Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-02-18
TERENCE.

word av lie-'twas always fond was
av the gyurls. To me the soight av a
purity blue eyed colleen was all me loife
as refreshin as dhrop ay potheen, but
och, tits terrible throubled I've always
been wild the shy. An SO ye see, though
tits 40 year ould am this very month,
I'm nothin but an ould bachelor afther
all
Twas long tonne had notion av
Misthress Katie O'Flynn that has a nate
bit farrum at Ballyboggan, but niver a
word av luve cud 1 say to her, all be-
cause av the shy. Howandiver, maybes
but wait till tell ye now.
Wan cowld mornin this very wake /
resaved letther an twas a quare wan,
SO it was Indade me letther was nothin
at all at all but wan av thin post
kyards that ould Barney the postman is
SO fond av bringin to people, since it's
the inquisitive ould fella he is to be
sure. On the post kyard was nothin but
four lines av the luveliest poethry ye
iver seen. Twas this: F
If married bliss ye wud injoy,
Just ak swate Kate OFlynn.
To be your own wud give her Joy.
Terence, go In an win.
Barney was grinnin all over whin he
handed me the kyard, SO he was, SO sez
I to him.
Zach ye ould spalpeen, ye've been
afther readin me privit correspondence. ="
81 have" sez he, "but where's the
harrum? An sure tits the best av advice
ye're afther gettin, Terence, me boy"
''Faix an ye're roight, Barney, but
dye think she'd be afther lookin twice
at gossoon loike me?''
"Why not?" sez he. "Misthress
O'Flynn is not SO young as she looks
'Tis the illigant bhoy ye are intoirely." ("
"Aisy now, Barney, aisy,'' sez l.
Don't be afther aspershin the luveliest
av her sex. But know ye don't name
nothin dishrespective. I wonder who
was afther sendin me this kyard now F"
Barney winks at me. 81 wonder, +"
sez he, an he walks aft down the street
whistlin "Kate Kearney' as clear as a
lark.
Well, that kyard made me feel bould-
er, SO the same evenin dresses mesilf
in me best, puts on me caubeen, takes
me shillalah in me hand, an sets off
for Misthress O'Flynn's farrum at Bal
lyboggan.
Whin gets to the dure, knocks as
bould as brass, an who should open it
but the luvely widda hersilf.
"Good evenin, Misthress O'Flynn, :"
sez l. is it all alone ye are?"
1T is, . sez she, will ye be sittin
DOWN."
"Iwill," SELL ovid all the plazure
in loife.
Wild that goes in, an she shuts the
dure, an into the kitchen we goes an sits
down at the fire.
'Tis cowld evening, sez l.
"'Tis that, y sez she.
For the loife av me cud say no more
afther that, an SO sat twistin me eau
been between me hands an wonderin
how was to say what I'd come for.
Thin / sez:
"'Tis a gran fire ye have there. 'Tis
foine thing for cowld evenin.
''Tis that, sez she. Thin we sat
shtill for another space av tonne. She
was knittin somethin wild rid wool, SO
sez I:
"'Tis the foine warrum color for
cowld weather is rid, - sez I.
'Tis that, - sez she.
I was afther thinkin I must have
ofinded her in some way, an might be
shteppin home again widout a word av
luve, but I determined to have another
thry, SO sez:
''Is it not lonely ye are sittin here at
noights all be yoursilf?" sez l.
'Tis not. sez she. "I'm afther in
joyin the best av company.
"Who's that?'' sez /.
"Just mesilf, an no other" sez she.
s'Och sure now, We can't name it.
Whin ye're all be yersilf ye must be
feelin an achin void this worruld can
niver fill, as the pote sez. /"
"Thrue for ye-I do sometimes. -
'I was sartin av it, acushla. Where
is it at all. at all? Is it in yer heart
now?"
NO." sez she, It's in me hollow
wisdom tooth. -
Zach now,' sez /, twas always
fond av yer joke ye was, Misthress
O,Flynn. y
''Sorra joke there is about it, Misther
Magee- -onless ye call it joke to have
feelin in yer jaw loike ridhot needle
stitchin away at double quick tonne to
the tune av The Wind That Shakes the
Barley.
'"Tis longin / am to comfort ye,
alannah. Wud ye not be afther givin
me an ingagemint as residint physician?
Faix, an it's mesiR wud be afther chas-
in away from ye the toothache, the
headache, the heartache, an all the other
aches that flesh is heir to, as the pote
sez y
'Tis thinkin am I'd be safer wild
dentist for the toothache than wild an
ould omadhaun loike ye, an as for the
other aches ye mintion niver have
none av thin. I"
"What, niver no heartache, whin
ye're sittin here all alone in the even
It's a death