Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 106 — page 9: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SS Ss 4 ' tremel a ee ee yain enough to imagine that she had entirely got rid of that evicence of ber birth, and noth- ing pleased her better than to have some wit of the neighborhood fool her to the top of her bent by inquiring how it was that she, an Irish lady, spoke like a native-born Englisher. The two ladies were together in the drawing- room, an apartment that the madam had spared no expense to fit up in the most ‘illi- gant” style; but, as she had insisted upon me + ts me eee having her own mig 4 about the furnishing, and | had bullied the Dublin upholsterer like a duchess, the result was that the best room of tbe O’Glory mansion looked more like an auc- tion shop than a parlor. ‘here was a big suit of ancient armor set up in one coruer, which Mrs. O’Glory had bought cheap, at a second-hand shop, in London, and with an assurance worthy of a better cause she called every visitor’s attention to it as being the identical suit of mail that her great-grand- father, Hugh O’Neal, of the Red Hand, had wornin days of yore, when he lorded it over half of Ireland. Some ancient chairs, too, were pointed out as belonging to this same doughty gentleman. And all this too despite the fact—which her own common sense ought to have told her was no secret to her neighbors—that her father had been a small store-keeper in Galway, and that she could as easily trace back her line to Adam as to the great O’ Neal. Mrs. O’Glory satin the great arm-chair, her especial pride next to the armor, the chair Shamus ©’ Brien. —-— —-— — the worruld, Shamus O’Brien, ye are! But, take my word for it, the day will come whin ye will repint that yeiver gave thought to him. Isn’t he an outlaw and aribel? Bad ’cess to the likes of him, say I.” ‘* It is no crime for a man to stand up in de- fense of his country!” the heiress returned, spiritedly. ‘* Besides, lam convinced that he is innocent of the charge brought against him. There is no doubt that he loves Ireland, and would gladly shed his blood in defense of his native land, either in opposition to a foreign foe, or in a bold struggle for liberty against the oppressor who now tramples the green isle with an iron heel, but lam sure that he would not be foolhardy enough to excite a rising which could only end in bloody disaster. Many a time have I heard him say that it was utter madness for Ireland, situated as she now is, to attempt to cope with England in open, active warfare. Her wrongs must be redressed by peaceful _ means, in the halls of state, not upon the plains which she declared had once been the seat of — judgment of the great Red Hand. In truth she had picked the relic up ata second-hand shop in Dublin for a five-pound note, and it was ex- dear for the money. The heiress was by the window looking out into the garden. ‘* Maggie, dear, do ye see the captain?’ Mrs. O’Glory asked, ‘*No, madam,” *¢ And isn’t he afther walkin’ up and down, a- tryin’ to catch a sight of - windy, like the love-lorn gintleman that he is?’ The proud lip of the girl curled in contempt. io I danger of Captain Desmond Burke ever break- ing his heart for any woman,” she remarked. ‘* Oh, it’s little ye know of him, me darlint!” Mrs, O'Glory exclaimed. “Shure! the captain is as tinder-hearted as a chicken, and he dotes on ye, me dear. I tell you phat itis, Maggie, ye don’t know the value of the heart that ye are trifling wid. It’s a foine compliment, too, to any gurl to be honored wid the addresses of a gintleman like Captain Burke. He comes of one of the ouldest families in the county—in a!! Ireland, for that matter. But of course you are not able toappreciate that, for you are not a descindant of one of the ould stocks as I am. I don’t forget it, do ye mind, although I did demane myself by weddin’ this snub of a law- yer.” In this uncomplimentary manner she referred to her liege lord and master. ‘‘ Now, | | | | of war.” ‘*What did he mane, thin, by nearly b’ating the Englishman to death, at Glingal?’ Mrs. O’Glory demanded. ‘*it was a private quarrel—a dispute between man and man, such as might happen any wheres, and politics had nothing to do with it!” the heiress protested, the bright color flushing up into her face. ‘‘The English officer dared to speak disrespectfully of a lady; Mr. O’Brien re- sented the speech, not because the speaker was an Englishman, but because the remark wasa_ ever have of becoming foul falsehood. Words were succeeded by blows; the officer attacked Mr. O’Brien, and then, being _ worsted in the affray, drew his sword: this brave soldier, weapon in hand, attacked an un- armed man, b man whom ne ee ee ee SOS 9 odd Lieutenant Smithers wasentertaini g wit! some of the toughest stories of persoua] adyvon- ture that mortal ears ever had listened to, ala had sought the solitude of the grounds without, not exactly to ‘‘ weep his sad bosom empty,” but to curse the evil luck