South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-12-24
A Gallagher Act
By D. c. Roberts

Miss Lydia Gallagher lived i'm the
top floor front at Mrs Sarks' There
We're two things that she was Sc
cretly very proud of in her unassum-
ing way, first, that she was one of
the Gala CHEERS of County Antrim.
and second that although alone and
unprotected i'm strange land. she
was still able to uphold the tradi-
tons of her family and live gem
teelly. as be fitted a daughter of the
kings of Ireland.
The money that she earned from
giving bridge lessons, together with
the hundred pounds a year left 10y
Uncle Dan who died i'm India. suf-
feed for a ladylike, though modest
existence To be sure. the little
black toque with the wreath of vio-
lets and the back and white striped
silk dress had seen many seasons
Of wear. but they We're still eminent
" respectable and she asked nothing
else.
In fact. now that the war was on
she felt a certain glory in her old
clothes and would not have changed
them for new if she could All her
spare money went into wool that
she knitted as she rode on the street
car. between lessons at meals i'm
fact every minute she could steal,
into socks and sweaters for my FIVE
nephews at the front Dan at Cal
IpoIi. little Meela in Palestine. and
Angus Sheamus and David in Elan
ders. Their pictures stood in a
cleaning row like bodyguard, on
her tiny dresser.
Yet. though her nervous little fin
gers were busy from early morning
till late at night. Miss Lydia was not
satisfied with her share in the war.
There were dozen of legends in her
family of the heroism of the Cal
lagher women i'm times of stress and
Miss Lydia felt that they had set
standard 20 which she, "a full
FLOODED Gallagher must live up.
She burned with an ardent pa
triotism and longed for an oppor-
tunitv 20 prove herself.
For several years Miss Lydia had
had "a companion i'm her top floor
front. u. or ne. was a bird of un-
known lineage. apparently some
thing between a crow and cat
bird. with rough. black feathers and
q rasping call She had found him
ono morning after a heavy wind
storm the night before at the foot
OF the elm tree i'm the garden. He
was young bird who had fallen
from his nest and been stunned.
She tok him in and christened him
CORY after am ancient kingly an
costor of hers. and kept him i'm a
great gilt cage hanging i'm the win
dow
As ne GREW older the vaearies OF
his lineage made themselves felt lie
whistled and sQuawked from morn
ing tnI night Nervous Miss Saun-
ders. who lived next door. had To
change her room on account of him
The French mademoisele. who lived
on the other side. muttered 20 her
self necessarily i'm gutteral Norman
French. and Fraulein Muller the
German teacher at Miss Phillips
narrowed he, pale blue eyes az tn,
sounds but said nothing.
one Friday afternoon In August
Miss Lydia went away 90 visit q
pupil of hers down at the shore. q
momentous and unusual event IN her
life. When she returned ON sun
day evening COrry's cage door was
open and ne was gone Nobody APP
parenuy knew anything about him
but all agreed that the only way he
could have gotten ont was for some
body 10 deliberately open the cage
door and let him fy All prOfessed
a sorrow which none felt ONE even
went so far as 20 hint that the dark
muttering mademoiselle or nervous
Miss Saunders. might know more