The Wilmington daily Republican., 1899-08-03

"Sure, it's sorry I am for the creach-
ure," said Mrs. Patrick Fitzmaurice to
her only son. Tommy. This was In the
year when Tommy was in training as
candidate for mayor-indeed the pri.
maries were to be held that week. As the
little Irish woman spoke she glanced up
wistfully at Tommy's handsome face
and brushed an imperceptible trace Of
dust from his coat sleeve. Tommy be-
gan to guess what was coming.
"And what does he want you to do.
maj" said he, clipping his arm about
her waist and looking fondly down at
the face that was pretty 70 him still,
though to some people 1t was but a
wrinkled little Irish face with violet
eyes and long upper lip. "she's after
you for something; that I know"
"Why, she has no since at all, Tom
my, and she puts me out Of my temper
with the way she goes on till ! clean
forget she is me third cousin on me step
mothers side, and I want to tell her to
be quiet, but then ! think Of how old
she ia and with no children. Never q
chick nor child did Tim and she have
to bless them, Tommy, and many's
the time she looks at you, and can see
the sigh in her eyes that she's too
proud to let drop from her lips, and
then ] think: We'll, If she does make
q time over an ould box, it's hers, and
maybe the forlorn creachure vallys it.
Maybe. not having any humans to love,
she has to take II out on her things.
"That boy she Lost in the custom
house in Chicago, I suppose. says
Tommy patiently. ''she isn't nagging
you to have me go to Chicago. is shea"
"Well. that very same she is, Tom
my. And I tould her, says I, he's busy
wild important business Of the election.
says I, and he hain't got the time. But
the creachure don't seem to have good
since, for all she says Is, 1T was owing
to him l took 1t to Chicago instid Of to
New York to the customs there. and
now it's lostl' Meself. wonder she
didn't lose livery box she had, coming a
wake before she was Expected and We
not meeting her. for she can't as much
as go down town alone
Tommy was swallowing his annoy
ance. He loved his mother, whatever he
might think Of her stepmother's third
cousin, and he knew how his mother
must have been harried to bring her to
the point Of asking a journey Of him
this particular week. 1t was nuisance,
and it might well be risk to leave jnst
now, but he would chance it, and, hav-
ing resolved to chance it, he would not
spoil kind act by an ill grace in the
doing. Therefore he laughed as he
smoothed his mothers thin but still
eilky hair and told her that he could
manage to get of TO Chicago and that
she might assure Mrs Sullivan that he
would look up every unclaimed article
Of luggage in the Chicago customs.
He might have felt repaid had he
seen his mother that evening wiping
her eyes while she repeated the scene to
his father, who puffed hard on his pipe.
"And you won't deny, Pat, he is the
bist son in the countryl"
II amt thinking Of sons" said the
ex-saloon keeper. ''Im thinking Of
mothers that let's their sons throw away
their chances to crafty the fool whims
of doddering ould woman. Tom is no
business to be out Of town this wake.
and we'll he knows ID.
"And for why not, PATTI"
"For whyf Because he has to 60 to-
morrow. no later to the meeting, and
Paulsen will be at the meeting. and the
other men, and specially for Paulsen they