The next morning Father Luis was feeling better so the kids went to school. They gave all kinds of instructions to Corporal Fehér and his wife. The priest had some more chicken soup and it helped revive him a little more.
When Magda and John came home, they had a long conversation about the priest’s assignment. Father Luis just wanted to know if he could stay there or if he needed to go back to the home they had for the priests. He told them that it was a long walk back. Magda told him that he could stay if he found his room comfortable.
The next day was only a half day at school. When Corporal Fehér started harnessing up, Father Luis went out to help him. Luis then got in the carriage with the corporal and rode into town with him to pick up the kids from school. Magda was happy that Father Luis had come because they were going to the tailor and she wanted to order some new clothing for Father Luis too. John was getting a new winter coat and she ordered one for Father Luis as well. She also ordered new boots for John and Luis.
When they got home, the kids studied for about an hour. Father Luis asked if he could sit in and Magda gave him a notebook and a German dictionary. She told Father Luis to take his Latin bible and convert it into German. He worked away at it for over an hour. When Magda looked it over she could not make heads or tails of what he had written. She told him that she would get him some children’s books that they used in school.
John went to his swordsman training Father Luis asked if he could accompany him. He could see that John was just a beginner. On their way home, Father Luis told John that if he would get him a sword he could practice with him. John told Magda about getting Father Luis a sword and the next day they went and bought him one. John only went to the fencing instructor once a week, but Luis worked with him for an hour every evening. The two of them became very good friends.
Father Luis was also a very good chess player and he and John played anytime they could. In the daytime while the kids were at school, Father Luis cut up firewood and stacked it under a cover so that they would have dry wood for winter. When Corporal Fehér went to work on the corrals, Luis helped him. He tried to stay busy.
Lydia came for a visit. After she had arrived, the kids found out that Lydia’s cousin was studying to become a doctor. His name was Rudolf Van Stollen and he was in their class. He had very little money and couldn’t afford all the books he needed. Rudy’s grades were very bad too. John and Magda’s grades were the best in the class. Magda suggested that he moved in with them so that he wouldn’t have to pay rent and could eat and study with them.
After living with John and Magda for a while, the change in Rudy was profound. He was now answering every question that was asked in class and had a new found confidence. The three studied together every night. Rudy’s grades went from the lowest in the class to the top of the class, along with John and Magda. Magda bought him a set of books and every day the three studied until they all had a good understanding of the material they were learning.
Lydia liked Father Luis and she told Magda that he would have to earn some money so that they wouldn’t have to turn him loose.
The ladies went shopping and Magda got six new dresses. When she went to church she was certainly noticed by all of the ladies in her fur coat with two gentlemen escorting her, along with a priest. The archbishop had special seats for them overlooking the alter. All of that gold certainly paid off.
There was a small restaurant in town that was run by a Hungarian man who was married to a German girl. After church they all went to eat at the restaurant and ordered some goulash. The owner was happy to serve them, but even happier to speak Hungarian with them.
After they started eating, two little girls came in and went around to all the tables with their cans. Magda got out some silver and put it in each can. Father Luis quickly started to butter a slice of bread. John noticed what Father Luis was doing and also started to butter a slice of bread. They gave the bread to the girls. The girls smiled and thanked them. The owner brought out some more bread and put in on the table. Magda asked him if he had some warm soup that they could feed the orphan girls. Right away he sat a table for them and brought out some vegetable soup. The girls sat down, made the sign of the cross, and then started eating. Those two girls were very happy and finished eating about the same time Magda finished. Magda then motioned for the older one to come over and asked her where the orphanage was. She then looked at John and said, “They had better ride with us so that we can find the place.”
They all piled in the carriage and went out to the orphanage at the end of town. On the way there they passed a farmer selling potatoes from his wagon. The only person that noticed this was Father Luis. They drove into the orphanage and some sisters came out to greet them. Magda got off the carriage and introduced herself. Father Luis asked Magda to ask the sisters if the rest of the children had eaten yet. Magda then asked the mother superior if they had fed the children yet.
She said, “No, but they will get a slice of stale bread with some bacon grease on it soon.”
Luis told Magda about the farmer he saw who was selling potatoes from his wagon. He told her, “I will go back to him and bring him here.”
Magda continued talking to the sisters. They wanted to know who the priest was. Magda explained to them that he had been assigned to her and that he did not speak German, only Latin and French. She told them that he had been sent there from the Vatican. The sisters were really impressed. Magda then told them that the priest had gone after some potatoes.
A little while later the men came back and the farmer was pulling his potato-filled wagon behind them. Luis told Magda that he had spent the money that was on his table to buy the potatoes. Corporal Fehér and John started to unload the potatoes, all eleven sacks. Father Luis then went into the kitchen. One of the sisters spoke French to him. He was looking for some big frying pans. He stoked the fire and put on some water to boil so that they could clean the potatoes. As soon as all of the potatoes were off the wagon, Luis called John in and told him to start cleaning the dishes. Magda brought in a basket full of eggs that the farmer had under his seat. After the farmer had everything unloaded, he pulled out and went on his way.
