The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-08-06

4
face still turned oceanward, her hands still
clasped behind her, wandered slowly along
the moon-lit sands.
As she went, fading like spirit amid the
shadows, heard again the low sweet sound
of the plaintive voice which had come to
me across the ocean, but soon it grew fainter
and fainter until only the echoes were
! heard.
| turned to my boatman, who now stood
waiting for me to depart.
well, Shawn, is 1t mermaid?" 1 asked
smiling.
He gravely shook his head.
~No, yer honor; tits only poor colleen
wild broken, broken heart p'
/ turned and looked questioningly at him
but he was gazing at the spot whence the
figure of the girl had disappeared.
God Almighty, risht the dead p he said
reverently raising his hat, but him that
brought such luck to Nora O'Connell de-
served His curse, God knows"
This incident, coupled with the strange
manner of my man, interested me, and l
beganato question him as to the story of the
girl whose lovely face was still vividly be-
fore me. But for some reason or other he
seemed to shun the subject, so for time
too held my peace. But as soon as found
myself comfortably seated in the cosy par
lor of the lodge, with a bright turf fire
blazing before me, l summoned my hench-
man to my presence.
Now, Shawn" said, "close the door,
draw your chair up to the fire, and tell me
the story of the lovely colleen whom We saw
tonight"
"Would yer honor really like to hear p
81 would; it will give me something to
dream about, and prevent me FROM thinking
too much Of her beautiful face"
ShawIrsmiled gravely.
Yer honor thinks her pretty? Well,
. then, yell believe me when | tell We that if
ye 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
neighbors thought she must be a fairy
child, she was so pretty and small and
white; and when she got oI der, there wasn't
a boy in Storport but would lay down his
life for her. Boys%id fortunes and boys
widout fortunes triedto gets her; and beg.
gingyer honor's pardon, went myself in
with therest. But it went be way wild us
all: Norah just smiled and said she did MOI
want to marry. But one day, two years ago
now come this Serapht, that lazy shaugh-
raun Miles Doughty (God rest his soul y
came over from Ballygally, and going
straight to.Norah, widout making up any
match at all asked her 10 marry him."
"Well, yer honor, this time Norab
frightened up and though she knew we'll.
enough that Miles was dirty blackguard
wdout a penny in the world-though the
old people said no, and there was plenty o<
fortunes in Storport waitin' on her--she Just
went against every one ~of them and said
She must marry Miles. The old people
pulled against her at first, but at last
NorBh, with her smiles and pretty ways,
won over Father Tonl-who won over the
I'D people, till at last they said that if
Miles would go for a while to the black
pits Of Pennsylvania and earn the money
and huy house and n bit of land, he
shon!d marry her"
lie paused, and for a time there was 81
lence. Shawn looked thoughtfully into the
fire; l. lay back in my easy chair and
carelessly watched the smoke which curled
from my cigar, and as did so ] seemed to
hear again the wildly plaintive voice of the
girl as had heard it before that night:
81 have called my love but he still sleeps on,
And his lips are as. cold as clay"
and as the words of the song passed through
my mind, they seemed to tell me the sequel
of the story.
Another case of disastrous true love-"
| said, turning TO Shawn; and when he
looked puzzled, added, 'she died, and she
is mourning him 2"
Yes, yer honor, he died but if that was
all he did we would forgive him. What
broke the poor colleen's heart was that he
should forget her when he got to the strange
land, and marry another colleen at The
time he should have married her; after
that it was but right that he should die"
Did he write and tell her he was mar
ried ?"
Write? no, nor till he was dead either.
Here was the poor colleen watching and
waiting for him for two whole years and
wondering what could keep him; but a few
months ago Owen Macgrath, boy who had
gone away from the village long ago on ac-
coHnt of Norah refusing to marry him,
came back again and told Nora that Miles
was.dead and asked her to marry him. He
had made los of money and was ready to
take house and bit of land and to buy up
cattle if she would but say the word to
him."
"Well?,
"Well, yer honor, Nora first shook her
head and said that now Miles was dead
twas AZ we'll fef her TO die too. At this Owen
spoke oS and asked where was the use of
grieving so, since for many months before
his death Miles had been married man
Well, when Owen said this, Nora never
spoke single word, but her teeth set and
her lips and face were white and cold as
clay, and ever since that day she has been
so strange in her ways that some think SD
not right at all. On moonlight nights she
creeps out of the house and walks by the
sea, singing them strange old songs then
she looks out as if expecting him to come
to her-and right nor wrong, she'll never
look at another manl'
AS Shawn finished the hall clock chimed
five; the last spark faded from Iny cigar
the turf fell low in the CRATE; so j went to
bed to think over the story alone.