Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-04-15

suddenly, az two silver dollars slipped
from the baby's hand and jingled TO
the floor. Mrs. McQuaide looked at
Mrs. Halliday, and Mrs. Halliday
looked at Mrs. McQuaide.
Mrs. Halliday" began Mrs. Nc
Quaide, I'll be-that is, I'm thinkin'
this be quaire doin's, an I'm just go
in out of here, that's what I am"
And with almost unseemly haste the
good lady hurried from the room.
Mrs. Halliday sat down on the floor
and looked at her baby with some
thing akin to awe.
We'll" she soliloquized, they do
be sayin' he's under protection-but
whether saints or the divil do be sind
in thin silver dollars, | can't know"
And no one knew; and the mystery
grew in Nineveh. AS for the baby,
he wandered about in his innocent way,
finding amusement wherever he could,
and entirely unconscious of the excite
ment he had produced.
Not SO his mother. The feeling of
awe that first smote her at the sight
of the second supply of silver dollars
so possessed her mind, that for days
she followed up her small son like a
detective shadowing suspected char
acter
So passed five days-a week-ten
days-and Nineveh had just begun TO
draw a free breath once more when
presto! the Halliday baby disappeared
again as.if by magic. While his moth
er was busy inside the shanty he had
been out of her sight for a few min
utes. and when she looked for him he
was nowhere to be found.
Angry at herself for her lack OF
watchfulness, Mrs. Halliday sat down in
a corner of the room to think and
wonder. This time, however, only an
hour or so passed, when through the
bright sunlight of the open doorway
the baby toddled, and, running straight
to his mother, dropped silver dollar
into her lap!
This was too much. Worried and
weeping, Mrs. Halliday placed the
the mysterious treasure-on shelf UNI
der the picture of Saint Patrick, and
then hurried to the domicile of Mrs
McQuaide, to talk the matter over with
her.
Mrs. McQuaide," she began plead
trouble. 1t gives me pain in me
heart" and in her uncertainty as TO
the anatomical position of that organ,
she clasped her hands across her
stomach.
Well" said Mrs. McQaide, with ora
cular emphasis, "it's mesilf as has
been thinkin' about that same, an I've
been discussin' the matter wild Mrs.
OToole an Mrs. McDermott. Mrs.
OToole, she be thinkin' he be haunted
by banshee, an we better be seem
Father Murphy about it,"
"Hoot, woman!" interrupted Mrs.
Halliday Indignantly, there be no ban
shoes in America, they all do be in the
ould country"
That's what / told Mrs. O'Toole,"
answered Mrs. McQuaide. IAN aXed
her how they could get here, an she
says they just do be comm over, in
visible like, on board the ships like
other folk
well, my child have no banshee-
that's what" declared Mrs. Halliday,
with emphasis.
"Of course not. If he do, he's the DEVILS
own banshee for bringin' silver dol
lars. I'd like one mesilf like that" re-
piled Mrs McQuaide, soothingly. But
anyway, we all thought that it would
be a good thing to go TO the city an
ask Father Murphy for charm to put
on the child's neck"
To Mrs. Halliday, now so alarmed at
the uncanny happenings that had be-
fallen her small son that she was ready
to adopt almost any plan for relief,
the idea seemed one to be grasped at.
So straight to Father Murphy, in a
nearby town, Tim Halliday went the
next morning, and told the story of the
baby's mysterious doings. But when
he explained the object of his quest
10 the priest, that reverend gentleman
only laughed.
Get along home with YOU" he said
IF it's the silver dollars you're afraid
of, it's the saints sent 'em-mind that,
now! And tell Mrs. Halliday to hope
they'll send more The idea of two
fools asking for a chance TO keep away
the blessings Of heaven! Whoever
heard of the like?"
Meantime, while Tim Halliday was
interviewing Father Murphy, new mys-
teries had developed in Nineveh In
cidentally, Tim Halliday's baby had
disappeared, but that was to be ex.
pected, and it was supposed that he
would turn up all right with the usual
silver dollar. But he didn't. The event
that had so reused the small settle
ment was this: About IL o'clock Mrs.
McQuaide came running out of her
shanty, wringing her hands and crying
bitterly. Indeed, her anguish was
SO loud and vehement that Mrs.
O'Toole, Mrs. McDermott, Mrs. Halli-
day, and all the other ladies of Nine
veh came out to discover the cause.
An what's the matter wild YEP"
questioned Mrs. O'Toole, hurrying for