Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-11-19

you again.? asked Miss Moonshee, as
she took my proffered hand. 'Mally
and are not very entertaining, but
we should be delighted to see you it
you care to come"
Il shall be very pleased to GOMEZ
replied, and shaking her hand heartily,
took my leave, being followed to the
gate by the old Irish woman, calling
down blessings on my head.
When / told the story OF my adven-
ture at home, at the same time de-
clarlng my intention of paying
Miss Moonshee an early visit, my
father patted me on my cheek. "Please
yourself, Polly" he said. *'but / am
inclined to think your new friend IL
| 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 I, that is
no reason why I 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 became the daily visitor and init
mate friend of its mistress. l had
learned to love poor little Miss Moon
shee with a protecting fondness such
as the young and strong sometimes
entertain for the old and weak. More
over, to me she seemed tho embodi-
ment OF that old world refinement
that, assertive young colonial as I
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 I 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
a 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
~ from the kitchen. was accustom-
| ed on these occasions to sing 1.-THE
| Wearin' O the Green" to a piano &C
compartment; and when Mally's 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
true daughter OF Erin.
Mally invariably apologized to her
mistress for Shaking her foot" as she
termed the antics she INDUCED 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
you do"
"You think she has Kerry blood in
her veins, Mally?' Miss Moonshee
would say, with smile.
'Sorra doubt of it; and ifMasther
Shane heard her play The Rocky
Roads to Dublin, he d say the same"
The little lady's face always REDEEM
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 viii. h she returned signing heavi-
:H1asther " shane"* With the s'I dear
friend whose advent she anticipated.
Some old lover" said to myself.
knocking about the world, but still
confidently expected by the faithful
heart, that believed in VOWS long since
forgotten by tho wanderer." Was
this how matters stood, or was the
much -talked-of friend q phantom OF
poor little Miss Moonshee's weak
| brain?
1put 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.
~ expect him?"
The 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.
"Well, Mally, have thought more
than once that, as the Scotch say, he
is lang IN comm"
"You may we'll say long Miss" re-
turned old Mally, tearfully. "Tisn't
in this world Miss Kathleen will ever
set eyes on him.
"You don mean to say heis dead"
7 excls imed.
The old woman nodded mournfully,
then asked in a 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 I stole from the room
had fallen into u profound slumber.
'"The saints send her dreamsof Mas
ther Shane!" piously calculated Mally,
w In hoy 11cfy tHnV1 ~ ho
could religion" for tits the only COM
fort 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 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 q 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 10 be treated like a friend of
the family, 50 kind you've been to my
poor lady" There was q solemn
look on her wrinkled face as she made
the promise, and without further pre-
amble, 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 children
they were, and they grew up among
the kindly Kerry folks, who loved
them for their own sakes as we'll as
for the good blood that showed itself
50 plainly in both. For hadn't
Miss Kathleen the bloom of the