Show A BIRTHDAY GIFT it might havo have in london londo it or it might not if any one prefers to localize this story of truo lovo at liverpool or glasgow or any other british city irish do live ho be or she is quite welcome to do SOI rin nm not going to vulgarize a tender idyl by giving with the fidelity of a county court summons tho the precise town village or other description of the scene where tho the poemio events to bo be now told took place mat casey lodged with tim brennan who occupied a n couple of rooms in a small email bouso iu in a court off on a passage in an alloy which branched out of a lane in a back street sure youre a gintle man for youre as good as the pig that pays paya ills his rint I 1 I 1 tim used to say bay to him and mat would reply true for an its masolf proud to bo be that came and then it if either happened to have a shilling about him they would go to tho the cobwebs inn and drink it il if in luck they would perhaps have a fight or two in tho the course of the night if things were depressed and people wore low spiritedly ofal they would I 1 in most cases have a fight between themselves null then fraternally pump on each others heads or repair their faces from tho the samo same stock of sticking plaster mat was a traveling tinker middle aged jovial ugly a line flue drinker a good singer and as tim said a delvil of a poet tim wag an odd job cli character arac an auction porter and a speculator in small lots mat was wag a widower vi dower tiro tim had an extensive wife and a scattered family at tho the entrance to the court was a sort of half shop half shot shod with a big room behind and a small one above where widow lived and carried on her business which consisted in the purchase and salo of anything from an old bedstead to a coverless dictionary and from a broken candlestick to an indistinct oil painting her husband had ad been an attendant at sales and a broker in a humble way after the inquest on him bim now some 18 months ago mrs continued the concern she found it unnecessary to go to auctions ai tim and others brought their purchases to her and she aho had a tolerably ready monna means of buying and selling not merely to add from her neighbors but also being well known among the inhabitants generally in a sm email allway way she bho was about 40 and weighed IS 18 stone A big shawl was always crossed over her opulent bos bosom omand ani knotted behind sho she had a bright oyo eye a ready tongue a heavy fist and a strong head bead mat was deeply enamored of this gentle lady of course tim was in his confidence and many an untruthful word in pral mat did ho be drop no as it if by accident in her hearing and many an una cia cious account of his broken on her lin he aio ii angly narrate with tho the addition of his hia awu 0 aia private opinion that mat was dying or would kill himself for love of her tim was as loyal a 0 friend as a soher 11 though truthful knight of old tim said enid mat on tho the evo of widow Molo birthday 1 I want yea to give her this birthday card from me its ita a groat great red heart with a skewer shower sticking in it that nidine the heart I 1 mane inane tho the skewer its an arrow mat what they do bo calling it IL well tim an theres a good irish sound about that same they cant do without us na anyway you see BOO sorra a bit an you want mo to bo be aether giving her that yes yen ivo improved it ivo mado it ariff with rod load an put in i a few as it if it was tho the blood of me ma heart that was flowing for tier her on an ashes so BO scornful of mo me sufferings Buffe rings I 1 I 1 its elligant illi gant said tim with great admiration an seo see hero now ivo ive written some garses to her to tho the tuno tune of ilat hat dedad au an they rowl as as a jig an as aa delaud horing hering as the cray prayther ther 1 I he sang eang them over in his hia rich voice aud delicious dolio ious brogue and tim got ox ex cited and promised his most devoted aid then they wont went to tho the cobwebs and in due course were violently ejected had bad a tussle with some strangers about something of which they had no particular lar fotion or recollection lost each other and finally got home somehow though separately next morning they arose with unclouded and brows and tim barted on his hia mission mat waited at the cobwebs for his hia return tim sat down dova on a cold doorstop mud and reflected take her a dairty painted piece of paper with a red lend lead heart on itt bedad au an an I 1 wont I 1 ill do better than that or my namoa not tim drennan brennan mats a docent decent an a chivil of a poet but biddles is ia arao it takes tho liboi of mo to understand tho likes of thoin them I 1 I 1 within 10 minutes after title this soliloquy ho he was seated in mrs Molo disordered and nin ventilated room thoro there it Is mrs Molon Mo loicy rT dear an it must go to the heart of