The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-11-26

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you care to come
shall be very pleased to come" l
! replied. and shaking her hand heartily,
4 took, my leave, being followed to the
4 gate by the old Irish woman, calling
4 down blessings on my head.
/ When told the story of my adyen-
4 ture at home, at the same time de-
claring my intention of paying
| Miss Moonshee an early visit, my
father patted me on my cheek. "PIease
yourself, Polly" he said, but am
/ inclined to think your new friend is
neither more nor less than harmless
| lunatic."
My fathers opinion of Miss Moon
shee did not greatly astonish me.
There was decidedly something pecul-
lar about her; but, argued j, that is
no reason why 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,
| became the daily visitor and inti-
mate friend OF it's mistress. | had
learned to love poor little Miss Moon
shee with protecting fondIiess such
as the young and strong sometimes
entertain for the old and weak More.
over, to me she seemed the embodi-
ment of that old world refinement
that, assertive young colonial as l
was, could thoroughly appreciate.
And she chung to me, this gentle
Irish lady, looking eagerly for my COM
ing, and following me with wistful
| glances when ! took my leave. She
| spoke but seldom OF her past, and al
though advertlng at times to her long
expected friend, seemed, on the whole.
to prefer drawing me on to talk of my
school friends and studies. Then, on
u Saturday afternoon, she would war
BILE plaintive Irish ballads to her harp
in wonderfully clear, true voice, the
sound of which always drew old NAL
| ly from the kitchen. | was accustom-
ed on these occasions to sing 1.-The
! Wearin' o. the Green" to a piano &c
compartment; and when Mallys ma.
tional enthusiasm was sufficiently
stirred by its irresistible passion and
/ pathos to dash into a Jig, thereby set
ting the old lady to caperlng like a
! true daughter OF Erin
Mally invariably apologized to her
mistressfor shaking her loot" as she
/ termed the antics she indulged in; then
/ bestowing an admiring glance on me,
usually added insinuatingly: "sure,
Miss, nobody as hadn't drop OF the
real ould blood could lift the tune as
4 you do
"You think she has Kerry blood in
her veins, Mally?" Miss Moonshee
would say, with smile.
"Sorra q doubt OF it; and if Masther
Shane heard her play The Rocky
Roads to Dublin, he'd say the same. !"
The little lady's face always redden-
ed at the mention of the foregoing
name, and l noticed that Immediately
afterwards she became restless, max.
ing frequent excursions to the window,
from whi, h she returned sighing heavi-
\ ly. had long ago identified
"Masther Shane" with the dear
friend whose advent she anticipated.
"some old lover" l said to myself,
knocking about the world, but still
4 confidently expected by the faithful
heart, that believed in vows long since
forgotten by the wanderer." Was
this how matters stood, or was the
much-talked-o of friend a phantom OF
poor little Miss Moonshee's weak
brain?
4 Iput the question rather abruptly
to old Mally one day when engaged in
interviewing her parrot in the kitchen:
"Who is Mr.. Shane? and do you real
ly expect him?''
/ Ths old Irishwoman's face went as
white as the table napkin she was
ironing "What putt into your pref
ty head to ask?" she inquired, coax
ingly. but with suspicious glance.
We'll, Mally, have thought more
than once that, rs the Scotch say, he
is lang IN comm"
'You may we'll say long Miss" re-
| turned old Mally, tearfully. "''Tisn't
! III this world Miss Kathleen will ever
set eyes on him"
/ You don n'tmean to say heis dead?"
4 J exclaimed
The old woman nodded mournfully,
then asked in whisper if l was quite
sure her mistress was asleep. Yes,
was quite sure; she had dozed off while
| was playing one of my simple lula
bies, and when | stole from the room
had fallen into Il profound slumber.
4 "The saints send her dreamsof Mas
ther Shane!" piously ejaculated Mally,
who. like her mistress, belonged to the
could religion" ''for 'tis the only com
fort she has, poor darling"
/ '.But Mr. Shane, who was he9" l
put in, eagerly.
Zone of The ould o'Connells, of
course. Kings they were before the
conquest, Miss, and from the 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 200 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
1 desarves 10 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 pre-
amble, old Mally related her tale,
4 somewhat as follows:
Miss Kathleen and Mnsther Shane
were cousins, and reared together at
the Hall by Miss O'Connell, their aunt,
for they were orphans. Fine children
they We're, ard they grew up among
| bue kiuuiy merry lOth5, VINO lOVeu
them for their own sakes as we'll as
for the good blood that showed itself
SO plainly in both. For hadn't
Miss Kathleen the bloom of the
rose, the eye Of the dove,
and the sweetest temper in
Ireland? And WASH Masther Shane
tall and handsome, with curley black
hair, the eye OF the hawk, and the
| bould bearing of the O'Connells? Sure
they were made for each other, every
body said, and so they seemed to think,
1 the young master being barely 81 and