Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-05-06

worried. "Cornelia's thirty. It's time
for her to settle, and she'll make a
good wife. They'll live here, too
There1l be no kicking up of their
heads and going. off to Europe or New
York and thinking themselves TOO
good to come back to California, like
Maggie Duffy and her baronet. J want
them here. I want to see some grand
children round this house before | die.
/ want to know where Cons money is
going to-"
She sighed, and it was obvious that
her heart was heavy.
Yes, she said, "it's good mar
riage and I'm pleased at 1t. Jacks
Roman Catholic but you can't have
everything down here in this world"
The Ryans were Protestants. almost
the only prominent Irish-American
family in San Francisco which be-
longed to that church. Cornelius
Ryan had been a North-country man.
and went out with the Orangemen
when they paraded. He had been nrm
in his faith and so had his wife, ana
with the HiberIian's violect devotion
to creed they had made public their
antipathy to the Church of Rome and
their hopes that their children would
not make alliances with its members.
ooh WELL" said Cannon with
shrug of vague tolerance, "a mans be-
liefs don't matter. With woman it's
a different thing. She brings up the
children and takes her religion hard.
Jack won't interfere with Cornelia
that way"
Perhaps not said the mother
There was a slight pause and then
she said with a sigh:
We'll, thank God, one of my chill
dren's going to marry as l want"
She was gazing into the fire and did
not notice the quick look, SLY and
piercing, that her companion shot at
her. The conversation had suddenly,
without any effort of his, fallen UPON
the subject to which he had intended
directing it.
Yes" he said looking away from
her, you've had one disappointment
That's enough
Disappointment she echoed in a
loud voice. Disappointment? I've
lost my son; lost him as if he was
dead-worse than if he was dead, for
then I'd know he was happy and safe
somewhere"
1t was a cry of pain. Rachel mourn
ing for her child The note of feeling
in it checked the remark on Cannon's
lips. He understood what her suffer
ing was and respected it.
Why, Bill Cannon" she went on,
turning the perturbed fierceness of her
face on him, how often do you think
/ see my boy? What ties do you
think he has with his home? He came
up here after he'd got back from Ante
lope, but before that I'd only seen him
once in six weeks"
That's pretty hard" he commented,
his elbow on the arm of the chair, his
chin sunk in the cup of his up-curled
hand That's pretty tough. | didn't
know it was as bad as that"
Nobody knows anything about him
He won't let them. He won't let me.
He's proud, and trying to hide it all
That's the reason he comes up here so
seldom. He knows l can see into him,
see through him, clear through him,
and he don't want me to see how mis-
cradle he is"
OH" said the old man, moving
slightly and raising his eyes to look at
her. The interjection was full of sig
nificance, pregnant with understand
ing, appreciation and enlightenment
He was surprised himself. He had
thought, and had understood from
Dominick, that no one, especially no
one of his own people, know of the
young mans domestic infelicities
Neither of them was shrewd enough to
realize that the mother would guess,
would know by instinct.
And what do you suppose he came
up for that once?" pursued Mrs. Ryan.
You could guess a lot of times but