THE CHARITY WORKER

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIII, Issue 18, 4 May 1916, Page 5

THE CHARITY WORKER

.7 Wasn’t she great, Kitty?’ ‘ Perfectly splendid, Nora. It was awfully nice of you to invite me to hear her. And the gown she wore. , Really it made me '< envious, that • lovely ■’rose chiffon; and 7 then satin and 7 real lace trimming, and the diamond sunburst. Her hat just set off the dress. Tf*'Blackvelvet is so rich and - the ’ plumes in it just matched 1-the shade of : the chiffon. Mrs. * Brandon certainly has taste.’ ;VV.7>i Oh, dear,’ . I thought, turning another page •of the newspaper, ‘7 Iwonder-df I will get this 1 all the way into Park street.’ : There was really no way to avoid it, for I was sitting on the side seat at 7 the end of a semi-convertible car,-: and the two ladies chatted away, - entirely , oblivious of my ’ presence; I had to hear - them 7 whether I ; i wanted to or not. 7 .7; , , . , ■ .. , , ”V:,:, ‘But her lecture, Kitty dearwhat; did you think of that ?•’ ■ ,v7v=-‘- : /.. -u '/.-nn ■"■ -v:. that?-.;. ,• . .7, ' ; "<■ , ■’ 77 7.

* Delicious,’ -" she responded. '* Of course 'K don’t" know much about < the subject, but she seems to know... charity work inside out. ‘ :' You ought ;toI be proud of . your ; sister. I never heard a woman speak ‘so i well, i not even those horrid suffragettes.’"T '• 7. %•:•<•.*- ■'•. - /v’’ - v?-/!/' V' ; !, .-?•-' Oh,'* I ■ am 7so • proud of * her, Kitty. ' ;; : She sends hie tickets ' every time she is goiSig to speak/ and I go whenever possibly can.’ ri; >;•/<.■/ i 7 '% 7 \% 'T- /;,. /;>... ;.■; ••//'- "* You* ought 'to go always:! ' I’d never * miss a* chance to hear - her -if ; I had a sister like Brandon.’ / it Well,’ sighed Nora, ‘.I: can’t always go.- .'You know my poor brother doesn’t like/to be left .! alone too much and of !; course I am at work all day/ /and 'so* I 1 never go out except when my ' sister is speaking, but,’ brightening. ‘ of» course. Ed. will be company for him now, and that will leave me more free.’ - ~ -

