St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-09-19


time heard of EN- Che vas only dim.
~ conscious of their existence until that
EVENING" ''bnt think tits only proper
to give her the refusin' of me-"
There was :, brief silence, cinder fell
from the glowing mass between tie
crate bars, Cissy Uttered furtively
Peggy leaned forward, her elbow upon
the table. her dimpled chin crushed il
the palm of her hand, watching the
episode with the pitiless eyes of IS
Kitty sas perfectly still, but her demure
mouth was lifted at the corners, ard
there was light under her half-closcd
lids like the gleam Of a knife loosened IN
its sheath.
The disinterested Phelim rose and M.
preached her.
will you have me. miss?" he asked,
gently--perhaps at that exact instant
he forgot the 500; hop. he did.
Kitty's head sank lower; there came
q spot Of scarlet on her cheeks.
''Oh, yes, indeed" she whispered.
"Begor, that settles it," cried I.ari-
gan. drawing a quick breath, "she's me
own favorite child, the first of The
clutch, rhelim, an say it without any
shame to the others, you've got the
pick of the bunch. Sure. don't know
what we'll do at all. at all. without her;
hut, anyway, I'm glad she's settled. and
has a good husband, an since she was "a
go. there isn't wan Id rather have her
before your own self. Take her, an
God bless We. an may the first boy b. 4
bishop! Cissy, girl. run an get up the
tea; help your sister. Peggy, avick,
while Phelim an mesself settle little
bit o business here, as our heads are
COOL"
And overruling a very faint protest
on Mr.. McCaul's part, he drew the young
man into a corner, where a little, old
fashioned cabinet stood, and presently
both men were deep in the examination
of a bank book, greasy with long use.
and also mysterious ledger which the
girls knew to be opened only upon the
most momentous occasions.
The examination of the books con-
cluded, Mr.. Lanigan remarked genially.
as he pointed to an empty chair Mt the
head Of the table on whose snowy cloth
the scanty array of household treasures
was already glittering:
| Il sent over for Father Pat as l was
comm in because tits gettin' late in
the evenin' so We can he marrid COM
fortably off-hand an no bother about
it: there's fine room upstairs. an a
bed that's fit for king, an they're
l;ghtin' the fire there now SO the smokc'lI
he cleared out when ye're ready, for
sweet bad luck to me If either q We
go out of this house tonight"
OF course Kitty. who had remained in
the parlor, blushingly objected. a mere
matter of detail which did not affect
the arrangements in the least. while
Phelim. who had made up his mind that
the bargain was a good one, became
properly impatient, SO that when Father
Pat made his appearance he found an
air of undeniable festivity pervading
the house, the genial spirit of the hour
breathing upon all, from Murteen, the
oldest farm laborer. who had got drunk
with amazing celebrity, to the young
lovers themselves as they sat hand IN
hand under the fostering smiles of Mr..
I.anigan, while he pelted the amorous
swain with appropriate badinage.
The good father. who had been that
very evening anticipating ''cold
shrove." was no forbidding figure in
this scene of Arcadian felicity. and after
some passages of decorous hilarity, the
mystic knot was tied, and Phelim Nc
| l. hol hn
only an hour before bachelor, found
himself pledged for life to Catherine
philomena Lanigan.
This important ceremony having
been transacted, the home of the Lam
igans became a perfect focus of gaiety,
few neighbors and blind piper,
hom very instinct had led to the spot.
keeping the impromptu merry-making
afOot.
Father Pat, quaint figure not desti-
tute of certain pathos and dignity
amid this somewhat boisterous jollity,
presided in the parlor, and gave tone"
10 the rejoicings: now praising Cissy's
pancake, now joking with the young,
now gossiping with the old, and later
on taking hand at a quiet game OF
":5" with Lanigan, the bridegroom. and
one Corney O'Loon, clerical student,
a cousin of the family. Finally, it was
he who proposed the health of the new
welded pair, in an extempOre speech,
winding up with a neat little quotation
from Martial, which Mr.. O'LOon
promptly mistranslated, to his own
great confusion. Lut the unmitigated
satisfaction of his relations who secret
H. believed him to be far superior
scholar to the parish priest. and soon
after Father Pat took his departure, 60
ing back to his lonely house, the richer
by a ten pound note and fresh expert
ence in the ways of humanity.
When the priest had gone, dancing
commenced in the great kitchen. Mrs.
McCaul did not. however, take n part in
the proceedings. but quietly retired to
her room. while Peggy footed it with
the most hopeless detrimental in the
parish to the tune of the ''Wind That
Shook the Barley"
The next morning Phelim came down
stairs in great hu%. Jack Lanigan,"
he shouted. ''come here if yer's a man."
"Arrah, there We aire me bhoy," OBJ
served Lamgan. cheerfully. "'tis light
an airy We are; the top of the mornin'
10 We. was comm up to know were ye
awake. how's yerself:?'
.See here" roared the d.luded bride
groom, "why did We give me that girl in
side with wan leg longer than the
other:"
"Surc. didn't you see herr? retorted
the father-in-law. 'an' didn't you
choose her from the three Of 'em?"
Il know that quite well.' rejoined
rhelim. his eyes sparkling. ''but didn't
know she limped an why didn't you
tell me?"
$50 would, if you had only axed me"
replied the other, genially. ''but didn't
know twas to run races you wanted
her."
That was all. The two men stared at
one another the fraction of a second;
n - - -