Litchfield enquirer., 1880-02-19
MISS BRIDGET 0'D0NoHUE.

The postman rapped sharply on Mrs O'Don- ohue's door (this door belonged to the back room on the third floor of tall, narrow, ,dingy house, i2 long, narrow, dark street contain ing many other tall. narrow, dingy houses) on St. Valentines morning. His satchel and his left hand were filled with letters and valen. tines, and in his right hand he carried pretty blue-and-gold paper box-a little battered, as paper boxes are apt to be when they come by mail-tied with blue satin ribbon and smell- ing like roses --,-. ., young girl wearing soiled calico dress and shoes down at the heel, but with her l rough curly hair piled in huge puffs on the top of her head, and pair of cheap, tawdry ear rings in her ears, holding a torn and crumpled novel in her hand, opened the door.
 Miss Bridget O'Donohue ?" asked the post man; .: .asssssss ssss
 ''Then here's a valentine for you," said he, handing.her the box and turning quickly, he was down the stairs and out of the house in a twinkling.
 Mrs. ODonohue was washing, and the win dows of the room were dim with steam. Bridget went to oue of them, wiped a couple of panes dry with the skirt of her dress, and opened the box A howl of delight burst from her lips.
 An what in the woruld is it, Biddy dear ?" cried her mother, rushing from the wash tub, her arms covered with soap suds to the el- bows.
 "Kape away! Don't come near it wid the soapsuds!" said her daughter. 'Its one of thm Kitty Crowley way a-tellin about last night valentine. An. och l. ain't it lovely Niver sor the likes before."
 Mrs. ODonohue put her arms behind her daughters shoulder. s'Bless us an save us !' she exclaimed; Lit makes me think of the fairies. Shure it looks like some of their work; 1t do entirely"
 "Niver in all me life sor the like before, |" repeated Bridget, and I don't believe she ever did. It was beautiful valentine. A sheet of creamy, satiny paper on which were deli cately painted the lovefiest white roses and snow-drops and blushing moss-rose buds, and in the centre of which was fastened pretty gold ring, and beneath the ring this verse was written in plain and handsome hand:
 '.l offer roses pure and white
 Embems of gil 1hoods happy days
 And sweet m ss-buds by Cupid plucked To deck Loves ways;
 And -drops-Hope's own dainty flowers
 That whisper you may yet be mine,
 Dear girl with sunny hair and smile
 My Valentine!"
 These lines Miss O'Donohue spelled out slow ly, mispronouncing many of the words, and making sad nonsense of what was rather non- sensical already; but her mother listened with as much delight as though the reading were perfect-as, no doubt, she thought it vas exclaiming, as her daughter finished, "That bates Tom Moore intirely! But, Biddy dar- lint, you haven't sunny hair; you halr is like the night"
 ''They mostly pute that kind of hair in songs," said her daughter; ''an' I wish you wouldn't call me Biddy again. Bridget's bad enough, so it is, an I'll change me hull name whin git married, so will. wonder who in the wide worrould represinted me wid this beautiful valentine ?"
 Bridget O'Donohue," said her mother, sol- emnly, at the same time looking at her with admiring eyes, ''some young gintleman has fallen dead in love wid you, an you only three months in this blissid country An don't be surprised at It, for since you put them poffs on the top of your skull, an l bought you thim iligant ear rings, you look like princess. An sorra doubt have but that he'll be wantin' to marry you in year or sol was married meseif at fifteen-an' 1 hope you'll not be desartin' your old mother whln you're foine lady" ..t
 II wouldn't SO demane myself" replied Miss Bridget, with toss of her head Eff you bees only a washer-woman. I'll buy you a silk dress, an hat wid an ostrich feather, an' a goold watch to wear whin you comes to see me. But you mustn't be comin' too often. He mighn't like it."
 ''Shure I'll niver interfare between you an him, me brave gurril," said her mother. Mothers law do be doin' that too much, they do;, but I'll kape me place, niver fare. An now, Biddy-I mane Bridget-darlnt, your frinds must see this valentine, goold ring an all, an larn the prospects that has arose before you. But it won't do for you to be runnin' about from house till house wid it as though you'd niver had the like befare at all at all."
 ''Shure niver had," said Bridget.
 "Whist no made tellln' that same," said her mother. "For all they know, you had hundreds in the old country. Put on your Ulster an your new hat, an go an ax your frinds here to a tay party. For tay party intend to have at four o'clock this very after washin' an red up the place. An you'll have to go without the lace hankerchy promised you till next month, for the money I've saved must go for the atin' an drinkin'"
 So in a short time Miss ODonohue, in a Pinafore hat set jauntily on the back of her head, and gray Ulster coming down to her feet Cthereby concealing the very much soiled calico dress) was knocking at various doors in the house in which she lived the house next door, the house across the way, and house around the corner, delivering verbal invita- tions to her friends to a tea party to to take place at her residence that afternoon, all of which invitations albeit Miss O'Donohue was no great favorlte, on account of her silly airs, were accepted, with loud expressions of pleas ure.
 Its me birthday party" she explained to the invited guests.
 ''But, Bridget, thought your birthdaY was last December, just after you came over, "said Kitty Crowley.
 ''it was" said Bridget; ''but me party was postponed for raisons."
 And at four o'clock precisely dozen or more young girls, with several of their moth- CTS, grandmothers, and aunts, gathered around Mrs. O'Donohue's hospitable table, and de- voured biscuits, cold ham, pickles, peanuts, and cake, and drank vast quantities of lemon ade and tea, with much gossipping and gig gling Mrs. O'Donohue thought they never would stop handing her their plates and tum- bers and cups but at last, to her great satis- faction, they did, and the opportunity for which she had been impatiently waiting ar- rived. And pushing the tea table back against the wall, she called out, as though the idea had just occurred to her, Bridget dear, per haps your frinds would like to see your valen- tine" :rl
 ''An' did you git a valentine? Oh, you sly thing, to say nothing about it ]" said Kitty Crowley.
 ''Is it comical one ?" asked Mary Lee.
 ''Bring it out this mint ]" commanded An nie Pheeny.
 And as Miss O'Donohue pretended to blush and hesitate, all the girls shouted in chorus, 'sThe valentine! the valentine!"
 And at last, with an air of great pride and importance, the valentine was produced. It's extreme beauty and costliness for m oment struck the group of girls dumb with astonish- ment. And then there was another chorus of Splendid '" Beautiful !s "Iligant l" .'Must have cost tin dollars at the very taste !" "Who sint it to you, Bridget ?"
 II aia't sure" said Bridget, with a simper and her favorite toss of the head, ''but most ly thinks I know. A young gintleman wid beautiful black eyes and a big dimant pin, that lives in iligant house near the bakers. He