Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-11-13
M'QUINN'S GHOST.

MVUlNN'S u1Ooi.
| Dennis McQuinn was dead but the
| trouble was he wouldn't stay dead. AT
| least, that was the common report in
| the small Irish settlement known as
Ballytown. Not that Mr.. McQuinn' S
presence was particularly desired, for
! he was only a source of trouble to his
friends and family when living; but
when a man actually and deliberately
died, the good people of Ballytown
thought he ought to remain in that
condition, and not disturb the surviv-
, ing friends by coming back in the
shape of ghost. And that was what
Nc. McQuinn very inconsiderately did,
according to rumor.
; The ghost was first seen by Mrs.
/ O'ToOle, the night after the fur eral
+ That good lady had gone over to the
| McQuinn domicile to console with the
widow, and also to partake of some
| thing hearsome that was left over from
I the wake. Mr.. O'Toole had remained
at home, placidly smoking his pipe, I'M
! der tree, while inside the shanty his
pretty daughter, Maggie, was arrang-
| ing her toilet in front of a small mir
| ror. At this juncture Mrs. O'Toole was
| seen running across an open space to-
/ ward the Shanty, her hair disheveled,
and with every appearance of fright
AS she reached her husband she
/ threw her portly form on to that gen
i tleman with such force that she knock
/ ed him Off the bench where he was sit
! ting, and the pipe from his hand
oh, Michael Michael! PROTECT mel"
! she walled.
"Potict ye?" questioned the aston
ished Mr.. OToole, striving TO regain
his equilibrium and his pipe, From
What?"
From the ghost, Michael-Mc-
Quinn's ghost" replied Mrs. O'Toole
in an awesome whisper. It's mesilf
sane it down by the ould stone quarry,
/ beyant the hill"
Holt! t was yez own shaddy ye saw
I'm thinkin'," responded her husband
incredulously.
'Indade, it was McQuinn's ghost, jist
drissed up in a blue coat an brass but
tons, like he looked whjn he was laid
out" persisted Mrs. O'Toole solemnly.
A low laugh from inside the shanty
/ followed this statement AId caused
| hind her
Maggie OToole," she said sternly
It's yersilf that's onrespectful to yez
! mother. Yez niver behaved dacint
! since | spoke me mind to that Ned
! McGraw, two WEEKS ago. The lice OF
! him akin me for lafe to marry yez.
Him, to marry a child Of the O'Tooles!
Maggie made no reply to these re-
| 81,
to her husband and continued her tale
! of woe.
"Well, Michael, this be it, as I am
tellin' We. I'd jest left Mrs MsQuinn-
an we'd been talking of poor Dennis
! that's gone, rest his sowl.-an' | be
comm past the ould stone quarry
which be quite dark, l can't know
! Well, as | be goin' by, out from behind
a big rock slips mon wild brass but
! tons on his coat, an a stove-pipe hat
on his head, jist like Dinnis McQuinn
Well he says to me, quite respectful
like: Good avening,' Mrs. O'Toole!
Don't yez know me?' Know him, in
dade. l was that frightened I'd a
tainted clear away, only l didn't da.
to. Yes l said. 'yez be Dinnis Nc
! Quinn's ghost, | can't know?' An
wild that he gave me quare look, an
said solemn-like that h was, an that
he'd come back to haunt us all till we
be doin' the right by him. An thin
/ he drops out of me sight, an l crossed
mesilf six times before l got home
The blissed saints must have give me
wings, for jist flew"
A moments silence followed this
( weird relation and Mrs. O'Toole sat
down on the bench to recover her
breath, while her husband puffed
thoughtfully at his pine. Maggie's face
as he gazed at the pretty rejection in
! tie mirror, wore a mingled look OF
CONSERVATION and merriment.
well, remarked Mr.. O'Toole, finally
"there may be ghosts, I can't know;
but be yez sure it was McQuinn that
was there?"
In course it was. He tould me Sc
himsilf," replied Mrs. O'Toole posi-
lively. AN he'd be tellin' no lies now
that he's dead, I'm thinkin"
This settled it, for if McQuinn's
ghost didn't know himself, who did
Mr.. OToole said no more, but smoked
on in reflective silence. Maggie came
out from the shanty, twirling her hat
in her hand.
Mother" she said, softly. I'm go
in over beyant to see Jennie Sullivan"
! Mrs. OToole looked anxiously at
her daughter for moment, as she
gave her consent.
J We'll, go on thin she said. can
child, don't be frightened by what I've
been tellin' about McQuinns ghost
He niver hurried yez whin Twin, an
he'll not be hurtin' yez whin dead
I'm thinkin' there is some trouble on
his sowl. or he wouldn't have come
back Maybe he'll be tellin' yet what
be worritin' him."
ITS mesilf that's not afraid of Mr.
McQuinn, or his ghost aither," an
swered Maggie, with merry laugh as
she hurried away.
But she did not call on Jennie Sui
Ivan that evening. When clump Of