-:«; 'Ed.?' ~,- - " ■;.,„ '"•-. .-\ v'•--'- . : 'Why,: yes. Ed. is -going to ■ live with lis now. I told you, you remember, , that my sister had an adopted boy. She has always been a charity worker. 1 call her a real philanthropist. She has no children, and so about ten years ago she adopted Ed. when he was only a child, and has brought him -up. ■ Wasn't it splendid of her?' .' Splendid!' responded Kitty warmly. 'But. how does it happen that he is to be with you?' > ' ,^;-x- - 'Well, you see. it's this way,' answered Nora;'', 'Mrs. Brandon is away : from home so much - that she was forced to neglect the boy a little. Of course he never lacked anything that. : money could buy, but he was left mostly to the care of the servants. She; simply had to be out a great ; deal in order-to attend to their charities. ■/' Lately she found he was getting- a little beyond her, and was having his own way in * everything, acting like the spoiled child that he was. She was going to send him back to the home, and so I volunteered to take him. - He's such a dear.... 4 She was quite willing. He is doing s very well for me and my sister is delighted. ,You remember she asked particularly about him to-night, and was so glad "to hear he was doing well. .She has such a good heart.' Yes,' assented Kitty, I thought a little doubtfully, ' I have seen : her, name in the paper - frequently, as a worker for the poor, and as a philanthropist:' .'She certainly is,' responded Nora with conviction. ' I'm" prouder of her every day. . She always wanted to work for people that way. In fact we used to talk about it when we were small and we both wished to do charitable work, but when father died, his affairs were - dreadfully involved and we were left almost penniless, and so all the great plans failed. That is; mine did. ; / She was able to carry hers out. V - -_ . ■-- • ■ ' We were both engaged at the time,' she continued, blushing a little., ' but I broke my engagement, as I thought I ought to stay at home with . mother and my brother Arthur. Arthur, you know, has been a cripple since childhood, and it was his condition which turned our attention so strongly to charity work. We talked the situation over, my sister and myself, and she thought she could help more by marrying Mr. Brandon;. who, of course, is wealthy, and she certainly has done --wonders, doing good for people all over the oity. She is interested in Belgium and Polish Relief Work, TOK>.' .> . , V--- , Wasn't she elected president 6f Women's union for half a dozen reforms, or some such thing ?' Kitty asked. ' . 'The Women's Union for Civic and Industrial Reform,' corrected Nora severely. 'lt was a great honor. They are a very exclusive set, and. I believe she is the first Catholic to hold the office of president. They generally allow our people to be secretaries or something like that.I read it. during a noon hour, and I nearly cried with joy. I was feeling tired after the morning, but when I saw her picture in the paper was so proud that I came near answering back when the boss pointed out a mistake I had made.' ;i . • --.-. ■-•' ". ;. ..\i : !.■ „ , - - , Kitty laughed. Don't do that, Nora. He's an awful crank and won't stand for it. You'll lose your job.' 'I know it,' answered Nora. 'l'm careful, I promise 'You have to work very hard, though,' ~ said Kitty, sympathetically. 'I wouldn't want the place.' _ ' Yes,' agreed Nora, ' but my hours are short. That s why I'd hate to lose/the position. I get through early and can hurry to Arthur, who is alone all day. The woman in the flat below us is very good. She sees 7 that .he-has a lunch, r and answers' a little bell he rings when he .wants anything. I pay her— it isn't much. Poor ; Arthurshe sighed deeply, 'he has-to- be very patient. . But, she added more cheerily, 'he does not suffer. He sits up in his chair all day and reads and'says his prayers and is { lt's lucky -you get such good pay,' responded -Kitty; ''to stand all the expenses, :unless,'; she hinted, : Mrs. Brandon helps you—.'• , -jt «»* u- 'Oh, no—dear, no,', cried Nora, hurriedly. 'Mrs. Brandonit would not be ;quite right for -hereto spend her husband's money on her ■ own 1 ; family— -you think f That's the way she feels about it—and I feel that way, too: I have quite enough to get along on. Of course the addition of Ed. will mean a little sacrifice, but.he_s such a dear; willing, chap/ and studies so hard. The only thing ? that * makes Ume unhappy is that Arthur, • does ; not

like Mrs. • Brandon —his 7 own sister. : He . called - her a/ big bluff oncel shall never forget ' it'’ , C > * ’ '’■* i ‘ Well,’ said Kitty j: v caustically, ‘ 1 don’tj see why; she can’t 1 spend a'little on you ,if she helps' others 'so much. 1 always thought ‘she . helped you a great deal.’ -'-v- ---, ‘Oh, dear,’ cried . Nora, /•, don’t you see, she doesn’t spend/ on charity. / They live"; up to/ every cent of Mr. Brandon’s income. - They have to keep up in the ’social world in which they /mo ./ She Just gives her life: to the cause, spending every minute of her time, lecturing here arid- there, /•< organising, neighborly visiting,; and / all -.that. Why, she is so. busy she has not been . to see us for two years now. She is so sorry about it,' and is always apologising when she sees me, and promises to come soon. * I know : she means' it, - , but does not find time— we meet often as ; I try to go to her lectures.’ / / ! V I, Well, you can’t blame/ Arthur /for hot liking her when she doesn’t come to see him,’ observed Kitty.- - ‘ Arthur does mot/understand, poor boy, how busy a charity worker - can - be-these . days. There is so ’ much poverty and distress everywhere, and I know that _ outside of the time that society demands of her she is always busy. She is a great success—president of the Women’s Union for Civic and Industrial Reform, just imagine it. I’m so proud of—’ ‘ Of course,’ interrupted Kitty, ‘ I suppose she is busy, but I should think she would find time to do a little charity work at home.’ ’ ; • V

