Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-07-24

| 1 naQ Doen walking there Tor some
quarter of an hour, when suddenly a
huge shadow was flung across my path,
and looking up again beheld the stran-
ger. His hat was pushed back now, and
saw for the first time that his face was
handsome. His cheeks were bronzed
and weather-beaten, but his features
were finely formed, and on his head
clustered mass of curling chestnut hair.
He was flushed as if with excitement;
he cast me hurried glance and disap.
peared.
Five minutes after, as I still stood
wondering at the strange behavior of the
man, my ears were greeted with a shrek
which pierced to my very heart. Run
ming in the direction from whence the
sound proceeded, reached the top of a
neighboring sand hill, and gazing into
the valley below me again beheld the
stranger. This time his head was bare
his arms were outstretched, and he held
upon his breast the half-fainting form
of the lovely girl whom had last beheld
in the moonlight. While I stood hest
tating as to the utility of descending,
saw the girl gently withdraw herself
from his arms, then, clasping her hands
around his neck, fall sobbing on his
breast.
"Well, Shawn, what's the news?" I
asked that night when Shawn rushed
excitedly into my room. For time he
could tell me nothing, but by dint of
few we'll applied questions I soon ex-
tracted from him the whole story. 1t
amounted to this, that after working for
two years like q galley slave, in the
black pits of Pennsylvania, with nothing
but the thought Of Norah to help him
on, Miles Doughty found himself with
enough money to warrant his coming
home; that he was about to return to
Storport, when unfortunately, the day
before his intended departure, shaft in
the coal pit fell upon him and he was
left for dead; that for many months he
lay IL, but as soon as he was fit to travel
he started for home. Arrived in Stor-
por! he was astonisled to find that no
one knew him, and ne was about to pass
himself off as friend of his own, when
the news of his reported death and
Norah's sorrow 80 shocked him that he
determined to make himself known at
once.
"And God help the william that told
her he was married." concluded Shawn,
for he swears he'll kill him as soon as
Norah-God bless herr comes out O.
the fever that she's in tonight"
| Just three months after that night,
found myself sitting in the hut where
NOrah O'Connell dwelt. The cabin was
Illuminated so brightly that it looked
like q spot Of fire upon the bog; the
rooms in the house were crowded; and
without, dark figures as thick as bees in
swarming time. Miles Doughty, clad
rather less gaudily than when l first be.
held him, moved amidst the throng with
bottle and glass, pausing now and again
to look affectionately at Norah, who,
decorated with her bridal flowers, was
dancing With one of the straw men who
had come to do honor to her marriage
feast. When the dance was ended she
came over and stood beside me.
"Norah," I whispered, edo you re.
member that night when heard you
singing songs upon the sands?'
Her face flashed brightly upon me,
then it grew grave,-then her eyes filled
with tears.
"My DEAR" added, II never meant
to pain you. only want you to sing a
sequel to those songs tonight"
She laughed lightly, then she spoke
rapidly in Irish, and merrily sang the
well-known ines:-
''Oh, the marriage the mara iage,
With love and my bouchal for me;
| The ladies that ride in carriage
| Might envy my marriage to me.'
Then she was laughingly carried off to
join in another dance.
I joined in the fun till midnight;
then, though the merriment was still in
its height, l quietly left the house and
hurried home. AS left the cabin |
stumbled across a figure which was hid
ing behind turf-stack. By the light of
my burning turf 1 recognized the feat
urers of Owen MacGrath. He skunk
away when he saw me, and never since
that night has been seen in Storport.-