t that isn't
so, for there are many good priests, aren't there? Yes, there are.
Only, they don't understand, either. Why, Senora," she exclaimed,
suddenly remembering the Sister's previous injunction, "is this a
church? You said there would be Mass in the chapel--"

"No," replied the Sister, still studying the girl attentively, while
her manner became more severe; "this is a home for old people, a
charitable institution."

"Oh," replied Carmen, with a very vague idea of what that meant.
"Well," her face alight and her eyes dancing, "I don't belong here
then, do I? I am never going to be old," she meditated. "Why, God
never grows old! And we are His children, you know. The Bible says we
are made in His image and likeness. Well, if that is so, how can we
ever grow old? Just think of God hobbling around in heaven with a cane
and saying: 'Well, I'm getting old now! I'll soon be dying!' Isn't
that awful! We wouldn't grow old and die if it wasn't for our wrong
way of thinking, would we? When we think His thoughts, why, we will be
like Him. But not until then. Padre Jose says this, and he knows it is
true--only, he seems to have a hard time proving it. But, Senora, we
have all got to prove it, some time, every one of us. And then there
will not be any places like this for old people--people who still
believe that two and two are seven, you know. And that's my message."

The woman looked at her blankly; but the girl rambled on. "Padre Jose
sometimes talked of the charitable institutions out in the world, and
he always said that charity was a crime against the people. And he was
right, for that is just the way Jesus looked at it, isn't it? Jesus
did not give money to beggars, but he did better, he healed them of
the bad state of mind that was making them poor and sick. Why don't
the priests do that? Can you heal the sick? Jesus, when he taught,
first said a thing, and then he turned right around and proved it. Now
do you do that? I try to. I've tried it all my life. And, why, Senora,
I've had thousands of proofs!"

The Sister did not reply; and Carmen, stealing a covert glance at her,
continued:

"You know, Senora, it is just as wicked to be sick and poor as it is
to tell a lie, because being sick and poor is just the ex--the
ex-ter-nal-i-zation of our thought; and such thought is not from God;
and so to hold such thoughts and to believe them real is to believe in
power apart from God. It is having other gods than the one