The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-02-27
By j. Hartley Manners

ec-6peak-t0-y0u. 1-l-l0ve-
you - with - all - my heart-and-my
soul-husband! Good-goodby, Frank"
She slipped from bis arms and lay,
lips parted, eyes open, body still.
The struggle was over. She had
gone where there are no petty treach-
cries. no mean brutaities-where all
stand alike before the throne to rem
der an account Of their stewardship.
The brave. gentle little heart was
stilled forever.
And now Peg appears for the first
time and brings her radiant presence.
her roguish smile, her big. frank. soul
full blue eyes, her dazzling red hair,
her direct, honest and outspoken
truth, her love Of all that is clean and
pure and beautiful-Peg enters our
pages and turns what was history of
romance and drama into a comedy of
youth.
Peg-pure as mountain lily, sweet
as fragrant rose, haunting as an old
melody-Peg O. Our Hearts comes into
our story even as she entered her IA
TIERS life, as the savior of these pages.
even as she was the means of saving
O'Connell.
And she did save her father.
1t was the presence and the thought
of the little motherless baby that kept
O'Connell's hand from destroying him
self when his reason almost left him
after his wife's death. The memories
Of the days Immediately following the
passing Of Angela are too painful to
dwell upon.
They are past They are sacred in
O'Connell's heart. They will be to the
historian.
Thanks to some kindly Irishmen
who heard of O'Connelrs plight, he
borrowed enough money to bury his
dead wife and place a tablet to her
memory.
He sent a message to Kingsnorth
telling him Of his sisters death. He
neither expected nor did he receive an
answer. As soon as it was possible
he returned to Ireland and threw him.
self once again heart and soul into
working for the "cause" He realized
his only hope of Keeping his balance
was to work. He went back to the
little village he was born in. and II
was Father Cahill's hands that pour.
ed the baptisnlai waters on O'Con
nelrs and Angela's baby. and it was
Father Cahill's voice that read the
baptismal service.
She was christened Margaret
Angela. one night. when it was near
ing her time. begged him If it were
girl to christen her Margaret after her
mother. since all the best in Angela
came from her mother.
OConnell would have liked much to
name the mite Angela but his dead
wife's wishes were paramount. So Mar.
garet the baby was christened It
was too distinguished a name and too
long for such little bundle of pink
and white humanity. 1t did not seem
to fit her. So Peg" she was named.
and Peg" she remained for the rest
of her life.
Looming large in Pegs memories in
after life was her father showing her
st. Kernans hill and pointing out the
mount on which he stood and spoke
that day, while her mother. hidden by
that dense mass of trees. saw every
movement and heard every word
Then somehow her childish thoughts
all seemed to run to home rnle-to love
OF Ireland and hatred Of England-to
thinking all that was good of Irish
men and all that was bad of English
men.
"Why do ye hate the English 80
much, fatherT' she asked O'Connell
once, looking up at him with puzzled
look in her big blue eyes and the most
adorable brogue coming fresh from
her tongue.
why do We hate them?' she re-
peated.
1--WE good cause to, Peg, me darlin'."
he answered, and deep frown gather
ed on his brow.
"Sure wasn't me mother English?'
Peg asked.
"She was"
Then why do ye hate the English?"
1T 'ud take long time to tell ye
that, Peggy. Some day will. There's
many reason why the Irish hate the
English. and many a good reason too
But there's one why you and should
hate them and hate them with all the
bitterness that's in u.s.
"And what is it?'' said Peg curiousIy
I'LL tell We. When yer mother and
I were almost staarvin', and she lyin
on bed of sickness. she wrote to an
Englishman an asked him to assist
her. An this is the reply she got:
we've made yer bed. Lie in it. That
was the answer she got the day be-
fore you were born. and she died Civ
in ye life. And by the same token
the man that wrote that shameful
message to a dyin' woman was her
own brother"
"Her own brother. yer tellin' me?"
asked Peg wrathfully.
II am, Peg. Her own brother, I'm
tellin' ye."
"It's bad luck that man'll have all
his lfer' said Peg 6ercely. ITO write
me mother that-an' she dyin'! Faith
I'd like to see him some day-just
meet him-an' tell him She stopped,
her little fingers clinched into q minia.
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