OCR Text |
Show H LnSoWBERNARD DUNN'S HOPE j I I 1 AND FAITH WERE REWARDED H H It was tho laht day that nn Irlahmnn BBS would wiint to work, with tho sun shln- H lng as softly us It had ever dotio on BBb tlio Connaught hills, mid tho bands BH marching past tho cud of tho street, BBBJ playing now "Tho Star-Spangled Ban- BBBJ ' ncr," now "Tho Wearing of tho BBI Green," and again "Let Erin Remain- BBBJ ber the Dus of Old." PaVB Dut tliu water department was per- H 'ploxed by a had enso of electrolysis; B and bo tho foicmnn, putting duty flrbt, B lind voluntcred to find the causo of B the tiouble. His countrymen woula pBBB It not doubt his patriotism, ho knew, as BBBJ jt lie worlccd away on tho crumbling BBH rr- BBBfl I Tho superintendent of streets camo BBBJ (. driving up, after a time, and hitched BBBfl ' his horse, whilo ha stopped to Inquire BBB as to tho progress of Bernard's lnves-BBBB lnves-BBBB BBB ... "Grout parade!" he observed, with BBB !. BBB p "Yes, Its a big one!" Bernard re- BBBJ f, Bpondcd, holding up a picco of honey- PkVb f"' combed pipe for tho superintendent's BBBB V Inspection. PkVb ' ' 1 "I tell you, most of thoso young fel- hv I 1,1 lows who aro wearing tho shamrock PPPJ m this nftei noon nro dandles!" tho super- PPB J' intendeut went off, warmly. "None PPPJ EL of your dyspeptic, sallow-faced, spin- H B; (Uo-shnnlcod Ynnkn In that lino, you pps $ PPB n "Handscme Is as handsomo does!" pBvB ' was Bernard'? quiet rejoinder. "They'll pBvB I K bo all right If they stop to remember pBvBt Ej what their shamrocks mean," and ho pBvB 5 looked lovingly at his orn decoration AV L little green Bprlg sent from u far- PaVBj p off relative near Klllarney. 1 "Havou't I read somowhero that St. Patrick used tho llltlo plant to teach , v tho pngan Irishman something about pBvBf I tho thrco persons of tho Trinity?" the PaVH j superintendent Inquired, thoughtfully. p "Yes, blr; that's tho story; but BIB ' somehow 1 ahvnys lllto to think of tho bVBJ thrco little leaves as standing for BBftV j thrco pretty good things for an Irish- PBVH t. S man or any man to form his llfo by," PBVBj tho other anscrnil, solemnly. bVIJ ' "And whnt uro they, Uornnrd?" HBaVJ1 . t "Vav sobriety and virtue and Indus- PBH; ''' try," was the quiet l espouse. PaVBjk&i "That's right!" 'camo tho hearty re- awllya I joinder. "A man who keeps sober will PaVBffip I bo pretty likely to ho decent and In- HBftvfm'' I dustrlous; and a man who likes to PaVBair '' I work won't have much time for drink- HjBBSlyk lng nnd wickedness!" !, Mj "No; that ho won't, Mr. Merrill! Net 'h W hero In America, any way!" ' W, "It's a great old country, Dernard .K for tho r.ght kind of men!" mm ,' R "Thoro nover could bo a better, sir!" PaVBB''f "That's right, Dernard! Sometimes bbBBJ , ft I think us Yankees and you Irishmen PbVBV i? V are apt to gut tho big head, aud to put PbVBBI i , m on ulrs, as If our grandfathers had pBAVVrji P disco vol ed America Instead of ono of bVIb I j j tho nncestors of No. 17, over tharo!" aVIfli , ', and ho nodded facetiously In tho dl- bVIB? ,, t' rectlon of the Italian, who was keep- PaVBB ; S lng up u regular ping-plug with his bVI ! pick, his mind across tho ocean where bYBH A' b tiny homo on tho mountainside, un- aVIB ii-! dor tho chestnut trees, held all that PBVBB i was dear to him on earth. HBlaV "True for you, Mr. Morrill! But who P&kBH knows?" was tho humorous query. "In aYBfl I ) , tlio next generation tho sons of No. 17 P&kBH may bo running tho primaries and su- PaVBBi psrlntentllng tho streets!" i" i Ills companion throw back his head s and Inughod heartily nt this good-nat- iiiih I tired thrust. Then, after a little con- piBpSB ferouco on the condition of tho water PPPBB I Pipes, ho diovo away, drawing up hln PPPH I liorho Impulsively to suggest, aa an pSBpifl i t S BKbVBk Sv fX "Mako a sort day ot It, now, Ber- BHbVbV&i! ' i nardl llomeinbur you'ru not so younc BBBBBBKl,i4-"n'iBBBBBBl LW..-m. r nn', j v r,,lf,i BBBBLbmBBMBBL: "" U8 you used to be. Tho city can't afford af-ford to lose good workmen like you! They're too senrco!" and ho smiled genially as ho signaled his liorso to trot on. Yes; ho was getting old. Bernard Dunn realized thnt fact as ho drew his sleevo across his eyes, which a strango mist hnd bllndod soveral times during tho afternoon; but ho was not going to stop until plump G o'clock, ho thought, for his heart was In his work, as It hod ever been. If America had dono well by Supt. Merrill, It has certainly dono well by Dernard and his children, nnd with gratltudo ho pondored tho superintendent's superintend-ent's words, letting his mind run on IiIb comfortnble home, his steady work nnd tho good wages which It brought hlni, nnd then to his children tho old-ost old-ost daughter a beautiful womnn, wlfo of tho Judgo of tho circuit court; his oldest son pastor of a flourishing parish par-ish In a nearby town; another son n surgeon studying In tho hospitals nbroad; a daughter who, as buyer In the lace department of a big Boston house, commanded a salary larger than that of many a government consul con-sul all well nnd doing well, except tho youngest child! Alas and alack! Whoro was he to-day, his birthday? No wonder tho mist rost beforo tho old mnn's oyea, shutting out tho sights in tho city streets. That thoy had all spoiled tho lnd the father remembered with a sigh, but who could resist his