Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-12-24
THE GIRL EMIGRANT.

u
She leaned ont of the carriage win
dow and saw the van door close, and
chen asked the porter if her box Were
safe and sound.
"Aw, aye" said he and slouched up,
wiping the wet from his hand on his
corduroys. "Aw, aye, it'll folly ye safe
to Drogheda anyhow. Goodby. an God
speed ye."
"Goodby." she said and gave him her
hand. "But aren't the rest O. ye COM
in?" she called.
The station master came and gave
her parting word, then two or three
town loiterers, then the station masters s
wife, with a shawl over her head and
picking her way through the puddles
Last of all came man-the girls fa-
ther, one could see-running stiffiy and
glancing back often at the horse and
cert standing forlorn outside the gate.
"Goodby, Mary, an God be with ye,
my girl" He held her hand for Sec
ond or two, and his lips kept moving,
while she answered bravely. ''Ye'll
write from New York;"
II will-aw-at once"
"Do. Don't keep u.s." he said, then
stood back with the others and blinked
at she driving rain. She pulled hand
kerchief from battered brown hand
bag and nervously wiped her lips.
"Ah," called she, "yez all thought
yez'd see me cryin. All, tricked yez
rightly"
"Ah, no." answered the porter. "We
knew ye'd be brave"
"Aye, ave." assented the rest and
shifting their legs. "Aye, aye"
away ye go' shouted the guard
The engine shrieked. Mary shook out
her handkerchief and called goodby
her friends waved their arms. She had
started for the United States.
''They thought I'd cry" said she as
she sat back and fell to plucking at the
fingers Of her wooIen gloves. "They
thought I'd cry-och, no." She was
brave, yet her lips were quivering, and
her eyes were turned mournfully OIL the
fields and hedges and the cottages, here
and there shining white through the
gray drift of the rain. "We'll soon be
at it" she said presently. "Ah, Lord,
the day it is. An the state I'm in-ooh,
och!" She stopped and wrung the wa
ter from her bedraggled skirt. "An me
hair that tattered. Aw, it's shockin.
But didn't cry she said and flashed
her black eyes at me. "Och, no.
Whishtl We're gettin near it. Aw,
there it is. There they are. Goodby,
mother. Goodby, Patsey an Johnny an
Lizzie. Goodby, all. +"
stood up, and over her hat caught
glimpse of the group gathered on the
street before the cottage-the mother in
her nightcap, the children bare legged,
all waving their arms and caps and cry
ing their farewells.
"Goodby," cried Mary back through
the rain, "Och, goodby."
That was the last of them she would
see, she said. as she sat down again-the
last, till the Lord knew when. She was
for the United States? asked some one.
All, she was; she could get work there;
she could do nothing at home. Sure, it
was better to go than to be burden on
them all. All, yes, she'd been out be-
fore and had come home to settle, but
but, and here the handkerchief went
fast to her lips-well, things had turn
ed out troublesome. She'd do better out
there. There were too many at home,
and her mother was poorly. All, and sure
times were shocking bad.
AYE, ave." the men went in chorus,
'they wur; they wur." Then looked
mournfully at her red cheeks, and from
one to another passed the word that she
was a brave girl, SO she was-a bray,
girl, and God speed her, said they as
one by one they went out clumsily al
Navan station and left Mary and me
together.
1t was fair day at Navan, therefore
did the train settle itself by the plat
form for long rest.
"The guard mebbe's gone to see thu
fair" said Mary, and 1 laughed, stamp
ed vigorously (for it was cold) across
the carriage floor, wiped the window
and looked out.
Down the farther bank of the rail
way, along a narrow path which hat
started beyond the fields somewher,
near the Boyne, was coming littl'
procession of six men, bearing coffil
on rough hurdle made of ash poles
The men were bare headed; singh
bunch of wild flowers lay atop tn
streaming coffin; there were no mourn
ers, nor anywhere could one see an.
sign of sorrow or curiosity. They cam
on down, the men with their pitifu
burden, crossed the track, came to
siding, slid the coffin into a fish van
shut the door. pulled their soft fel
hats from their pockets, mopped thei
faces, then took shelter behind the val
and lit their pipes There wanted onl
a bottle to make the scene complete
and was confidently watching for il
when right at my elbow there rose
great sobbing.
Jaw, aw!' cried Mary. "Did ye see
did ye see? Och, what way to b
tr'ated An such a day for buryin
All out in the wet--the wet an tn
cowld. Aw, poor creaturel Aw, muth
er, muther, ye'll die, yell die! I'll niv
er see ye ag'in, nor father, nor no one
Aw, it's cruel to Pave yel I'll go back
I'll go backp'
Her sobs were pitiful. Loiterers be
ran to gather round the door. It wa
CASTORTA.
no 40 ~ - i. !,