The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1906-09-19
Larry's
Wedding
By Constance darcy Mackay
Copyright. 1909. by P. @. Eastment

stead's lawn he felt as II the summit
OF his ambition had been reached. If
genius is a capacity for hard work Lar
~ could we'll lay claim to 1t, for he
toiled early and late with a pertinacity
which set him high in the estimation Of
his employer and enabled him to put
by q snug sum by the time he had
been in America three years.
There was only one thing wanting
to make Larry's happiness complete,
and that was the presence of Ellen
O'Meara, who was already on her way
from the old country. A month ago
Larry had sent the money for her
transportation.
Ellen was the belle Of Ballymoran,
and his winning her was to be viewed
In the light Of a great triumph. For
awhile 1t had been nip and tuck as to
| whether she would marry him or Tim
Kearny. But Ellen had chosen Larry.
| and In the letters she wrote him from
| time to time there was no mention Of
Tim Kearny.
| "Shure, her hearts all mine," said
Larry to himself, and as the day Of
| Ellen's landing approached his Joy be-
came more and more apparent
Indeed, the whole Hemstead house
| hold took an interest In Ellen's home
coming. The servants knew her age to
| q dot, that her eyes were as blue as the
lakes Of Killarney and her hair like
FURNISHED copper.
The morning of his wedding dawned
clearly and Larry was in jubilant spir-
its as he took the Long Island train for
New York. How Ellen would delight
In their little cottage and exult in the
surprise that her husband was not
groom, but a full fledged coachman.
Larry boarded the immigrant ferry
boat, and It was not till he had reached
| the immigration building on Ellis is
land that he found that the Cedric, the
steamer on which Ellen was coming,
was a day late.
A whole twenty-four hours to spend
without Ellen! Larry wandered dis
consolately through the long bare halls
Of the building, stopping to look at the
| newly landed immigrants In their cage
like compartments and thinking Of the
time when he had been like them. In
one Of the halls girl was talking to
blue coated official and biting her lips
to keep from crying. She was young
and slender, with deep gray eyes.
I'm sorry" the official was saying
kindly, but we haven't been able to
get any word of the aunt who was to
meet you, and you're too young girl
to work alone in the city. It's against
the law. If your aunt doesn't come for
you, you'll have to go back to Ireland
to your own people"
"But they're all Dead" said the girl.
''shure, there's no one belonging to me
at all except this aunt in New York
whom I've niver seen. An If she
doesn't come for me- The girl broke
of with a sudden sob, SO childish, SO
piteous, that Larry. In spite Of his hap
piness, felt his heart ache for her.
"It's a shame. 1t is" he said to him
self. "a poor, young bit of thing like
thatI Faith, If my Ellen was only here
we might think Of something to do for
the girl" And on his way back to New
York Larry determined to speak to FL
len about the matter. Women's wits
were much better than mems in such
cases.
Next morning he was early at the
island and instead of waiting in the
immigration building tramped up and
down outside that he might catch the
first glimpse Of the boat that was
bringing Ellen to him. Presently he
deserted Il, and his blood raced at the
sight.
He stood as near as he could to the
gangplank and anxiously scanned the
faces Of the Immigrants crowded on the
deck, but Ellen's was not among them.
Larry was filled with an anguish of
apprehension. Then his heart leaped.
He had seen the CLINT of Ellen's red
gold hair. For an instant she faced
him, their eyes met, and then she turn
ed and spoke to a man beside her. He
laughed and pushed back his cap. AS
he did so Larry recognized him. It
was Tim Kearny. They were coming
down the gangplank now, and Ellen,
to steady herself. put a bare red hand
on the railing. On her fourth finger
cleaned a plain gold wedding ring.
Larry was too stunned to speak
Dazed, he turned toward the immigra-
ton building. he knew not what to
do or where to 60. The mockery Of 1t
all swept over him-the fruitless years
Of planning and working, the little
house that he had meant to be SO hap
py In. Worse than all, the shame Of
returning alone smote him to the
quick. But as he stumbled on there
flashed through his mind the memory
Of the gray eyed girl he had seen the
day before. She had been so helpless,
yet so lovely In her grief. Somehow
the recollection Of her loneliness SEEM
ed to draw him toward her as If by an
invisible bond.
"ghure, misery loves company" he
said to himself, land If the girl could
only learn to care for me 'tis Joy and
not sorrow might be In store for u.s."
He quickened his steps, fumbling in
his pocket for the letters with which
Mr.. Hemstead had invested him in
case he had trouble in proving his
right to Ellen. They certified as to
Larry's character and errand beyond a
doubt and satisfied the middle aged Of
nciAl who ran his eye across them.
"Well2" he said.
The situGf1on was a difficult ona and
It took Larry some moments to eE.
plain.
Finally the official threw back his
head and laughed. We've had a good
many romances on the island" he
cried, "but this beats all! Still, as far
as 1 can see, there's nothing against
your marrying the girl If she consents.
At present she's expecting to be de-
ported, for we've found that her aunt
died some days after the girl sailed"
So Nora MacManus was called from
the women's detention room and came
with look Of wonder, wonder which
deepened as she saw Larry.
They're telling me you're from the
ovid sod," said he, land that your
names Nora MacManus. Is 1t of the