‘ She has the kindest heart. When she came up to me to-night, she was so glad to see me. Did you notice? left all the workers, Mrs. Van Pomp, Mrs. Steele, and Mrs. Goldbrick, and came right over to me. . She wanted to take me home in the ■ limousine, and would have but for the fact that the South End is so far out of the way, and it was ;so ,late. Indeed, I would not permit her.’ , . • ‘ She never introduced you to the Goldbricks or the Van Pomps, did she?’ ‘No,- of course not—with these shabby clothes? Indeed, I wouldn’t thank her to,’ said Nora. I don’t want her to be toting .poor relations around in the exclusive circles in which she moves.’ '/VC- / ‘No, of course - not,’ ’ said Kitty, a : little sarcastically, I thought, ‘ that wouldn’t be proper.’ ‘ Of course not,’ cried Nora with conviction. ‘ I’ve often explained it to Arthur but he just laughs and says “Humbug.” There’s only one thing distressing me about Mrs. Brandon. Of course—she’s a Catholic, Kitty, as good as I ambut I’m afraid she doesn’t take - much interest in Church work, and I’ve heard that frequently she doesn’t -go to Mass, put I don’t believe it, and when*; I asked her she just laughed and said “nonsense.” ’ : >* Vv ; i.. ‘I never heard,-her, name connected with any .Church affairs,’ interrupted Kitty. ‘ I should think that ; a Catholic would find too much to do with v our interminable hospitals and orphanages, and old . people’s homes, and industrial schools, and -Good Shepherds, Little Sisters, and all the restl don’t see why any would-be philanthropist who claims, to be a Catholic wouldn’t find enough and more than enough to do at home.’ ‘ I know it,’ said. Nora. ■ ‘ I told - Mrs. Brandon that and she agreed with- me—but her circle, those among whom she" moves - and lives are, - of course, non-Catholics, and so if she is to accomplish any good it must be on broad nonsectarian lines.' / She explained 'it very ell—besides you know Mrs. / Brandon -moves in such cultured circles arid thinks our people a little rude. Do you think so?’ - ; ‘ No, I don’t,’ snapped Kitty. ' >. ‘ Neither do I,’ , responded Nora, ‘but that’s -what Mrs. Brandon says, and she told me that - when she called on a parish priest in the interests of the neighborly house, he was really very rude and told her that he was surprised to find a Catholic working for such proselytising agencies.’ ‘Rude! I don’t believe it, ’ said Kitty. ‘He probably told her a few truths she didn’t like to .hear, such as charity begins at home, - and .that she ought to spend her time and energy . and money, 1 , if she ever spent any monev except on * herself, on her own ; people.’ . -■' > ‘Why, Kitty, I’m shocked. Ido hope that when you call', you - won’t /encourage *. Arthur in Mrs. Brandon. ' I am so. proud of her. * She is so charitable, ‘so self-sacrificing. President .of ' the . Women s-, ,Union, for—’ ~ . V ‘You’ve ‘ been more / table, more self-sacrificing yourself, Nora, than the/ Avffole'tribw of Van'Pomps, Goldbricks, Steeles, and Brandons.’ - _ •■•••. y .-/>/■> Nora looked horrified at this bold heresy. .: : • v ;_>>>

‘ Why, Kitty— ’' V!' /v' :, , , , r - ‘Park -street, all'out,’- yelled the conductor, and I missed the sequel. . ' • J . x i. j ,V , I'thought. the nickle for that ride well spent. I bade t read the newspaper but -T had read a page of v real life. I suppose Nora will go. down to her grave believing in simple humility - and sincerity that the humbug Mrs. Brandon is .the charity worker instead of herself.— Pilot. ' . .