The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-11-15
the whisky unknownst can slip away and
no one he,IS hit he

A"etSA having OCCn cpCCuly pun OuU VI 6lSHU
and q repetition of it declined, Barney re-
plenished his dhudeen and in few minutes
more was again in front of the house. He
turned up the collar of bis frieze cotamore,
grasped his sprig Of blackthorn tightly as
he would the hand of an old friend, and
was on the point of starting, when some one
behind caught him by the arm. Before he
turned he knew who it was from the we'll
known appeal, !" Give us halfpenny, sir, if
We plaise!'
He thrust his hands hastily into his pocket
an unpleasant proceeding on a cold night
and gave her one yet Crazy Jane was
not satisfied, for, opening her arms, she ex-
claimed,
Whatever willingness Barney may have
had to give a halfpenny, it is certain he had
n decided objec ton to give-pardon us, fair
readers-to take kiss, at least from Crazy
Jane, for he threw her another copper and
hurried down the street.
Having turned from the road to get the
pack of cards in the elder-tree, he paused a
few moments to consider which road it
would be better to take, for there were two.
1t was at least q mile and half along the
highway to the river, and then nearly an
other mile along the bank. Besides the
little light which the moon had previously
given was now shut out the snow was fall
| ing thickly, and false step might send the
| traveller into the cold flood swollen with
the winter rain. The other path, which led
across the fields to the bridge already men,
toned was not more than mile in length;
\ but then it was beset with dangers that had
more effect on Barney than a dozen adverse
| factions OH y fair-day. There was the hole
| where q notorious murderer, hard pressed
by the officers of the law, had anticipated
his doom by few days. A short distance
/ further was the graveyard, in the corner OF
which, verging op the path, were buried
those who had committed suicide, ct hoe
genus omne. But above all in that very
corner was buried Finnigan, the celebrated
Il rapparee, whose body had been stolen by
his friends from the gallows, after execution,
and who, it was reported, went gallOping
madly about in the darkness of the night,
snatching up belated travellers and treating
them to a wild ride over bush, brler, anu
bog.
The tumbler of punch must have been ex-
. ira strong, and the thought of a tumble into
the river extremely disagreeable, for, won
t derful to relate, after a long consideration
accompanied by some th0nghtful,N long
E 4lrawn-out puffs of the pipe, Barney NUT
. tered, =,
"Begorra, I'll take the short cut!"
Across the fields, then, he bent his steps
not. however, without great misglvings
n for, as we have limited, Barney O'Hea, tn
/. envy of the boys-at least, in MUD sort 9
. way-the delight of the girls, and the pria
/. of Rathgar, was as arrant a coward IN sp.ri'
q nal dangers as ever stepped in shoe leathe
% or out of it, for that matter =,
}, He proceeded the first quarter OF mil NH
/, with, comparatively speaking, great oo ~,
"a ness but then, as he approached nearer tn
il murderer's hole, he felt his courage. liz
% Bob Acre's, slowly evapoTating at ms M
% GER ends. Long and deeply did he pondt
er Whether it would be better to run rapid
,g past, or to saunter slowly, whistling SON ON
sc lively strain. Neither course was PraGI1G,'
"a HE. for he dared not run lest he shouiit
h exhausted before reaching the graveyar
4. nor could he command the requisite mol
10 chalance to do the latter, so he wake
"a briskly with throbbing heart and senses
no tenseiy acute, scarce daring to look aroul
d. for fear that his worst forebodings shou
!" be realized, yet withal gazing anxiously
n every side. At length he arrived at
haunted spot. 1t lay but few yards
IA the left, and then all the weird tales 30
all ten heard were in an instant wildly Q
I'M painfully cOnjured up before his exci'
imagination But who can portray th'
a. keen feelings which coufOund time lts'
me and make us III - minute experience