Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-06-22
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was standing at his shoulder, looking
on,
You'll be done with it before light
goes" said O'Keefe.
"Tll be done with it in an hour" re-
piled OGorman, "and an hour later I'll
be in possession of ten sterling guineas,
English money"
Il wish I'd the tenth of it." said
O'Keefe.
II wish We had" replied O'Gorman.
"Well," O'Keefe began, in the tone
a man used on the edge Of a request,
"I'll tell We what brings me here. We
were chums in way in the old Dub
Ia days"
~ may tell We. O'Keefe," said O'Gor-
ran. busily mixing a tint upon his
Palette and not pausing to look at his
,ompanion, that don't Hike the news
I'm hearing of you. There's none Of
the money going in your direction"
I'm not asking It," return ed O'Keefe.
"Its years since I had ye in my
thoughts till this afternoon, but I'm
just after meeting O'Reilly, and he
tells me you're wanting a housemaid.
According to O'Reilly, ye'd like her
ugly and ye'd like her Irish. There's
poor widow woman that lived, so she
tells me, on your fathers land in Derry
before you were born, She came to me
in distress the day before yesterday,
and all she wants is work for her
hands. 'Tis little enough I can do to
holm apvbndv oiroum opnad nc a N,
but when 1 heard from O'Reily that
you were wanting a maid, began to
wonder whether widow wouldn't
serve your turn, and thought I'd drop
In and put it to We. anyway"
"It's my grandfather she's thinking
Of" said O'Gorman. "My fathers
property in Derry would have gone
into her eye without hurting her.
What's her nameT'
otis Malone" said O'Keefe. "They'd
a little holding under your own people
on the Clinkilty road"
"Im not recalling the name" O'Gor-
man replied, reflectively. "But I'm
wanting some kind of a woman about
the house, and If she can cook and
scrub she's welcome to a place as a
candidate. What's her age?"
"She's about forty, 1 should say"
said O'Keefe, may be day or two
alder."
"And she's ugly?"
"As sin" said O'Keefe with en-
phasis. I've known some kinds of sin
that We're prettier to look at by mile"
That's point in her favor said
O'Gorman, "for I'll not have my char
acter besmirched in my own house"
IN be telling her to call this even
.hg?" asked O'Keefe.
"At s o'clock" returned O'Gorman,
and went on with his painting so reso-
lutely that his companion, after linger-
Ing for a minute or two, offered an en-
barrassed goodby, and faded from the
room. OGorman listened till the front
door closed behind him, and peered
through the studio window into the
street, along which, with a disconsolate
eye on the empty brler, he was slowly
walking away. Then the artist laid
down his palette and brushes and
went to little cupboard from which
he drew tobacco jar, bottle of
Dublin tipple, a glass and a decanter
Of water. When he had helped himself
to drink and had filled and lit his
pipe he sat down in smiling content,
ment, and slipped and smoked at ease.
I'D never have got rid of the blagyard
at all if I'd let him smell these" he
said to himself. "O'Keefe? It's like
his cheek to be coming into decent
house at all with the record that's
behind him. I'm not the man to be
hard on an old friend that's a little
down at the heel but draw the line
at the Old Bailey"
He sat smoking and looking at his
work from time to time with the satis-
faction of workman who has come
near to his own purpose, and he was
thus TRANQUILITY engaged when twilight
fell. Then he went downstairs and
ate chop and foury potato or two
which had been sent round from Il
neighboring tavern, and just as the
clock on the dining-room mantelpiece
pointed to the hour of a knock
toOuhNCu at llG lluuI uUOI, anu ~ tgOI-
man himself answering the summons
found respectable-looking person in
black dress, black beaded mantle,
black bonnet and black gloves, who
courtesied to him reverently, and in
a very mellihuous brogue announced
herself as Mrs. Malone.
Come in," said OGorman, holding
the door aside, and the respectable per-
son, after executing another courtesy
obeyed. She waited while the master
of the little house closed the door and
then followed him into the dining
room, where she lifted her veil, folded
her black gloved hands, and stood as
If eXpectant OF cross-eXamination
O'Gorman regarded her for a moment
"I'll not be charged with dalliance with
this young person." he said, inwardly,
and indeed the candidate was plain
enough to look at, with her bold and
harsh features and a very decided cast
IN the eye. 81 suppose" he said aloud,
"ye'll be able to give me q character