Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-27

AFURTAGH MAcAvoY stood at the top Of
wi the great road from the mountain and fol-
49, lowed its shining white length to the sea
with deep breath of thankfuness Tomorrow he
where there would be life, and not sleep; gold and
not halfstarvation; romance, and not the faces of
the neighbors forever the same.
The crest of the mountain which he stood had
seen life enough and should have afforded him food
for romance had he been dreamer for the white
road under his feet had been made painfully, before
Irish King who had carried their treasures to
the top of the mountain There they had built
a fortress and said the great, grass
grown trenches deeps where that treas
TIRE had lain From the top of the fortress
their keen eyes had been quick to see =
the ships of enemy; and here, for IAHtk
many year they had held their own. lfIMA
But the fortress was down, and NM
such of its stones were not scat <>MNVk
tered the barren and cracked Tp'~~SEr
dozen acres MacAvov' S mother rented
had been used to build the stone cot aY\\
tage in which the family lived Since
babyhood Murtagh had known only N%>@
the harshest poverty. He could not \S~x
remember when he first began to turn
his face from the cottage and look over
the cleaning the way to the shores OF
release His family could take comfort for
scant food and the cold by dwelling on the glores
of the old ancient days.
''Ah the MacAvoys had the right of 1t then,
sure!'' they would say.
Or they would skip the seventy starveling years
of this life and count on full happiness in that here
having lived too many starveling years it was,
early marked for himself future in this world
bounded only by America He would emigrate and
bring back to the MacAvoys the glory of old. and
make them ready enough to wait for their heavenly
hereafter
He had had many disappointment in his dreams.
First when he fifteen, his father had died and
the few shillings he had saved toward his passage
must go to pay for the funeral. Then, at twenty
one when he had nearly saved his passage money,
Terence, his elder brother. had elected to go None
Of the neghbors had ever been able to find out why
Murtagh had let Terence have his money. They
only knew that he had begun saving again, and
now had his passage money and enough over safely
changed into good gold and hidden away
A ND OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES he going! His
\ younger brother, Malachy, strong and
better able than himself look after the bit
Soon he would be sending back to his mother shil-
lngs and pounds for good tea and bacon. He looked
down the mountain Behind him rose and fell the
cid lines of what had once been the moat: at
side of it his mothers cottage. Below him
the moonlight, and shaded by imme1noral trees.
Here and there a light shone out of a cabin;
and then black figures dotted the road all turned
toward him. he knew, and talking of his grand life
that would begin next day The neighbors would
come to wish him God speed in the morning
His thin old mother and Malachy were sitting
side by side the doorstep. Presently Malachy
rose and set off down the mountain
You'll be going to Moreens:" called his mother
after him
He muttered reply and she and Murtagh
both watched his big figure starting down the road
"A fine pair O shoulders, sighed Mrs MacAvoy.
Like my family Well Moreens the good gurrl
and thin of hers is all her own
Murtagh joined her Never mind; when have
got little good III be sending it back you, and
you buy this place for your own
I'll be dead by them. she sighed.
Murtagh her sowest son and she was one of
those who put their trust QulCkneSS OF tongues