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sw
BID
twmty-two years ago. I filled yr
basket -with fish y didn't catch yT
self ? And 'twas not aisy fishin' yan
$er. Betray me! Shure, wan that's
been kissed by Rosleen Dennis is it
that yd have me think?"
"Rosleen Dennis!" The Young Doc
tor looked at him queerly, hesitated
a moment, and then added: "Have
you heard of Rosleen since then
how many years ago?""
"Oh, twenty-one years, and niver
word of her. Shure, she wint with
Michael Kelly, a, lad of life and fame
wint to the altar wid him. But the
day that Clancy was married I "
As though oblivious of the other's
presence he began to sing again:
"Did ye see her with her hand in
mine the day that Clancy married?"
As Nolan Doyle ceased singing,
breaking off abruptly, and sank back
upon the stump, whispering to him
self, the Young Doctor came close
to him and put a hand upon his shoul
der. "You needn't have any fear, man,
though Lord Harry Nolan was my
uncle, and is still alive; and Adjutant
Doyle is now commanding the troops
in Canada he was only fifty miles
from here last week. I'll not give you
away. But in return "
"Tis a good name -you've taken;
of two unwilling godfathers, as ,fine
men as ever gave glory to Ireland.
We've been palaverm of Inniskillen
,and of you that's of no account
for is a man of any account that lives
on bread he doesnt earn, and doesn't
own?" His voice grew stern. "I'm
ashamed of you, Nolan Doyie. I
thought you a fine fellow over beyond
the seas, when you filled my basket
with fish, and when beat thenr aU,
tossin' the stone in William Conner's
yard." -
"You've lived on Larry Brennan
and his family every since you step
ped in out bf the rain fifteen years
ago."
"You've been living in a dream;
come out of it. You've moved from
since you joined the Divil's Own.
There's no going back. There's sor
row here in the little house. There's
terrible sickness. Mrs. Brennan is
paralyzed, and the poor old man "
"I know. Shure, I know."
"I want to know what you mean to
do, Doyle," the Young Doctor inter
rupted. Then he hastily drew a pic
ture of the dark days ahead; of the
misery and trouble and awful hard
ship, and the sickening burden which
must fall upon the shoulders of Norah
Brennan; of the killing expense, add
only Shannon's four dollars a day to
meet it
"I'm going to help," said Doyle.
"What are you going to do?"
"To nurse them in there," he an
swered. "You nurse?"
'"Could I earn as much as two hos
pital nurses'd want pay for? What
can I do a peat-cutter and soldier?
But I can nurse.
"I'm going to pay for the last fif
teen years' bed and bread," he said.
"Are you sure they'll "
"Lave it to me. Mrs. Brennan's1
glad to have me by her. She says it
kapes her from frettin" too much
about Terry."
"And I suppose Terry was a wast
er." ."Terry? Terry was a man, ivry
inch of htm. He was as good as you
an' two of you. Wid a head ah, sure
he had a head!"
"Very well. Settle it your own way.
But if you are going to nurse these
old people I warn you' twill he a
heavy Job, a dismal and weary task!
I then listen to me, Nolan Doyle, and
hearken hard to what I say, and take
note of what's to be done, and how
its' to be done, and ."
And it was so. As he said he would,
Nolan Doyle laid himself out to pay
for the bed and bread he had had over
fifteen years.
All the time, day and night, the
man-nurse, with the fine gentleness
of a -woman and his strong1 arms and
.eighteen tcfnear forty years of aj cbaxhig voice, contested inch by inci.
K. t-
