Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-25
i BIRTHDAY GIFT.

IL LIt-5Lil usLht 4tsttLltilt-u HI 1OuuOn or it might not. If any one prefers to localize this story of truo love at Liver pool or Glasgow or any other British city where Irish do live. he or she is quite welcome to do so. I am not going to vulgarize tender idyl by giving with the fidelity of q county court sum- mons the precise town, village or other minute description of the scene where the poetic events to be now told took place.
 Mat Casey lodged with Tim Brennan, | who occupied q couple of rooms in small house in q court off passage in an alley which branchcd out of lane i'll q back street. Sure you re q gintle- man. for you re as good as the pig that pays his rint. - Tim used to say to him, and Mat would reply. True for yez, an it's l:IgSCif that's proud to Ee that same And then. if either happened to have q shilling about him, they would go tO the CUbwebs inn and drink il. IT ill luck, they would per hars have a fight or two i'll the course of the night. If things were depressed and people were low spiritcdly peaceful, they would i'll most cases have q fight between themselves and then fraternal- | ly pump on each others heads or repair their faces from the same stock of stick ing plaster.
 Mat was q travelling tinker, middle aged. ju-ial, ugly, n fine drinkcr, good singer, and, as Tim said, "a dhivil of a poet" Tim was an odd job charac- tcr-an auction porter and n spcculator in small les. Mat was a widower Tim had an Cxte:i4jyc wife and scattered family.
 At tine entrance tn the court was so-t of half shop, half she'd, with big room hl;,.il and small one above, where Wiiuw 1Ioloney lived and car ri,d oI her l,usinoSs, which consisted in the purchase and sale of anything from au old ICt,>tcad to a cr,v,rlCSs diCtion- ary and frH:ll broken candlestick to an iu':i>tiHcT oil painting. Her husband had lv,n an attendant at sales and broke in q hulnl:ic way
 After the inqu@~t on him-now some | lS I.I0sIthS a-u-tLrS AIOl0uey continued the ','n"vrn. She found il unnecessary 10 70 tn :,Ur. .j,:5: aS Tim and others brought their l.Urch,,-,S tn her. and she had q Uoi- rLi'y rva'.y means of buying and selling. not merely to add from her ncighbors, but also, Icing well known, among the inhabitants generally in q small way.
 She was about 10 and weighed IS stone. i biz shawl was always crossed over her opGleut bosom and knottCd be- hind She had a bright eye, a ready , touguo, heavy fist and q strong head.
 Mat was deeply Cnamored of this gentle lady. Of course Tim was in his . confidence, and many an untruthful wor,! i'll praise of Mat did he drop, as if by accident, in her hearing, and many an uEvgr,:cjoTs account of his broken heart. dneSS Oil her account did he sigh inglv Iarr;,tg, with tie addition of his own private opinion that Mat was dy- ing CT would kill himself for love of her. Tim was as loyal friend as a so- Der though truthful knight of old.
 Tim, said Mat oil the eve of Wid- ow 1loloney's birthday, II want ycz to give her this birthday card from me It's q great rcd heart. with a skcwer sticking i'll it. That riprisints moine- the heart, I Ilanc. The sllewcr''--
 Its au arrow, Mat-that's what they do be calling it''
 Well, Tim, an there's a good Irish sound aboUt that same. They can't do without Us anyway, you see
 SOTra T bit, an you want me to be afth"r giving her that:''
 ''Yo>; I've improved it. I've made it stiff with rcd lead an put in few dhroTS, as if 1t was the blood of me ,I heart that was flowing for her. an shes so scornIul of Inc sufTcrings.''
 Its ilii5ant" said Tim, with great - admiration.
 An see here, now. I've written some varses to her to the tune of O'Shaughnessy Hat Bedad, an they |, rowl as swately as jig an as delud- herring as the crayther. :"
 He sang them over ill his rich voice and delicious brogue, and Tim got ex- cited and promised his most devoted aid Then they went to the CObwebs and in due course were violently eject. Il cd. had tussle with some strangers -e about something of which they had nc d particular notion or recollection, lost " each other and finally got home some, ' how. though separately.
 - Next morning they arose with un, clou''ed and unaching brows, and Tin ., started on his mission. Mat waited at ; the Cobwells for his return.
 Tim sat down on a cold doorstep anC reflected
 "a Take her a dhirty, painted, twopenny lt piece of paper with red lead heart or it! Bedad an begorra an won'tI IT do better than that, or my names no Tim Brennan. Mats a decent bhoy al a dhivil of a poet, but widdies is prac tical. It takes the likes of me to under ! stand the likes of them.'
 v Within 1 0 minutes after this soliloqu, he was seated in Mrs. MOloney's dis .. ordered and unventilated room. to There A is, Mrs Moloney, dear, al it must go to the heart of yez to rad tho hidden m'aning." said he as h pointed to a l.rge, healthy looking pig e. fry on the table and n bottle of whisl1 which was standing beside it He ha ] suppressed the paper missive as poor artificial and inexpensive, and out of hi devoted friendship and slender purs had bought the pluck and the spirit which he presented in Mats name.
 Its an emblim, honey" continue 2. he. Here's his heart, in a manner c sp' 'aking, at your fate-on your dish, mape- The liver shows that he can live without yez; the lights, that you' T the light of his eyes, an that he long for yez with every breath, an the flare
 that there'n be all the fat in the fire a
 the very dhivil to pay if ye're unkin
 to him an refuse him. It's an imbliu