Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1915 — PEG O' MY HEART [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PEG O' MY HEART

By J. Hartley Manners

A. Comedy of Youth Founded by Mr. Manners on His Great Play of the Same Title —Illustrations From Photographs of the Play

SYNOPSIS. Frank O’Connell, young Irish patriot. Is shot and wounded by British soldiers while making a home rule speech. H« is aided by Angela Klngsnorth. an English society girl, who defends him. Angela takes O’Connell to her brother*! 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. O’Connell and Angela wed. She has espoused the Irish cause. Her brother, a member of parliament, is very angry. The happy couple come to America to live. A daughter is born to them. Angela’s brother refuses to help the couple tn any way. Angela dies. O’Connell names his daughter Margaret and calls her "Peg.” O’Connell receives a most important letter from England, which perplexes him. O’Connell allows Peg to visit England at her uncle's request. The elder Kingsnorth’s heart had finally softened toward his dead sister’s little girl. Peg goes to the home of the Chichester family in England at the direction of Mr. Hawkes, Kingsnorth’s attorney, as Klngsnorth suddenly dies. She first meets Ethel Chichester and Brent, a married man In love with Ethel. She interrupts them by accident in a secret meeting.

CHAPTER XIII. An Unexpected Arrival. “> S all your money gone?” Brent 5 asked Ethel. I “I think so.” “Good heavens!” “Dear mamma knows as little about business as she does about me. Until this morning she has always had a rooted belief in her bank and her daughter. If 1 bolt with you her last cherished illusion will be destroyed.” “Let me help you,” he said eagerly. “How?” And she looked at him again with that cold, hard scrutiny. “Lend us money, do you mean?” He fell into the trap. “Yes,” he said. “I’d do that if you’d let me.” ” - She gave just the suggestion of a sneer and turned \leliberately away. He felt the force of the unspoken reproof. “1 beg your pardon,” he said humbly. She went on as if she had not heard the offensive suggestion, “So you see we’re both, in a way, at the cross roads.” He seized her hand fiercely. “Let me take you away out of it all.” he cried. She withdrew her hand slowly. “No,” she said, “not just now. I’m not in a bolting mood today.” He moved away. She watched him. Then she called him to her. Something in the man attracted this strange nature. She could not analyze or de’fcne the attraction. But the impelling force was there. He went to her. Ethel spoke to him for the first time softly, almost caressingly.

“Chris, some time, perhaps in the dead of night, something will snap in me—the slack, selfish, luxurious me, that hates to be roused into action—and the craving for adventure wifi come. Then I’ll send for you.” He took her hand again, and, this time she did not draw it away. He said in a whisper: “And you’ll go with me?” Ethel stretched lazily and smiled at him through her half closed eyes. “I suppose so. Then heaven help you!” “Why should we wait?” he cried. “It will give us the suspense of expectation.” “I want you! 1 need you!” he pleaded. “Until the time comes for amputation?" “Don’t! Don’t!” And he dropped her hand suddenly. “Well, I don’t want you to have any illusions about me, Chris. I have none about you. Let us begin fair anyway. It will be so much easier when the end comes.” “There will be no end!” he said passionately. “1 love you—love you with every breath of my body, every thought in my mind, every throb of my nerves. I love you!” He kissed her hand repeatedly, “1 love you!” He took her in his arms and pressed her to him. She struggled with him without any anger or disgust or fear. As she put him away from her she just said sim-’ ply: “Please don’t. It’s so hot this morning.” As she turned away from him she was struck dumb. Sitting beside the table in the middle of the room, her back turned to them, was the strangest oddest little figure Ethel had ever seenWho was she? How long had she been in the room? Ethel turned to Brent He was quite pale now and was nervously stroking his slight mustache. Ethel was furious. It was incredible that Brent could have been so indiscreet ’ How on earth did that creature get there without their hearing or seeing her?

Ethel went straight to the demure little figure sitting on the chair. • • • • • • • Peg’s journey to England was one of the unhappiest memories of her life. She undertook the voyage deliberately to please her father, because he told her it would please him. But beneath this feeling of pleasing him was one of sullen resentment at being made to separate from him. She planned all kinds of reprisals upon the unfortunate people she was going among. She would be so rude to them and so unbearable that they would be glad to send her back on the next boat She schemed out her whole plan of action. She would contradict and disobey and berate and belittle. Nothing they would do would be right to her, and nothing she would do or say would be right to them. She took infinite pleasure In her plan of campaign. Then, when she was enjoying the pleasure of such resentful dreams, she would think of her father waiting for news of her, of his pride tn ber, of how much be wanted her to succeed. She would realize bow much the parting meant to him, and all her little plots would tumble down, and she would resolve to try to please ber relations, learn all she could, succeed beyond all expression and either go back to America prosperous or send for her father to join her in England. All ber dreams had ber father either centrifugally or centripetally beating through them. She refused all advances of friendship aboard ship. No one dared speak to her. She wanted to be alone in ber sorrow. She and Michael would romp on the lower deck by favor of one of the seamen, who would keep a sharp lookout for officers.

