The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-01-07

When l told the story of my adventure
at home, at the same time declaring my
intention of paying Miss Moonshee an
early visit, my father laughed, and patted
me on the cheek. please yourself, Polly"
he said; ''but am inclined to think your
new friend is neither more nor less than a
harmless lunatic.n
Ny fathers opinion of Miss Moonshee did
not greatly astonish me. There was
decidedly something peculier about her:
but, argued /, that is no reason why l
should not fulfill my promise. So it came
about that two days later ] again found
myself in the little lady's parlor. This visit
proved the fOrerunner of many more,
until, from an occasional caller at the white
cottage with the green veranda posts, l be-
came the daily visitor and intimate friend
of its mistress. l had learned to love poor
little Miss Moonshee with a protecting
fondness, such as the young and strong
sometimes entertain for the old and weak
Moreover, to me she seemed the embodi-
ment of that old world refinement that, as
sertive young colonial as l was, l could
thoroughly appreciate. And she chung TO
me, this gentle Irish lady, looking eagerly
for my coming, and following me with
wistful chances when took my leave She
spoke but seldom of her past and although
adverting at times to her long-eXpected
friend, seemed, on the whole, to prefer
drawing me on to talk of nv school friends
and studies. Then, on Saturday after
noon. she 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. l was
accustomed on those occasions to sing
1.-THE Wearing o. the Green" to a piano
accompaniment; and when Aally's national
enthusiasm was sufficiently stirred by its
irresistible passion and pathOs, to dash into
a jig, thereby setting the old woman
capering like true daughter of Erin.
Mally invariably apolOgiZed to her mis-
tress for shaking her foot" as she termed
the antics she INDUCED in; then, bestowlng
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, Ma!ly!" Miss Moonshee would say
with smile.
''Sorra doubt of it: and if Mashter
Shane heard her play The Rocky Roads to
Dublin he'd say the same"
The little lady's face always redeemed at
the mention of the foregoing name, and l
noticed that Immediately afterward she be-
came restless, making frequent excursions
TO The window, from which she returned
sigbing heavily. l had long ago identified
'Mashter Shane' with the dear friend whose
advent she anticipated. Some old lover" l
said to myself, knocking ABOUT the world,
but still confidently expected by the faithful
heart that believed in vows long since for
gotten by the wanderer." Was this how
matters stood. Or was the much-talked of
friend q phantom of poor little Miss Noon
sbee's weak brain!
put the question rather abruptly TO old
Mally one day when engaged interviewing
her parrot in the kitchen: who IS MIR.
Shane! And do you really expect him."
The old Irishwoman's face went as white
Is the table napkin she was ironing. w hat
put it into your pretty head to ask" she in
quired, coaxingly, but with a suspicious
glance.
'sWell, Mally, have thought more than
once, 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 ne is deadl'' l
exclaimed.
The old woman nodded mournfully; then
asked in a whisper if | were quite sure her
mistress was asleep. Yes; was quite sure;
she do2ed off while was playing one of
my simple lullabys, and when | stole from
the room, had fallen into profound SUM
Der.
THE saints send her dreams of Masther
Shaner piously calculated Mally, who,
like her mistress, belonged to the ''ould re-
Igion;" ''for it's the only comfort she has,
poor darling"
''But Mr.. Shane, who was he!" put in
eagerly.
Zone of the ould O'Connells of course.
Kings they were before the Conquest. miss,
and from first to last an open-handed race.
And by reason of that same generosity,
Masther Shane when he came of age found,
that saving the ould hall and two hundred
acres of bog, sorra foot of the great
estates of his ancestors belonged to him.
And now, miss, I'll tell you the whole story,
for it's you deserves to be treated like a
friend Of the family, so kind you've been to
my poor lady. There was a solemn look on
her wrinkled face as she made the promise,
and without further preamble old Mally
related her tale, somewhat as follows:
''Miss Kathleen and Masther Shane were
cousins and reared together at the hall by
Miss O'Connell, their aunt, for they were
orphans. Fine childer they were, and they
grew up among the kindly Kerry folks, who
loved them for their own sakes, as well as
for the good blood that showed itself so
plainly in both. For hadn't Miss Kathleen
the bloom of the rose, the eve of the dove,
and the sweetest temper in Ireland! And
wasn't Masther Shane tall and handsome,
with curly black hair, the eve of the hawk,
and bould bearing of the O'Connells! Sure,
they were made for each other, everybody
said; and so they seemed to think, the
young masther being barely one-and-
twenty, and his cousin but eighteen when
they were betrothed. Wirral but sorrow
was at hand. Miss O'Connell, the aunt,
died; and her income, that had kept them
all comfortable, died with her; so, as | said
before, except the ould hall, a bit of wet
bog, and trife of money in the bank,
Masther Shane was left penniless. As for
Miss Kathleen, her sweet face was her
fortune.
'Well, miss, the poor young masther was
nigh desperate; he couldn't tear himself
away from his cousin; and il he married
her there was little but starvation before
L.
creatures; but the darker things looked
the closer they chung to one another; and
however respondent he might be. the
masther had always smile for Miss kath-
leen; while She God bless her. loved the
very ground ne walked on. had nursed
them both, so it was quite natural they
should confide in old Mally.
"Och, but it was a black day when
Masther Shane made up his mind to seek
his fortune in Australia. Twas young Ed
ward Doyle put it into his head to emigrate.
He was the second son of Squire Doyle of
Killibog Castle: and having bit of money,
he thought would make IL more by sheep
farming in Victoria. Miss Ellen, his sister,
the toast of the country, and great friend
of Miss Kathleen's, was wild to go with
him: and the long and short of IL was,
MaSther Shane, Miss Kathleen, and the
two young Doyles made up their minds to
try their luck together in the far-away land.
"Sure, twas hard to leave Kerry, where
I'd been born and reared, but 'twOuld have
been harder to bid good-by to my darlings;
so up and said 1 would go with them, if
they would but take me. of course we'll
take you, Mally,' said Masther Shane, in
his joking way. We're four giddy young
creatures; and it's a quiet decent body like
yourself we need to keep US in ORDER
$50 it was settled; AID before taree
months had elapsed. we had left Ould Ire
land and sailed for Melbourne in big emf
grant ship. All, weary me! but there was
a sweethearting galore aboard. All the
gentlemen were head and ears in love with
my young ladies. But Miss Kathleen had
no eyes save for her cousin; and Miss Ellen
fiouted then. all to their faces, all but a
young English officer, wko had a smile now
and again from her-just to keep up his
L IL