The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-17
"Well, Shawn, is it mermaid"
asked, smiling.

"No, yer honor; it's only poor colleen
wild broken heart!
1 turned and looked questioningly at
him, but he was gazing at the spot whence
the figure of the girl disappeared.
"God Almighty, risht the dead?' he
said reverently raising his hat, ''but him
that brought such luck to Norah OCon-
nell deserves His curse, God knows"
This incident, coupled with the strange
manner of my man, interested me, and !
began to question him as to the story OF
the girl whose lovely face was still viv-
idly before me. But for some reason or
other he seemed to shun the subject, and
so for time |, too, held my peace. But
as soon as | found myself comfortably
seated in the cozy parlor of the lodge,
with bright turf fire blazing before me
and hot punch steaming on the table
at my side, summoned my henchman
to my presence.
"Now, Shawn" l said, holding forth
a steaming goblet that made his eyes
sparkle like two stars, "close the door,
draw your chair up to the fire, drink OF
this and tell me the story of the lovely
colleen that we saw tonight"
"Would yer honor really like to hear?"
81 would, it will give me something to
dream about, and preventive from think
ing too much of her beautiful face"
Shawn smiled gravely.
"Your honor thinks her pretty? Well,
then, yell believe me when tell ye that
if We was to search the country at the
+ present moment We couldn't find a colleen
to match Norah O'Connell. When she
. was born the neigbbors thought she must
be fairy child, she was so pretty, SC
. small and white; and when she got Older
there wasn't boy in Storport but would
lay down his life for her Boys wild for
!. tunes and boys widout fortunes tried t(
q get her; and begging your honor's pardon
-. | went myself in wild the rest. But il
+ went one way with us all; Norah JUS
q smiled and said she did not want t(
! marry. But one day, two years ago nov
q come this Serapht, that lazy shaughraun
. Miles Doughty, (God rest his soulD cam'
! over from Ballygally, and going straigh
to Norah, widout making up any mattel
> at ALL asked her to marry him."
i "WelE'
y "WelI, yer Honor, this time Nora
+ frightened up, and though she knew
- well enough that Miles was adirty black
:. guard without penny in the world
though the old folks said no, and Their
i was plenty fortunes in Storport waitin
" on her-she just went against every ont
> of them and said she must marry Miles
! The old people pulled against her at first
i, but at last Norah, with her smiles anC
7 pretty ways, won over Father Tom-whC
. won over the old people, till at last they
\ said that if Miles would 90 for while t.
a the black pits of Pennsylvania and earl
), the money to buy a house aud bit o
:, land he should marry her"
= He paused, and for time there wa
i silence. Shawn looked thoughtfully int
f. the fire; lay back in my easy chair an,
~ carelessly watched the smoke whicl
~ ~ curled from my cigar, and as | did so
~ ~ seemed to hear again the wildly plaintiv
~ voice of the girl as | had heard it befol
that night:
81 have called my love- but he still sleeps on,
And his lips are as cold as cay.'
" And as the words of the song passe
through my mind they seemed to tell m
the sequel of the story.
ID "Another case of disastrous tru
love" | said, turning to Shawn; an
when he looked puzzled, / added, "h
died and she is mourning for him."
ne ayes, yer honor, he died; but if tina
III was all he did we would forgive hin
What broke the poor colleens heart Wa
o' that he should forget her when he got
il strange land, and marry another co
~ w leen at the time he should have marie
! her; after that it was but right that h
II should die"
.v 'Did he write and tell her he was ma
~ ~ ried?"
:. "Write? devil the Bit, nor to tell he
m ~, he was dead neither. Here WAS the poe
: colleen watching and waiting for him fc
two years, and wondering what coul
keep him; but few months ago Owe
McGrath, a boy who had gone away frol
", the village long ago on account OF Nora
refusing to marry him, came back agai
and told Norah that Miles was dead, an
asked her to marry him. He had mad
lots of money, and was ready to take
house and bit Of land and to take Il
cattle if she would but say the word t
him."
"Wel?'
DWELL, yer honor, Norah first shook he
head, and said that now Miles was dea
n twas as we'll for her to die, too. At tn
ct Owen spoke out and asked where was til
ne use of grieving 50, since for many montl
to before his death Miles had been a ma
d. ried man. Well, when Owen said tn
is Norah never spoke a single word, but he
teeth set and her lips and face went viii
If and cold as clay, and ever since that ola
,e she has been 50 strange in her ways thi
some think she's not right at all. @
a moonlight nights she crecps out of IL
he house and walks by the sea singing the
Ike strange old songs; then she looks out as
re, expecting him to come to'her, and rigl
"a or wrong she'll never look at anoth
of man."
ng As Shawn finished the hall clo'
Ire chimed five; the last spark faded fro
al fo1l ~, rot