The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-07-28

looked at Mrs. McQuaide.
Mrs. Halliday" began Mrs Nc
QuGide, I'm be-that Is, I'm thinkin'
this be quaire doins, an I'm just go.
in out of here, that's what ! 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.
"Well," she soliloquized, they do
be sayin he's under proteetion-but
whether saints or the diyil do be sind
I'M thin silver dollars, / can't know.
And no one knew; and the mystery
grew IN Nineyeh. 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 a suspected char
acter.
SO passed five days-a week-ten
days-and Nineveh had just begun 10
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 a silver dollar
into her lap!
This was 100 much. Worried and
weeping, Mrs. Halliday placed the
money where she had put the rest Of
the mysterious treasure-on a shelf un-
der the picture Of Saint Patrick, and
then hurried 10 the domicile of Mrs.
McQuaide, to talk the matter over with
her.
Mrs. McQuaide," she began, plead
ingly, its hurted | am with all this
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, its mesilf as has
been thinkin about that same, an I've
been discussin' the matter wild Mrs.
O'Toole an Mrs. McDermott Mrs.
O'Toole, she be thinkin' he be haunted
by a banshee, an we better be seein'
Father Murphy about it,"
"Hoot. woman!" interrupted Mrs.
Halliday Indignantly, there be no ban
shees in America, they all do be in the
ould country"
That's what ! told Mrs. OToole,"
answered Mrs. McQuaide. "An l 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
we all thought that it would
be a good thing to so 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
to 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
,ools asking for a chance to keep away
The blessings of heaven! Whoever
heard of the like?'
Meantime, while Tim Halliday was
Father Murphy, new mys-
.eries had developed in Nineyeh. In
,identally, Tim Halliday's baby had
but that was to be eX-
Dected, and it was supposed that he
would turn up all right with the usual
silver dollar But he didn't. The event
hat had so reused the small settle
nent was this: About II o'clock Mrs.
came running out of her
3hanty, wringing her hands and crying
bitterly. Indeed, her anguish was
80 loud and vehement that Mrs.
OToole, Mrs McDermott, Mrs. Halli- !
lay, and all the other ladies of Nine
,eh came out to discover the cause.
AN what's the matter wild ye?"
Questioned Mrs O'Toole, hurrying for
ward and placing her hand sympa-
hetically on Mrs. McQuaide's shoulder. |
Is it the misery in the stomach" 4
mo, it's more fearsome than that"
noaned Mrs. McQuaide, i've been
'obbed!"
'Robbed?" calculated all of the
aides in a breath.
"Yis, that's the way it be" replied /
Mrs. McQuaide, wiping her eyes with .
Ter apron. i've been savin' up some
money this while back, for Barney an
ne to start in some little business for
,ursilves, when we should be ready