The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-05-03
'IrishEyes
D. HlLDA MORRIS
D. HILDA MORRIS


per SyndicAte)
When Bob Ellison was very young |
he had an Irish nurse. She was a
pretty colleen, that nursemaid, her big |
blue Irish eyes fringed with lashes 10
black as the glossy braids Of hair.
Little Bob idolized his Maggie, and
years afterwards, when she was but a
memory, the sight of blue eyes trimmed
with black would recall her dancing
feet, her merry voice, her tales of
COLLINS and the wee folk" He never
hoped to see Maggie again, of course,
but he did hope, In some vague, SUBJ
conscious way, to meet eyes like hers,
In face like hers, sometime, some
where. All Of us cherish ideals
whether we know 1t or not, and most
Of them have curious foundations. No
one could have been more surprised
than Bob Ellison at the suggestion
that the ideal Of the girl he wished
to marry was patterned after the be-
witching Maggie Of his nursery days.
Nevertheless, 1t was SO.
Bob went through school and college
with none of the love entanglements
from which his fellows suffered. There
were girls, Of course, some Of them
very nice girls with whom he liked to
dance and swim and occasionally firt,
but-none of them looked like Maggie.
The Irish ones were red-haired, or
their eyes were brown, or they had
too many freckles. It was not until
Bob was twenty-six years old and a
decided "catch" that he saw a girl
with Irish eyes and blue-black hair, a
girl whom even Maggie might have
envied.
1t was at dance that he met her.
a debutante affair to which his mother
had babe him go with particular In
functions to meet Miss Wayne, "the
Miss Wayne of Boston," Bob's mother
was not unaware OF the fact that her
son was clever enough and handsome
enough to marry whom he would, and
she liked to fancy an alliance with
some old aristocratic family. After
Bob had gone to the dance, his mother
sat at home, picturing to herself 9
daughter-in-law. tall, distinguee, a LITTLE
aloof and awe-inspiring.
AS for Bob. however, he shook Of
his mothers injunctions as soon as h
had left the house. Miss Wayne o
Boston, indeed He knew all abou
those Boston girls; he had had theI
| for teachers. They were mostly thi
] and wore spectacles and liked to tai
/ about the English essayists. He ha
/ no Intention Of seeking an acQuain
\ ance with Miss Wayne.
i And as soon as he reached the bal
\ room he saw the girl with the Iris
\ eyes. She wore blue, misty fioatin
4 blue that matched the blue of her eye
i and her sleek hair was black as tn
| feet. Some one called her Maggie
i Rose" Maggie-Rose, of all liltin
| Irish names Some one introduce
\ her to Bob and they danced Off tt
gether. Maggie-Rose Flynn! He di
not care who she was or where sh
came from, except that she seemed t
have come from his land OF dreams, hi
shrine of ideals. She danced divinely
and when she spoke her voice wa
divine, too, a merry musical vote
| such as only Irish maids may have
| She was his Maggie to the life, onl
| far more lovely. But of this Bob wa
| entirely unaware. He had forgotte
| Maggie; 1t was only her essence ths
| survived to weave the fabric of hi
| hearts ideal.
| Maggie-Rose seemed to like hin
| too They danced together a gref
! deal that evening, they had supper tt
| gether, they sat for q dreamy hal
i hour in the conservatory. She talke
\ good deal, but Bob was not real
4 conscious of much that she said;
i was the sound of her voice that el
il chanted him, the curve of her red liz
IL when she smiled, the blue of her eye
II If she told him anything about herse
j he was not aware of it, she RENAME
to him mysterious fulfillment of
:, long-cherished dream, a bewitching eT
y bodiment of all that was most CHAIR
9 ing In women.
r, Later some one else claimed her fl
- dance. and Bob watched her fro
!. the shelter of doorway until son
: one reminded him that he ought to
= dancing with another girl. Reluctan
= ly he turned away his eyes from IL
:, graceful form Of Maggie-Rose, al
the girl with whom he danced four
him very silent and stupid and vel
bad dancer; in fact, she said that
!, never would look where he was goin
: but insisted on gazing over the hea'
|, of people as If he were looking f
- some one, which seemed to her We
II rude.
:. Afterwards he tried to find Maggi
=. Rose, but she had vanished. !
,s graceful shape in floating blue a
+, peared on the ballroom floor, that
q no shape that was graceful accordil
- TO Bob's idea. Maggie-Rose had a
), parently disappeared as completely
= If at the stroke of II, her fairy go
. mother had changed her into anoth
=, form.
- whats become of that Miss F1yn
the one in blue?" Bob asked sever
of his friends, but no one seemed