The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-11-10

busy herself in preparing the breakfast
She set Annes little tee table with her favor
ment. let in the fresh morning air, ant
still Connor did not open bis eyes. He locke,
more like himself this morning, now he ha,
eaten and slept. His face was thinner than i
| had been q few days before, but the color WI
coming back into it, and there was more lif
there, even with his eyes closed, and the LON
lsshes reAtipg on his checks, than there ha'
been yesterday evening. 1t was impos
eible to connect that young fair, pleasan
face with tae thought of a shsmefu
death. ITO be hanged by the neck til
he wss dead" Oh, Counor, Connor, VIII
bad always been the mirth of the house
whose gay voice and smile bad warmed ever!
| heart 10 the country round !! Surely Ellei
thought there could not be found judge ii
all Ireland with the heart to pronounce sen
| tence on him.
Ellen stood for long time looking at him
turning every now and then to wipe away tn,
| tears that obscured the vision and msrred it,
she knew there was nothing bot long sspara
ton to look forward to. The best they coulC
pray for, as DR.. Lynch had said, was that the
might not see the boys bright faces again fol-
upon them, and the brightness was gone.
Every half-hour of inaction seemed gain
so she allowed the moments to sip by un
noticed as she took her fill of looking. At last
| clock striking eight reused her.
II will humor him in everything be wished
this last morning." she said to herself "whet
ever comes of it. I'll go ous into the garden
and get the flower be talked about for his but
ton hoe and then P.l wake him, and tell him
we have only two hours MORE"
The garden was not in its usual trim since
Peter Lynch had lost heaIt to work in it. but
there was blue and white passion flower in
foil bloom on the trellis by Aunes bedroom
window, and Ellen went rouDd the house to
gather blossom, thinking she would rather
have that than anything else for her purpose.
As she returned to the front door, which she
had left open, she saw a man approaching the
steps, and with beating heart she quickened
her pace to intercept him before he could en- tor
of her he turned back to meet her, and put q
letter in her hand.
LIT eatsse to Castle Daily last night from AAfr.
Thornley,, with orders to me to let you have it
at once, wherever you might be-"
"Wat here in the garden, please, James, u
Ellen said, 81 VI i'll come out to you by and by"
For the first nomeIt the letter did not seem
to promise much interest it could not affect
the overwhelming troub BILE of this morning
but when she again stood by Connor's couch,
thought struck her which made her sink on
her knees and feel she could only open it so.
The note contained a few lines only, whose
purport her eye took in at q glance:
'In case you should nos be With Lesbia
when my full account reaches her, send this
note to be forwarded on to you. ALI is well.
Pelham will be at liberty within few hour S
of your reading this. have seen the Lord
Lieutena9t; snd have in my possession an or
proofs of ORocne's misconduct and misappli-
cation of public money during the famine that
were considered enough to discredit his actions
in other matters. / shall be in Galway q fe "
hours after my letter, and will bring Pelham
back with me to Castle Daily.
always yours, J. TaoRNLRY."
The reyu!sion Of feeling was almoet too
much. Ellen let the letter fall on the ground
and dropped her face between her hands, as
her whole soul went up to heaw en- in an intense
Common on he
fore she had finished her pray er, snd when she
looked up he was awake, ard bad raised him.
self on ono elbow, and was looking towards
the open window. She waited in silence for a
few min utes to watch hin, as she might have
watched ono restored from the dead. A
pathetic look etole into his face, as he gazed
out at the fair scene bathed in sunshine.
." -LoYe, y he said, slowly turning to her
at last. . How beauti ful everything is this
morning. did rot know before the half OF
how beautiful it was. Well, l N glad it's fine
better last look at the country, could II The
next time the sun rises I won't see II. Pll be
in prison, but Pelham will be free, and my
mother satisfed with me. There was some
thing my father said when he was dying abou t
being satisfied. What was it, Elleuf'
"Conuor, Connor, listen, avourneen, listen Z,
and let's go down on our knees and bless God
together. Pelham wiH be free by tomorrow
morning; but there is no need for you to put
yourself in his place. Read what has come
for you at your waking, darling"
Connor took the letter which Ellen picked
up from the ground, and read it slowly twice
over without speaking, his cbaugefuf face
showing the strong emotions that stirred hi N
as be read Ellen threw her arms around bim
as he finished his second perusal, aud for a few
minutes they kissed and clung together in their
old, childish fashion of celebrating meetings or
reconcili ations; with half articuIa ate words of
love and joy and thankfnlnees whispered to
each other, and with tears wettirg the two
faces, that would not. they knew through all
their 10y, often touch again.
I'm tell yon jost what it all comes to,
Eileen aroon," Connor said at last, raising his
head from her shoulder, and smiling through
the tears he was trying to wink away. "Pll
tell you just what it means. You'll have to
marry him, for he has saved my neck to day
saved me from hangipg-and 1 don't see ho "
you are to have the heart to refuse him what
he's worked so hard for. 1t is thst-that and
nothing else, 1 schemed to bring about, one
day, long ago, when poor Murdook broke his
thigh, and James Morris and spirited away
Pelham's dog to Dennis's old still. That was
the fate that hung on our doipgs, little as we
knew it. The Thornleys coming to Ireland,
your marrying an Englishman, and Pelham's
getting an English heiress for his wife. Alb,
yes, and it was the end of the reign of the
Dalys in CoDnemarR brOuPht 0bOut. too,