Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-27

the young girl realized this she said i'm
pulsively:
"Oh. Aunt Judy. 1 hope you are not ILL.
Do come up on deck. The sun is shining
and it is such a change from the awful
weather in New York. Do come, dear;
it will do you good
Il am not i'll, Joy-in the way You mean:
Indeed. 1 was never in better physical
health in my life She said this with
grave primness. The girl laughed out
right:
"Why on earth. Aunt Judy, if you're
well, do you go to bed at 10 o'clock in
the morning. Miss Hayes was not an
CRY; there was momentary CLEAN in her
eye as she said with a manifestedly ex-
aggerated dignity:
You forget, my dear, that I am an old
maid"
What has old-maidenhood to do with
it? But. anyhow. you are not an old
maid You are only forty
My dear child. when that unhappy period
comes single lady is put on the shelf
out Of reach of all masculine humanity.
For my part l have made up my mind
to climb up there. Of my own accord. be-
fore the virginia. undertakers come for me-
l am in for it anyhow; and l want to
play the game as we'll as I can
Joy bent down and kissed her affection
ately Then taking her face between
her strong young hands and looking
steadily in her eyes she said:
Aunt Judy. you are not an old any
thing. You are deal younger than
am You mustn't get such ideas into
your head: and even if you do you
to believe you. What is forty. anyhow
The other answered sententiousy:
What is forty? Not old for a wife!
Young for widow. Death for maid."
ing. lone would think you wish to be
an old maid. Even ] know better than
that, and father thinks / am younger
and more ignorant than the yellow chick
that has just pecked its way out of the
shell. The woman has not yet been born.
nor ever will be, who wants to be an old
maid
Judith Hayes raised herself on one
elbow and said calmly:
''Or a young one. my dear!'' Then, as
if pleased with her epigram, she sank
back on her pillow with smile Joy
paused: she did not know what to say.
A diversion came from the stewardess.
who had all the time stood in the door
way waiting for some sort of instructions.
'Bedad. Miss Hayes. it's to Ireland We
ought to come. A lovely young lady like
yerself-fOr all yer jabber about an ould
maid iv forty-wouldn't be let beyant
Queenstown, let alone the Mall in Cork.
Bedad, if We was in Athlone it's the shi
lelaghs that would be out an the byes
all fightin for who'd get the hould on to
We first. Whisper me. now. Is 1t coddin
us ye be dom or WHAT" Joy turned
round to her, her face all dimpled with
laughter. and said:
That's the way to talk to her. Mrs.
O'Brien. You just take her in hand. and
when we get to Queenstown find some
nice big Irishman to carry her off,"
"Bedad / will. An SOrra the Shtruggle
she'd make agin it. anyhow I'm think
in!'' Aunt Judy laughed.
Joy she said, you d better be care
full yourself cor maybe she'd put on some
of her bachelor press gang to abduct
YOU
ma am" said Mrs. O'Brien quietly. I've
fixed that already. When l seen Miss
Joy came down the companion shtairs 1
seq to meself: There's only wan man in
that's good enough for you, me darlin.
An he'll have you for sure or I'm a
gandher:
'Indeed.' said Joy. blushing in spite of
herself And may l be permitted to
know my ultimate destination in the way
of matrimony? You won't think me in
quisitive or presuming, l trust Her
eyes were dancing with the fun of the
thing. Mrs. O'Brien laughed heartily-a
round. CHEEKY, honest laugh which was
infectious.
vivid all the plisure in life. miss
Shure, there's only the wan. an him the
finest and beautifullest young man ye
ever laid yer pritty eyes on. An him an
!
land iv his own then there does be pita-
ties in me ould fathers houldin'. Musha
he's the only wan that's at all fit to take
yer swate self in his charge!
HIM Quite cOndescending of him, I
am sure. And now what may be his
sponsorial and patronymic appellatives?"
Mrs O'Brien at once became grave. To
an uneducated person, and more espe-
cially an Irish person, an unknown phrase
is full OF mystery. 1t makes the listener
feel small and disconnected. touching the
personal pride which is SO marked char
acteristic of all degrees of the Irish race.
JOY. with the quick understanding which
was not the least Of her endOwments.
saw that she had made a mistake and
FASTENED to set matters right before the
chagrin had time to bite deep.
Forgive me, but that was my fun.
What meant to ask are the names and
title of my destined lord and master?"
The stewardess answered heartily. the
ruff1e of her face softening into an ami
able smile.
''Amn't 1 tellin' ye. miss. Shure there
is only the want
''And who may he be?'
'"FaiX, he may be anything. It's a
king or kaZer or an imperor or a czaar
he d be If / had the ordherin' Nv it. But
what he is IL the Right Honorable the