The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-05-26
CASTLE DAILY:
Story of an Irish Home Thirty Years Ago.
(Continued.)
CHATTER XII.

Ana ali good Ii inSs from evil"-TINSYsoS.
The library at Castle Daily, since the Thorn
ley occupancy of the place, had taken more
habitable look than when Mr.. DAILY only used
II 10 yawp away an hour in on rainy day.
The rest of the wide empty house echoed ioot-
ateps drearily, and looked dismal; but cheer'
fnl sociability and home comfort seemed 10
have taken MP their abode among the heaPed- :
mn bookshelves and well-lsden writing and
work tables with which the brother and sister
surrounded themselves.
OFlaherty, Bride Thornley, employed herself
in putting the few ordering tonches 10 tne
room, needed to bring IL 10 the Iei!eetioh oi
ooeyness her brother loved to sec IN the even,
ing She gathered up the scattered leaves or
the MS. che bad been copying and laid II ready
for last loving inspection she arranged tue
hooks her brother was most likely to want, on
his own particular table; sHe let down the
heavy curtains over the windows, and wheel
ed two armchars to their places opposite each
other on the hearth-ruR; then she sat down and
stared at the fire. 1t was not often she
let her thoughts tly back to old Zines, put 10
night they Hew back. She and her brother
were in the habit of telling each other phllo.
sophically that to allow recollections OF past
sorroys and privatiops to rise mp was mere
waste of mental strength, an infiotion OF pur-
poseess pain /; bat to night the paini al images
would arise, and she could not copjure them
away. People thought her grave and reserved,
and old-looking for her years but had there
been O time when she was youpgf She saw
herself pale, still child, gathering her young-
ar brother and sisters around her TO hush their
play and laughter, because she had discovered
by her mother's swollen eyenos, ana her
fathers knitted brow, that something had gone
wrong with the elders of the house snd that
the sound of mirth Jared on them. She saw
herself q thin own-faced girl without any OF
the charms of girlhood, thtustng from her oil
timidity, all yearnipg after her mothers love
and care, that she might go forth and work
among strap gers. She heard over again the
bitter tales of privatiop, of "caIking cares"
and sbames which that y Dung girl had to hear
ha for short hOliQRy8 to her
home. She saw herself kneeling by her dy ing
mothers bedside, straining to catch the last
feeble ipjunctions that fell from her parched
death. drawn lips-not concerning herself
hardly O farewell to herself She had been
held to be capable of struggling alone in the
{ world for so long, that there was no need for
lovable ones, that claimed even those last
thoughts. A little rosy face-a golden head
lay nestled against the mothers cheek; towards
thst her dynns syes %eIe thsD 1eS sop
had escaped from the wOrn-out body, and the
burden under which the elder woman had sunk
fell Ion the girls shoulders. 1t had been heavy
in the long years that had followed. Uubear-
able she told herself it would have been, but
for the help that came when she discovered
that there vas one among her young charges
able to take part with her In carrying tho load;
ono whose discrimination to work and strug-
gle, and suffer, rather than sink, matched her
own one from whom q wordaof counsel could
be obtained now and again one who could be
trusted, in small things and great, not to fail.
Bride traced in thought the steps by which she
and this yonng brother had changed positions
towards each other, till, from his looking up to
her, she had learned to rely end lean upon him.
What rest it had been! What tower of
strength he had proved to be, when the stress
of the storm camel And when the worst wac
had felt young like other people, with energy tc
spare, and that strange bubbling up of eager
thoughts and bright hopes in the heart that
leads to purposeless talk, and pleasure in mere
md aurh aR kittAnR and nuDDiek
seem to have. She bad known 1t during that
one year when she and John had kept house
together in London before death had invaded
the brother and sister band very straiten
ed household it had been, and the struggle &c
keep it together hard for the two yourg heads
but they had all been gay. together Bride
thought she could not then have been such
very formal, cold, repulsive person as Miss
O'Flaherty seemed to find her now. Perhaps
in that far back time, when there had beer
younger sisters to care for her looks and sew
bows on her dresses, and arrange her soft, silk,
brown hair in becoming fashion round he
head, there might-if che had not always beer
too busy If she had gone out into the worl'
and made acquaintanoes as other girls did
there might have been possibility OF her hav
ing been loved-of her having had some stor!
of her own, some insight into the great mys
terry that seemed to fill up 30 large space II
other peoples lives. Strange thought to 4 asl
across her, now that youth and the POSSIBILITY
lay so far behind Well, if love of tn
usual kind had come in that one sunny strip o
ing anxieties and heartrending bereavement
something else had come-something tha
Bride Thornley, was well content should stan
for her in the place of what is usually calle
love. 1t was then that she and John ha
found each other out. Heart and conscienc
had been proved before, but it vas in that leis
ure that their close mental compauionship hR
begun-then they had fret tasted what kee
pleasure interchange of Thought between min
that stimulate and satisfy each other can giv'
What talks they used to have in their quit
evenings after days of hard work, when, frol
the dipgy. London lodging house parlor, the
minds took bold fghts into realms of specult
tiOn aud fancy, which seemed their own b
divine right, because they were most at HON
there. What lovely dream-pictures rose up
what spATkles of Wit flashed out; how elcquen
how wisc, and how brilliant they were fo
each other
The FIRST eagerness with which their studie
were prosecuted might have faded somewha
the talks grown less eloquent with the disco'
cry that my ysteries ara not to be solved by dir
OF discussion but the old comradeship was
Close and sweet US over still, the salt of life
each.
Whatever John Thornley, might be to othC