The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-23

IN IIS GTlTF-FEILLED CAP.
talsirg after their fathers, that weren't
good for much, the dear knows. Eow-
ever she had not long to wait for as
good or better a right to strut chin in
air, si-cc \ vaS with great-grand
mothers dignity that few days later
she could Inform everybody of the ar
rival OF Molly's boy. She would. be-
licse. have found it very hard to for
give Molly If the child had been merely
q daughter.
This rivalry. rs It were. between the
estranged families in the matter of
news from their nonresident members
rccurrcl with the same equiroised re-
suit on more than one similar occasion.
md was extended even 10 less happy
events. Jcf inglAnce, one time when
Pftswrote ia great distraction. and
wilder scovi isan usual, that the "tbrec
childer Was dreadful bad wild the
urraps. be doubted would they over It."
the next mail brought just such a re-
port from Mollie: which was rather
awkward for the mother and grand
mother, who had been going about
passing the remark that ''whcn childer
got proper mindin' they never took any
thin OF the sort"
At length. however, when perhaps
half dozen years had gone by, the
balance of good fortune dipped decided
ly towards the O'Farrels. One
autumn morning. letter from Fat
came 10 say that he and his family were
coming holne.. He had saved up tidy
little bit of money. and meant TO try
could he settle himself on dacint little
bit of land; nt any rate he would get
sight of the ould place and the ould
people. Great was the rejoicing of the
O'Farrells. Whereas for the McNeills
at this time the meager mailbags con-
tained no foreign letter, no letter at
all. bad or good, let alone one fraught
with such grand news. Molly's mother,
it Is true. dreamt two nights running
thnt Molly had come home; but dreams
are a sorry substitute for a letter, es-
recially when everybody knows, and
sorlc people remind you, that they al.
WAYS go by contraries. So Mrs. Neil
fretted and forboded. and had not the
heart 20 he sarcastic. no matter how
nrrognntly the O'Farrells might COM
port themselves.
Then the autumn days shriveled and
shrans, and one morning in late No
veInber the word went round Meena-
clrre that the "Kaley" that evening
would be up at Fergus the weaver's.
This mceting-place was always popular,
Fergus being a well-lil<ed man, with
wide space round his hearth. And
fffs nights conversations promised to
be particularly enjoyable, as IL had
leaked out that Dan Farrell. and Mrs.
Keogh. and Dinny O'Neill, were con-
cerned in what is at Meenaclurc tech
nicnlIy termed "a join," for the purpose
Of treating the kaleying company 20
cups OF tea. In fact, the materials for
that refreshmcnt. done mp in familiar
purple paper parcels. lying on the win
dow seat. were obvious 20 everybody
who came into the room, though to
have seemed aware OF them would have
been grave breach OF manners. When
all the company were mustered, and
the FIRE was burning It's brightest, Fer
gus might we'll look around his house
with satisfaction, for so large an as
sembly seldom came together, and uni
versal harmony seemed 20 prevail. This
was not disturbed by the fact that
several both Of the Timothy O'Farrells
and Neil McNeills were present, as by
this time everybody thoroughly UNDER
stood the situation, and the neighbors
arranged themselves ms n matter OF
course IN ways which precluded any
awkward juxtapositions OF persons
"who weren't spalsin'"
II was a showery evening. with \
~vastirg 80 and fro Of wide gusts. which
umde the Wildly o'FaFrell wonder more
than once. as she sat on the form by
the hearth. with the Wildly Byrne in
tcrposed bufTer-wise between her and
old Joe McNeill. Wha. she wondered
zps whether her poor Pat might BE- apt
~ be crossia' RYsr the SAP O. spch an