The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-03-20
Martin O'Connor,
AmannenSiS
Why He Loved st. Patrick's
Day.
By F. A. mitchell


when he was a mere lad and by dint
OF hard work and perseverance made
fortune. He left a sister in Ireland
who married Daniel O'Malley, and she
was separated from her brother for
many years He was used to sending
her money occasionally, and after
awhile when she had grown older, she
would sometimes depute her adopted
daughter, Aileen, who was coming to
womanhood, to thank her brother for
his benefactions. The truth Is that
the woman had not been very well
educated, and Aileen, having more
advantages, was better fitted for these
replies As the years rolled by and
4 O'Connor became more and more pros
! porous it seemed to his sister that his
letters showed better education than
at first. The fact Is that he turned
over a part Of his correspondence to
his son, Martin, and 1t occasionally be-
came Martins part to write these
check bearing letters to his aunt, but
he wrote them in his fathers name.
One day Martin opened the mail In
his fathers absence and read letter
Of thanks for a remittance. 1t was
written In Mrs. O'Malley's name, but
Martin saw plainly that it had not
been written by her. 1t bore the I'M
press Of young girl, and very In
! telhgent girl at that. There was real
gratitude In It. and it was overflow
In mi Ind
ed to Martin that an emanation from
lovely girl had been waited across the
ocean and entered his heart.
The next time Mr.. O'Connor gave
his son check to send to Mrs. O'Mal-
ley Martin wrote letter which was
meant for a reply to the one last re-
ceived One not knowing the relation
ship between the two correspondents
would have supposed that it had been
written to girl instead Of his aunt.
Mrs. 0'Malley concluded that her
brother was becoming very affection
ate in bis old age. It was couched in
such kindly terms that she commits
stoned Aileen to express for her her
appreciation Of her brothers interest
In her and assure him that his sister
had not lost any Of her affection for
him during their long separation.
Aileen, feeling that she was writing
from a sister to a brother, did not
| scruple to express all the affection her
mother desired she should express for
Mr.. O'Connor. When the recipient read
It he wondered at this unusual demon
| stration Of affection, but set 1t down TO
! the fact that his sister was growing
old and as persons age their affection
for those of their own blood ripens. |
Being man Of business and undemon-
| strative, he handed the letter to his
son and told him to reply in kind
In this way a correspondence grew
up between Martin O'Connor and
Allen. the one writing supposedly to
| her uncle, the other presumably to
his aunt, which grew warmer and
warmer till the letters between the
brother and sister became almost lover
| like.
Whether Martin was really falling |
In love with his aunt or whether he |
suspected the old lady had employed |
an amanuensis doesn't appear but one |
thing Is certain--the letters he receiv- |
] ed became In time so affechonate that |
! whenever he saw one delivered by the |
| postman written In the well known |
hand he appropriated it to himself, and
his father never saw it. 1t is quite
likely that Aileen did the same with |
those letters that came from America
When loves quicksilver had attained |
considerable height Martin began to !
think that he would like to investigate |
this aunt of his to whom he was max |
| ing q semi brotherly love and see If |
her earthly part was as beautiful as
her soul. He began to express to his |
father a desire for trip abroad and |
especially to visit the green isle where
his ancestors had lived and died. He
became very pathetic over a plot Of |
ground his father had often described |
to him where the O'Connors were
moldering. An O'Connor had been a |
bishop, and Martin expressed himself |
as DESTROYS of visiting the grave of this !
eminent son Of the church
Mr.. O'Connor, much pleased that hrs
son should take this interest in his |
ancestors. who, by the bye. had from
| time immemorial been stalwart church
goers, consented that Martin should go |
abroad in the early spring, and Martin
suggested that 1t would be well for
him to time his visit for St Patrick's |
| day
THE very thing" said Mr. O'Connor
you may attend services on that an.
| niversary in the very church where
/ Bishop O'Connor preached.
Martin sailed early in March, arrang |
| ing to be with his aunt on the 18th |
! which every one with Irish blood IN |
his veins knows is st. Patrick's day |
Before saying goodby to him his ia
Their whispered in his ear:
BE sure to make it plain to your |
aunt that I'm very fond Of her, and |
all that. You know how to say such |
things better than do, and l rely on |
you to express my feelings"
Trust me for that, father" said |
Martin. I'm do 1t warmly"
A letter came from the young man |
| postmarked London stating that he
| was about to leave for the home Of |
| the O'Connors the next day. Later \
long letter was received describing his
meeting with his aunt and how he |
spent ST. Patrick's day "In compa-
N.Y. It said, with that beloved woman |
who has written her brother such beau
tiful letters attended services, sitting |
directly under the pulpit where our |
great Bishop O'Connor preached those |
soul stirring sermons. Later we Wis !
tied the plot where the O'Connors !
are buried, and l sat beside my aunt !
on a stone beneath which Fergus |
| 0'Connor, nay great-grandfather, rests. |
1t seemed to me that the family affec-
| tion for which our ancestors were |
marked was rising, SOFT of ethereal
aroma Something struck a responp
sive chord in my heart and set 1t VII
brating So affected was that 1 drew
my aunt to me, kissed her and whis-
| pered In her ear, Dear heart, l bear
you all the love of the O'Connors from |
the day when the first O'Connor spoke |
Of love to our first maternal ancestor"
| This part of the letter met with an |
| enthusiastic response from Patrick !
O'Connor and all his family The good !
| man rejoiced that In his son he had |
one to make up for his own undemon-
strative nature. Il WONDER" he said, |
that the boy could have felt so much |
affection for an old woman even though |
she be his fathers sister"
you forget" said Mrs. OConnor,
that Martin was expressing your feel
ings for his aunt
you're right" was the reply. 1T