which had attended his every venture lately, and to speculate upon the probabilities of said luck changing. The moon, rising slowly, afforded light for the puzzled officer’s promenede. The first cigar finished, he flung it aside and lighted a fresh one, pacing up and down ail the while like a caged Lion. . ‘*Luck must change, some time,” he mut- tered; ‘‘it must change; the tide cannot always run counter. The appearance of this O’Brien, though, presages no good to me, for that this fellow who so cleverly eluded us tc-day was O’Brien, I have no doubt. And if it is O’Brien, the chances are a hundred to one that he has been in communication with the girl. If so, that accounts for the coolness with which she has treated me lately. Satan take the luck, say I!” he exclaimed, bitterly; ‘‘to think that I, Desmond Burke, one of the old Burkes of Twelve Pins, should be on the brink of ruin and no chance of salvation open except the one that comes through this girl! And yet, the little minx aypesrs as cool and indifferent to my suit as though I were almost an utter stranger, in- stead of being an attentive and ardent suitor, for the last two years, Deucetakeher! If it wasn’t for the money, little chance would she Mrs. Burke. Matters must reach a climax pretty soon; I cannot put my creditors off much longer, and when the crash does come, it will be an ‘illigant’ one. _I think, though, that a gentleman of my name ut he was no match for the Irish- | will be missing about thattime. But I mustn’t in his blind rage, he had intended | think of that!” he added, abruptly. **T must to slay. O'Brien wrested the sword from him, _ not show the white feather, yet awhile. The and then, with the flat of the blade, erage. to use either point or edge, he flogged the rasca like a dog, and at last on his knees, fairly made him beg for mercy, and acknowledge that ees through the | hehad spoken falsely. O’Brienspared him, and then this cowardly hound reported to his su- periors that O’Brien had attacked him at the o not think, madam, that there is auy head of an armed mob, so that this personal eo tee was magnified into an Irish outbreak, ‘Brien was proscribed and a price set upon his | head.” | ‘Good raison for it, too!” Mrs, O’Glory de- clared, vehemently. ‘‘Shure! the government _knew that Shamus O’Brien was a dangerous man, a traitor, always plottin’ treason, bad - him as an agitator who ought to be sopret. take my advice, darlint, and secure the cap- | tain while youcan. Shure! such a chauce may | never come to ye ag’in. He’s young, foine- looking, a perfect gintleman, wid a good prop- erty and an ould name.” ‘Oh, madam, itis of no use to ak to me of Captain Burke!” the young girl retorted, ee or ee ** And why not?’ Mrs. O’Glory demanded, ‘Because I do not care for him, and I never ” ‘Oh, that is only a foolish, ye'll change yer mind some time. ‘‘ Indeed I will not! I do not like the gentle- man; his very presence is distasteful to me; nor do I like the uniform he wears. A red coat on the back of an Irishman is not agreeable to e.”? ‘‘Oh, ye rebel!” cried Mrs. O’Glory, indig- nantly. ‘‘ An’ ye don’t like the red coat! Oh, mother o’ Moses! phat is it that ye do like? Mebbe ye would like a man that would be afther carrying a pike an’ goin’ ag’in’ the Govern- ment, like that black villain O’Brien!” ‘‘O’Brien is not a villain, but a worthy Irish gentleman!” the heiress exclaimed, spiritedly. ‘‘Oho! an’ that is the way the wind blows, is it?” the lawyer’s wife exclaimed, with asniif of angry contempt. *‘An’ it is for the likes of this O’Brien that ye do be afther turnin’ yer bose up at such a gintleman as Captain Des- mond Burke. Shure! I thought that you had got rid of that nonsense a long time ago! It’s true thin, I suppose, the report that is abroad. Shamus O’Brien is in the county hiding like a thafe from the officers of the law. But there’s one consolation, me jewel, ye can’t have him. Me husband is your guardian, and you can’t marry without his consint, do ye mind that?’ ‘‘T shall soon be of age, and then I will be my own mistress,” the young girl replied, much to the disgust of tho scheming matchmaker. Mrs. O’Glory set her thin lips spitefully to- gether, and with a forced and scornful laugh attempted to conceal the vexation which she felt at this display of independence, “Oho! it’s a foine state of mind ye’re in!” the angry woman ‘tecland. ‘Tecan guess wiss* ye mane, It’s thimking of that wild thafe of girtish fancy ; Sse ee luck to hir- \” ‘‘But he never broke the law of the land, either by word or deed!” Miss Moore retorted. ‘* He always kept within the bounds of reason. I know that these narrow-minded men who mis- represent England here in Ireland, looked upon and so they g vd seized upon this quarrel as a pretext to exile the man they feared.” ‘It’s mighty well informed, ye are!” the an- gry dame remarked, with profound sarcasm in her voice. ‘‘Mebbe it was the ribel himself told #5 how it was?” | ‘* He did,” Maggie