The record-union., 1897-08-16

ucipIild, WHcFe, Win Hef nuSDdHOs Ietc
Moynihan, she had knocked about from
pillar TO post and had a series OF ad
ventures more or less romantic. When
Ann arrived at the McCarthys' Pete
was dead and Ann, ragged and inebri-
ate, gave herself out as very poor. She
Dragged continually of her son Dennis,
but seemed to have no desire TO infiict
herself upon him, and preferred to glory
in him from afar.
"Meery'' Mccarthy was stormy per-
son with a big family that she brought
up, as it were, with her foot and her
elbow. She kept her aunt for a while,
but the tenement rocked with their tis-
ticuffs and nearly smoked with their
oaths, and when "Meery'' was at the
end Of her vocabulary one day, and
could think of nothing more superla-
tive. she put Ann into the street.
Shortly after this expulsion an old
German from Philadelphia turned up,
and he laughed as if he would have a
fit when he heard the story of AIMS
destitution Dat ole vooman-shee's
reetch," he protested, tan' ain'd shee
schmard-heh?" And he told a marvel
lous tale Of a Louisiana lottery ticket
that Pete Moynihan had drawn. Pete
having had no spiritual resources of
celebration. had promptly drunk him
self to death on coming into his wealth,
and Ann must now be in possession of
the residue of the fortune, a competen-
cy, something big-"Beek, beck"
Mary McCarty was furious She in
stituted an eager search for her aunt,
u nd in hn Of e-l-- 4
Ann "squatting'' on the Madison ave-
nue. farm. She flew at her, bursting
with Indignation and wanting to know
where she'd found money to buy
COW, and to live in a style unwarranted
considering her arrears in board bills.
At the same she inconSiStently jeered
at the shanty, and with a sarcastic
fling at Dennis, said he had a right"
to see his mother better housed, "and
him an ash man" When cornered,
Ann did not deny that she had some
means and she grudgingly paid over
her board money, induced somewhat,
no doubt, by Mary's assurance that
she'd have the law of her if she didn't.
Mary took the money and went home
with the tale of wonder After this
the McCauhys sometimes Dragged of a
rich relation, Aunt that lives on Madi-
son avenyer." and they limited at pros
poets. and once they sounded Ann as
to their possible inheritance. But Ann
said stoutly:
''Ye're not in it, livery clint I've got
goes to me boy Dennis-do ye moind?"
An afther Dinnis-it's ourselves is
the mkt of kin-ain't it, aunt?"
"Ye're welcome to what Dinnis doant t
git-that's straight" and Ann grin
ned wickedly.
1t wasn't likely that strapping young
Dennis was going to drop out and
make room for the McCarthys. Most
people laughed at the story of AIMS
riches. But Mrs. Mandelbaum, who
kept the east side dairy where Ann sold
milk, used to point the old woman out
and tattle about the miser, as she
called her.
Matters standing thus, the excitement
of the McCarthys may be imagined
when one day a rumor reached them
that Dennis Moynihan was very ill
very bad with pneumonia Ann, weep
ing in a maudlin condition, explained
her theory that the "ashes had got into
his troat" Maybe they had. At all
events the poor fellow, the pride of his
mother. was in bad way, and he
didn't stay so long-fOr he died.
Ann had the wake in her shanty, and
the McCarthys turned out en- masSe to
attend. They bemuddled themselves
with spirits which they pronounced.
with many knowing winks at each
other. while they were still in suffi-
ciently early stage of intoxication to
be critical, to be of a rare good brand
for the occasion And the candles were
fine wax, and it was an elegant wake.
The McCarthys were in fever of ex-
citement. Dennis couldn't carry his
riches to Paradise-that was sure-and
Ann was rapidly drinking herself into
the grave.
They chung to their aunt with bare
faced attentions. 1t was: will / get
in the cow for yees fer the night" or,
"Sure. veil be wantin' yer poipe filled
will 1 fetch the tobacco, dear aunt?'
To all of which Ann invariably re-
piled:
Don't be thrOublin' yerselves."
BY and by the McCarthys went
away, agreeing that there was no use
in hanging around any longer for the
time being, and having already had
several strong hints that their absence
would be appreciated.
1t vas a week since Dennis death:
his body was temporarily deposited in
the vault of a neighboring church un-
til his mother could decide upon the
place for his burial
-
of the house, Ann wound herself up in
her shawl, which she put on with as
much vigor as if it We're a bandage
and which, perhaps, did screw her
flabby muscles up to action. She had
several frayed layers of dragging petit
coat and her bonnet was curiously
inappropriate confection which Dennis
had fished out of the ash can of a
fashionable quarter. Ann gave it a
dust off with her arm and wore it now
and then when she didn't use the shawl
for head gear as well. When the Nc
Carthys We're gone she tied the bonnet
on and went out.
She walked several blocks down Mad
ison avenue and then turned east into
a side street. where she had in mind
there was a stone cutters yard. The
place was conspicuous from afar. with
it's gray and white slabs exhibited in
the small front yard, ready-made blank
memorials provided with a confidence
in mortality as we'll grounded as the
bakers daily faith in appetites. a
man was just coming down the walk
through this uninscribed graveyard. as
Ann neared the place. The old Irish
woman hove up alongside. hooked one