St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-05-23

w2n week before she was after gettin'
married to Terence Mulhaly?
Sure, II was to live to be thou
sand years old, I'll niver forget that.
Twas the mornin' before the shower
Whin was dom up me misthress'
room, an she sat on the sofy readin'
her letters, said, very Respectful in
deed.
If 1t will not inconvaynience you'm,
I'd like st. Patrick's eve off. Me best
friend" l whit on, "who is after mar
ryin' Terence Mulhaly, is hayin' a
chiny shower. Oh, twill be grand!
The other gurrls will all be takin' her
somethin' very fine; but" an l spoke
sorrowful, tbs little can do. I STINT
all me money to me fathyer an mither
in Ireland, an I've nothin' left to put
on aven cracked cup fer Mary" An
I wiped me eye with the skirt av me
apron.
Whist now says me MISTRESS
soft an pleasant. She is very kind
lady, We must know. II guess it will
not send me to the poorhouse to give
We 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 Topped 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 We
liver see!
So We can imagine twas very set up
| felt the night av the shower, whiu
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 b'ys come in about tin o'clock.
Thin while all was enjoyin' 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 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 1t, an there, SO close against
it that she jumped, stood man.
isn't this Miss Bridget O'ReilIy?'
he says very polite an pleasant; an
before Mary could answer, he went on,
"Pm sure it is" steppin in an closin'
the dure behind him, SER 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 We know that, although
he spoke to Mary, he give a 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 laughin'
mouth an gray eyes, keen as a eagles.
I'm afraid I'm not the lady ye're
lookin' fer" says Mary, in a soft
voice. me name is Mahaney!"
"Mahaney!" he cried, fer all the
world like he'd found fortune. ma
haney! Not wan av the Mahaneys
av-"
County Galway" spake up Mary.
An the next thing We 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 We 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 VIM was knittin'
from her an knit three rounds before
We cud say Jack Robinson-all the
while a-tellin' some joke or a 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' We, had the
surprise av me life. There wasn't a
gurrl there, mind We, that hadn't
piece av chiny as nice or better than |
me grand blue pitcher. Fer the life |
av me, could not make it cut Just |
thin, fer why they had spent their
money on Mary Mahaney, although |
light on the subject later.
An all the while, Mary poundin' on |
the dure an begin 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 an
other cup ay fresh tea apiece. An he
began to sing. An, oh! twas the |
grand voice he had, an twas a pritty
song as We liver heard, with the gay
.une 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 a minute a
shadow fell acrost his face.
did We iver hear av Cinderella" he
says, "her that had to lave the ball at
he sthroke av IL? I'm her brother,
IN must be LAWN before the sthroke
W tin"
Fer why?" asks Rosie.
Ser the same rayson," he answers,
lis reckless eyes twinklin' again.
Thin he jumped up an shook hands
III around. "Good-by," he says to me.