." One need not to remark that to this 'sentiment' every pastor will add an amen. Father Gibbons writes as entertainingly entertain-ingly of the burro as he does of the lion; and concerning the much-vaunted courage of the lions, he claims the sound of a human voice fills them with fright and they at once flee. To prove his statement he relates this anecdote: '"I have known the case of a woman still living in the western part of Colorado Colo-rado who had a thrilling experience with a mountain lion. She went out into the field one day tp dig potatoes and took her baby with her, wrapping it up and leaving it in the wagon close to which she was working. Looking up she was amazed to see what she took for a large dog jump nimbly into the wagon. Grasping the hoe, she ran toward the wagon, screaming at the top of her voice. The lion went up toward the child, seized it by the clothes and tried to carry it off: this it could not easily do, as the child was heavy and well wrapped in the blanket. blan-ket. As the woman approached the wagon and the dog came running up, the lion tied without making an attempt at-tempt to fight." "Billy Maher's Death" is one of the most pathetic descriptions in the book, closing with the words: "Billv was no more, and the little cabin beyond the ocean in distant Tipperary would never again be visited by one whose fondest hope was that he might sit once more beneath the thatched roof of his childhood home." Father Gibbons Gib-bons occasionally lapses into rhyme. Here are a few good verses, entitled, "A Miner's Denth." "i'is dreary tonight on the mountain, The starlight is hid in the skv; The thieK snow is falling and drifting. From each rugged peak's point on high. A miner is dying and praying That God in his mercv may send The Soggnrth Aroon to his cabin, A sinner in need to befriend. The unction has now touched the Christian. Chris-tian. His lins are still moist from the oil, Scarce has absolution been civon When nature succumbs to the toil. The Crucifix clasued to his bosom, A tear on his cheek latelv shed. A word for his mother and family, The soul of the miner has fled. Beside him we watched from the midnight Till heaven unlocked the new day, We laid him to rest on the hillside. From home and dear friends far away. There are so many striking bits of exquisite expression here and there in this volume that the pen refuses to stop quoting. Describing a night ride, over the Rocky mountains, the priest-author priest-author says: "The awful darkness which fell like a pall over the canon and on the misty waters of the-Dolores, I shall not forget. for-get. The silence was broken at times by the hoarse roar of the snowslide, the short brak of the coyote and the dismal wail of the mountain Hon from , some neighboring cliff. I was riding over ground consecrated by the hard-shops hard-shops of the first Franciscans, who, hundreds of years before, followed the star of empire westward and named the sparkling stream Dolores 'sor- i rowful.' " The modest little book closes with lines written by a pet-priest friend of the author, a description of Ouray. There's a spot among the Rockies, In Colorado'3 wilds. Where the breezes whisper music And the midday sunlight smiles, Where the mountains like grim warders Keep watch both night and day, Where nature's hand has placed them, j.ne guaruians oi uuray. Do you journey through the canyons 'Twixt high and rocky walls, And listen to the murmur Of busy waterfalls? Are you seeking health or. pleasure 'Mid the mountains old and grayZ . You'll find the yearncd-for treasure In picturesque Ouray. Do nature's pictures tire And the murmuring rills? Do you long for something homelike Amid the towering hills? Seek you a nlace to rest in Where gentle calm holds sway To soothe the weary spirit? You'll find it in Ouray. Gleaner in Catholic Columbian. |