Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-05-31
A SHANTY ROMANCE.

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day, and don't bring anybody wild yez but
yezself."
Thus spoke Mistress Maguinnis, standingin
the doorway of her cabin among the rocks of
Shantytown, where lean and hungry goats
clambered and cropped the scant heritage.
Mrs Magunnis was the sole ''boss" of this
humble abode. There had been q Mr.. Ma
guinnis, "a bad lot," as the neighbors would
have told you, but one fine morning he left
home never to return, and several days later
the East river gave up all that was mortal of
Tim Maguinnis.
A shrewd business woman and frugal
body, Mrs. Maguinnis had a purpose in saw
ing her capital, much on little as it may have
been. She had a daughter, Mary Ann by
name, who lived at service with one of the
"most rispictible families on the avenir," as
the mother often told her circle of acquaint-
ances.
Being dutiful girl, Mary Ann had filial
regard for her mother but she very naturally
felt that it i'll became one of her station to be
seen too often in familiar chat with the old
apple woman at the corner. But Mrs. Ma
guirnis did not lack company when she sat
beneath her white cotton umbrella and dealt
out fruit of remarkable glossiness The la
borers going to and from their work all had
a CHEEKY word for her. Dapper young clerks
and portly old merchants stopped to chaff
with her about the state of trade and the
prospects of the next years apple crop, and
Mrs Maguinnis was quick at repartee, and
could hold her own with the best of them
Sometimes well known broker, who lived
not far from the apple stand, would linger
there awhile, and then there would be sundry
winks and whispers and mysterious refer
ences to 1.-THE stock" all of which limited at
some treasured secret, with which you and l
have no concern.
Among the customers of Mrs. Maguinnis,
she had one especial favorita. Tom Kelly
was his name, and he worked in the great
machine shop hard by. A civil spoken and
good looking young fellow he was, with curly
hair and a frank countenance. Many a
kindly act he had performed for the widow,
and once, when on an errand to her cabin, be
had met Mary Ann and had straightaway
fallen head-over-ears in love with her. For
the past six months he had been most assidu-
GUS in his courtship. Mary Ann was really
very fond of Tom, but she was bit of q firt
in her way and delighted in keeping him on
tenter hooks Besides, there was certain
Jimmy Dolan bartender at Alderman Gill
hooly's guided ''gin palace" who was not in
" NAL CIol 1l1S1 anu WIZ w ei5
very pressing in his attentions to her.
The widow threw the weight of her in
fiuence in Toms favor But Mary Ann was
fond Of gay society, and while she treated
Tom with a certain coquettish kindness she
saw fit to accept many an invitation to balls
and parties from his rival And SO matters
stood at the time our story opens.
Now, Tom Kelly was something Of me-
chanical genius, and often when his hands
were busy tending his machine he was cud-
ceiling his brains to contriye. some improve
ment in this or that piece of mechanism. For
some time he had been devoting his spare
hours to the invention Of an apparatus which
he firmly believed was destined to fill a long
felt want II he only had the means to builda
machine, if he could only once put it to
practical test, if he could demonstrate its
worth to the manufacturer, then a tidy for
tune lay within his grasp. Alas, there were
SO many "ifs' that they formed strong bar
rier in the way of the young inventors sue
cess.
Tom had often discussed his plans with
Mrs. Maguinnis and he found in her a warm
sympathizer. Not that the good woman
knew the difference between a piston rod and
a fly wheel. Every machine was the same to
her-an undesirable part of a mighty and
mysterious whole But ignorant as she was
Of mechanical principles, Tom was very
grateful for her words of encouragement and
her expression of confidence in his schemes at
times when hope with him was at low ebb.
One morning when he was passing the
apple stand on his way to the shop the widow
hailed him.
''How do the invention git on?' she asked.
ooh, Mrs Maguinnis," cried Tom, ''if
had a little money I'm sure I'd make go of
it, and then I'd sell patent rights, and then
then I'd have enough to begin Housekeeping
blushing at the bare thought Of the happy
possibility.
"And how much money might there be
needed" urged Mrs Maguinnis
ga thousand or two thousand dollars, and
his face heightened despondently.
Mrs Maguinnis fell into o reverie, which
lasted so long that Tom began to think she
had forgotten the subject, and several would
be customers left the stand in despair of be-
ing waited on.
''Yez have no work the morrow after
noon," she said, finally; "why but yez come
up to the house and tell me all about the ma
chine?'
So Tom promised. The next afternoon
found the two in the widows cabin, bending
over table on which were various diagrams
and pieces Of mechanism; Tom eagerly point
ing out the merits of the apparatus, describ-
ing how this wheel here moved that wheel
there, and how screw in this place con-
trolled something somewhere else. I doubt
if Mrs. Maguinnis was any the wiser for the
explanation; but she listened intently and
kept nodding her old head sagely, and when
he had finished declared elnphatically that
the man who couldn't see that the invention
was worth its weight i'll gold 'had no since
at all, bad luck to him!"
''Mebbe I know somebody wild money to
invest" she continued, while Tom stared Won
deringly. "Anyhow come again a Tuesday,
And leaving him still in a state of wonder
ment she babe him good evening, with the
parting injunction recorded at the beginning
of the story.
For the next few days the apple woman ex
libited a seriousness quito at variance witt
her usual lightsome mood, and when at length
her broker friend made his appearance at the
booth an earnest colloquy took place.
Inventions are risky things, Mrs. Maguin
nis,n remarked the gentleman.
"Some of thin is and some of thin isn't,
replied Mrs Maguinnis, sententiously
"Well, it is your money and you must d.
with it as you think best,' said the broker
What she decided to do must be inferred
from what followed. Certain it is that whe1
Tom raped at her door Tuesday evening she
drew him inside and thrust pile of banl
notes into his hand.
'sTake thin me lad" she said. ''but DOM
tell hvin' soul about it, Taste of all Mary
Ann"
''God bless you, Mrs. Maguinnisl" cried
Tom, his lips trembling and his face alter
nately flushing and paling, "And it's Mother
Maguinnis hope I'll be CALM you in a few
months and givin' you a hearty kiss at the
weddin'."
''Go long wild yez, ye spalpeenr' was the
good woman's reply, as she pushed him te
| the door. But she gave one or two suspicious
shifts as she filled her tiny tea kettle and sci
| it over the fire.
Mrs. Maguinnis was not the woman to act
from hasty impulse. She thought slowly and
acted with caution. But her decisions once
made were not to be shaken, and in this case
she was serenely satisfied with what she hac
| DONE
Everything went on the same as before
| She saw Tom as he went to his work with
brisk step and q happy light in his ewes. Very