The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-07-15
AN IRISH ELOPEMENT.


"Arden Hill, my dear old chappie, OF
all others | was most anxious to see
you to-day"
The speaker was rather a good-look-
ing young fellow. who wore the cap and
gown of student of Trinity college.
Dublin, and as he spoke he laid his
hand familiarly on the shoulder of a
friend standing at book-stall by the
college wall, and absorbed in the pages
of a volume picked up haphazardly.
"Well, Dillon, what is it?"
Il think you will do me a service,
which, while it will not entail a great
deal of trouble on you, may help to
secure my future happiness.
''Of course it goes without saying that
! will. But what makes Maurice Dill
Ion look as solemn as an undertaken at
his wife's funeral?"
This 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
old hostelry Mr.. Dillon commenced:
You are a Kings county man, He'll
-Tullamore, 1 believe"
His companion nodded an affirmative,
and Dillon went on:
"a dirty little hole of a town, built in
a bog, isn't itP In fact, l may take it
you are a bog-trotter."
you may take it that am a genu-
inc bog-trotter, but Dillon, if you
please, you will cast no aspersions on
my native town."
"Oh! | mean no offense, assure
you," Dillon explained, with laugh.
''But was thinking of the saying that
Charles Lever has left on record. He
says that among Irish towns Tullamore
is only remarkable for the surperlative
ugliness of its female natives. There,
now. don't get your back up. I'm will
ing not to believe a word of it But
tell ME. am l safe in assuming that you
know the country within radius Of a
dozen miles of Tullamore?"
Every inch of it; but what Is this
leading up top"
'Will you have patience-two weeks
ago, when you and Watkins and l saw
Irving as Hamlet in the Theatre Royal,
there was a 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 for
gotten"
Indeed; but, anyway, Watkins is the
last man in the university to allow a
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, l must say, particularly lucid
style in telling story"
Arthur Watkins father and the
father of this young lady are very anx-
ious to make match between them,
and the young people, with proverbial
perversity, are adverse to entering into
any such arrangement. Watkins would
regard wife simply as nuisance and
q bore"
"And the lady?"
"The lady. l 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 is matter to boast of? You have
wronged friend who"
II haven't done anything of the sort
Hill, and l wish you wouldn't think 1t.
Lucy and knew each other-well, were
fond of each other-there now-before
Watkins loomed up as an unwilling
rival. The friends of Watkins, yor
know. are wealthy, while but 'tis
the old story. Lucy's father desires tc
secure q rich husband for his only
child"
Hill crossed his arms on the table
and looking in his friends face sale
quietly: "And don't you know he:
right, Maurice Dillon? Since my child
hood days l do not think that any
single individual ever slandered me BY
saying that possessed even a moderate
share of common sense, but l say Il
marry girl where that marriage mus
necessarily entail the life of pauper il
something that only scamp or foo
would do, and for friendships sake I'm
disposed to class you in the latter cate
CORY"
I'm not in a mood to hear a sermon
from you now, Hill. Tell me, do yol
know a place near Tullamore calleC
Raheenbegp"
about as well as I know Colleg,
Green" was Hills reply.
"Well, Raheenbeg is Lucy's home
and Watkins has an invitation to visi
there this week. He is going. reluct
lantly he tell me, and if he does it i
easy to anticipate the result No man
not even Arthur Watkins can resist tn,
charms of Lucy Damer. and should sh'
be coerced into accepting him as a suit
or, 1t would simply drive me to tht
devil"
Dillon rose from his chair, and pace
the room a minute or two in silence
Then he said abruptly:
Il am going down there tonight
Hill, and l want you to come with me.
"It's two years since have been a
home, and honestly don't care to g
in that direction Just now; but, anyway
how could l serve you?'
Lucy is going to elope with me
| Now, don't look so Mortified, man. He
father, Parson Damer, apprehends some
thing of the kind, and as a consequence
she IS as jealously guarded as a politi
cal suspect in Kilmainham. l shall tel
you our plans on the way down. Z
grain leaves Kingsbridge at $3.50. W
shall reach Geashell at 6, and if a.
goes well-and much depends on yo
we shall catch the 1880 up-train q
J the same station"
'.Are you sure you are acting square
ly by this young girl, Dillon? She love
you, or believes she loves you, whic
amounts to the same thing. l suppose
She is willing to leave home and fathe
for your sake, and what will you Civ
her in return? Why, you will scarcel
have a shilling of your own to commend
housekeeping with, and her father
reported as poor as church-mouse."
Don't fling any more of your infel
nal homilies at my head. i must hav
Lucy if we begged together. She
willing to take The risks. and Hill, yo
,houo 70 StonI hu n