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Show Reformation of Daniel O'Beirne jj Q By E. CRAYTON McCANTS g loeccococcoscooooecoacoootd ((.'ojiyrlglit, by Jouvpli II. Xiowlus.j Wc lind sono down the river fnrtlior ilinn was imiinl with us, had spent tho nlRlit with n friend at my frlond, and afterward had none on again. Therefore, There-fore, on account of tho distance nnd the weariness of two days nailing, I tiad Hunt a inuHsago to my negro servant, serv-ant, Jordan, tolling htm to meet me with my horses at tho l6wor bridge, where thu river Intersects wlint la known ns thu vntts' furry road, It was still early when wo reached thu appointed spot; thu wind blowing out of thu south drought to our uos-IiIIh uos-IiIIh the risinoiiH smell of thu pines,' nnd n faint, sweet odor of Jessamine, nnd hay. Wash Ilozuninn heaved a sigh of relief, drew front Ills pocket a corncob plpo and proceeded to get It nllght. "Come over nn' set down an smoke, .squire," ho Invited. "Ther nigger nn' ther hnsses hain't got hero ylt, nn', nnyhow, a res'ful mnn 'all nllers tlnd tlmo for res'. Conio over nn' set on a root nn' let there olo worl' wag nwhllo." Seeing tho futility of protest I packed up my tncklo and cnino across tho road. Overhead was tho summer sky, on cither hand the lush green of the timbered bottoms, In front of us the long bridge, with tho yellow water mouthing nnd muttering ngainst tho reslstont piers. Across tho stroma tho highway ran for a space between tho overarching trees, then It climbed a hill, upon tho summit of which wo could sco n mu white cottago with groon blinds n cottngo with roses In front of It nnd Rimtlowcrs In tho back ynrd. liaising my hand, I motioned toward tho house. "O'llelrno's?" I n8kcd, turning to Wash. My frlond wlthdrow his pipe and emitted n volume of alnokc. "Yns," ho replied, "thnt thar Is Danny's Dan-ny's hou80 Danny O'Holrne, wlint married Knthlo Fallon hero n month or ao back. Looks ruthcr nifty, don't hit?" I considered a moment. Tho house looked nlco enough, but the Inst tlmo thnt I remembered seeing Danny I had been his nttorney In tho Ilellvlllo police court, ho being arraigned at tho tlmo on a charge of drunkenness. I know Knthlo Fullon, too old man Fallon Fal-lon was n friend of mine, nnd Kathle, a lnas of Irish descent, with gray eyes and long, dark lashes. A good enough man was O'llclrno when sober, but tho combination of gray oyes and dark tnshes la a fetching ono, and tho thought of tho mnn coming homo In Ills cups and of Knthlo meeting him with qiilVorlng Hps moved 1110 to lnv pntlcnco nnd to a subtle discontent. "Well," I remnrked, affecting a resignation res-ignation thnt I did not feel, "a womnn will hnvo her way, but I wondor If Knthlo Is fully content now thnt sho has chosen hers?" Wash nnswered nonchalantly. "Why?" ho quorled, "why sh'd not tho girl bo plcaaod? Danny's flno-lookln' a llttlo reckless 'bout work, mebbo, but ylt ther kind uv mnn 'at a woman mos'ly llkea." "Oh, yea," I ndmltted, "ho looks very well, nnd Is Industrious, no doubt, but you know Danny, W'nsh ho will got drunk, nnd Knthlo deserves better thnn thnt." My friend nroso nnd shook his head decisively. . "No," ho objected, "he won't git drunk, squire not now, lie won't. I plntedly kyored Mm uv thot sort uv foolishness n good blfnforo his weddln' dny." Now, Wash Is not naturnlly meddlesome meddle-some such u disposition would Interfere Inter-fere sorlotisly with his nttltudo of ro-pose ro-pose neither Is ho nverso to taking "n llttlo for his stomach'a sake," hence tho Idea of his acting ns a reformer re-former seemed a ridiculous ono to mo. "Yo'u?" I naked, scornfully. "How-did "How-did you euro Danny? Did you nttompt to drink nil tho whisky, ao that none would bo left for hi 111?" W'nsh puffed diligently nt his pipe nnd thon removed It ngnln. "So fur oz I kin tell," ho romnrked, Impersonally, "thar'B Jest oz much llkkcr afloat oz tlmr over wuz. You know thet much, squire, un' of anybody doubted hit, n look at yo' noao 'ud ho a convlncln' nrgymont. "Hut tor git back tor Danny. I kyored 'Im shoro, though I knln't say 'at I Mowed tor do ther Job whon fust I started out. Fact Is 'at I doubts right now who'or olthor ho or Knthlo ovor foitn' out Jest who his physician, wuz. Anyhow, In thom dnys Dan wuz a courtln' Knthlo an' Knthlo wuz a holdln' off. Nigh ez I e'ud mako hit out alio wuz n lovln! him somo, but sho wuz pow'ful nfoard uv them drink-In' drink-In' way8. Olo nan Fnllon, ho lived not fur fin mu thon, an' ono day aomo movers f'm Nawth Kynrllna como 'long thnt-or-wny nn' gin thor olo man a llttlo cub bar. Wall, sir, whilst Dan wuz a courtln' Knthlo ther bar lilt wuz a growln'. Llko Dan thor llttlo black vllyun thort n heap uv Knthlo, nn', llko Kathle, hit sort uv tuk a llkln' tcr Dan. So yor seo