The Washington weekly post., 1899-10-10

and said to her:
Why don't you take your lunch baske
and go down and keep poor Mr.. Flynn
company
rs IL company he's sighin' for. me lad
die? II so. I'll go down and cheer him VI
wid me presence" she replied.
And you'll find place to warm Up YOU
cold tea. IL you want to-"
Thanks. me child. but that is beauti
ful Idea, and mebbe the good hearted MAI
will have z cup wild me. How long ago
did Mrs. McCaTty disappear, sammisg''
OH took her down some time ago"
She calls herself the Wildly McCsrty
samnais, leayin' the n out to put into hel
'shugar,' ] suppose. but Is she a wildly
! me boy? It's aisy enough 10 say this and
that, but where are the proofs2 Has she
ever shown anybody her husbands death
notice as twas printed7"
Il never saw II, ma'am."
"Or the dade Of the lot in the buryin
ground:'
Nom"
''Or has she boasted that there was
seyenty-two hacks in the funeral per-
ceshun, and that she tainted dead away
twice before she could git down stairs
to the carriageg'
L never beard her, ma am
And you never will, Sammis-nay-
thur you nor nobody else, II sne was a
rale, genuine WILDLY OF the laigal sort.
she'd make US al tired wild her boastin'
and braggin' and showin' of her mournin'
bunnit and veil. However, Sammis-"
"Oh! l never talk, Miss O'Shane."
That's right, Sammis. We may have
our opinion of the Wildly McCarty, and
/ don't say we haven't, but it's lust as
well not to let her know what we think
Yes. I'll git ne basket and 20 down ard
give the smilin', good-natured MIR Flynn
me society at his table de hoty''
dropped her at the basement Just as
Mr. Flynn's wife came la with his lunch.
There wasn't much said. The three wo-
men pitched into each other almost on
sight, and they were pulling hair. bang
ing against partitions and making the
dust fly when l took walk. Next day.
as stopped at the sixth, Mrs McCaTty
got sight of me and said:
'Sammis, I'm tOuld that ye are an or
phan boy all alone by yerselfp'
Not strictly an orphan, ma am-only
fatherless''
so we've got a mother, eh? Well. a
poor, fatherless boy can't be havin any
too many mothers, and I'll also be a
mother to ye. Sammis, / amt purity and
l amt rich, but I've been tould that ma
goodness of heart was somethin' 10 be
proud of. / can't ask We to come to me
mothcrly arms and recaive an embrace
for I'm all mussed up wild the water,
but ye can put it down in yer dairy that
ye was this day adopted by the Wildly
McCarty as her beloved son."
Thank you. ma'am. I'll put 1t down
the first thing when / get home. ]
hadn't better cali you ma when any one
is around. had -"
Il was a-thinkin' about that, Sammis, -
she thoughtfully replied. mo. l guess
you hadn't. You see, 1t might lead 10
Jealousy and more. There's Miss O'Shane,
who'd be sure TO make il case of gos-
sip. Wen just form close corporation,
as they calls it, Sammis"
Just two mothers and a son of us
on the inside?'
That's the idea, Sammis-thats the
very Ideal There's many a man forty
years old who hasn't your way Of catchin'
on to an idea. I'll be as proud of We as il
/ was yer rale mother Sammis, dive
moind / wint down to the basement to ate
me lunch wild that spalpeen OF an aingi-
neer the other day?'
Seems as if l did. You thought Mr..
Flynn would be a bit lonely, I believe.
he don't like to eat alone"
Bad cess to his loneliness and his whole
body! Sammis, my son, the man is a de-
caiver and ought TO be dropped from the
roof! He let on TO me that he was a single
man and a-dyin' fur some one to lriv him.
What dye think, Sammis! On the day I'm
speakin' Of / had scarcely got out of the
ailevator and says good day to him when
she that calls herself Miss OShane Gums
afther me, and right on her heels Gums a
woman wild a lunch basket-the aingj-
neers own thrue and laigal wolfe! Wasn't
that a purity muss, me boy!"
Did anything happen?"
/ m not clear about 1t, Sanmfs. but /
think something did. 1 have a dim recoI-
lection OF bein' banged on NE chin. re-
oeivin' this blackness under me eve and
OF me heels flynn away wild me body and
str4kin' the partitions. but l shall never
b. able 10 make it out to me satisfaction.
All I'm sure of it is that me Door head
has bin achin' aiver since that hour. and
slyery time | draw a breath / feel that
I'd like TO hit that decaivin' aingineer a
whack wild me mop-handle."
And Wen PUT up job on him and get
him bounced"
BY and by, perhaps, but not now. Well
move slowly in the matter, Sammis. and
meanwhile I'm lOOkin fur We to defend
yer adopted mothers reputashun should
any gossip arise. Ye might deny that We
took me down that day, and We might
say that if there was any fuss il was
Miss O'Shane alone who got handfuls of
that red hair O. hers tore out by the roots
and left behind 10 stuff a chair-cushion.
BY the way, how's the mortgage on the
home, Sammis?"
Pm staggering under 1t yet. thank
you"
It's too bad. but kape up yer courage.
Here's a banniny TO sthay yer stummick
till lunch tonne, ana it's not the last ven
get by jug-full. Quiet is the word, Sam
mis-aisy and quiet and no gossip and
yen bless the day that Mrs. McCarty
adopted ye for her very own
MIR. Flynn may think he's up TO a dodge
or two, but so is SAMAIIS