Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-10-09


veloped by his laborious calling, while
his fine, open face and frank. honest
nature made him general favorite.
He came OF a race of smiths. his
father. grandfather and great-grand-
father having all spent their days be-
side the "haming forge" Being a
good workman, and owning the house
he lived In. Pat was fairly we'll off. He
and Kitty had been schoolmates and
play-fellows In childhood, and when
Kitty's mother died. when she was
almost child, Mrs. Riordan had ex-
tended her motherly love to the moth
erless girl; and now, when she was
laid aside by rheumatism. Kitty repaid
the kindness by many loving deeds.
Pat loved the girl truly, and would
have risked his life any day to save
her from i'll; but though every time
he had seen her since her fathers
death he had longed to ask her to
share his home, yet somehow the
words stuck in his throat, and the de-
sire to say them only made him APP
ptur LnOTc dWh NV dru III MS SWSCOnSdIb
presence.
A few months before, Mr.. Michael
O'Doherty, only son and heir OF Mrs.
O'Doherty, OF 1.-THE shop" of Sham
rock-dale, had come home from serving
his apprenticeship in Dublin, and, OF
course, having had the advantage OF
two years residence in the Irish me-
tropolis, he was far removed from the
ordinary stay-at-home young men oil
the village. He wore checked suit
of very pronounced style, and his
watch-chain certainly glittered,
though gold it was not. Altogether,
taken as whole, Mr.. O'Doherty was
a very fine young man.
Not long after his return home Mr..
ODoherty began to cast admiring
chances towards Kitty Maloney. whom
he pronounced the best-looking girl in
Shamrock-dale though she was only q
servant.
He began by paying some compli-
ments to Kitty in the most approved
Dublin style, but he was rather
amazed at her witty replies. which
she delivered with promptness that
left his rather slow brains leagues be-
hind. He admired her more for her
cleverness, however, and resolved, il
possible, to win her; but he was be-
bind time in his resolution, as we
have seen. Kitty was won though not
yet claimed.
Now, Patrick Riordan, when he
compared himself with O'Doherty,
| sunk several inches lower in his own
estimation. and when Mrs. Moriarty.
,he village gossip, told him that
mister O'Doherty had said Miss Ma
ioney was far an away the purtiest
girl in Shamrock-dale," poor Pats
heart seemed to descend into his
boots, and in consequence his visits to
Kitty became less frequent and were
generally taken up by long-drawr
Isighs and sorrowful glances that al.
most drove Kitty frantic. The fact
was Pats opinion of himself was very
low, and that he held Of Kitty very
'exalted, and the mischief was-that the
Ioftener he saw her the farther above
him did she seem, and the surer die
he become that she only spoke kindly
to him for old acquaintance sake.
She'll get betther than me, an
she'll desarve it. too" he would say
with sigh, yet still like the moth
round the candle he lowered round the
girl.
Poor Kitty! it was provoking.
I'm just as sure as I'm livin' that
he loves me; but what's poor CIR
like me to do" she sighed. GIVE
heerd that the Queen, God bless her.
asked her Pat, or whatever they called
him, to marry her, but If poor Cir
'ud do that she'd be counted bould."
Then swaying herself backward and
forward, as the Irish generally dc
when in grief, she continaed:
I'm downright afraid Pats goin' to
be like Guild Dennis Murphy, thai
coorted Mary Mulligan for twinty
years, an then when she died at the
end OF he could do nothin' but cry
'Ohone! ohone! II / had but said the
word an made her Mary Murphy she
wouldn't bin dead now An wher
the priest tould him her time wa.
come, he said: "Twas Mary Mulligar
as the angel was sent for, an doesn't
yer reverence see she wud bin Mary
Murphy then
poor ould Dennis" said Kitty, ant
her keen sense Of the ridiculous over
coming her fears she burst into hearty
laughter.
Then starting up she busted herself
with her household duties, and shortly
afterwards might have been heard
singing snatches of Irish ballads with
n voice clear as thrush.
Father Quin had gone to visit some
sick parishoner in a remote part o.
his wide, struggling parish, and prob
ably would not be home till nightfall
so Kitty, when she had finished hel
work, sat down to work at some fine
lace work which she had been taught
by the nuns who taught the convent
school close by, and where Kitty''
father had kept her long enough to be
considered "a gran scholard" by the
people of Shamrock-dale.
She had not worked long before her
mind again reverted to the smithy
and from thence by association o.
ideas to Dennis Murphy and Mary
Mulligan, and the likeness between
that couple and herself and Pat. JUS
then the latch of the back door lifted
and in walked an old woman, with 6
sallow, wrinkled face, black, bead
like eyes, hooked nose and a pro
jecting chin. She was clad in coarse
.home-spun tweed dress, with strong
leather shoes, and gray home-spur
wool stockings. Round her shoulders
she wore faded cloak of scarlet fan
mel. and bright-colored checked
wooden handkerchief covered her head
In her hand she CARRIED a rather large