lilt wuz a kind uv threo-cornored lovo affair thor bar bcln' 0110 uv thor corners an nobody, a-knowln' when Dan 'ud bo drunk oz n tiddler nor how long Knthlo wuz a-gwlno a-gwlno tor put up wl' Bitch. "Thar conio a day whon Dan put out for Keowoo, an' ovor'body knowod wuut wuz n gwlno tor happen thon. Ez for mo, seoln' hit" wnr nono uv my biz-nens biz-nens wlint Dan an' Knthlo 'done, I niosoyed down tor thor river tor look arUr my olo sklft, ther sun ha via' warped her bottsm ao thol sho war a-leakliv' a-leakliv' right Bmart. When I got thar hit wuz nigh dinner time, but nil thor snmo I built a llttlo flro an' set on a klttlo uv tar tnr beln a monst'us good thing for ter stop ther crncka In a bont. Then, whilst thor tar wuz a bllln', I et my lunch, nn' laid down fer a little nap, "Now, squire, glnnerly I'se n light sleeper you knows 'at r Is but I had neon up thor night nforo flghtln' skcetors nn' a-watchln uv somo set-'ooks set-'ooks what I had out, on' natchully I wuz tired. An' down thnr by ther river bank ther win' blowed cool nn' ther wntur kind uv sung a man tor sleep, an' hit wuz might' nigh sundown sun-down nforo I ever waked up. Dunno 'at I'd ha' woke then of thet domed llttlo bar uv Fallon's hndn' ha' como down tlmr noslu' uroun' un' n-amelllu' uv my feet. "Ther mlnnlt I opened my eyes I seed hit wuz too late ter do any work, ao I Jea' lay thar kinder glttln' 'quaint-cd 'quaint-cd wl' tnyso'f. Ther liar wuz thnr, too, an' he seemed In ther humor tor In-vestergnte In-vestergnte sunip'n when I'd kicked Mm 'wny f'm me, ho went ter see 'bout thor tnr. "Wnl, thor flro hit wnr out, nn' ther kittle uv tnr seemed ter be 'bout milk wnrtn when ther bar went ter nosln' uv hit. 'do hit. olo man.' scz I, 'I kin Btnn' hit ef you kin,' nn' Just then ther varmint upsot ther kittle. "Squire, hit wnr n mess! Thnt thnr tnr Jcat nntchully klvvered thor hide uv hi in, an' then, ter mako matters wubs, ho swum ther river nn' commenced com-menced ter roll In Fallon's straw-stack, straw-stack, utryln' tcr git ther stickiness off'n him. Hit wuz 'bout fust dark, too, au' ther new moon wuz a-gwlno down. "Jest ez tlfnr bar tuk tor ther straw I heerd au"urr row ovor on thor hill, to'nrds Keowce, un', lookln. I seed "Hit War Shorety a Putty Race." Danny O'DcIrno. As usual, ho war tangled up 'bout.ther lalgs an' a-weav-In'. " 'Drunk, dressed up, nn' dlsord'ly!' ho yolls. 'Llvln' high nt my houso; eatln' ham gravy, chawlu' mnnlrnck, an' cussln' big! "I laid low, fer I didn't want tor fool wl' no drunk mnn, nn' ho wnbblcd on down ther hill an' crossed thor bridge As ho chimb ther rlso ther bar tin up, nn', squire, hit 'poured llko ther whole blamed straw stack wuz a-movln' to-'ards to-'ards thor road. 'Bout that tlmo Danny seed hit, too, an' ho stopped un' fetched a sort uv n whoop. Hit wuz night, you sco, an' ther shaddcra wuz a trlmblln' on ther hillsides, an' that thar bar looked rowdy wl' all that Btraw on his back. I heerd nn'urr whoop, an' then Danny, ho lit out! "Hit wnr shorely a putty race ther bar knowod Danny, but Danny, ho didn't know ther bar! I dldn' know a drunk mnn e'ud run so, but Danny's hcols lilt thor hnrd rond llko thor hoofs uv n fas' trottln' mulo. Hnr an' man, nip nn' tuck, hit wuz, wl' thor gravel n elf tin' bohlno. "I follored ez well oz I e'ud, my win' belli' short wl' laftln', but I novor ovor-tuk ovor-tuk 'em till thoy got tor Fallon's house. Twuz Knthlo met 'em thar. Danny, skeorod plumb Bobor, Jerked her InBldo an' slammed ther door Jcat ez thnr bar reached thor steps. "Whon I got thar I tuk a brosh, an' wl' hit I porsuaded tho varmint tor go nwny. Thon I pushed at ther door. ' 'Hit's nothln' but thor bar,' said I. "'Thor llttlo bar?' asked Kathle, 'twlxt cryln' an' laflln'. "'I thort hit war thor dlvvll,' nays Danny, n holdln' on llko sin ter Knth-lo's Knth-lo's hand. "I looked at Mm sortor repronchful llko. 'lift ortor bo dovll enough tor stop you f'm drlnkln',' says I. "Ho novor nnsw;ered for a mlnnlt, thon ho leaned juown nn' kissed Knthlo's hnlr. 'S' holp me,' ho says,-'I'll says,-'I'll novor tetch another drap!' " Wash pausod and a clatter of honfa Interrupted my commont; It was Jordan Jor-dan coming with tho horses. When wo had mountod and had climbed tho hill, wo found Danny nnd ils wlfo standing nt tho gato of their yard, whllo ovorythlng about thom woro an air of happiness nnd of inn-torlnl inn-torlnl prosperity. WobIi rolncd up be-sldo be-sldo tho fonco and oxtonded an open hand "Glmmo a chaw, Danny," he begged. "I kaln't Binoko whon I'm rliiln'." Danny hnnded over tho tobacco, but Knthlo laughed. ' "Wash," sho Inquired, "why do you chow such stuff?" My frlond loaned forward confidentially. confiden-tially. "Mlssla O'llclrno," ho replied, with dignity, "I chaw's hit tor git thor Jooco out'n hit!" |