Evening star., 1909-06-26

have marked for her brave boy, and
as good a one. and as snIg, and warm
and welldoing as e'er another boy In the
barony he belongs t6-the barony Of
Tyrugh."
Bridget was listening very intently:
Doalty with mastery show Of indiffer-
ence. He said. Indeed"
AS for Saabh, she might. for all the
sign she showed, have been Utterly un-
conscious of the matter discussed.
I'm deed and word.' said Mairead.
And you KNOW" said she, Its out os
Tyrugh that the very best OF husbands
comes
Doalty was not exactly prepared to
deny 1t.
But who is hep said Doalty. "and
what has he to show?''
And Bridget leaned forward eagerly.
He is a well-come boy said Mairead.
''of the good ould stoc tha. can hold up
their heads with any in tne barony within
the memory of man and his grandfather.
He is Frank Carrabip by name; his
father he died of a stroke (paralysis) last
Candlemas was five years, and his mother
"a brave, clean old woman-is still alive
and living with him, and thinks it's on
cross his wish to save her soul. Sne
has given him over all rights on their
holding-which contains five and twenty
acres Of as fine land as you would meet
atween here and there, and that's saying
deal. Himself, or rather his father
afore him, never knew what debt was.
He owns six head of milch cows. and
calves, and other stock accordih', and two
n~A c~rsn % <S~s,,
chapel and the fair. and a hundred
pounds of dry money behind his hand In
the bank. What do you think Of him
for your daughter. Doalty Gallagher"
What rents on him." Doalty inquired,
before he would commit himself
"A dozen and a half pounds Of rent"
said Mairead, and the bes. landlord In
Ireland"
And what help has hep Bridget inter-
vened.
'All the year round" said Mairead,
1.-The strongest servant boy to be had for
love or money, and servant girl nothing
behind: in troth, ma am. your daughter
needn't dip her hands, IL so be her wish.'
mo. no." saiu Bridget, that isn't the
way I reared my daughter
That 1 know well. ma 'am," Mairead
replied, wholeheartedly: but I only
meant to say that If this Frank Carrabin
got a woman who had been reared that
way. it's he could afford to keep her aud
give her piano to play upon"
Said Doalty Gallagher. promptly, THE
baking board or the wash dish, that Is the
piano my daughter will play upon in the
house Of whatever man is lucky enough
to get her.
And" said Meiread, as promptly.
that's the house that the sweetest
music will oe In
1T is so,'' said Bridget. proudly.
rs his land" said Doalty. "clay-land Or
moss?''
1T is clay-land for the most part. and
three acres of moss; he has turf rights
on the mountain and lashin's and LAWNS
of wrack. The girl he fetches into his
house will have good sitting-down, I
tell you. If he raised his one finger
there's not one Of a dozen girls in his own
parish-girls well-looking and well-to-do
who would not run for him. But his
mother has small opinion Of the girls Df
the parish. She says they are as clear to
her as a Diapers window; that they are
lazy and good-for- or-notfiing and want a
comfortable sitting-down in hopes to take
their aise for the remainder Of their
lives, while poor Frank works the bone
through the skin to keep them living like
ladies. She would no more like him to
take one of them than she would like
him TO drownd himself. So she sent for
me. and she consulted me. and she said
she would be under an obligation to me
forever IL could in all my rambles, pick
a n ma foh hor
And ! told her straight back that there
was not girl in the three baronies OF
Banagh. Boylagh and Tyrugh that I
didn't know from the skin to the hearts
core, and that, of them all, there was
one girl-and just one-to match him: that
she was a model for the girls Of the
country. and the girls of the time, and
I'll not repeat to your faces all 1 said
/ let her know, anyhow, that this one
girl, who was the tit and only one for
her son Frank-if we should be lucky
enough to get her-was as WELCOME
home girl and the daughter of as lie.
spectacle father and mother as any in
the north of Ireland this day, and that
she was your daughter Saabh.'
You are kind, Mairead. thank you,"
said Doalty. yielding point.
You are very kind. Mairead, thank
you heartily said Bridget.
Quoth Mairead, II said no word that
the girl or her parents didn't deserve,
and not half Of all they deserved
And both Doalty and his wife said,
Thank We again, Mairead."
And now said Mairead, with the air
of one who shifts the onus to other
shoulders. what have yous to say to
Frank Carrabn?"
We'll, Mairead.'' said Doalty. accepting
tho responsibility, well no. try to deny
that he's a brave boy Welcome -home
and well-to-do. and worthy Of every word
you have said of him-Ind more"
'Ay, and more" Bridget from the other
side OF the Are assented.
But said Doalty. 'he - looking Cor
an exceptional girl"
"Ay," said Bridget. emphatically
And he's an exceptional boy,s Maire ad
interpoiated.
Looking for an exceptional girl"
Doalty repeated, the like of which isn't
&c be plucked off every boor.tree bush"
That's consented" Mairead said, but
the question is. do YOU or d, you not
think him fitting to be a son-in-lawo
That she said, in businesslike tone.
lis the question: for, l mentioned to
you before. frank Carrabin has but to
whistle and the girls will hang upon him