Little Falls transcript., 1886-07-09
AN IRISH EL OPEME[!NT.

Arden Hill, my dear old chappie,
OF all others / was most anxious to
see you to-day .'' ~ @s8.
The speaker was rather q good-look.
ing young fellow, who wore the can
and gown Of q student OF Trinity col,
5ege, Dublin, and as he spoke he laid
his hand familiarly on the shoulder
of a friend standing at bookstall by
the college wall, and absorbed in the
pages OF a volume picked up haphaz-
ardly.. j.. =
'Well, Dillon, what is it?" -
II think You will do me a service,
which, while it will not entail great
deal OF trouble on.you, may help to
secure my future happiness.
"Of course, it goes without saying
that I will. But what makes Maurice
Dillon look solemn as an undertaken
at his wife's funeral?''
'Ths is not the place to tell you,
Hill. Come across to the Star and
Carter and over chop and glass
OF bitter beer you can hear the story"
Seated in quiet corner of that snug
hostelry MIR. Dillon commenced:
"You are a Kings county man, Hill
Tullamore, believe
His companion nodded an affirma-
tive, and Dillon went on: 80
"A dirty little hole OF town, built
in bog isn't it? In fact, I may take
it, you are a bog-trotter.'
You may take it that lam genuine
bog-trotter, but, Dillon, if you please,
you will cast no aspersions on my ma
tive town.
"Oh! ! mean no offense, assure
you," Dillon explained, with laugh.
But WIS thinking of the saying that
Charles Lever has left on record. He
says that among Irish towns Tulla-
more is only remarkable for the su-
perlative ugliness of it's female natives.
There, now, don't get your back up.
Im willing not to believe word OF it.
But tell ME, am I safe in assuming
that you know the country within a
radius OF a dozen miles OF Tullamore. A."
EVERY inch Of it; but what is all
this leading up to?."
"Will you have patience-two weeks
ago when you and Watkins and I saw
Irving as Hamlet in the Theatre Roy
al, there was lady in the dress-circle
whom Arthur Watkins had promised
to see home, in company with her pa;
but he found our discussion on the
relative merits OF Irving and Barry
Sullivan so very interesting that the
lady was forgotten"
Indeed; but, anyway, Watkins is
the last man in the university to al.
low woman's eyes to distract his
thoughts from sober studies: and now
let me ask you again, what is all this
leading up to? For Trinity college
man you have. must say, @ particu-
larly lucid style IN telling a story"
Arthur Watkins father and the
father OF this young lady are very anx-
lous to make q match between them,
and the young people, with proverbial
Perversity are adverse to entering into
any such arrangement Watkins
would regard wife simply as a nui-
sance and BORE
"And the LADY,"
'The lady, believe-or, rather,
sincerely hope, loves another"
"a very friendly aspiration, upon
my soul, Dillon"
'You will scarcely blame me when
say that Lucy and are"
''Oh! So the cat is out of the bag, is
it, Master Maurice! And with your
keen appreciation OF honor do you
think this a matter to boast Of? You
have wronged a. friend who-"
II haven't done anything OF the sort,
Hill, and wish you wouldn' t think it,
Lucy and | knew each other-well,
were fond OF each other-there now
before Watkins loomed up as an un-
willing rival. The friends OF Watkins,
you know are wealthy, while but 'tis
the old story. Lucy's father desires
to secure rich husband for his only
ehild.'
Hill crossed his arms on the table,
and looking in his friends face said
quietly: "And don't you know he's
right, Maurice Dillon? Since my child
hood days do not think that any
single individual ever slandered me by
saying that l possessed even a. moder-
= - nf r0n
to marry girl where that marriage
must necessarily entail the life of q
pauper is something that only a scamp
or a fool would do, and for friendships
sake Pm disposed to class you in the
latter category
'I'm not in mood to hear SER
: mon from you now, Hill. Tell ME, do
you know place near Tullamore call
ed Raheenbeg?"
About as we'll as I know college
Green" was Hills reply.
"We]), Rabeenbeg is Lucy's home,
and Watkins has an invitation to Wis
Il there this week. He is going, reluc-
family he tells me, and if he goes it is
easy to anticipate the result. No
man, not even Arthur Watkins, could
resist the charms OF Lucy Damer, and
should she be coe1 ced into accepting
him as a snitor, it would simply drive
me to the devil"
Dillon rose from his chair and paced
the room minute Or two in silence.
Then he said abruptly: ~,
II am going down there tonight,
Hill, and I want you to come with
me.' T. @t#.4 T. -
cts two years since / have been at
home, and honestly I don't care togo
in that direction just now; but, any
way, how could serve your" w..
Lucy is coming to elope with me.
Now, don't look so Mortified, man.
Her father, Parson Damer, apprehenda