lieve that Mr. Shimerda's soul will come to its
Creator as well off without a priest. We be-
lieve that Christ is our only intercessor."

The young man shook his head. "I know
how you think. My teacher at the school has
explain. But I have seen too much. I believe
in prayer for the dead. I have seen too much."

We asked him what he meant.

He glanced around the table. "You want
I shall tell you? When I was a little boy like
this one, I begin to help the priest at the altar.
I make my first communion very young; what
the Church teach seem plain to me. By 'n' by
war-times come, when the Austrians [4] fight us.
We have very many soldiers in camp near
my village, and the cholera break out in that
camp, and the men die like flies. All day long
our priest go about there to give the Sacra-
ment to dying men, and I go with him to carry
the vessels with the Holy Sacrament. Every-
body that go near that camp catch the sick-
ness but me and the priest. But we have no
sickness, we have no fear, because we carry
that blood and that body of Christ, and it
preserve us." He paused, looking at grand-
father. "That I know, Mr. Burden, for it
happened to myself. All the soldiers know,

[[121]]

p120 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p121w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p122

v?