The Irish standard., 1886-05-29
MARY LEE:
Or
The YANKEE IN IRELAND.
BY PAUL PEPPERGRASS, ESQ.
Author of .shandy McGuire.' '"rhe spse-
wife,, etc.
CHAPTER VU.-Continued.

tage, <'marry Mary Lee FOR her beauty
q girl 1e nivel set eyes on, till ye see'
her, not three hours ago, on Lough Ely
Hoot, toot, sir. don't be foolish; yer
quite aisy spoken man, TO be sure, ant
might pass off for what We place will
the simple country gawkies here on tn
wild mountains; but as for me, l am
little TOO ould in the horn to be blind
folded in that way"
"You misunderstood lne, old lady,
said Weeks, picking up his fishing rod
aud enaeavoring to compose himself.
'spyell, listen 30 me for moment, ant
ye'll hear my raisons. Didn't ye bag
gain with rne for my good word witt
Mary L.ee?"
"yes; guess so.''
'<And didn't ye bargain with me more
over II ny good word Il fail to delud
her her spells and charms, an that afore
iver ye seen failure OF her face?'
:'1Jo, that's n1istake,' responded
Weeks: II saw her ct the Catholic Chap
el before J. saw you. and determined tc
have her at any sacrifice. :"
Saw her! may be SO, but ye dian' t
see lle1 face she WAS yeiled."
s'Can't say as to shat; saw enough at
least to know she WAS q handsome gal.
Why should she be veiled--eh?'
s<Niver nnind; she has her own raisors,
1 suppose; but this much I can tell J'f.
that many's the little up settin squireen
ard purse proud budagh threw them
selves in her way the last twel'nsonth
and more, as she went in and ont Of
,Massmount Chapel Of Sunday nlornin,
Iaain on her uncle's arm, to stale a
glimpse at her 'bonny Gen. and got
little for their pains when sill was done.
No, no, sir; ye seen that bright, sunny
face this blessed day for the first time
in yer Life, or I a1n FAR out i my rec]1~
min.
"Well, saw enough to know she's s.
handsome gal,'' stan1nered out Weeks,
hardly knowing what 80 say i'll the face
OF Else's positive assertion.
tIAnl listen 10 me again. continued
the latter, still following up her advnn-
tage;; "vhy didn't ye 5hry she girl yer
SELF afora ye came ray length? Yer zaot
SO handsome that she'd be lakely to fall
plump iii love wi5h ye, TO be sure: but
still yar not SO Unlocking aither for a
foreigner; and then to the back i that,
we've ~, many goo]d rings, chains and,
gagygaH,s about yo as raigkt SET any
young crather's heart Il huttarin. Why,
in the name j., wonaher, ( saw, didn't
ye tlsy what ye cud DO yerself afore
ve'd so to the expense of engagin me?'
why, [ wanted to be spry about it, y
responded Weeks. 'trj1ne is money to
1ne; [ count hours dollars, and minutes
cents, J. couldn't afford TO wait, no
ROW. And pray how does it concern
yo1, what my views and motives are, if
pay your price when the jobs aone?'
".Ay, ay, mutterea Else, ;'that's it
thats it. Ye thought ye'il make short
work Of it, for fear the sacret'd lake out.
Humph! I see; and yer cousins. as ye
call them, the Hardvrinkles, make ye
believe [ was witch, Til warrant, and
conld do more with spells and charms
than you with all yer fine airs and
boastea riches, Ay, ay, ye thought L
was an ould hell-born divil 'ithout sowl
or conscience, ready to do yer dirty
work and ask no questions aither. But
yer mistaken, Mr.. Weeks, cute as ye
are, yell find me just as canny; and J.
tell ye what it is, may / niver see the
sun agnin, if all the dollars in America
eeua buy me over to move one hairs
breath in this dark plot, If it wasn't for
the sake OF Mary Lee herse}i.;'
Weeks paused for an instant before he
spoke. The solemn declaration he had
heard, and made with so much apparent
sincerity, completely puzzled him. It
was g phase in the old woman's charac-
ter he had never noticed before. AL
ready, indeed, lie had penetration
enough to see that she was by no means
the person common report represented
her, nor such as he took her for himself
on his first visit to Cairn. Since that
time, her character, it's true, had been
slowly and gradually developing itself,
but still in such manner RS neither to
surprise nor startle him. Now he hard
" knew what to make of her. Every
mark, every characteristic, of the origin
al woman seemed to have gradually van
ished one by one. Her decrepitude; her
studidity, her peevishness, her deafness.
her blindness, had all disappeared day
after day, and so completely, that at last
he could hardly believe in her identity.
The wretched being he found, but a |
month gone, sitting over her peat fire,
with her goat by her side, and looking
as stolid as if all her mental faculties