Page 165 - March On! God will Provide by Brother Aubert

144 DEPARTURE FOR AMERICA
teurs at Schiedam relative to the voyage of our Brothers
to America. The answer I received was that all their
boats were going to Java or Singapore and that they
did not know whether the 'Maris Stella' would get back
during the month of May and that even if she did there
would not be vacancies for seven persons. We see then
that there is nothing to be hoped for in that direction."
When Brother Ryken realized that the one way of
getting across the Atlantic was on a commercial passen-
ger ship, he decided to book passage on the "Franklin"
sailing from Le llawe, France, that July fifth. He asked
a young English woman, who lived with her parents in
Bruges and who was about to embark for America, to
make the reservations for seven Brothers at the office of
the Ocean Steam Navigation Company in Le Havre.
The young woman left Bruges for Le Havre and America
in mid-March, a fortnight after Brother Ryken had re-
ceived the letter of inquiry from Louisville.
Six weeks were to elapse before Brother Ryken replied
to Bishop Spalding. Writing in mid-April he outlined
for His Excellenry the efiort he had made to secure free
transportation and then he told him of his being forced
to pay his way: "The fares are going to be extremely
high. Maybe I will not have sufficient money since a
great deal must be set aside to pay for clothing. Under
the circumstances may I be allowed to ask (1) Could I
hope that on our ariival you would. reimburie me for
the sum expended on clothing? This sum could be de-
ducted from the Brothers' pay for the first year. (2) Will
Your Excellency be prepared to pay a part of the travel
expense? In all probability we shall be leaving on rhe
steamer 'Franklin' which will sail from Le Havre on
July fifth. There will probably be a priest traveling with
us.
"As for street-dress we will adopt the same as worn by