The Irish standard., 1919-02-15
The Man From
County Cork

ner soul! was good to them all SIS |
ter, and working hard for them; and
I'm not grieving much, for l won't
be here long now, I'm old, I'd be
eager to go if-if-" His thin voice
trailed into silence and he closed his |
eyes and leaned his head wearily
against the back of his big chair. But |
Sister Evangelista knew that he was
not done, and waited in silence for
the rest of the story.
It was q long time before he looked
at her again and said, in half whis-
per, "And I-had-one little girl, IL
l wasn't good to her. She was the
youngest of all, and-may the Lord
forgive me-but loved her more
than all the lads together. She was as
as the worst of them,
Sister, with a gentle, tender heart
like her mothers; and when her
mother faded away and died my only
comfort was that Norah would be be-
side me always.
But she was only eighteen years
when she wanted to go to the convent
-Norah, of all girls! And she so
pretty, and so winsome and so gay,
and me wanting her every hour of the
day. All that was nearly thirty years
ago. And i never defied God before,
but l said NO. Norah waited for
awhile, and still said NO She wait
ed until Father O'Sullivan told her
that she was risking her vocation, and
then she left home and came to Amer
lea to enter"
Again he paused before going on
shame-facedly. Sister, you can't
blame me more than l blame myself,
but IL forbade her to write to us,
for they were angry, too. The Lord
soon punished me. My sons died, all
of them, and year by year I've grown
lonelier and lonelier, and more hun
cry for the sight of her face. longed
for her until I couldn't rest, and she
its been hard on her, though
didn't think of that for many day.
had two hundred and fifty dollars, so
l came to look for her. She came to
New York. I knew that, but hadn't
guessed America is so big, and New
York-why, it's got more people in it
than a dozen Ireland's! And l hadn't
known Norah Connors are so plenti-
full. went, all smiling and hopeful at
first, to every convent in New York
City,, and some of them have Norah
O'Connors, but not my Norah. And I
went to Brooklyn, and to Albany
walked most Of the way, and it was
winter then, because my money was
nearly gone. Then 1 came here. l
can't do any more. If only she could
know how sorry am, and-how
long I've been sorry"
Sister Evangelista said nothing. She
was thinking less OF him than of his
daughter; thinking, too, how many
nun carries some such weight upon
her heart. She had almost forgotten
Wu0u u0 U0Sdu d&SA1us
I'm happier here than have been
in many years. You may think I'm
out of my head If tell you, but
sometimes l hear her voice out there
in the corridor, or even close to my
bed, and I've thought some nights
that I saw her face again quite plain
ly, not as rosy as it used to be, but
just as sweet and happy
Sister Evangelista smiled indulgent-
ly and tried to comfort him a little;
and few minutes afterwards meet
ing Sister 1melda in the pharmacy she
said to her: "You will be on duty to-
night in my ward, and I want you to
be very good to poor old Tim. He is
not going to last long, and most of us
left lovely fathers behind u.s.
"Oh, l will be good to him. He
seems to like me. have always
been particularly sorry for him. Poor
old mani" Sister Imelda answered.
"His daughters a nun, and he is
UlOhOu.ACdIIcU UOCdu6O uO CSan uuU
her. Norah O'Connor was her name.
She left home many years ago. And
now his sons are dead and he's alone
in the world and grieving his heart
out for sight of his little girl"
Sister Imelda looked at her strange.
ly for moment. He's looking for
his daughter-and he's Tim O'Con-
nor-from County Cork" she said. Il
Sister, am going to speak to him."
and she almost ran towards the ward.
"She will never grow up," Sister
Evengelista thought indulgently.
Sister Imelda was by the old mans
bed before he saw her, and in an in
slant she was leaning over him and
had his face clasped between her
hands.
"Daddy-dear, dear daddy-don't
you know me?" she whispered.
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