The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-05-07
tCopyright.)

Did l iver be tellin' ye about Mary
Mahaney's chiny shower, which was
held av last st. Patrick's day, just
wan week before she was after gettin'
married to Terence Mulhaly?
Sure, if l was to live to be thou
sand years DID, I'll niver forget that.
Twas the mornin' before the shower
whin | was doin' up me misthress'
room, an she sat on the sofy readin'
her letters, said, very rayspectful in
deed.
IF it will not inconvaynience you'm,
I'd like st. Patrick's eve off. Me best
friend" / wint on, who is after mar
ryin' Terence Mulhaly, is havin'
chiny shower. Oh, twill be grand!
The other gurrls will all be takin' her
somethin' very fine; but" an l spoke
.sorrowful, "tis little l can do. | sint
all me money to me fathyer an mither
in Ireland; an I've nothin' left to put
on aven a cracked cup fer Mary" An
l wiped me eye with the skirt av me
apron.
Whist now" says me misthress
soft an pleasant. She is very kind
lady, ye must know. Il guess it will
not send me to the poorhouse to give
ye bit av chiny. Dhry yer eyes, an
come down to the chiny-closet with
me. An would ye behave it, before
ye cud count tin, she had lepped up
from the sofy, run down the stairs
with me at her heels, thrown open the
glass dure av the chiny-closet, an
handed me out fine, big pitcher!
Twas a deep, dark blue, with pink
roses an gilt all over wan side av it..
Oh, twas the handsomest thing ye
iver see!
So ye can imagine twas very set up
] felt the night av the shower, whin |
put on me Sunday dress an started
off with me grand pitcher all done up
in tissue paper under me arm. Ye see,
twas arranged that us gurrls was to
go airly, so as we could help Mary
lay out the supper an get things all
ready fer the shower against the time
the bys come in about tin o'clock.
Thin while all was enioyin' the ray
freshments we was to present the
bride with the chiny.
Well, we must all have started at
the same time, fer by good luck we all
got to Mary's kitchen dure at the
same time.
While we were enjoyin' av ourselves
there come a knock on the dure, so
sharp an sudden that it caused each
wan av us to nigh jump out av our
skins. Fer a minute we all held back,
an thin Mary stepped to the dure an
opened it, an there, so close against
it that she jumped, stood man.
Isn't this Miss Bridget O'Reilly? .
he says very polite an pleasant; an
before Mary could answer, he went on,
I'm sure it is" steppin' in an closin'
the dure behind him, FER me sister in
Ireland wrote me that she lived in this
very house. She says, You will know
her by her dark eyes an her swate
smile.'" An do ye know that, although
he spoke to Mary, he give sudden
look past her an smiled right at me;
although Sheila, an Biddy, an Rosie
all cOntinded afterward that it was
square at thin he was lookin'
Oh, but he was handsome! It made
your eyes glad to look at him. Tall
an straight an slim, with a laughin'
mouth an gray eyes, keen as eagles
I'm afraid I'm not the lady ye're
lookin' fer" says Mary, in soft
voice. me name is Mahaney!"
"Mahaney!" he cried, fer all the
world like he'd found a fortune. ma,
haney! Not wan av the Mahaneys
av--''
County Galway" spake up Mary.
An the next thing ye knew, before
she cud say another word, he had the
two hands av her an was shakin' thin
up an down, his eyes shinin' an the
teeth gleamin' like snow in his dark
face.
Well. the next thing ye knew, that
by had got us all laughin' an car.
ryin' on like we was kids agin. Och
there was nothin' that cud be done
that he didn't do it! He took the
stockin' that Biddy Winn was knittin'
from her an knit three rounds before
We cud say Jack Robinson-all the
while a-tellin' some joke or comical
story that made our sides ache.
Such rompin'! Oh, he was the great
cut-up! We showed Mary, protestin
an screamin', from the room, an thin
we united the presents fer the chiny
shower. Well, I'm tellin' ye, had tie
surprise aV me life. There wasn't a
gurrl there, mind ye, that hadn't a
piece av chiny as nice or better than
me grand blue pitcher. Fer the life
av me, l could not make it out Just
thin, fer why they had spent their
money on Mary Mahaney, although
rayceived light on the subject later.
An all the while, Mary poundin' on
the dure an beggin to be let in, until
we TUX pity on her, an let her come
back After that we quieted down, an
sat around the stove again, with all.
other cup av fresh tea apiece. An he
began to sing. An, oh! twas the
grand voice he had, an twas a pritty
song as We iver heard, with the gay
tune av it.
All at once he stopped short, looked
up at the big, square clock tickin
away on the mantelpiece, an thin he
sort av started, an fer minute a
shadow fell acrost his face.
Did ye iver hear av Cinderella" he
says, "her that had to lave the ball at
the sthroke av IL? I'm her brother
an must be LAWN before the sthroke
av tin
Fer why?" asks Rosie.
Fer the same rayson," he answers,
his reckless eyes twinklin' again.