sway, handsomo hand-somo young tyrant of tho household, ns ho grew to bo, accepting ns his right tho sacrifices ot his brothers and sisters; he, his mother's idol, bis father's prldo! Tho collogo whoro his brothers had received their education seemed too Blow nnd Bteady-golng for him, and so, In tho fullness of time, ho had been sent to Yale, and hnd established himself him-self In luxurious quarters, bent upon getting nil tho good tlmo thcro was out of life. Slowly but surely tho knowledge forced Itself upon tho adoring ador-ing Httlo family at homo that all was not as It should be, and there camo u time when boyish escapades were exchanged ex-changed for disgraceful and dishonorable dishonor-able conduct, and then his father had Interfered. It hurt tho old man even In memory mem-ory to recall tho rcbuko which ho had felt obliged to glvo his son, nnd tho sullcnness with which It had been received. re-ceived. That very night tho lad had disappeared ten years ngo, nnd not ono word had been heard from him since. Every 17th of March tho lad's mother moth-er had prepared for him thojo Httlo birthday dainties which he used to liko In tho old days, when dainties meant luxuries to tho struggling family. fam-ily. Each Patrick's night during tho nlno years tlio old man had gono liopo-fully liopo-fully homeward, straining his eyes for a gllmpso of his wife, as he pictured her, coming out to wait for him nt tho gate with tho cheery announcement' "Father, dear, our boy has como back to us!" It was almost tlmo to go now, and unbidden the plcturo roso In his mind. "Tho poor wlfo! God help hor! It comes hardest on her!" ho said tenderly, tender-ly, ns ho thought lovingly of tho woman wom-an who had been tho Joy of his youth, tho prldu of his manhood nnd tho solace so-lace of his later yea is. And then, with a deep sigh at memor) ot his absout boy, ho added: "May God guard him If he's living, aud receive tils -soul If ho Is dead!" and tho old man went solemnly about tho task of leaving tho open trench for tho night, directing Number Seventeen ns ho lighted the warning lanterns and put up tho danger sign. It seemed foolish to hopo; yet, as he neared his cosey cottage, with its well-kept well-kept grounds, Bernard Dunn strained his oyes, as he had so often dono before, be-fore, for a sight of the good wlfo standing In tho doorwny ready to an-nounco an-nounco tho glad tidings which ho so yearned to hear. But, also! Sho was not there! Perhaps It was the disappointment; porhaps, as the superintendent bad reminded re-minded him, ho was getting old; but again tho confusing blur enrao beforo his eyes, nnd ho leaned heavily upon tho gate, too dazed to go farther. After n time ho wns sensible of a strong arm supporting him; and then ho Iobt himself In tho mysterious limbo lim-bo of unconsciousness. When next ho opened his oyes It wns to gozo upon the familiar objects in tho little home parlor, and it seemed seem-ed but natural that tho big, blond giant, well dressed nnd prosperous-looking, prosperous-looking, should be Gerald, standing there besido his tearful, but radiant, mother; and there were mutual explanations, ex-planations, during which the mists that had clouded tho old man's eyos and brain seemed to bo effectually dissipated dis-sipated by the sun of happiness. His wno not a talo of fabulous nuggets nug-gets picked up In the gold flolds of Nome; but a more prosaic ono of years of work In tho great wheat warehouses ware-houses skirting tho river front at Ta-coma, Ta-coma, all the time ho had cherished In his heart tho bitterness of resentment against tho father who had rebuked him, and tho determination to remain away from his home and those whom ho loved with a great, heartsick love, in splto of his boyish obstinacy. Then had come a day when his steadfast honesty had been tho means of saving from great fraud and loss the men who employed him; and as tho senior partner had called him Into his prlvnto ofllco to acquaint him of tho promotion which meant a slmro In tho partnership later on, tho older man had said, with gravity: "I praise you, Dunn, but most of all I prniso the father and mother who brought ou up! If you had not had good training, a man of your yoars could never hnvo resisted the temptation tempta-tion to go In with our enemies nnd to ruin us whilo helping yourself!" And then had tho obstinacy of the boy's heart been touched with gratltudo gratl-tudo and lovo for the mother who bore him, nnd, like another prodigal, Ger-nld Ger-nld Dunn had said penitently with himself: "I will arise and go unto my father!" fath-er!" Ho had brought his mother a Httlo WepWlarfrom the West n shnmrock In green enamel, with great diamond blozlng llko a dowdrop In Its leaves. Again thoro nroso a mint before Bernard Ber-nard Dunn's oyes; but this tlmo It was tho blur of happy tears; and, nB ho eased his tired head and let his gnzo wander to tho opposite wall whero hung the sam) Madonna clasping tho Chrlst-chlld which tho orphans in the homo revered In this caso a gift which ono of the older sons had brought his mother from tho Eternal eity thoro raino bark to him tho promise of God's holy word which had been his solaco nnd his hopo during his years of anxiety and doubt and suspense as to tho fato of his youngest born. "Kor I hnvo ncvor seen the righteous righte-ous man forsaken, nor his seed begging beg-ging bread " |