replied, quietly. “‘Oh, mother of Moses, do ye hear that?” the old woman flamed out; ‘‘an’ do ye dare to tell me to me face that ye have seen Jim O’Brien, an’ ye know, too, that both Mr. O’Glory an’ me- self are dead set ag’in’ it?” **T do not acknowledge that you have any right to control my actions so far as that goes!” the heiress replied, with quick decision, ‘* You know that he is not, an’ never has been, welkim in this house!” *You need not be alarmed, madam,” Maggie observed, rising as she spoke, ‘he has never troubled your door, nor is he likely to.” ‘If he knows whin he is well off, he won’t!” the virago declared. ‘ Faix! I’d give a trifle to see him laid by the heels, an’ if he wance came into this house, it’s mighty soon I’d sind for the sodgers for to seize him; but it’s a long lane that has no turning, an’ I’m thinkin’ that Mister Shamus O’Brien will thry to play the fox wance too often; an’ it’sa eoeatord to me to be afther thinking that the sodgers will lay hands on him, soon, an’ thin he will be jailed for life, if he is not hung, as he ought to be, the red-handed blaggard !” ‘**T will not remain and listen to such words against a man who is as noble and as true a gen- tleman as ever breathed Irish air!” the heiress cried, indignantly. ‘‘If you cannot speak well of James O’Brien, you shall not speak ill of him in my presence!” Andthen she walked proudly from theroom, leaving the lawyer’s wife a prey to an outrageous fit of rage. CHAPTER XIII. THE INFORMER, THe dusky night had come, and Captain Desrhond Burke, enjoying the fragrance of a fine cigar, Was pacing up and down the lawn by the great fetes that gave admittance to the grounds of O’Neal Hall. The bold captain was not in a ve pleasant mood, and even the excellent ‘ wie "did not serve to trang bim. tain Burke had torn himself away from te festive group within the Hall, wikh the | | | appearance of Shamus O’Brien, if it really is Shamus, instead of being a stroke of ill-luck may be the turning point of my fortunes. He comes here, of course, after aggie Moore. Only a woman could induce a man to risk the yawning doors of a jail. Ifit had not been for her, he surely would not have ventured back to Ireland. Now, then, suppose that I succeed in taking him? Once my prisoner, how do we stand? Ishall not be in a hurry to turn him over to the authorities, but rather place him in some secure confinement. I hold him fast. I can either turn him over to the government, or else be so carelessin my watch over him that he manages to escape. The first point, now, is to put salt on the tail of my bird; then, when Mr, O’Brien is in my power, say to my darling Miss Moore—‘ Your lover’s fate is in my hands; is his life worth ten thousand pounds to you? If it is, = pen of ty so that I can get the money, and I will go bail that he shall get out of the hobble.’ ”’ Then the captain paced in silence up and down for afew minutes and pulled away lustily at the cigar. **Upon my word and honor!” he exclaimed at last; ‘‘ I oro that it is an extremely fine pies and if I succeed in the first part I can ardly fail in the last. But now, in regard to the first part—how on earth am i going to put my ten fingers on Mister Shamus O’Brien, if | you pl’ase?’ Some sage has written that no matter how strange and unexpected the situation, some man always rises out of obscurity to meet it. And now through the dusk of the night es a dark form—a man who believed that he could answer the question the captain had just asked, although, of course, he did not overhear it, and had no idea that it had been put. The man was the process-server, Dooney MacDarrow, who had been so roughly handled by the disguised stranger. * Dooney came limping along, sick and sore in every limb, and no wonder, for he had received a terrible drubbing, and a stout blackthorn stick is not quite as soft as eider-down. ‘Is it there ye air, captain darlin’?”’ the process-server exclaimed, as he came limping up to the gate. ‘* Hallo, Dooney, is that you? I tha won would be laid up for a week.’ _ “Shure! there is no ointment for sore bones like revenge on the man that gave the hurt, sur,” Dooney replied, with a ferocious air. ‘*Oho! and that is the tack that you are on, eh?” Burke exclaimed, with a great deal of satisfaction apparent in his manner, The fel- low had come as though summoned by his thoughts. ‘Vis, sur; do ye think that I could be after laying in me bed, a-nursin’ my bruises, and this fellow to the fore ey eating round the coun- ty, bold as brass?” the process-server demand- ed, with a great deal of savageness in his tones ‘Well, if I was in your place, I confess I don’t think that Ishould keep my bed if I was able to get up. I should be much more dis- posed to seek for satisfaction than to cry quits with the fellow.” ! “True for yees, yer honor; and I’ve bin af- ther him, the Curse of Cromwell on him, the heavy-handed thafe of the world!” ‘““ Aha! yon have been after him, eh?” Durke wos ella now. expected S) GomiGcooeo