The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-10-19

waiting Tor me ut I aSnlau0.
He is old and knows how TO wait"
said the dark girl, but you and are
young. You are piper and r.
You are not lucky" Maurice Kirwan
muttered. Take your eyes off me and
let me go"
Let him go" said the fair girl, speak
ing for the first time BE kind Sighile
Ni-Gara, and let him go. He shall pipe
for you again"
"LIe shall pipe" said the dark girl al
most fiercey, and l will not listen. Yes,
so, but lay it on you to pipe no more for
any mans pleasure. Maurice Kirwan,
and l lay it on you, too, to remember and
be sorry that you would not pipe for me
every time that you drink milk and break
bread. Now you may 90 and meet death
and your wife if the Shee-yo do not blind
you us it blows along"
The fair girl laughed softly. "Sighile
Ni-Gara means you less i'll than she says.
piper" she whispered And you need
not fear the fairy blast because nothing
can hurt him that has broken bread with
the Shee-nu, the fairy people"
Il thought you were all dead" Maurice
Kirwan muttered blankly as they stepped
out together along the green ridge of the
esker. His companion laughed, and then
she sighed
Perhaps we are" she said, cor is it
that you are the ghosts and we are those
who live? Are all the airs you ever
played dead, too, piper, or are they wait
ing somewhere for other pipes? There
was a song once-how does it go?" She
was speaking in old Irish now, and her
voice was very sweet.
% was a wind. and went before
When Fioun and Fergus down to the war;
A little gray cloud was again,
And over Clontart shed my rain;
little gray cuckoo sat on a bough,
And the bird that voice am now;
was dream in a young bride $ breast,
was the dream rocked ONeill to rest
A soul was when first began
Soul Of woman and sin OF man;
Both have been and again shall be
When the blind see
She stopped still for a moment, for they
had teen walking very fast. and she
swept back the fair hair from her face
that She might look the better into Maui
rice Kirwan's eyes, which were dark and
troubled with slow comprehension. You
will understand soon," she said, but you
must keep all your music safe in your
heart for Sighle Ni-Gara and me. You
must not play it, piper, or it would not
be worth our hearing. Turn now. Do
you see that smoke? 1t comes from the
chimneys of Cashlaun. | have brought
you by path few know of, and now you
may go to Nora. Yet stay moment,
piper and"-as he put out his hands i'm
pulsively to stay her going-"what is it
you desire? My name? oh, Sighilc Nj
III -. T.
wan may call me Nora. But only once in
Maurice Kirwan's life will | come to his
call"
"When will that be-" he cried. "Col-
leen dhas, tell me only that, for Marys
love"
But the fair girl" did not answer, and
when next the bewildermeut lifted from
Maurice Kirwan's brain he was in the
chamber where his wife was dying
Propped up with many pillows. she sat
in a great chair beside the window look
ing eastward. ana all her wealth Of yell
low hair lay loose around her worn face.
You have come at last" she said,
holding out her hands to him with a pit
eous little smile on her trembling lips
And, oh, how hard-but how hard you
were to move, Maurice"
81 am here now, Nora bawn."
"And won't you look at me now you
have come? Oh, have grown ugly,
know, and | know | look old, Maurice
Do | not?"
"Do you, Nora?'
"And so do you. But your hair is
gray here and there. And look at mine"
lifting in both her hands the wonder Of
shining yellow hair that now was her
chefest beauty. Look" Her husband
bent his head and kissed the yellow
tresses softly.
Pulse of my heart" he whispered.
But Nora stopped the rest of the eager
words on his lips
flush" she said family. You don't
know half how proud and wicked was
and am now. Do you know, Maurice,
that if were not dying you would not
be here by me now? Oh, my pride, my
pride. Ii has spoiled our two lives. and
we might have been happy enough. We
never ought to have been man and wife,
Maurice. | always told you so. And
YET
"And yet | am not sorry, Nora ma
vourneen."
mot sorry" said the wife incredu-
iousl!, loI an tue sorEoM put upon
you-and all those wasted years of ours?
Not sorry, Maurice?'
That night the bells of Cashlaun tolled
a long peal, and the few that were awake
to hear it said softly to each other that
Maurice Kirwan's wife had gone away
aud left her pride behind her But it
may be that she will come again when
Maurice Kirwan's sands have run
through, and the other Nora with her
the fairy Nora that he met with Sighile
Ni-Gara among the green eskers in
blackberry time.-Black and White.
H. nt..,n.,I- Gould IT,.