The Western news., 1904-04-06
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A KERRY I
COWARD !
By M. Louise CumminS &
I Copyright, 1908, by T. c. Mcclure ..
BY M. Louise Cummins
Copyright. 1908, by T. c. Mcclure
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Mike Carney sat loosely on a heap OF
Stag during the last two minutes of the
noon hour, the empty dinner pail which
hung from his locked fingers swinging
backward and forward rhythmically
between his knees.
| His blue eyes, looking straight ahead,
held that blending of guilelessness and
mysticism which is the birthright of a
religious people. Down to the end of
his short nose Mikes face might have
been tit study of fifteenth century
monk, but his mouth belied all that,
apparently having been foIlned for no
reason on eaSth but to whistle an Irish
Jig. and the sight of it thus engaged
was sufficient to cure one forever of
| the idea that life was dull.
At present his lips puckered more
than once, but only lone note, which
seemed to have gone astray from the
| rest of the tune, issued from them.
| Something began to grow in his eyes,
burning away their mysticism and re-
vealing a substratum of quicksilver.
"'Tisn't fair, be gobv'
AAC SlOcu up luICu lhC UIlCA wall
opposite, as though it was the president
of the wire works himself.
"'Tis chances enough the workin'man
has to take anyhow
His voice stopped as if broken.
Cringed into himself, he sank back on
the Stag, torn between the conviction
that "'twas fair and the Irishman's
inhn~ant a1,lIorrnncn Of inf
"An' sure, where'd be the use?" he
soliloquized, his mental attitude seem
ing to descend despondently with his
body. Don't they know tits done, an
every day too?"
But an hour later when the foreman
ordered him to replace a large belt
from a shafting to countershaft
while the machinery was in motion
Carney looked him quietly in the eyes
and refused.
His glance had measured the danger
first. 1t was a particularly ugly job.
crammed near the ceiling, compared to
which the belt he had replaced that
morning was as child's play.
"Youll not do it?'
mot while she's running I'll not do
It."
The foreman's strong young hands
closed and Enclosed at his Sides He
was ten years the Irishman's junior.
with his record still to make. The
eyes which answered Mikes narrowed
to points Of steel. For a moment the
two men regarded each other with a
peculiarly still. fiat look.
"You Kerry cowardv'
The measured words were like the
hiss Of escaping steel scalding the
1rishman's face. All the fighting blood
Of his race showed in the one unloosed
shaft Of blue light that leaped from
his eyes. Like felled log the fore
man went down.
Very quietly Mike picked up his be-
longings and left the shop. Not even
the certainty that he had lost his job
and the beating thought of five small
mouths at home to be fed could quell
the fierce satisfaction in what he had
done. For an hour he walked, hug
ging it savagely to his breast. Then,
as he ascended the steps of his tene-
ment, it seemed suddenly to ooze out
at his finger tips. Nora's eyes. while
she stood on the small piazza hanging
out clothes, We're as mirrors from
which all the grim, bare facts attendant
on being 'out of a job looked back at
him with cruel distinctness.
Margaret Hartman leaned her arms
nv hn III 1<< Al
yer and cut glass at her husband Her
white face and wide open eyes still
held the tremulousness of one who had
recently been in the darkness of a
great fear.
"But the man." Hartman said, fin
gering his glass. Il wish you had
found out his name, Constance"
II know. dear; but, Henry" - her
hand went to her heart; Hartman felt
reproached as he watched the added
pallor Of her face-"oh, it was all so
sudden, so awful, those mad horses
with the trailing harness and wrecked
carriage, the fearful recklessness of it,
as they came down the street! And
then when baby left Anna and came
toddling unconsciously across to where
l sat on the piazza
There, dear, don't go over it any
more" Hartman came around the ta-
bic and put his hand on his wife's
shoulder
"The man." she went on after
pause, has been hanging about here
lately. l have fancied sometimes that
he wished to speak to you or me- When
had baby safely in my arms looked
ut him-he had the kindliest blue eyes
and saw that he was very white.
But when I asked him if he had been
hurt he said no, only bit of a bruise'
where the shaft grazed his shoulder.