Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-13


with the green veranda-posts, ! became
the daily visitor and intimate friend Of
lis mistress. had learned to love
poor little Miss Moonshee with pro-
tectipe fondness such as the young and
strong sometimes entertain for the old
| and weak. Moreover, to me she seem
ed the embodiment of that 0ld-World
refinement that, assertive young colo
NAL as was, could thoroughly APP
| preciate. And she chung TO me, this
gentle Irish lady, looking eagerly Tor
nv coming. and following me with
wistful glances when took my leave:
She spoke but seldom Of her past, and
although advertipg at times to her
long.expected friend, seemed, on the
whole, sto prefer drawing me on to
talk of my school friends and studies.
Then. on Saturday afternoon, sho
would MARBLE plaintive Irish ballads TO
her harp in a wonderfully clear, true
voice. the sound Of which always drew
old Mally from the kitchen. | was
accustomed on those occasions to sing
#" The Wearin' o. the Green ITO apisno
accompaniment, and, when Mally's ma
tional enthusiasm was sufficiently stir
red by its irresistible passion and pa
thos, to dash into jig, thereby setting
the old lady to caperipg like true
daughter Of Erin.
Mally invariably apologized to her
mistress for " shaking her foot" as she
termed the antics she INDUCED in; then
bestowing an admiring glance on me,
usually added insinuatingly: "Sure,
Miss, nobody as hadn't drop of the
real ould blood could lit the tune as
you do" =.
"You think she has Kerry blood in
her veins, Mally?" Miss Moonshee
would say, with a smile.
"Sorra a doubt Of it; and if Mas.
Their Shane heard her play The Rocky
Roads to Dublin, he'd say the same"
The little lady's face always red
dened at the mention Of the foregoing
name, and / noticed that Immediately
afterward she became restless, making
frequent excursions to the window,
from which she returned signing heavily.
had long ago identified " Masther
Shane" with the dear friend whose ad-
vent she anticipated. "Some oil
lover" | said to myself, knocking
about the world, but still confidently
expected by the faithful heart that be-
lieved in VOWS long since forgotten by
the wanderer." Was this how matters
stood, or was the much-talked-of friend
phantom Of poor little Miss Moon
shee's weak brain?
put the question rather abruptly to
old Mally one day when engaged in in
terviewing her parrot in the kitchen /:
WHO is Mr.. Shane. And do you
really expect him."
The old Irishwoman's face went as
white as the table napkin she was iron
ing. "What put it into your pretty
head to ask" she inquired coaxingly,
but with a suspicious glance.
"Well, Mally, have thought more
than once that, as the Scotch say, he is
lang in comm"
"You may well say long, Miss
returned old Mally tearfully. "'Tisn't
in this world Miss Kathleen will ever
set eyes on him.
You don't mean to say he i:
dead !" / exclaimed.
The old woman nodded mournfully
then asked in whisper if | were quite
sure her mistress was asleep. Yes,
was quite sure; she had dOzed of
while was playing one Of my simple
lullabies, and when stole from TIT
room had fallen into a profound slum
Der.
"The saints send her dreams Of Mas
Their Shane piously calculated Mally
who, like her mistress, belonged to tn
"ould religion "; for tits the only com
fort she has, poor darling"
" But Mr.. Shane, who was hep"
put in eagerly.
"One of the ould 0'Connells, o
course. Kings they were before tn
Conquest, Miss, and from first to las
an open-handed race. And by reaso
of that same generosity Masther Shan
when he came of age found that, savin
the ould hall and two hundred acres Q
bog, sorra a foot of the great estates G
his ancestors belonged to him. An
now, Miss, I'll tell you the Who'll
story, for it's you deserves to be treate
like a friend of the family, SO kin
you've been to my poor lady" Their
was a solemn look on her wrinkle
face as she made the promise, and with
out further preamble old Mally relate
her tale, somewhat as follows:
"Miss Kathleen and Master Shan
were cousins, and reared together
the Hall by Miss O'Connell, their aun
for they were orphans. Fine child'
they were, and they grew up among Il
kindly Kerry folks, who loved the
for their own sakes as well as for II
good blood that showed itself so plain
in both. For hadn't Miss Kathleen Il
bloom of the rose, the eye of the dov
and the sweetest temper in IRELAND
) And wasn't Master Shane tall and har
some, with curly black hair, the e.
of the hawk, and the bould bearing
D the O'Connells? Sure they were ma
for each other, everybody said, and
A they seemed to think, the young masth
y being barely one and twenty and b
q cousin but eighteen when they were
q trothed. Wirra! but sorrow was
r hand. Miss O'Connell, the aunt, die
8 and her income that had kept them
;. comfortable died with her. So, as
Q said before, except the Ould Hall,
e Of wet bog, and trifie of money in t
: bank, Masther Shane was left pennies
l. As for Miss Kathleen, her sweet ia
h was her fortune.
It well, Miss, the poor young ms
IS Their was nigh desperate. He couldr
g tear himself away from his cousin, Al
" il he married her there was little b
ID starvation before them. Twas nigh
,g hard on the young creatures but
a. darker things looked, the closer tn
d, chung to one another, and however
" spondent he might be, the masther h
es always smile for Miss Kathleen; VIII
n, she, God bless her, loved the We
"a | sround he walked on I had nurs