The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-29

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white apr0n-on which uniform Michael
: had been sternly insistent-and her
father and Michael very modest about
their achievement, but palpably aching
| TO be approved of.
She kissed her father and shook hands
warmly with Michael and patted the
/ old horse on his foolish old nose. And
then she said something kind to the
housekeeper, and, followed by adoring
/ eyes, went up to the little room they
had made fine and gay for her home
! coming. to say her little prayer before
/ the shrine her young mother had hung
there years before.
Thank Godr' said Patrick McGirr.
with a great sigh. Il was afraid of
| the French and music and all. But
she's the same little red-headed Cissy.
/ They haven't spoiled her"
NO" said Michael thinking of the
/ kind young eyes under the roll of gleam-
ing hair, they haven't spoiled her"
| Now it took Michael exactly three
/ hours to discover that Cecilia was the
I one possible girl, but it took him al
most a year to make known this fact
/ to Cissy's father. Several of the young
men who had got to know Cissy were
| besieging her direct, but this Michael
/ had a black pride which cut only one
! straight road for him. So he told Nc
/ Girr very frankly and hopefully.
| Because he had come to love the man
! as we'll as the mans daughter he was
] quite unprepared for Patrick's burst Of
/ cOntemptuous anger. Later Patrick was
at a loss to explain it to himself. a
mixture of shocked surprise, paternal
| jealousy, an honest dislike Of NichaePs
antecedents, jOstled hopes and ambi-
! tons for Cissy-all these MADE him
jerk forth a brief but scorching opin-
ion as to Michaeps fitness even to look
| at Cecilia.
For a moment Michael was shaken,
and stared at McGirT, his Irish eyes
| darkening slowly. Then his face took
on its gray fighting look, and he turned
| away with a calmness quite incOmpre-
hensible to d man Of Patricks sanguine
| temperament, and went out into the
| stable, where he began cOmpOsedly to
take down the old horses hame collar.
| Patrick McGirr looked after him, sick
Of heart, retribution swift upon him.
What better boy could a man have
asked for than this one who had fitted
so comfortably into the place one of
the lost little sons might have filed
At least in him poor Mary GuilfOyle
had atoned somewhat for her sodden
| existence.
sure" Patrick McGirr told himself,
when I was a big skylarkin' kid at
twenty-three. this boy is a man"
But because Michael was a man it
was harder for the older man to get
out the difficult apologize words which
might have Strengthened the thing out.
He followed Michael into the shed, but
Michael looked up interrogatively, with
the gray, set look that checked the
words on McGirr's lips.
I'm getting out as fast as I can, Mr..
McGirr."
The old man turned, with a lump in
! his throat. and went back into the lit
tie house, where he sat drearily in his
/ armchair, and wondered what he could
say to Cecilia and Mrs. Keefe. After
, a bit he heard Michael moving about
! packing up his few things, and then
MichaeIs trunk bump-bumped down
| the short fight of stairs.
Presently, looking through the shut
tiers, he saw the fat old horse plodding
cheerfully out of the gate. In the back
Of the old cart, gay in its new green
and yellow paint, sat, with an air Of
d dnality, the shabby trunk. It was Nc
, Girr's impulse to throw open the shut
l ters and call Michael back, but he
! caught a side glimpse of MichaePs face
l set like iron, and drew back with a
big sigh.
, He could have spared himself tbs
trouble Of inventing a suitable expla-
nation Of AIichaePs departure, for he
himself appeared to be the only person
interested. The little household went
on quite smoothly without Michael
: Mrs. Keefe accepted the news without
: her usual fire Of comment. As fol
Cecilia, McGirr, rejecting bitterly or
the ways of women, judged that there
. had been small need to drive Michae
! out for the sake of a girl who was
amusing herself joyously with half q
. dozen young men, and most obviously
! with the son Of the very Slovak who
had once employed Michael
Otto Slovak was not Of the grocer
t type. His father had started him in 9
1 small dry goods store on First avenue
t and the young fellow was making al
astonishing success Of it. He was 9
few years older than Michael slight
3 graceful and lively, and he entertained
[ Cissy vastly
Night after night, for weeks after
Z MichaePS withdrawal Patrick McGirI
{ found Slovak in the little parlor. sun
I day after Sunday Cissy went watkins
with Otto in the afternoons until the
. sight Of the vivacious Czech began tC
get on Patrick's nerves. Then, too
Cecilia worried him. She was lOsine
and giggled necessarily with SlovaI
and tossed her red hair into a higher
crest until her beauty glOwed almost
angTily. One day she laughed in hel
fathers sour face,
, Don't you like Otto papa?"
McGirr grunted something non-com-
! initial
Don't you think he'd be a good mattel
for me, pop, with his store, and his
good education, and Mr.. SlOvak's row Of
houses"
Sure" said Patrick McGirr dourly
! we don't need the store and the good
education and the row of houses. we've
6 got all that. Why don't you look fol
a MANI"
: Cissy laughed, loudly, cheerfully.
} "Oh, I'm looking" she said. You
haven't any one in mind for me, papa?'
mo, haven't" said Patrick McGirr
5 heavily.
He had been keeping an eye out foI
Michael these last few weeks, and Won
dered where the new route lay. He
. felt that he could not humble himself
to make inquiries. but as the winter
days passed without a sign of the old
horse and cart he concluded that
| Michael had dropped out of the neigh
bcrhOOd for good.
Usually, Patrick kept out of the way
of Cissy's company, but that night he
was in the little parlor when Otto
called. Michael and he had felt that