Luis then told Magda to have everyone start peeling the potatoes. Once they were peeled, he had them put them in a pot of clean water. As soon as the frying pan was ready, he asked for some bacon grease. He then started to slice the potatoes into the frying pan. The French sister was helping him. Madam superior said that God had heard and answered their prayers.
Magda was really impressed with how Luis took charge of the situation. As soon as the first pan of potatoes was ready, he told the French sister to feed the little ones first, and she started dishing out the potatoes. The children were really happy. Some of the other sisters were helping the kids too. Father Luis then went to the head of the table and said a prayer. Nobody but Magda and John understood it, but they didn’t mind and everyone said amen at the end of it.
It took four panfuls to feed all the kids. They all had full bellies and were very happy. The sisters didn’t get much. Since there wasn’t enough lard to fry up more potatoes, Father Luis got a big pot and made some potato soup instead. All the sisters happily ate the potato soup.
After they cleaned everything up they all said their goodbyes. Before they left, Father Luis asked Magda if she would ask the mother superior if it would be okay if stopped by again the next day to help out. She told Magda that Father Luis was welcome any time. Father Luis asked the kids if they could drop him off and pick him up the next day on their way to and from school so that he could cook for the children.
That next morning Magda gave Father Luis two more 20-dollar gold pieces so he could go shopping for the things he needed and suggested he take the French sister shopping with him. He ended up cooking for the orphans every school day. He said it kept him busy and he loved being around the children. The archbishop found out about him working at the
orphanage during the day and approved.
Rudy went to the orphanage to help too. He noticed a crippled girl and told Magda that he thought her injuries were only due to a dislocation. Magda asked the sisters if they could take the girl home with them. The mother superior agreed to let them take her.
When they got home, Rudy told the girl that the procedure they were about to do on her would probably be painful. The three of them were able to reset the girl’s leg. Magda then mixed her up a powder to help ease the girl’s pain a little. They put her in the room next to Rudy. During the night she got up to sit on the chamber pot. She ended up falling over and couldn’t get back up. She got the shirt she was sleeping in all wet. Rudy heard her crying and went in to help her up. He then gave her one of his shirts to put on. He then walked her over to his room, gave her a powder, and told her to lie down on his bed. He blew out the light and lay down next to her. He got up twice that night to give her more powder.
The next morning Magda told him to stay at home and go shopping for the girl. She needed underwear, hose, shoes, clothing, and a warm coat. After the carriage dropped the kids off at school, Rudy went shopping for the girl. They ended up going to six different places just to get everything she needed. After they got home, she put on one of the new dresses and Rudy told her that she looked beautiful.
When the kids came home from school they were surprised to see how beautiful the girl looked. Her name was Heidy and she was in love with doctor Rudy.
The kids studied and gave Rudy the notes he missed and brought him up to speed. Friday afternoon they took Heidy back out to the orphanage. The sisters had a hard time believing that this was the same girl.
19
Lydia and her father went Saltsburg to visit the kids. They were at the railroad station waiting to be picked up. Young John decided that he’d better take his six-shooter with him because he had heard that bandits had been holding up carriages and robbing people on their way home from the rail station. They arrived safely and loaded Lydia and her father into the carriage. On their way home, they passed a lot of soldiers patrolling the roads. The general explained that the army had been asked to assist the police with the bandit problem.
They had just started up an incline when 12 bandits rode in to hold them up. Without hesitation John pulled his six-shooter and started firing at the bandits. He shot five of them and they fell off their horses. The general had a single-shot pistol and shot and killed the bandits’ leader. John then pulled stepped out of the carriage and pulled his sword. One of the bandits had his blade out and ran for John. John got him with a sideways cut and just about took his head off. Another man also had his sword out and came at John. With two swings of John’s sword, the man lay lifeless on the ground. John then came around the carriage where the general was fighting off two men. John stabbed one of the men and the General finished off the other, but got a nasty cut on his shoulder in the process.
The two remaining bandits rode off but were cut down by a Captain Wolf and his men who had heard the firing. He and his men headed towards the gunshots as fast as their horses would carry them.
Captain Wolf commended the men for their bravery and fine fighting skills. He was especially impressed with young John and wanted to publically commend his efforts. Lydia begged Captain Wolf not to mention John’s name because he was in medical school and was also Hungarian. She said it wouldn’t look good for him.
The captain then went over to the general, saluted him, and reported to him. The general was bleeding quite badly so Lydia and Magda took off his jacket and shirt so they could assess the wound better.
As the girls were attending to his wound, the general told Captain Wolf, “I hope that this is the last of them. These bandits have become quite a nuisance.”
