The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-09-28
"SWEET BELLS TANGLED"


The firm OF Shiel & MacNeil is pretty
well known in the printing line; but, as
the song says:
When they began, they'd no meat in the pan,
and before they were fairly on their
legs, so to speak, MacNeil went and
married "a lass without a tocher."
Shiel had yearned over this extrava-
gance himself; and going down one day
with his partner to the old place where
they had learned their trade, hearing
from the press-room the old sweet, IA
miliar voice singing the old sweet, IA
miliar tunes, Shells heart throbbed to
the measure, and he said to MacNeil,
with big blush on his broad cheeks,
that he supposed his partner had for
gotten little Jenny Burke, but he for
one, would never forget her while the
world went round, and he was going
in to see her that very day. Whereup-
on MacNeil began to redden too, and
led the way so readily to the particular
press that the young English girl was
feeding, and Jenny met his approach
in such q shy, trembling, glad confu-
sion, poor Shiel felt his heart suddenly
faint within him, and stole away after
minute or two, to be alone with a
singular pang of desolation that had
swept over him. When MacNeil Joined
him, Shiel was himself again, but there
was something in his face that led Mac
Neil to ask him what was the matter.
Had he lost anything?
" Moves" stammered poor Shell
then added, piteously: "Why didn't
you tell me, Mac, that you had kept on
with Jenny? l thought it was bar
gain we shouldn't think of marrying
till the business was well started"
$50 it was, Shiel," said Mac; 90 but
you know what a sweet voice she's got
Deuce take me, if it didn't haunt me
night and day. You don't know what
it is to have a musical ear; and there s
no harm in being cheered by song OIL
two"
flush, MANI broke in Shiel. "Do
you love each OtherPn
Pm afraid so, Shiel."
" Then the sooner she's out of that
nasty press-room, the better"
''If you'd board with us, Shiel, / be.
ieve we could save money by going tc
housekeeping; and think how nice il
would be to have a snug ingleside Of
our ownr'
Shiel WINGED little from this pro.
posal, but couldn't find courage to re.
ject it; so they took rooms near theil
place of business, and for the first
twelvemonth or so Macs fiddle was wei
known in the neighborhood. The boys
dropped in for chorus three nights Out
of four, and all went merry as mar
riage bell, till the feeble pipe of an in
FAINT was added to the refrain, which
suddenly subdued all other music il
this vicinity, to the immense delight o.
Shiel, who, not being able to raise 6
note himself, was somewhat tired of the
melodious conceits of others. He die
not know that the child's squeak was
singularly low and sweet, and as i
gained volume it also acquired melody
Shiel was disappointed to find the little
girl an exact reproduction of her papa
but could not believe that the fates haC
willed she should share his weakness.
for music. He declared it was the
monkey that amused her, whereas the
baby's soul was given over to the hurdy
gurdy.
Now | take this premature and strils
ing proclivity as a misfortune. lnfan
prodigies are always more or less of ;
nuisance, and little Miss Jeans pre-
cocity grew to an alarming extent a.
the years went by. The firm of SHE
q MacNeil flourished. Jenny savet
the pennies, and the only extrava
gances were in behalf of little Mis-
Jean, whose waxen face could only b.
coaxed into glow by the aid of som,
sort of melody. And the older sh
grew the wider her taste expanded, $,
that after while new piano was ma
neuvered and engineered up the stairs
and almost filled Jenny's little parlor
Many familiar knickkrack had to g,
to the wall or be tucked out of sight t,
make room for this mountain of ma
hogany.
ats burnin' shame" said one O
the boys, "to give up the dear oil,
fiddle for the iinglin' of them ivor
puppets. Every new piece of Mis-
Jeans sets fellows teeth on edge
One can't have any more fun at Mac S
he's hung up his fiddle and his bow
and for my part I'm sick to death o
the infant phenomenon"
So were the rest of the cronies-the,
fell off one by one, and in few year
none were left but Shiel, he, poor fel
low, sat night after night with his hea,
up against the wall, the music going il
one ear and out of the other, till
seemed to him he had become simply