The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-01-27

gev her the price ay a weddin dhress av
wine-colored cashmer. Bechune the
money that Nancy an Push had the very
night the dodgers left it was nigh an tif-
teen pound; an that very evenin' who
comes up t Push's but Bill Reilly, Nan
cy's father. was there mesclf, too, an
we war jokin' Nancy an Push whin Bill
sez, seZ he:
Mrs. Hennessey," sez he, 81 dunno
what's the matter wild me, but I've pain
across two av me shoulders, an av yeh
wouldn't mind I'd like to lie down for a
bit on the bed in the room there beyant
antil Nancy's ready t come home"
"Nivir say it twict, to be shure, to be
shure" seq Mrs. Hennessey; ian We must
take a taste o. sperrets, for maybe it's a
cowld has grip o. ye."
No, Mrs. Hennessey," he sez, l
won't take it," sez he.
An throth me an Push looked at wan
another wild all the eye; we had t hear
Bill Reilly refusin' the dhrink!
So he wint in an lay down on the bed
in the little room ott;a the kitchen, and we
war in tn other room next the shop hav-
in some tay an white bread and butther,
whin Nancy sez:
"I'll 90 in an see how me father is
now; he was very quare and silent-like
all the evenin', an didn't even take much
heed whin we war countin' the money"
He was thinkin' how hard it 'ud be
for him T. Civ yeh up" sez Push, quite
soft to her; AN shure | don't wondher,
for it's the brakin's o. me own heart yeh
are intirely."
"Arrah! be aisyp she seq, wild beau
tiful red blush in the very heart av her
cheeks, an she ran into the room, but
back she was agin while ye'd be winkin'
" Me father isn't there" she seq, look
in frightened like; maybe he got sick
an wint home, for the back-door is
open. l must go atther him an see"
No wan cud say agin that, for it was
only right an proper. So aft she wlnt,
an Push wint wild her. / sted wild ould
Mrs. Hennessy antil he KEN back, an
towld us that Bill Reilly hadn't gone home,
an poor Nancy was afeard he was gone
aft an some av his gallivantin's, an near
cried her eyes out.
Well, t make long story short, the
very next mOrnin' Push was goin' t pay
the rint that day, an he wint t. get the
money out av a ticken-bag he uset t.
keep it in, in the box in the room; an lol
an behould yeh!-nayther sight nor light
av his money cud he see! 1t was quare,
shure enough-an' what was worse, it
wasn't only the rint money that was gone,
but all that he an Nancy had ARMED
wild the gintlemin, and the price av four
fine pigs into the bargain. 1t was too
bad intirely. Push sarched ivirywhere; ;
but he felt purity shure it was robbed
from him, an that the robber was no wan
but Bill Reilly, for no wan but Bill an
Nancy wint into the room!
"Say nothin' about it," sez he t the
mother, "antil | go over an spakc t.
Nancy"
SO the poor boy wint up the road like
a madman; but whin he got t. Bills the
paddock was an the doore, an no wan t.
be seen. Thinking that maybe Nancy 'ud
soon be back, he sot anundher the hedge
an waited until he was tired.
CAV coorse she'n be down by-an' by"
he sez t. the mother. But, bedad, Nancy
nlvir KEN, an Push nivir got his money,
for she an her father nivir KEN back.
1t was quare thing altogether, an no
wan knew what t. make of 1t at all. As
for Push himself, why he'd stop anywan
thet 'ud begin t. talk about it, so no wan
knew what his mind was about Nancy.
Ould Mrs. Hennessey died a couple O.
years afther, an people thought thin that
Push 'ud get marri'd. But there he sted
mindin' his shop an the fishin', an sell
dom goin' anywhere; but he was the
kindest an the best nabour ivir drew
breath. God reward him!-an' so He
has.
Ay, indeed, Miss Maria! it was only a
Christmas Eve mornin' that l was stand
in at the doore Bnitten', whin dacint
woman, dhressed very quite an respecta-
bic, KEN along the road an stops an looks
very hard at me.
"Can yeh tell me, av yeh plase," sez
she, "if Tom Hennessey lives here yit?"
"Yis, ma a'am," sez |; "there beyant at
the turn. He keeps the shop at the cross
roads"
care you Peggy Boyle?" sez she.
"Yis, ma'am," sez 1, wondherin' how
she knew me.
"Will yeh let me come in an sit
DOWN." sez she.
Av coorse did; an she KEN in an TUX
aft her bonnet an shawl, an not a lie
Pm tellin' whin l say I thrimbled as if
it was ghost l SAVIOR there sot Nancy
Reilly.
Well, yeh see, iviry wan uset t. be Civ
en- her the hard word afther her goin' atf
that-a way, but, throth, meself was SO
wondherin' at seein' her that l niver
thought av anythin', but sez--
"Arrah, Nancy Reilly! an is this you,
avourneen? What bekem av yeh at all al
all, all this time?''
Faix, she was cryin' away as hard as
iver she cud, an niver med me no an
swer.
Nancy, agra" says l, " are yeh goin
over to see Push? Troth it's Lonesome
enough he is now sence the ould mother
died"
Isn't he marrid?" she sez.
Marridr' sez l. "No, bedad, Nancy
he nivir looked at colleen sence yeh
went aft from him.
peggy Boyle" says Nancy t. me,
yeh war at Mrs. Hennessey's the last
night was there; so yeh know all about
how me father wint into the room, pur
tindin' I, lie down on the bed! Och
Peggy, jewil! there's no use in denyin' it
Shure he stole the money, an KEN back
late that night and towld me he TUX it
an that the pelis war after him for bein
ioined with band av smugglers. The
heart 'ithin me died whin heerd it; an
wint on me knees to him t. ask
him t. give up Push's money; bu
he wouldn't. An he said av / didn't &C
wild him an help him t. escape t. Amer
lkay, that av he was TUX he'd sware bt
he'll. book an candlelight that ! allawayi
helped him in his bad ways. 1 was
simple girsha thin, Peggy, only eighteer
wear ould. an | didn't know much; an