The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-01-02


fields of waving gold. l had been
reading "The Idylls of the King" and
their beauty had sunk deep into my
heart, making sweet content.
| l watched Mike moving the lawn
pityingly.
Poor Mike" thought I, with no
idylls to comfort him, no poetry to
delight his fancy, no beautiful books
to stimulate his intellect-a mere
machine!" oh, wise woman! Mike"
l called, as the old mans methodical
moving began to irritate what i'm
aglned to be my poetic appreciation
of nature, Mike, can you read, and
would you like me to lend you some
| books?
Mike put down the moving ma
chine with great care and precision,
and came over to me. l remember
the sun set full on his quiet old face,
with its deep set childish eyes, and
on the lines of care so deeply marked
on the prominent forehead.
"And what books may they be, yer
ladyship?" (We are all 'ladyships"
to Mike, and he had begun, during
the last few days, to think that some
| good might come out of England.)
His honor has given me a grand
library, and the new ones they are, -
severely, "the divil, begging your
pardon, my lady"
What do you read, Mike?"
asked, patronizingly.
"Ah, well, my lady, have all Mr..
Carlyle's works, and the grand Scotch
gentleman's-Sir Walter Scott; then
her honor last Christmas gave me
William Shakespeare in foine ile-
giant cover of green and gold. And
l have Tennyson and Moore and
Robbie Burns and Longfellow and
Wordsworth and Shelley and Cowper
and"
Good gracious, Mike" ex-
claimed, sitting up and putting my
hat straight, "do you mean you have
read all these-Carlyle, l mean, and
Shakespeare"
Il have, my lady," said Mike, SIM
ply. Then he went on to tell me that
Colonel O'Callaghan, neighbor, had
valuable library and had given
Mike permission to use it whenever
he wished.
1 discovered that there was no
standard work of any note that Mike
had not read.
1t was one of the mysteries Of
Ballyknockshannon as to when Mike
did read, and how and when he had
acquired the extraordinary all around
knowledge he undoubtedly possessed,
for he was thoroughly employed dur
ing the day. in the evening we often
heard him playing the violin, and out
of his sixty-five odd wars he had
hardly spent one out of Ballyknock-
shannon.
1t was borne in upon me gradually
that Mike was in himself (1) a phil
osopher, CD literary critic, CD a
poet, (4) a musician, (5) horticul-
turist, (6) an amateur jockey, CD a
local time table, (S) calendar, (9)
Whitaker's Almanack, (10) an
army list, (11) complete peerage!
My brain reels when ! think of
Mikes practical knowledge, and,
whenever l wished for useful advice
or an unbiased opinion of horse,
book, flower, went to Mike.
On one of these occasions l remem-
Der l hurt the old man in his most
sensitive part, namely, his pride. He
had given up considerable portion
of his time to constructing a wooden
stand for my bicycle Il forgot to say
ne was carpenter in addition to his
other accompiishments) and l made
the egregious mistake of slipping a
sovereign into his hand.
Up to that moment / must confess
that the expression "filthy lucre" had
seemed to me mere faoon de parler
but felt the force of it then. Mike
gave me one look of indignant scorn
put the money down with the air OF
dropping black beetle), and turned
on his heel and left me standing there
very much ashamed of myself, with
! eyes askance.
The mistress of Ballyknockshan.
non followed me to my room that
evening. my dear Janet" she be.
gan, mournfully, what have you
been saying to Mike? He is in 6
right royal rage; l know the mood
and l feel'-working me up to the
awful climax-''I feel We shall have
the Battle of the Bowl at dinner"
l confessed my sin, of course, ant
was implored never to offer Mix,
money again.
mot when l go away?" I cried, in
credulous.
mo, for Heavens sake, don't
Why, do you know, l have know
Mike make point of hiding himsel
If he thinks any departing guest
going to tip him."
l gasped, remembering sundr
English country houses and their de
mands on my slender purse.
One morning, just before my dc
parture, my hostess came into tn
study with a harassed expression o
her face and an open letter in he
7 hand.