"I thank you," replied the millionaire. Then he continued: "I see you are doing a lot here for the boys. That is the best work I know of. If you turn out others like Frank and William, you ought to be blessed and thanked. I know your heart is with your boys. Can't I do something for the Club?"
They talked over the situation for some time, with the result that the Club was to get a new piano, new up-to-date billiard tables, a bowling alley, and six sets of boxing gloves. All these were to be delivered Christmas week.
As Mr. Roberts was leaving, the priest said, "It's my turn now to do something for you. I am going to ask you to do a little favor for yourself. I want you to kneel down every night before going to bed and say a prayer. It's not a long one, just this: 'O God, grant me the grace to see the light, and the courage to follow it.'"
"Why, that's easy," said Mr. Roberts. "I thought you were going to ask me something big."
"Well, for all you know, that may turn out to be the biggest thing you have ever done," replied Father Boone, as they clasped hands on parting.
Father Boone's thoughts just now had turned to the McCormack concert. After the disturbance, he had sent the tickets to a priest down town, who had a boys' club in a poor section of the city. "But I don't know as it's too bad," he thought. "Those boys down there never get much of anything. I'll find some way to make it up. The boys won't suffer for my mistake, that's certain."
He phoned down to Carnegie Hall.
"Sold out," was the answer.
"I thought so," he reflected, not at all disappointed.
That afternoon while down town on business, he turned over 57th Street to Seventh Avenue and dropped into Carnegie Hall to see what other date McCormack was booked for. While he was making his inquiries, a man standing nearby approached him.