yea to rude rado tho the hidden bidden maning laning ra said heas ho he pointed to a large healthy looking pigs try on the bablo and a bottle of whisky which waa standing beside it ile ho hail haa suppressed tile tho paper missive as poor artificial and inexpressive and out of his hill devoted de v doted friendship and slender si had a d bought tho the and tho the spirits which he be presented in mats name its on an emblem honey 1 I continued contin nod ho be heros heres his heart in a manner of braking Bp aking at your fato on your dish I 1 mane tho the liver shows that lie ho cant livo live without tho lights that tho the light of his eyes an that ho be longs for with every breath nn an tho the hare flare that tb therell eroll bo be all the fat in tho the fire on an tho the very chivil to pity pay it if yoro unkind to him on an refuse him its an imblum ray dear a delicate poetical imblum ira blim beradt bedad its beautifully full said eaid mrs profoundly touched as sho uncorked tho the bottlo and filled up two largo port glasses fi lassos then she added an ill cook it toll tell him to como come tonight an holp ato ate it an como come you too tim and Mis thrisa bronnan brennan I 1 I 1 so it was all understood tim had liko most moat of his countrymen tho the feelings of a gentleman and tho the tact of a courtier that was why ho he and his wife arrived designedly lato late having sent a message that supper was not to wait had they como come sooner a slight blight incident raight might have bavo boon been avoided though possibly it all happened for tho the best for leaving tho the toto teto a toto meal and the conversations to bo be imagined by tho the reader the crumpled rose loaf airoso in this way mat had bad lit his pipe and had bad i asked tho the widow homshe how she liked tho card and the tha verses sho she laughed and replied that she ehe know about the verses except those he had been talking for the last hour but as for tho the card ho he ought to know for ho be had eaten the half of it upon this mat had jumped off on his bis chair and exclaimed then its a dead man I 1 am nn an its a woke wake ill bo be atter r at attending an not a wedding I 1 I 1 thought there was a quare about that piece of frizzled fat 11 what does the bo be na flaning aning at fell all cried she ebo in surprise its poisoned I 1 am that heart was waa nil all over rod red lead said he falling back into his seat scat poisoned you black hearted villain screamed mrs then tako take and she eho broke a jug jag on his head bead it was waa at this point that the brennann Bron Bren nans arrived tim promptly knocked mat down and then he naturally became curious 3 to know what tho ambiguity was about HOB hes poisoned mol mall said she ehe between a shriek and a sob tim seized mat and throw threw him bim on nn incomplete but unmatched dinner service part of mrs Molo stock whick stood in a corner on tho the floor the widow hearing bearing the crash smashed a chair on an tims back whereupon mrs brennan took her by the hair and the two women fell into some miscellaneous lots in another corner then the neighbors came in and took indiscriminate sides and matters generally hummed bummed for a short time eventually tim got an inkling of the difficulty told them to bo be quiet and narrated all the circumstances to the great relief joy and amusement of all the parties A of and a 0 yard or two of sticking plaster with a few pini pina for the women quickly set things smooth and smiling emiling mrs mado made thorn them all welcome and soon liberal supplies of whisky porter and tobacco were formulated mu additional cand candles leFi were lit illuminating fitfully the front shop whose contents seemed the embodiment of the confused thoughts of the guests tables stacked with their legs in the air cane chairs hanging banging on the walls hank blank gase liers flus suspended from tho the coiling while a lighted lamp stood on the floor to prevent stumbling into tho the bust liess portion of tho the establishment and all went merrily mrs afro oloney Al for one brief ecstatic atio moment oat eat on mats knoo knee but they were severally picked up and revived though tho the chair was waa pulverized and mat sang the garses Ivar var ses which tim had proa produced nood from his rocket pocket along with the card tim had applauded wept and donoto gone to sloop in tho the middle of the song but tho the approval which greeted its ita conclusion com composed paged as aa atvas it was of shouts shrieks knockings knock ings tears and a free fight in the southeastern Boutho astern corner comer effectually woke him somehow after a confused interval of health drinking recrimination and om bra brao 0 ing inga the tha party found itself adjourned d mat and the widow are to bo be married mamed to eo soon eoon as aa the necessary formalities can bo be arranged MI million ilion |