The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-07-24

noiicW li%, plnn who was rather sorry
than otherwise for his rash adversary.
The rrrmantick they're looking, wills
pegrd one eNpec.lnt maiden in the gallery
10 giggling companion beside her
Expectation was at its highest when
Tommy Bill beg thrust his hand into the
POCKET OF his monkey jacket and brought
out the printed copy of the carol Tommy
unfolded it, glanced at it with the air #
conductor takinga final look at his score,
nodded his head at it as II in approval,
and then, with u magnanimous gesture,
held IL between himself and Jenny
Quark Jenny in turn glanced at it,
glanced again, glanced a third time at the
paper and then up into the face of Tom
my Bill-beg
Anxiety was now on tiptOe. Hush.
dye hear hush, or it's spelling all you'll
be, for sure
At the moment when Jenny Quark
glanced into the face of Tommy Bill beg
there was "A smile on that benign counte-
nance Jenny mistOok that smile. He
imagined he saw trick. Jenny could
read, and he perceived that the carol which
the harbOr master held out to him was
not the carol he had been told 20 prepare
for. They were by arrangement 10 have
sung the English version Of bad W0m-
en-. F." This was the Manx version. and IL
was always sung to different meter. Ha,
Jenny understood it ALI This rascally
Tommy. Bill-beg was trying to expose him.
The monster wanted TO show that he (Tem-
my Quark Balladhoo) could only sing one
carol, but Jenny would be even with
him. He could sing this Manx version,
and he would II was .Iemmys turn to
smile.
"Aw, look at thom-the pair of them
-grinnin together like the two ould CUR
COILS on the stoeple.
AT a motion OF the h@bor master
hand, intended to beat the time, the sing
ers began Tommy Bill-beg sang the
carol agreed upon-the English version of
Bad Women" Jenny Ozark sang the
carol of which they held the printed copy
in their hands-the Manx version of dad
Women" Neither heard the other. Each
bawled at the utmost reach of his lung
power. To one tune Tommy Bill beg sang:
THUS from the days of Adam
Her mischief you may trace"
And to another tune Jenny Quark sang:
"She ssh van voir ain ooiley
Son wee da Adam ben"
What laughter ensuedl How the young
women in the gallery lay back in their
seats with shrieks of hysteriaI How the
young fellows in the body made the sacred
edifice ring with outlaws But the sing
erS, Tommy especially with eyes stead.
lastly fixed on the paper, heard nothing
but each his own voice Thus they sang
on.
They had got through three verses and
made three strides toward the communion
when suddenly there was heard above the
uproar dismal and unearthly cry, and all
at once the laughter and the shouting Of
the people ceased Every face turned to-
ward the porch.
Barcheadcd, dripping wet from his mat
ted hair to his feet, a CHASTITY light in his
sunkcn eyes, with wasted cheeks and pant
ing breath Danny Fayle stood there, one
hand on the door jamb, the other holding
a coil of rope
The Ben-my-chree is on the rocksp'
he cried and was gone in an instant.
If a spcctcr had appeared, the consterna-
ton had scarcely been greater But the
next moment, recovering from their sur
prise, the people on all sides knped up Al
rushed out of the church In two minutes
not soul was left except Tommy Bill beg
and Jenny Quark BalladhoO, who still
| sang Justify, oblivious of the fact that they
had no audience.
(COntinued.)