Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-02-18
Eye loved her very much, father,

Il
didn't ye?'
He nodded. Il loved her with ali
the heart of me and all the strength of
me-"
/ Peg sat quiet for some minutes; then
she asked him a question very quietly
and hung in suspense on his answer:
4 DO We love me as much as ye loved
ger, father?'
Its different. Peg. quite. quite diff
ferent."
"Why is it, She waited.
He did not answer
Sure, love is love whether We feel
it for woman or child" she per-
sisted
OConnell remained silent.
Did We love her betther than We
love me, father" Her soul was in her
great blue eyes as she waited excitedly
for the answer to that. to her, momen-
tous question.
why do ye ask me that:' said
O'COnnel
Because ! always feel a little sharp
pain right through my heart whenever
ye talk about me mother Ye see. ia
Their, I've thought,all these years that
| was the one We really loyel''-
''Ie're the only one | have in the
wurrld, Peg
"And We don't love her memory bet
ther than We do lne?'
O'Connell put both of his arms
around her.
eyer mother is with the saints, Peg,
and here are you by me side. Sure
there's room in me heart for the mem
DRY Of her and the love of YOU
She breathed little sigh Of salts
faction and nestled on to her fathers
shoulder. The little fit of childish jeal-
ousy of her dead mothers place in her
fathers heart passed.
She wanted no one to share her IA
TIERS affection with her. She gave him
all Of hers. She needed all of his.
When Peg was eighteen years old
and they were living in Dublin O'COn-
nell was offered quite Il good position
in New York. 1t appealed to him.
The additional money would make
things easier for Peg. She was almost
a woman now, and he wanted her to
get the finishing touches Of education
that would prepare her for a position
in the world if she met the man she
felt she could marry. Whenever he
would speak Of marriage Peg would
laugh scornfuliy:
'WhO would | he afther marryin'. I'd
| lilo IN 1ypOw2 Wbora II, tho xr,,,,.ylJ
would l find man like you:''
And no coaXing would make her car
ry on the discussion or consider it's
possibility.
1t still. ''arasSed him to think he had
so little to leave her if anything hap
pened to him. The offer to go to Amer
lea seemed providential. Her mother
was buried there. He would take Peg
to her grave.
Peg grew very thoughtful at the idea
Of leaving Ireland. All her little likes
and dislikeS, her impulsiye affections
and hot hatred, were bound up in that
country. She dreaded the prospect Of
meeting number of new people.
Still, it was for her fathers good, so
she turned brave face to it and said:
''Sure it is the finest thing in the
wurrld for both of u.s."
But the night before they left Ire
land she sat by the little window in
her bedroom until daylight looking
back through all the years of her short
life
1t seemed as if she were cutting off
all that beautiful golden period She
would never again know the free, care
less, happy-go-lucky, living from day
to day existence that she had loved so
much.
1t was a pale, wistful, tired little
Peg that joined her father at break
fast next morning.
His heart was heavy too. But he
laughed and joked and sang and said
how glad they ought to BEGGING to
that wonderful new country and, by
the way, the country Peg was born in
too! And then he laughed again and
said how fine she looked and how we'll
he felt and that it seemed as if it were
Gods hand in it all.
they acted their parts right to the end
until the last line of land disappear
ed and they were headed for America.
Then they separated and went to their
little cabins to think of all that had
been. And every day they kept up the
little deception with each other until
they reached America.
They were cheerless days at first for
| O'Connell. Everything reminded him
Of his first landing twenty years be-
fore with his young wife-both so full
of hope, with the future stretching out
ike some wonderful panorama before
them. He returns twenty years older
to begin the fight again-this time for
his daughter.
His wife was buried in little Cath
Ollie cemetery a few miles outside New
York city. There he took Peg one day.
and they put flowers on the little
| mound of earth and KOalt awhile i'm