Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-07-21
(CHAPTER III-Continued.)

One day Erris Boyne said to Dyck:
"rheres a supper tonight at the
Breakneck club. Come along and have
a skinful. You'll meet people worth
knowing"
1.-THE Breakneck club isn't a good
name for a tirst-class institution" re-
marked Dyck with a pause and
laugh; but I'll come if you'll fetch
me-"
Erris Boyne, who was eighteen years
older than Dyck, laughed, flicked a
little pinch of snuff at his nose with
his finger.
Dear lad, of course I'll come and
fetch you" he said. There's many
man has done worse than lead a gay
STRIPPING like you into pleasant ways.
Bring along any loose change you have,
for it may be a night of nights. It's
the best place to come to ever an hon
est man had"
Are they all the right sort?" asked
Dyck, with a little touch of malice. II
mean are they loyal and true"
Erris Boyne laid hand on Dyck's
arm.
Come and find out. Do you think
I'd lead you into bad company? OF
course Emmett and Wolfe Tone won't
be there, nor any of that lot; but
therell be some men of the right
stamp" He watched Dyck carefully
out of the corner of his eye. ITS
hn oII bot in IraInnH tho
word loyal means being true to the
Union Jack, standing by King George
and his crowd"
well, what would you have" said
Dyck. For this is day and age when
being loyal to the king is more than
aught else in all the Irish world. We're
never two days alike, we Irish. There
are the United Irishmen and the De-
tenders on one side, and the Peep-o'-
Day Boys, or Orangemen, on the other
Catholic and Protestant, at each 9TH
er'S threats. Then there's hand thrust
in, and up goes the sword, and the
rifles, pixies and bayonets; and those
that were ready to mutilate or kill
each other fall into each others arms"
Erris Boyne laughed. well, therell
be an end to that. The Irish parlia-
ment is slipping into disrepute. 1t
wouldn't surprise me if the astute Eng
fish bride them into a union, to the
ruin OF Irish independence. Yet may
be, before that comes, the French will
have a try for power here" He came
step nearer, his voice lowered little.
''Have you heard the latest news from
France? They're coming with a good
sized fleet down to the south coast.
Have you heard it?"
"Oh, there's plenty one hears one
doesn't believe is gospel" answered
Dyck, his eyes half closing. I'm not
believing all l hear, as if it was a
prayer-meeting. Anything may happen
here; Irelands woman-very uncer-
tain"
Dyck flicked some dust from his
waistCoat, and dropped his eyes, be-
cause he was thinking of two women
ne had known; one of them an angel
now in company of her sister angels
Ills lllOlIltl IllC Ollltl Il Slll Nv iIdld mt
on the hills of COnnemara, a wonder
fully pretty girl of seventeen. How
should he know that the girl was Erris
Boyne's daughter?- although there
were times when some gesture of
Boyne, some quick look, some lifting
of the eyebrows, brought back the
memory Of Sheila Llyn, as it did now.
Since Dyck left his old home he had
seen her twice; once at Loyland tow
ers and once at her home in Limerick.
The ting he had spentsTitR hen' hid
been very1brief, but full of HE, inter
est and character. %setheRsat.,,' Lsy-
land towers, or at her fnothes's hogse
in Limerick, shere wg no touch Of for
wardness in her, or''fn anything she
said or did. She was the most natural
being, the freest from affertation, he
had ever known. 80 I'D
AS Erris Boyne talked to him, the
memory of Sheila flooded his mind, and
on the food his senses swan like
, swans. He had not her careful com.
posure. He was just as real but he
had the wilfulness of man. She inhu
enced him as no woman had ever YET
done; but he saw no happy ending tc
the dream. He was too poor to marry
he had no trade or profession; his
fathers affairs were in a bad way.
He did not know that Erris Boynt
was set to capture him for the rebe
cause. How could he know that Boyn'
was an agent Of the most evil forces II
Ireland--an agent of skill and address
prepossessing, with the face of Celtic
J poet and the eye Of an assassin
Boyne's object was to bring abou