The Irish standard., 1886-07-10
An IRISH ELOP.EMENI,
RY WILLIAM ). DELANY.
Garden Hill, my dear old chapple. of all
others I WAS most anxious to see YOU to-

4
| day."
| The speaker was rather good-looking
! young fellow, who wore the cap and gown
of student of Trinity College, Dublin,
and as he spoke, he laid his hand famil-
| iarly.on the shoulder of friend standing
at book-stall by the college wall, and at
sorbed in the pages of a volume pic ked
up by haphazardly.
"Wen. Dillon, what is it?''
81 think you will do me service, which,
while it will not entail q 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 Dillon
| look as solemn as an .undertaker at his
! wife's funeral:"
ssrhis is nor the place to tell you, Hill.
| Come across to the Star and Garter,
and over a 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 Kings County man, Hill
Tullamore, believe"
! His companion nodded an affirmative,
! ard Dillon went on:
"a dirty little hole of town, built in q
bog, isn't it? III fact, may take it, you
are bog-trotter."
s'You may take il that am genuine
bogtrotter, but, Dillon, il you please, you
will cast no aspersions on my native
town"
ooh! mean no offense, assure you, /"
Dillon explained, with laugh. But I
was thinking Of the saying that Charles
| Lever has left on record. He says that
among irish towns Tullanlore is only re-
markable for the superlativa ngliness of
it's female natives. There, now, don't get
your back up. I'm willing not to believe
word OF it. But tell me, am safe in
assuming that you know the country
! within a radius of dozen miles at Tulla-
more?'
"Every inch of it; but what is all this
leading up too?"
| "Will you have patience-you remen-
ber that night TWO weeks ago when you
and Watkins and Z saw Irving as Hamlet
| in the Theatre Royal, and, no doubt you
| have not forgotten how effectua!lv Wat
| which l contrived To provoke auout
| Shakespeare and his commentators; and
! Arden Hill! had always believed there was
not student within the walls Of Trinity
SO thoroughly posted in English dramatic
| literature as himself"
| sWeil, I confess he did rather sit on me,
as you rather elegantly put it; bat Wat
| lSins is rarely gifted fellow. The first
| mathematician in his college, and al
| though mathematics and poetry don't
! often run kindly in harness, poet who
| received from the poetic apostle of panth-
eism, Alg ernon SWinbyrne himself the
| most flatte1ing eulogistic criticism I ever
read"
| .The poetic apostle of pantheis1n is
neatly said, Hill; but on that night there
was a lady in the dress circle Of the
Royal whom Arthur Watkins had
promised to see home in company Of her
pa; but he found that discussion on the
relative merits Of irving and Barry Sui
livan SO very interesting that the lady
was fcrgotton.'
"Indeed; but, anyway, Watkins is the
last man in the university to allow q
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 81 Trinity College man you have,
must say, a particularly lucid style in tell
ing 3, story"
"Arthur Watkins father and the
father Of this young lady are very anxious
10 make s. match between them, and the
| yonng people, with provcrbial peryersity,
are adverse to entering into any suc{l ar
rangen,cnt Watkins would regard Il
wife simply as a nuisance and q bore
s.And the ladyW
.Ihe lady, 1 'l,elieve---or rather, /
sincerely hope, loves another"
ga very friendly aspiration, upon my
! soul, Dillon.''
sYou will scarcely blame me when say
that Lucy and are
ssOh! SO the cat is out of the byg, is il,
Master Maurice? And with your keen ap-
probation of honor do you think this is u
n,attcr to boast Of? You have wronged Il
friend who-'
"1 haven't done anything of the sort,
Hill, and 1 wish you wouldn't think it,
Lucy and knew each other--well, were
fond of each other-there now-,efore
Watkins lcomed up as an unwilling rival.
The friends Of Watkins you know, are
wealthy, while but tits the old story,
Lucy's father desires to secure a, rich hus-
band for his only child.''
Hill crossed his arms on the table, and
looking in his friends face said quietly !:
s'And don't you know he's right, Maurice
Dillon? Since my childhood days lido not
think that any single individual ever
slandered me by saving that / possessed
even g. moderate share of common sense
but say to marry a girl where that mar
riage must necessarily entail the life of a
| pauper is something that only Il scamp Or
fool would do, and for friendships sake
I'm disposed to class you in the latter
category"
ssI'1a not in mood to hear q sermon
from YOU now, Hill. Tell mo do you
know place near Tullamore called Ra-
heenDeg?"
"About as well as know College Green"
was HILLS reply.
"Well, Raheenbeg is Lucys home, and
Watkins has an invitation to visit there
this week He is going, reluctantly he
tells me, and if he does it is easy to antici-
pate the result No man, not even Arthur
Watkins could resist the charms OF Lucy
Damer, and should she be coerced into
accepting him as q suitor it would simply
drive me to the deyil.'
Dillon rose from his chair and paced the
room minute or two in silence. Then
be said abruptly:
II au going down theirs tonight, Hill,
and want you TO cogne with me-"
sIt's two years since l. have been at
home, and honestly l don't care to go in
that direction just now; but, any way,
how could I serve you ~
ssI,ucy is coming to elope with me.
Now, don't look so herri1led man. Her
father, Parson Damer. apprehends some
+b:,o ~ tbo lind mud ao ccnSou,1apra