Year: 1879

Continued from Yesterday


He paused, and fer time there was 81
lence Shawn looked thoughtfully into
the fire; lay back in nv easy chair and
carelessly watched the smoke which curled
! from my cigar, and as did so | seemed
to hear again the wildly plaintive voice of
the song as had heard it before that night
II have called my love, but he still sleeps on,
And his lips are as cold as clay"


And as the words of the song passed
through my mind. they seemed TO tell me
the sequel of the story


"Another case of disastrous true love-
| said, turning to shawn; and when he
looked puzzled | added, "he died, and she
is mourning him ?'


'fes, yer honor he died but if that was
all he did we could forgive him. What
broke the colleen's heart was that he should
forget her when he got to the strange land.
and marry another colleen at the time he
should have married her; after that, it
was but right that he should die"


"Did he write and tell her he was mar
riedp'


write? devil the bit, nor to tell he was
dead neither. Here was the poor colleen
watching and waiting for him for two
whole years. and wondering what could
keep him; but few months ago Owen
Macgrath, boy who had gone away from
the village long ago on account OF NOrah
refusing to marry him, came back again
and told Norah that Miles was dead and
asked her to marry him. He had made
lots of money. and was ready to take
house and bit of land and to buy up cat
tie if she would but say the word to him.


'Well?n


"Well, yer honor. Norah first shook her
head and said that now Miles was dead
twas as well for her to die too. At this
Owen spoke out and asked where was the
use of grieving so, since for many months
before his death Miles had been married
man! When Owen said this Norah never
spoke single word, but her teeth set and
her lips and face went cold as clay, and
ever since that day she has been so strange
in her ways that some think she not right
at ALL On moonlight nights she creeps
out of the house and walks by the sea
singing them strange old songs then she
looks out as if expecting him to come to
her-and right or wrong she II never look
at another man -


As Shawn finished, the hall clock
chimed five; the last spark faded from my
cigar, the turf fell low in the CRATE; so
went to bed to think over the story alone.


During the three DAYS which followed
this midnight adventure, Storport was Wis
tied by deluge of rain, but on the fourth
morning | looked from my window to find
the earth basking in summer sunshine.
The sky was Il vault of thrObbing blue,
flecked here and there with waves of sum-
mer cloud. the stretches of sand grew
golden in the sun-rays. while the saturat-
ed hills were bright as if from the smiling
of the sky. The sight revivified me, and
as soon as my breakfast was over whis-
tied up my dogs and strolled out into the
the air


How bright and beautiful everything
looked after the heavy rain The ground
was spongy to the tread the dew still lay
upon heather and long grass but the sun
seemed to be sucking up the moisture
from the bog. Everybody seemed to be
out that day; and most people were busy
Old men drove heavily laden donkeys
along the muddy road; young girls car
ried their creels of turf across the bog:
and by the roadside, close to where | stood
the turf-cutters were busy.


| stood for while and watched them at
their work, and when turned to go | saw
for the first time that had not been alone.
Not many yards from me stood figure
watching the turf-cutters too.


a young man dressed like grotesque
figure for pantomime; with high boots,
felt hat cooked rakishly over one eye, and
a vest composed of all the colors OF the
rainbow. His big brown fingers were
profusely bedecked with brass and steel
rings, a massive brass chain swung from
his waistcoat, and an equally snowy pin
adorned the scarf at his throat. When
the turf-cutters, pausing suddenly at their
work, gazed at him with wonder in their
eyes, he gave peculiar smile and asked
with strong Yankee accent if they could
tell him where one Norah O'Connell lived,
he was stranger here and brought her
news from the States In moment doZ-
EN- fingers were outstretched to point him
on, and the stranger again smiling strange
" to himself. staggered away,


| stood for a time and watched him 90.
then | too sauntered on. l turned off
from the road, crossed the bog, and made
direct for the sea-shore


| had been walking there for some quar-
ter of an hour, when suddenly II huge
shadow was flung across my path, and
looking up I.again heheld the stranger.
His hat was pushed back now, and saw
for the first time that his face was hand
some. His cheeks were bronzed and
weather-beaten. but his features were fine
~ formed. and on his head clustered
mass of curling chestnut hair. He was
flushed as if with excitement; he east me
a hurried glance aud disappeared,


Five minutes after, rs still stood won-
dering at the strange behavior of the man.
my ears We're greeted with a shrek which
pierced to my Very heart. Running in
the direction whence the sound proceeded.
| reached the top of II neighhOring sand
hill. and gazing iuto the valley below mo
again beheld the stranger This time his
head was bare-hs arms wersoatstreteAe<f.
and he held upon his breast she half- saias-
ing form of the lovely girl whom | had
last heheld IN the moonlight. While
stood hesitatng ~ eo the Mihty Of de-
scending, saw the gia gently withdraw
herself from his arms. then, clasping her
hands around his neck, fall sobbing on his
breast.