The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-09-19
School closes next week, and shall
be home for the following month.
Your loving sister,

SchOOl closes next week, ana snail
be home for the following month
Your loving sister,
~ MARIA.
Kitty read the letter many times
over, and each time she read it a
deep flush rushed over her face up to
her hair. She brought forth the let
ter again, just as she caught herself
asserting aloud that she did not care
for policemen. This time the word
"dishing" caught her eye. "Oh," she
exclaimed, "In dish him! I'll dish
him." as she restored the letter to
her pocket.
The post Office of Ballybane had
been run by the O'Connors for two
generations. Kitty's father was dead.
Her mother attended to household af-
fairs. Kitty herself spent most of her
time attending to the post office and
small shop attached. The house stood
at the point on the main road where
it was joined by the less frequented
one from Ballybane village. Kitty
from the shop door or window had an
|
| the Hill O. the FurZe which was over
a quarter of mile away. The bar
rack was situated beyond the hill, and
two black figures on the white road
usually announced the approach of a
patrol
Hell get a cool reception today"
Kitty remarked to herself at the sight
of a figure on the near side of the
Hill O. the Furze She concluded it
was the sergeant coming along, but
she was wrong. When it was long
past the time in which paid and pro-
fessional walker like a policeman
should have covered the distance be-
tween the hill and the end of the
road Kitty looked again, and timidly
and furtively this time, through the
window. Her eyes and ears told her
at the same instant that the traveller
was the pedlar known in many bar
onies as Tommy from Galway" His
. pack was visible bullying above his
slightly stopped shoulders, and tune
f which he always hummed in fine
weather, Leather away with the wat
tie o." caught her ear at the same
time that her eye recognized his form
The pedlar was well-known to Kitty
p He had been on the road as far bach
G as her memory could go and, indeed
). long before her birth. He was the
DOGGY man of all youngsters, for the!
n were told he took with him in hi:
! pack the cross and unruly children
o His appearance, too, was calculated
!. to inspire fear in every young mind
@ but, although he carried a fierce
!. tongue and wore long unkemp
;. beard, he had never been known tt
+ injure any of them. He suffered iron
n a devastating thirst for porter whel
9 travelling, but he seldom made beas
G of himself. He was generally good
4 tempered, for professional reasons
$ That was why he hummed aloud OF
% the road. A merry pedlar is Away
g more successful than dull, crank
Il dealer Tommy from Galway knew
this instinctively, and he made fin
and continuous effort to be merry, blu
g. within he had a fire that could easil
n be famed into blaze.
lie Boys and girls as they passed int
s. their teens lost their fear of the pee
1t lar and grew to like him. His arriva
e. was looked forward to because he cal
lie ried many of the essentials of juvenil
O. life His pack was stocked chief
Of with small articles of feminine veal
m but he carried also tops, fishing hook
is and line, and snare wire, article
lg which made every boy worthy of tn
n name his friend.
e. God save all here!" shouted tn
lie pedlar in voice that told of assure
ar welcome.
lie you, too, Tommy" Kitty replied
lg land you're welcome. IT'S long sine
to you passed this way before"
If Long it is then, Miss, ten months
lie and longs the road l covered today
Where have you been?"
cat Roscommon races | was yeste
- day, Miss, and | put twenty miles
ar road behind me since the sun ru
It. today. But it's terrible weather, Mis-
vs. for thraVellin'. Dusty roads, an
to dhroughty weather, and five miles b.
to tween shops where man could get
at dacent drink"
O. But, Tommy" Kitty suggested
ar you're not fond of drink. If yo
Mt were you'd have no pack. Did yo
Ii. hear of what happened to Jack MALL
O. when he got drunk"
d. Don't mention me trade wit
e. Maille. That's a man, if he ha
OF made at all, that does nothil
w but drainin' glasses in public-house
cs But lis'en to me, Miss. IT'S
0. great pity you to be without
at license here at the turn O. the roa'
sc The weather, Miss, is worse fC
e. thravellin' men than for cattle.
es hear the farmers near Turloughmor
rs have to drive their cattle to Clar
galway for wather, or neither to Ball
- glunin since the weather turned ral
- hot. But the travellin' man is wors
II