The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-01-13
HANDHR|GAN'S COURTSHIP.

IInNDlIItlOuu " OOOlI SIIHI
"a quarrel with yer swateheart, is
it, me by? Sure an that's the light
est thrubble ye cud hev, but it weighs
| the hivviest Weemin' is sthrahge
cattle; an the longer ye know thin
the stranger yell find thin.
.'Maizie an me hes been marrit this
fifteen years back, and sometimes do
! be thinkin' it's a new Maizie I'm max
in, the acquaintance az livery dag
| faith, amy wan av the ould vans was
| good enough fer me!
Did we quarrel, is it, me and Mai
zie when we were coortin'? Did we do
annythin' else till the ring wint an her
finger? An it was nick an 90, but I
| lost her altogether the last time we fell
out.
''Ye see, I was wantin' me fling be-
fore I'd settle down with Maizie. 1
he'd a loose foot. an fella for it; an
! there wasn't dance or a weddin' but
1 TUX the fure an me pick an chice av
gairls.
For awile it wint well enough, an
| Maizie's huffs an sulks was pepper to
| the petaties-I was that sure av her,
dye mind? But whin Long Casey be-
gin to walk home from chapel with
her. an she wudn't look on the same
side o. the road was an
AN that wasn't bad enough till he
began to stravague about the lane she
lived in; an one night I seen her on
the bank av the river with him. an
whin she left him she hurried past me
in the moonlight, runnin' like fairy
whin spoke to her-Maizie, runnin'
away from me!
'.Afther that, for weeks, cud MT
get word with her. She niver KEN
out alone, an her mother an the chill
dren was always about her in the
house, an she sint back the letthers I
wrut her. 'ithout breakin' the wafer.
An by this time, gairls an dancin'
was little thrubble to me. was losin'
me slape an the taste O. me vittles, an
me face was the color av a dab av
whitewash on dhirty wall.
Casey was always hangin' about
with her father an brothers; an his
intintions was well known to all, an
we'll approved av. An if it was MT
for the widda mother he had. me own
mothers crony, an the dacintest soul
in the parish, I'd ha' bate him black
; an blue, fer preshoomin' the way he
did.
We'll, to mex long story short one
fine marnin' l whistled up me courage
an skirted over the back fields to
Maizie's house. The flowers was
bloomin', l remember. an the big
rosies was out; but l thought 1t
. sthrange to see no soul about the
place.
II wint up to the dure an Tucked
in, an there was Maizie sittin' with
| cfo bor Hnnp hin
an curlin' the childs white hair about
her finger.
2 Il was thet hoongry for the sight aV
her thet stood gapin' like fool.
1.-The top O. the marnin' to We, Mis-!
Gar-r-r-vey,' says /, whin I got holt a0
me tongue. an mekin' me vice up a!
bold as l cud.
"Fine day, Misther Handhrigan,
sez she, with as much imperence as
was comm to vaccinet the family
/ Me father an me brothers is down a
. the bog below sez she.
. "And good weather they have,
Il sez 1.
."An me mother sez she, SIS ava
at Dhrimstevellin,' sez she, to sell tn
butther.'
n But by this time I was in al
luckin' about me for stool to sit or
u ..Pm glad to hear it. Maizie, sez
for I'm comm to see you.'
."Oh, We can hev no business wit
me, Misther Handhrigan,' sez she
l. curlin' her pretty nose; no business
e 1 am sure, sir, whativer. with me-
q ."Ye're wrong there. sez L; its bus
. ness, an important business hel
an 1 can't spake before the child
o. sez I.
} does the child know about business!
" sd can't spake before the child c
J nv business sez l, mighty detarmine'
" sind her into the gar-r-rden to pick
- ~ ."Tu do nothin' av the kind s,
IL she, tossing her head. 'Posy, indad
It's well ye desarve one! Spake
lave it alone sez she. Wait, yet ID
liza, love; Maizie IL soon be done
| ."Mebbe the posies is a-savin' f
/, Long Casey sez l, ragin', but qui
= like.
"Mebbe they are.' sez she; at AMI
rate, he'd not be sindin' the child
e pick thim.'
n "'No; yersilf wud sind her ia
enough, thin,' sez 1.
"'Is that the business ye KEN
n Spake ABOUT NllSIneF nduuuElSdu
seq she, fushin' like wildfire, and biti
her lips.
."It's par-r-rt av it, sez 1; AN mo
is. that from this time forrit I'll put
trust in weemin.'
Poor things! What'n become
themp' sez she.
"Scoff, if ye like, says 1; but Their
twinty gairls I might "a had for
askin'-'
1.-The crayturesr sez she, BURST
out with laugh. Sure, an ye're I
a Turk entirely sez she.
'"But I've larned wan lesson, {
'.'Only wan?" sez she. That's
poor state of ignorance, isn't it, Dal
dearP"
""But it'll last me lifetime seq
'..It wud made to- says she. Al
now, me lambie; yell see the pu
curls. how nice they'll look
'"pm goin' to Ameriky, the
afther Tomorrow sez l, coinin'
biggest lie cud think av, an watch
sac the bio q