The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-04-25
MURTIE MULLICAN'S REVENGE.

Owen DAILY and ] were old friends.
but in his eagerness that his services
70 the old man should pass unnoticed
lest they should in any way be con-
nected with Norah. he persistently ig-
rored my acquaintanceship with the fit
tie household on the hill and never men
toned the girl he was serving for. SO.
for many a day. the old man lived In
comparative luxury. All the reward his
willing workmen sought was half an
hours chat by the turf fire. while Norah
sewed next the candle at the window.
They never met. these two men-at
least. not at first Once, when driving
out of the village in the dusk-fOr my
father would take me 10 distant sick
calls to hold the mare-we met Mike
slouching down the hill carrying his
spade. and with only very surly good
night" TO fling 10 us.
Later, as we passed Days. there was
Big Murty i'm his shirt-sleeves. digging
briskly in the growing light Of the moon,
and lifting a verse from "Lannigan's
Ball" knew then that he had fore
stalled his rival; and felt sorry for Mike.
who was my faVorite. But on another
evening il was Big Murty who flung
past. trying to conceal a pair Of shears
beneath his flannel wrapper. and after
ward I had glimpse Of Mike on his
knees by Days turf rick. busily strip
ping the wool from struggling sheep
by the light Of a blear-eyed lantern. He
bad won the race that time
Ii was on a misty October evening
that ] saw them next. as j took a short
ut over CorTignOre Hill. and came out
by Days borreen. There they were
both of them-storng turnips i'm pit
a I the end of the yard. / stayed a while
10 chat with them and watch them. They
didn speak to each other except TO
suggest or recommend something con-
nected with their work; and then their
eyes never met as they took counsel con-
corning the business in hand with an APP
palling sOlemnity Once NOrah came 10
the cottage door Instantly they both
raised their eyes TO look. but turned
them on each other at onCe-each to see
if the other saw then ashamed of being
mutually convicted OF spying, their
heads fell over their work again, and
were not raised until the girl had disap-
peared indoors. Though / was only
boy in my teens" ] was so struck by
this little scene that | have never for
gotten il: and at the time ! realized. as
far as a boy can realize such things,
how deeply these men felt After that
! often managed TO pass old Days OF
an evening. and now | can piece to-
gether the glimpse 7 had Of the tragedy
that was working itself out with Mike
Doolan's story. and was told me long
years after
DAYS. weeks and months sped by. but
mems hands at the little homestead on
Corrigmorc there were the two figures
one big and burly. the other small and
Slight-plyinG spade. scythe. or flail in
the dusk. There was a tacit agrea ment
finally. so learned. that when there
was work TO be done above one or
both would be there as soon as their
own work set them free.
Above was the little cottage on the
Hill. and by that term il always went
on the rare occasions on which either had
To- mention il % the other 10 everybody
else it was the usual "Owld Owen
DAYS. They spoke no a word OF love
TO Moran. who would sit demurely sew
ing or knitting when old owen had one
Of them iu-they never we're in the cot
tage tcSether-to rain thanks and bless
ings on the head that cared less for all
the beuisons of the saints Of heaven than
for one glance Of one woman of earth:
and that a slight, barefootC, girl. who
was herself all she could beStow on any
man.
Lord love ye.' the old man would
say. It's we're good 10 the pore. Heay-
EMIL give ye yeer reward. for tbs for the
love az heaven We dig the bit av land
widout Divil wan o. me that can
give ye anything. an tbs We that knows
that same"
Then the hyprocite at the hearth would
bend his guilty head lower. and steal
a sidelOng glance al the long back lashes.
which on these occasions We're never
raised to uEveil the deep gray eyes.
And so they waited. Owen DAILY was
old and feeble. but. long he lived.
so long would his grandchild dwell with
him, his only comfort ard the dearest
thing in the world TO him. 1t was no use
for the boys To walk in ON a Sunday.
uncomfortable splendid in their best
coats and ravishing ties. In vain was
their respectful Difference to "ATistheT
DAILY. sOT:' of no avail their anxious in
uuiries, An how are ye gettin the
health ag'in. this fine weather." The
simple-hearted old man gratefully made
suitable reply. and graciOusly recOunted
the symptoms of the past week calling
on his granddaughter to bear witness TO
the truthful record Of the same and ia
the gratifying sympathy with which IL
was received. Sometimes a neigh
boring farmer would come in
deadly earnest TO seek encour-
agement in his woo:ng from the
maiden on the hill. and at such crisis.
a strange instinct never failed 10 bring
Mike and Big Murty on the spot. Then
they combined their forces. and Joined
10 rout the invader. Should he linger
for a whole day. he would never get a
chance Of seeing the object of his visit
alone, and rarely managed even to in
clude her in the conversation. for one
or the OtneT or MS rivals never left his
side. while both displayed a marvellous
resource Of conversational power IN his
honor. Thus. wooed covertly on all sides
but openly on none. pretty NOrah DAILY
went about her duties demurely from day
10 day: Big Murty Mulligan would have
readily sought his fate at her hands had
he any hope of her deserving her grand
father, or OF the latter leaving his old
home TO dwell with a son-in-law: for
hadn't Murty a cottage with stairs in
tia real stairs, not ladder-and two
acres and a quarter of land. besides the
cutter that lay below in the haven be-
meath Mike DOOlan's cottage? Murty
was well off. with no one but his old
mother TO provide for. and a little money
in the bank at Bantry. He was fine
telloW, too, and many a girl would be
proud TO have such a man to take her
10 mass and fair. though his hair was
more red than brown, and his eyes might
have been a darker gray But while
Murty had himself and the land. and
the cutter, and the cottage with the
stairs TO offer. Mike DOOlan had only
himself a shanty with no stairs-for
there was nowhere to go up to except
the thatch-and one big. bare stony
field. Mike would brood over this differ
ence In their fortunes when he came out
or his door in the morning. and the first
thing he saw was Big Mulligan's cutter,
with her great brown sail with the patch
Of dirty white i'm the middle Tapping
lazily in the breeze at his Gerry feet.
Many an oath did Mike, in the bitterness
OF his heart. launch down the rocky side
Of Corrigeen Hill at the cutter that
rested on the water like n great moth
drying the dews OF night from its brown
wings. Why did he persist In thinking
OF NOrah Dalv2 SIRE whom tho old