The Irish standard., 1906-10-06

l
tiful in the hush of evening.
The sullen moving figure of the
priest hunter was the only ugly spot.
the sole freak of nature in the scene.
A peddler's cart came along the road,
the peddler and his assistant walking
beside it a pair we'll known at many a
Mayo and Galway. Shawn looked at
them sharply
Good evefiing to you, Johnny Nc
Cam" he said; recognizing the peddler.
Good evening kindly, Mr.. Malow-
ney,' said the peddler, and the parties
continued on their respective ways.
| YOU'RE lucky; Father Davy," re-
marked the 'peddler to his assistant"
between puffs of his pipe; that's The
second escape you've had from the
scoundrel inathe course of a few days.
Maybe Ills that he can't see very Well
on account of the fine black eye. you
| gave him last Sunday when he tried
to lay hold Of you after breaking up
your Mass over at Bourke's barn."
For the peddler's companion and
Franciscan Of Clare-Galway, who had
to assume this and other DISCUSSES in
order to avoid the bloodhounds of the
penal laws. On his previous recontre
| with Shawn, referred to by the peddler,
| the bold friar had escaped only by
knocking the powerful miscreant I'M
| conscious *,s
"Ah," continued the peddler,, with
vengeful' backward look at the -reced-
ing figure of Shawn, eff. he knew that
Johnny Mccain is Andrew Higgins,
nephew of one; of the friars he MUIR
dered, he might not feel so safe in
meeting me-" *
Vengeance is mine, saith the
Lord" gently quoted the friar, and
they continued on. their way
That night was a particularly evil
one for Shawn-na- Soggarth. On it he
reached the black climax of his many
crimes. AZ. ......
Nancy, Tmsdying!" he groaned as
he entered the aftumble cabin of. his sis
ter, the widow Nancy Laughnan.
"All is over with me. For the love of
heaven, get me- priest
She looked at him with sisterly
alarm and concern, yet not without
suspicion, for she was we'll aware Of
his evil cunning. 1t would be an awful
| thing for such an abandoned miscreant
as Shawn to die without the benefit of
clergy. But what If he were not i'll at
all? What IT, he were only shamming?
"Oh, Nancy Nancy, sister avour-
men," he begged, between his groan-
ings and writings; "for the love of
heaven, get me a priest before 1 die!"
Shawn" size said,' you're the very
last one In this world that deserves to
have a priest at your death-bed. oh,
Shawn, black and bad was your life,
and badly you're prepared for the leav-
ing of it; but :stll can't trust you to
bring holy priest to your SIDE"
Woman, woman DEAR he pleaded;
don't you see that the cold hand Of
death is on tne, that I'm too weak and
feeble to hAftS or harm chicken?
Never will p rise alive from this bed,
and not many minutes will it be till
the death rattle shakes the poor soul
out of me, that's so unfit to meet it's
Creator. Nancy. DEAR don't let me die
like a dog; Get me chance to con-
fess my many black sins before I go
into the other world. Oh, sister,
priest. a priest!"
At length. convinced of her brothers
serious illness and repentance, Mrs.
Loughnan threw her shawl over her
head and went forth into the night. In
hiding in the neighborhood was a
venerable clergyman, the Rev. Bernard
| Kilger. uncle ef the Friar Bourke al
ready mentioned. Him the widow
| sou6hI CuI ulu lolNt SIOlys duUS
obedient to the call of duty, the white
haired priest was soon standing by the
couch wherein lay the priest hunter.
by the glory of hell, l have him at
last!" cried the latter, starting up,
seizing the minister of God and hurl.
ing him to the floor
With a cry. of alarm and rage the
| Widow Loughnan seized the tongs
from the hearth. struck her ruffianly
brother on the hands and compelled
him to loose his hold. The old priest
stumbled to his feet and rushed to the
door. but ere:h could pass out Shawn.
ma Soggarth plunged dagger twice
into his neck; leaving him a bleeding
corpse on the floor. Then the MURDER
er disappeared.
This awful deed seemed only to OK
cite in it's perpetrator fercer lust
of blood. He watched eagerly for