Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 May 1915 — PEG O' MY HEART [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PEG O' MY HEART

By J. Hartley Manners

A. Comedy of Youth Founded by Nir. Manners on His Great Play of the Same Title—lllustrations From Photographs of the Play Copyright. 1913, by Dodd, Mead Company

SYNOPSIS. Frank O’Connell, young Irish patriot, la shot and wounded by British soldiers while making a home rule speech. Ha 4a*e4ded by Angela Kingsnorth. an English society girl, who defends him. Angela takes O’Connell to her brother’ll home and helps to nurse him. He recovers, and he and the girl become fast friends. O’Connell when well is sent to Jail for disturbing the peace. He finally writes Angela that he has finished his sentence. CHAPTER VI. A House of Cards. KINGSNORTH sank into a chair. The letter slipped from his lingers. AU his dreams had vanished in a moment. His house of cards had toppled down. His ambitions were surely and positively destroyed at one stroke. He mechanically picked up the letter and reread it. Had it been his death sentence it could not have affected him more cruelly: Dear Nathaniel—l scarcely know how to write to, you about what has happened. I am afraid I am in some small measure to blame. Ten days ago your sister showed me a letter from a man named O'Connell—

Kingsnorth crushed the letter in his hand as he lead the hated name—the name of the man who had caused him so much discomfort during that unfortunate visit to his estate in Ireland. How he blamed himself now for having ever gone there! There was indeed a curse on it for the Kingsnorths. He straightened out the crumpled piece of paper and read on——a man named O’Connell—the man she nursed in your house in Ireland after he had been shot by the soldiers. He was coming to England and wished to see her. She asked my permission. I reasoned with her, but she was decided. If I should not permit her to see him in my house she would meet him elsewhere. It seemed better the meeting should be under my roof, so I consented. I bitterly reproach myself now for not acquainting you with the particulars. You might have succeeded in stopping what has happened. ‘ _ ' _

Tour sister and O’Connell were married this morning by special license and left this afternoon for Liverpool en route to America. I cannot begin to tell you how much 1 deplore- the unfortunate affair. It will always be a lasting sorrow to me. i cannot write any more now. My head is aching with the thought of what it will mean to you. Try not to think too hardly of me and believe me, always your affectionate cousin, MARY CAROLINE WREXFORD. Kingsnorth’s head sank on to his breast. Every bit of life left him, everything about his feet ashes, the laughingstock of his friends. Were Angela there at that moment he could have killed her. The humiliation of it! The degradation of it! Married to that lawk >ss Irish agitator! The man now a member of his family! A cry of misery broke from him, as he realized that the best years of his life were to come and go fruitlessly. His career was ended. Despair lay heavy on his soul. * ♦ * ♦ ♦ » » Standing on the main deck of ab Atlantic liner stood Angela and O’Connell. They were facing the future together. Their faces were turned to the west. The sun was sinking in a blaze of color. j Their eyes lighted up with the joy bf hope. Love was in their hearts. * * ■*,.’* ♦ * * A year after the events in the preceding, chapter took place O’Connell and his young wife were living in a small apartment in one of the poorer sections of New York city. The first few months in America had been glorious ones for them. Their characters and natures unfolded to each other as some wonderful paintings, each taking its own hues from the adoration of the other. In -

ganizcr O Connell "hail spoken Tn many ; of the big cities of the United States ; and was everywhere hailed as a hero and a martyr to English tyranny. 1 But he had one ever present handicap—a drawback he had never felt during the years of struggle preceding I his marriage. His means were indeed ; small. lie tried to eke out a little income writing articles for the newspa-

pers and magazines. But the recompense was pitiful. He could not bear without a pang to see Angela in ,the dingy surroundings that he could barely afford to provide for her. On her part Angela took, nothing with her but a few jewels her mother had left her, some clothes and very little money. The money soon disappeared, and then one by one the keepsakes of her mother were parted with. But they never lost heart. Through it all they were happy. All the poetry of O Connell’s nature came uppermost, leavened, as it was, by the deep faith and veneration of his wife. This strangely assorted fervent man and gentle woman seemed to have solved the great mystery of happiness between two people. But the novertv chafed O’Connell—not for nitosetr, but for tile frail, loving, uncomplaining woman who had given her life into his care. His active brain was continually try-

ing to Tlevlse new ways TT TOCTng'Tb his meager income. Hcfr.inultiplied his duties. He worked far into the night when he could find a demand for his articles. But little by little his sources of revenue failed him.

Some fresh and horrible agrarian crimes in Ireland, for which the home rule party was blamed, for awhile turned the tide of sympathy against his party. The order was sent out to discontinue meetings for the purpose of collecting funds in America—funds the Irish Americans had been so cheerfully and plentifully bestowing on the “cause/’ O’Connell was recalled to Ireland. His work was highly commended. Some day they would send him to the United States again as a special pleader. At present he would be of greater value at home.