The captain joked with the general and said, “It would have been nice if you would have saved a few of them for us, General.” The two of them chuckled.
When the police arrived, they tried to take possession of the bandits’ horses, but instead the general ordered the captain to commandeer them for military use. The general told the policemen, “This is a military operation and the military will decide what will be done with the horses. If you have a problem with this order, you can appeal it to the king.”
The captain and the general continued their conversation. The captain said, “In all seriousness General, you should not have taken on that many bandits.”
The general replied, “Fritz, if you would have been in this carriage instead of me you would have done the exact same thing. What else were we supposed to do?”
Magda then piped up and told the captain, “Those bandits were very foolish. They could clearly see that there was a soldier inside the carriage and they chose to attack us anyway.” Everyone started laughing.
Magda started to sew some stiches into the general’s wound to stop the bleeding. As Magda stitched him up, the general stood as still as he could but made a lot of faces.
As all of this was going on, a newsman had arrived. He was writing down everything he heard and was also sketching out pictures of the scene in his notebook. Needless to say, it ended up being the story of the year.
When they got home, they put the general to bed and the rest of them sat in the living room to unwind from the excitement of the day.
The next morning was Sunday and they were all going to church, even the general, he was feeling much better. When they arrived at the church, the archbishop greeted them. Father Luis and John were assisting the general and the archbishop led them to the front row. Lydia and Magda took their seats in front. The king was sitting across from them. The king then stood up and greeted the general. He told him not to worry about the meeting or returning back to work until he was fully healed.
The king then told the general, “Little did you know, the day before your attack a field marshal and three of his generals were attacked and robbed by bandits on the same road you were. You showed what a determined soldier can do when a dangerous situation is forced upon him. I just want you to know that I am writing you a letter of praise. The meeting we are having is on retiring some of our generals, but there is no way that I would retire you. I am going to move you up to field marshal.”
Lydia told Magda some news about the bishop in Nagyvárad. She said, “The bishop was accused of raping the girl that cleaned and cooked for him. The girl’s father and three of her uncles went after the bishop to hang him, but before they could get to him, Uncle John put him on a train to Budapest and told him never to return. He told the bishop if he ever returned, he would personally furnish the rope.”
Magda wrote a letter to Big Luke about Father Luis telling him that he was an ex-soldier captain and would make an ideal bishop for Nagyvárad. Luke talked to Lydia and she agreed that Luis would be perfect. Luke then got another 20,000 dollars together and sent it to Saltsburg with a letter for the archbishop asking permission for Luis to take over as bishop in Nagyvárad.
When they all got back to Magda’s after the church services had finished, Lydia, Magda, and John went to see the archbishop. They asked him if Father Luis could serve as the bishop of Nagyvárad. Lydia told him about the letter and money that Luke was sending him. The archbishop was overwhelmed by their generosity and would do anything for them, even if it was out of his jurisdiction. He explained that he would send the cardinal a letter of recommendation stating that Luis be sent to Nagyvárad to take over as their bishop. He then ordered Luis to return to the church for further instructions. Three weeks later, Luis was ordained a bishop and was assigned to Nagyvárad.
Luis spent every spare minute he had learning the Hungarian language. It was hard for him at first, but Magda was an excellent teacher and little by little he started to catch on.
Magda put him on the train to Vienna with John. When he reached Vienna, Luke and Lydia were waiting for him and went with him the rest of the way to Nagyvárad, and John
went back to Saltsburg. Luis continued studying his Hungarian every chance he got. Luke helped him a lot and the majority of their speaking to each other was in Hungarian.
When they arrived in Nagyvárad, Luke and Lydia took him to the bishop quarters and had the schoolteacher meet them there so that he could translate for Luis. His Hungarian still needed some work. Father Miklos, the priest in Nagyvárad, joined them as well. After Bishop Luis was all settled in, Luke and Lydia went on to Kisvárda.
Bishop Luis told the schoolteacher that he didn’t want to take charge until he felt comfortable speaking Hungarian. The schoolteacher told him he was welcome to attend school with the children to learn more. Luis went every morning and his Hungarian improved each day.
While exploring Nagyvárad, he saw that they had a hospital with two doctors. After school he would stop by the hospital and speak Latin with the doctors. He then found out where the orphanage was and visited there daily. He also spoke Latin with Dr. Van Baden. He went to the hospital and the orphanage every day trying to make himself useful, unlike the last bishop in charge. He was well-liked at the orphanage and played football with the older boys every day after school.
There was a butcher shop a block away from his home that he bought his meat from. The butcher had six kids and his 12-year-old daughter, Éva, attended school with Luis. The bishop practiced his Hungarian with her routinely. She was very patient with him. At school the bishop sat in the back of the class. The teacher gave him assignments that he worked very hard on. Another little girl, Maria, from the orphanage sat in front of him and she helped him practice his Hungarian words too.
The Nagyvradi Brothers Page 18
