The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-23
The 0l'DOoLAlN-

him. ssid XSIiaAsy d : voice Of absolute
conviction, Nike shaushnessy assented.
heure. Vic d power Of years, though
Tho dpN blood won't be altcripi''
hltS not an o'Doolsn we'll be passing
In the street, said Muilaney again.
"Faith, there'N be no man like the
self, agreed Mike shaughnessy.
And Father O'Hara summed up gently
from the settle In the chimney corner.
"Well, WE'LL In the morning wen be
seeking him"
The Three men were spending their first
night In Bristol town. They sat late to-
gether in their hired room at the inn by
Che river.
The year was 1900, and the night had
fallen c0ldly though the time was spring.
About the fire IN the bed chamber the
three men had gathered and smoked and
spoke Of the O'Doolsn.
WED not be slapin much II we went to
bed" said Mullaney, who disapproved Of
the traffic, such as it was, on the c0bble-
stones below.
Father O'Hara sat gazing upon the
smoke circles Of his pipe as II they had
been interpretations Of the dreams he
dreamed
,"Its full five and twenty years" he said,
"since the O'Doolan went from Ballin-
chatter and came to this town and married
here and died."
"Now, rest be to his sowl, and Gods
light on it'll" muttered Mike, but Mullaney
sat silent, staring into the fire over his ex
tinguished pipe. The priest crossed him
self without ceasing In his narrative:
"Some girl out of this black town he
welded, and she bore him son and died
before him. All this from his dying bed
the O'Doolan sent to us ere himself pass
ed"
"And since he's been away from u.s."
said Mullaney slowly, otis better days
have come to the O'Doolans, for the old
steplpOther's dead, and the rints are COM
ing In again, and you and I between U.s.
father, have put affairs in theirright places
for the man we've come to seek"
''Too late for his father 1t IT," said the
priest signing. "Why wasn't he sending
to us before he came to die2''
"Well, It's his son Is the o Doolan, said
Mike in the pause, "when wen be getting
him out of this black city" g,
" IT'S great place, !" remarked Null
laney in unwilling admiration.
"The O'Doolan'll be finding it quiet
with us In Ballinchater. But he'll marry.
Manys tho pretty woman'll smile on his
handsome face, and there's no lands like
your own lands, as the saying goes"
"rhat's thrue, said Shaughnessy,
"when the tinants are paying their rints !"
Mullaney laughed out into the silent room,
and Mike Shaughnessy laughed also, for
the pleasant sound of it. But the priest,
without smile, gazed into the fire.
GAS for marriage" concluded Null
laney somewhat regretfully, chats like
ly, for no O'Doolan's BLACKBOARD in his
ways with woman. If it's married he Is,
there's no altering it. But we'll have him
out of this black hole we've traced him to
sinner or no sinner, wife OF no wife"
The priests detection lifted not with
this defiance of fate.
"This place hangs heavy on me-" he
observed, land maybe twill be no such
easy thing in all its streets to be finding
the O'Doolan."
His face in the candlelight looked wan
and Respondent but Mullaney laughed
again.
"Sure we'll be seeking till we find. -
Ills the Holy Mother herself will 10
leading-u us to him." cried shaughnessy,
with pious optimism. I'D not lie won
derin If his face will be the first We'll light
on in tho mornin.
Soon Mullaney and his foster brother
slept. The priest, lying longer awake,
saw many things with eyes of the brain
the faces of the dead O'Doolnns painted In
the portrait gallery at Ballinchater-pass
before him, steadfast Irish eyes and pas
sionate Irish mouths. He recalled such of
them as he had known and prayed for
their souls. And of the living O'Doolan,
Grant that our search prosper and restore
him to his own" Lastly, from the depths
of his compassionate heart he bethought
him of the great prison by the river he had
passed that day. And he prayed for tho
souls of tho malefactors till sleep overlook
him.
Early next morning the host brought
them coffee with his own hands. He found
Father O'Hara, with white, set face, gaz-
ing down upon the street below. A fine,
thick rain fell, but a crowd lined each side
of the way. The travellers had grasped the
cause even before the landlord arrived. By
this road would pass n condemned muir
dcrer on his way to die.
"Sure, it's bad omen" muttered
Shaughnessy, with sinking heart.
Tho landlord, leaning by the table, vol
untcCrcd information.
tits Kidding the world of a desperate
ruflian, gentlemen, and, thank God, he
leaves neither wife nor lawful child No
kin he had either, unless you count his
light of love for whom he swings"
"She wronged himf" questioned Null
laney, his compassion rising at the heavy
sound of wheels.
"Yes, and they say he loved her, and the
devil possessed him when he knew that
she'd played him false. However, it mat
tiers little. She's dead, and he's to die"
The Irishmen were silent, but Shaugh-
nessy's lips moved with the prayer for
soul departing-a hereto soul, no doubt,
but q pray or would do him no harm. Null
laney's thoughts were divided between i'm
patience over the hindrance to his search
and pity for the sorrowful thing which
hindered it, He did not want to look. He |
wondered at the horribly fascinated gaze of
Father O'Hara.
"His-namc?" he asked idly and turned |
from the window
But the priest, with n face of ashes, had |
grasped his arm and was pointing down to |
the death cart. Silence hardened round
the three men, silence broken but by
Shaughnessy's shaken breath, as slowly
the cart moved on between the human |
lines. In 1t sat the criminal with hands
bound behind his back no priest with him,
no friend. His eyes, with the awful cold
of death In them, turned toward the win
dow, where the three men stood. Then an
oath leapcd from Mullaney, but Shaugh-
messy had fallen on his knees None of
them heard the word on the landlord lips
as it split the silence, though their hearts
cried it aloud, for out Of the death cart had
looked the face with steadfast Irish eyes
and passionate Irish mouth, pictured again
and yet again in the portrait gallery at
BallinchateH And no word went between
them, and no man met his fellows eyes,
but gazed and still gazed toward that place
whittier the cart rolled, for there they
knew was raised the gibbet where the
o Doolan was to die.--Black and White
Belgium, like Italy, has adopted the "a
hour method of marking the time for rail-
ways, post and telegraph.
Aner All Others Fail.
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