The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-10-27
CASTLE DAILY:
Story of an Irish Home Thirty Years Ago
CContinued }
1uE

minRtIon 10 keep serious topics out OF slRht
the day at Eagles Edge passed pie sasantly, and
oven paily, in conversation that chiefly turned
on "Reminiscences of childish times, In discuss.
ing which Darcy grew as eager and interested
IA the two who had been Cor ceiD ned in them
They did not leave the house all day, but sat
toge ther in Mrs. Daly's favorite room ut tho
back OF the house, looking away from the
road. Ellen did not know whether or not her
mother WAS aware that any special cause for
anxiety respecting Connor existed out she
seemed to take unusual pleasure IN BIS com
papy that day. aud wonlc hardy iet MN sur
from the sofa by her side, bot sat holding his
hand as if he had been Pelham Ellen tiled to
keep the two servants ont of the room as much
as possible, for all through the day she had an
uneasy feeling that something unnsual was
Roipg z on on tside the house. 1t might be far
away, it might be near bot even In that Sc:
oluded nook Of the world there were signs OF
hurry and OK xotement. The high road, susiiy
30 quiet, had many passers on IT, ana country
men and women, wearing troubled anxious
faces came up to the house, on what Ellen felt
were sham errands, and in spite OF ali she could
sey to dismiss them, fingered by the windows,
or stood leaning against the Kitchen door,
staring into the house. Long before the san
set she began to wish that the day and the
parting were over. Mrs. DAILY, worn out with
talk fell asleep late in the afternoon; and
Connor, leaving DARCY hasy writing out an
address, Of which his mind was FULL went with
Ellen into the wide low passage that divided
the house, and stood at this back door looking
forth. The farmya on which the back door
opened was for the moment free or lhtruders'
and had 10 tenarts bat it's rightful occupants
long cared CcnnauSht piks rontinS WIN
their long noses among the straw, and hen
mothers cackling ard sorstchiug FOR the benefit
of their brcoGs. Conner amused himself for
few minutes by aiming bite OF turf at the head
of s!uuIbe SOW, and ras sing false exPeo
tationb amCue the feetherod heads OF families
by sorlipg showers OF gravel IN their neigh.
borhood; but his fGce gre" GrsVer aud more
absent AZ he vent on, aud ~ he tossed away
the last scd, he turned to Ellen with more
serious look than his face had worn all day.
"WelI." he beger, "have those two made it
up YETI
.'Oh, yon k.ow; Pelham and Lesbia. You
need not have been afraid to tell me. and
think have u right TO know all abont 1t If
anyone has"
II should not have been Bit afraid, ns-
sure you but there's nothing to tell. Connor,
cant you understand bow il is We're get.
ting poorer aud poorer; tie three years of
famine have fairly ruined US at last. There
has not been q shilling of rent paid on the es-
tate except for the Castle itself, and the cred
itors who hold uorgaSes on the land would
have seized every thing long since ifMr. Thorn
ley had not paid the money snd taken posses
sion of their claims, or l.esbia's account.
and even the Ca.tle itself. belongs virtually to
her. Can Pelham so begSar to Lesbia ard
say, Give me back my inheritance and your
self toof' 1t would be too Larofsced"
81 don't see that. I'd have taken it all if
she would have given it to me, as kindly Us
the sunshine, and would have been proud to
owe it to her, the kind heart' d, sparkling lit
tie jewel Of girl, that she is! Pelhams inst
q dull clod-worthy of his name to haggie so
long over the bargain. Now Pll tell you what
I'll do to give him q lift ont of the bog of his
own obstlnacy. DARCY IL thought co"n
hearted to.d1y, and of coarse thet e,s no deny
ing that We are Fiphing our necks and may
come to grief. the whole lot Of as: lf this is 10
be the last you ever see Of me, Ia like To have
done something for you before l vanish from
the scene for evermore. When we were at
Whiteciffe, aud Mics Maynard was no heiress
but the little scrub you all looked down upon
sent her love poe III of nv own that must
have sho VII her wis { thought about her. and
moreover had verses in it that DARCY himself
would not need 10 be ashamed of-Wsll, III
turn over the whole credit OF the thirg to Pei
ham, Let him give her to underste nd that he
sent it, and f, with that proc, of the disnter-
eStedness of his love to put before her, he
darent go and ella: IN a return, he's greater
dolt than even take him for"
"Bnt. Copnor dear, Pm afraid Pelham won't
chose to WOO in borrowed plumcs, even if be
thinks tho poem worth heriDg in exchange
for all tie Castle DAILY estates end their pres.
ent mistrets; aud he won't do that, for be is
not you"
The more shame, then, for him for a money.
weighing Saxon, who does not know how to
honor the bard; but you'il tell him, If never
see him again, low l wished at the iast to wipe
out old scores, and help to lift him up into all
would like well enough to have for myse
Hei9ho D'Arcy's forebodings have taken bold
of me. did rot think to feel like this the
evening before we marched; the eve of Ire.
lands resurrection, that we've been looking to.
and writing and singing of these two years"
"D'Arcy is full of forebodings, then 7"
"Yes; it has been growing on him all the
BuDmer-no shrinking, but "A preeentiment of
failure, aud-I don't mind saying It to you-a
doubt of the wisdom Of the course of action re-
solved upon by the other leaders"
"Then why not withdraw, you and he How
/ wish you Would y
"How couId he, whom his words, beyond any
ones, have urged it Oh 7 Aud for MY self.
where he goes l go, proud enough, glad enough
to throw my life on the same cast that decides
his. II he is to go down in the game, Id be
just ashamed to stand up srfe; that's all about
1t with me. He says that the great bane Of
Ireland the cause of I'll her failures, hss been
the dissensions among pstTuts and their lack
of fidelity to each other, aud that If halfa
doZen OF us stick together TO the last in the
bitteTCst moments of failure. we shall lave
done somethiuE 10 make TIE r'A. attempt suc
cessfulw
But yCn ought - be prepared for emerg-
encies. lOu may have t. fly the country for
your lives. Conner, have you any money -
Not a rap, either of Us there has been no
ppp far F,r