He was instructed to apply to the treasurer of the fund and arrangements would be made for his passage back to Ireland.

He brought the news to Angela with ; a strange feeling of fear and disappointment. He had built so much on making a wonderful career in the great new world and returning home some day to Ireland with the means of relieving some of her misery and with his wife guarded, as she should be. from the possibility of want. And here was he going back to Ireland as poor as he left it, though richer immeasurably in the love of Angela. She was sitting perfectly still, her eyes on the floor, when he entered the room. ‘He came in so softly that she did not hear him. He lifted her head and looked into her eyes. He noticed with certainty what had been so far only a vague, ill defined dread. Her face was very, very pale and transparent. Her eyes w T ere sunken and had a strange brilliancy. She was much slighter and far more ethereal than on that day when they stood on the deck of the ship and turned their faces so hopefully to the nCw world. He felt a knifelike stab startle through his blood to his heart. His breath caught. Angela looked up at him radiantly. He kissed her and with mock cheerfulness he said laughingly: “Such news, me darlin’i Such wondherful nCws!” “Good news, dear?” “The best in the wurrld,” and he choked a sob. “I knew it would come! I knew it would. Tell me, dear.” “We’re to go back—back to Ireland. See, here are the orders,” and he showed her the official letter. She took it wonderingly and read it. Her hand dropped to her side. Her head_drooped into the same position he

had Touml nor Tn. tti a Tnomeiitlio'was kneeling at her side. “What is it, dear?” “We can’t go, Frank.” “We can’t go? What are ye sayin’, dear?”

j “We can’t go.” she repeated, her body [ crumpled up limply in the chair. j And why not, Angela? I know 1 j can’t take ye back as I brought ye j here, dear. If that’s what, ye mane. The luck’s been against me. It’s been cruel hard against me. An’ that thought is tearin’ at me heart this minnit.” “It isn’t that, Frank,” she said faintly. “Then what is it?” Oh, ’ she cried, “I hoped it would be so different—so very different.” “What did ye think would be so different. dear? Our going back? Is that what’s throublin’ ye?” “No. Frank, not that. I don’t care bow we go back so long as you are with me.” He pressed her hand. In a moment she went on: “But we can’t go, we can’t go. Oh, my dear, my dear, can’t you guess? Can’t you think?” She looked imploringly into his eyes. A new wonder came into his. Could it be true? Could it? He took both her hands and held them tightly and stood up, towering over her and trembling violently. “Is it-is it”— he cried and stopped as if afraid to complete the question. She smiled a wan smile up at him and nodded her head as she answered: "The union of our lives is to be complete. Our love Is to be rewarded ” “A child is coming to us?” he whispered. “It is,” and her voice was hushed too. “Praise be to God! Praise be to his holy name!” And O’Connell clasped his hands in prayer. In a little while she went on: “It was the telling you I wanted to be so different. I wanted you when you heard it to be free of care—happy. And I’ve waited from day to day, hoping for the best—that some good fortune would come to yotf.” He forced one of his old time, hearty laughs, but there was a hollow ring in it: “What is that yer sayin’ at all? Wait for good fortune? Is there any good fortune like what ye’ve just told me? Sure I’m ten times the happiest man since f came into this room.” He put his arm around her and. sitting beside her, drew her closely to him. “Listen, dear.” he said, “listen. We’ll go back to the old country. Our child shall be born whete we first met There’ll be no danger. No one shall harm us with that little life trembling in the balance—the little precious life. If it’s a girl child she’ll be the mother Qf her and if it be a man child

he sha IT" grow up to carry on his father's work. So there—there. me darlin’, we’ll go back—we’ll go back.” She shook her head feebly. "I can’t,” she said. “Why not. dear?”

“I dldn’ want to tel! you, but now sou make ip? Prank, dear. Tam III.”

HTs heart almost stoppeov •’TTIT' OT, my darlln’, what is it? Is it serious? Tell me it isn’t serious!” And his voice rang with a note of agony. “Oh, no, I don’t think so. I saw the doctor today. He said I must be careful, very careful, until-untll our baby is born.”

“An’ ye kepi it all to yerself, me brave one, me dear one. All right. We won’t go back. We’ll stay here. I’ll make them find me work. I’m strong. I’m clever, too, and crafty, Angela. I’ll wring It from this hurtling city. I’ll fight it and beat it. Me darlln’ shall have everything she wants. My little mother—my precious little mother!” (TO BE CONTINUED.)

All His Dreams Had Vanished In a Moment.