The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-07-26

For moment she stood gazing with a
peculiar far-away look into my face; then
with sigh she turned away, and with
| her face still turned oceanward, her
| hands still clasped behind her wandered
slowly along the moonlit 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 it a mermaid?"
asked, smiling.
He gravely shook his head.
No, yer honor; tits only a poor col
leen wild broken, broken hearth"
turned and looked questioningly at
him, but he was gazing at the spot
whence the figure of the girl had disap-
peared.
God Almighty, risht the dead!" he
said, reverently raising his hat, "but
him that brought such luck to Nora
OConnen deserved 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
wildly before 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 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
steaming goblet which made his eyes
sparkle like two stars, "close the door,
draw your chair up to the fire, drink off
this, and tell me the story of the lovely
colleen whom we saw tonight"
Would yer honor really like to
hear it?"
81 would; it will give me something
to dream about, and prevent me from
thinking too much of her beautiful
face"
Shawn smiled 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
colleen to match Norah O1Connell.
When she was born the neighbors
thought she must be fairy child, she
was so pretty and small and white; and
when she got older, there wasn't boy
in Storport but would lay down his life
for her. Boys wild fortunes and boys
widout fortunes tried to get her; and
begging yer honor's pardon, | went
myself in with the rest. But it went
one way wild Us all; Norah Just smiled
and said she did not want to marry
But one day, two years ago now come
this Serapht, that lazy shaughraun Miles
Doughty (God rest his soulI came over
from Ballygally, and going straight to
Norah, widout making up any match at
al, asked her to marry him."
Weu?"
Well, yer honor, this time Norah
frightened up, and though she knew
well enough that Miles was a dirty
blackguard widout penny in the world
though the old people said no, and
there was plenty 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 Norah,
with her smiles and pretty ways, won
over Father Tom-who won over the old
people, till at last they said that if Miles
would go for awhile to the black pits of
Pennsylvania and earn the money and
buy house and a bit of land, he should
marry her"
He paused, and for time there was
silence. Shawn looked thoughtfully in
to the fire; | 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 plaintiff
voice Of the girl as l had heard it before
| that night
81 have called nay love but still he 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 be
looked puzzled, l added, "He died, and
she is mourning himH
eyes, yer honor, he died; but if that
was ali he did we would forgive him.
What broke the poor colleen's heart was
that he should forget her when he got
to a strange land and marry another col
| leen at the time he should have married
| her; after that it was but right that he
should die"
odd he write and tell her he was
married?"
Write? devil the bit, nor tell he was
dead neither. Here was the poor colleen
watching and waiting for him two whole
anH y-nrHcrIroor bot oo-,l1 Rno,o
him; but few months ago Owen Mac
Grath, boy who had gone away from
the village on account of Norah refusing
to marry him, came back again and told
Norah that Miles was dead and asked
her to marry him. He had made lots of
money and was ready to take house and
bit of land and to buy up cattle if
she would but say the word the word to
him."
Well?"
"Well, yer honor, Norah first shook
her head and said that now Miles was
dead twas as well for her to die too.
AT this Owen spoke out and asked where
was the use of grieving so, since for
many months before his death Miles had
been a married man! Well, when Owen
said this, Nora never spoke single word,
but her teeth set and her lips and face
went white and cold as clay, and ever
since that day she has been so strange in
her ways that some think she's 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 or wrong, she'll never
look at another mani"
As Shawn finished the hall clock
IL he lncf L Co LII