This seaman—O’Farrell by name—took quite a liking to Peg and the dog and did many little kindly, gracious acts to minister to the comfort of both of them. He warned her that they would not let Michael go with her from the dock until he had first been quaran- i tined. This hurt Peg more than anything could. She burst into tears. To have Michael taken from her would be the last misfortune. She would, indeed, be alone in that strange country. She wag inconsolable. O’Farrell at last took it on himself to get the dog ashore. He would wrap him up in some sailcloths, and then he would carry Michael outside the gates when the customs authorities?* had examined her few belongings. When they reached Liverpool O’Farrell was as good as his word, though many were the anxious moments they j had as one or other of the customs officers would eye the suspicious pack- ; age O’Farrell carried so carelessly un- ■ der his arm.

At the dock a distinguished looking gentleman came on board and after some considerable difficulty succeeded in locating Peg. He was a well dressed, soft speaking, yigorous man of for-ty-five. He inspired Peg with an, instant dislike by his somewhat authoritative and pompous manner. He introduced himself as Mr. Montgomery Hawkes, the legal adviser for the Klngsnorth estate, and at once proceeded to take charge of Peg as a matter of course. Poor Peg felt ashamed of her poor little bag, containing just a few changes of apparel, and her little paper bundle. She was mortified when she walked down the gangway with the prosperous looking lawyer while extravagantly dressed people with piles of luggage dashed here and there endeavoring to get it examined. But Mr. Hawkes did not appear to notice Peg’s shabbiness. On the contrary, he treated her and her belongings as though she were the most fashionable of fine ladies and her wardrobe the most complete.

Outside the gates she found O'Farrell waiting for her, with the precious Michael struggling to free himself from his coverings. Hawkes soon had a cab alongside. He helped Peg into it; then she stretched out her arms, and O’Farrell opened the sailcloths, and out sprang Michael, dusty and dirty and blear eyed, but, oh, such a happy, fussy, affectionate, relieved little canine when he saw his beloved owner waiting for him. He made one spring at her, much to the lawyer’s dignified amazement, and began to bark at her and lick her face and bands and jump on and roll over and oyer upon Peg in an .excess of joy as his release. Peg offered O'Farreil an American dollar. She had very little left O’Farreil ' indignantly' refused to take it' i ‘rtl “Oh, but ye must, indade ye must!” cried Peg in distress, “Sure I won’t lie aisy. tonight, if ye doiTt, , But for you poor Michael here might have been on that place ye spoke of—that quarantine, whatever it Is. Ye saved him from that. And don’t despise It because it’s an American dollar. Sure it has a value all over the wurrld. An*, besides, I have no English money.”

Poor Peg pleaded that O'Farren should take it. He had been so nice to her all the way over. Hawkes interposed skillfully, gave O’Farrell 5 shillings, thanked him warmly for his kindness to Peg and her dog, returned the dollar to Peg, let her say goodby to the kindly saiP or, told the cabman to drive to a certain railway station, and in a few seconds they were bowling along and Peg had entered a new country and a new life. They reached the railway station. and Hawkes procured tickets, and in half an hour they we* on a train bound for the north of England. During the journey Hawkes volunteered no information. He bought her papers and magazines and offered het lunch. This Peg refused. She said the ship bad not agreed with her. She did not think she would want food for a long time to come. After awhile, tired out with the rush and excitement of the ship’s arrival, Peg fen asleep. In a few hours they reached their destination. Hnwkes woke her and told tier she was at her journey’s end. He again hailed a cab. told J the driver where to go and got In with Peg, Michael and her luggage. In the cab he handed Peg a card and told her to. go to the address written on it and ask the people there to allow her to wait until he joined her. He had a business call to make in the town. He would be as short a time as possible. She was just to tell the people that she had been asked to call there and wait After the cab had gone through a few streets it stopped before a big building. Hawkes got out told the cabman where to take Peg, paid him and, with some final admonitions to Peg, disappeared through the swing doors of the town hall. The cabman took the wondering Peg along until he drove up to a very handsome Elizabethan house. There he stopped. Peg looked at the name on the gateposts and then at the name on the card Mr. Hawkes had given her. They were the same. Once more she gathered up her belongings and her dog and passed in through the gateposts and wandered up the long drive on a tour of inspection. She walked through the paths dividing rose beds until she came to some open windows. The main entrance hall of the bouse seemed to be hidden away somewhere amid the tall old trees.

Peg made straight for the open win (lows and walked into the most wonderful looking room she had ever seen. Everything in it was old and massive. It bespoke centuries gone by in every detail. Peg held her breath as she looked around her. Pictures and tapestries stared at her from the walls. Beautiful old vases were arranged in cabinets. The carpet was deep and soft and stifled all sound. Peg almost gave an ejaculation of surprise at the wonders of the room, whens she suddenly became conscious that she was not alone in the room, that others were there and that they were talking. She looked in the direction the sounds came from and saw, to her astonishment, a man with a woman in his arms. He was speaking to her tn a most ardent manner. They were partially concealed by some statuary. Peg concluded at once that she had intruded on some marital scene at which she was not desired, so she instantly sat down with her back to them. She tried not to listen, but some of the words came distinctly to her. Just as she was becoming very uncomfortable and had half made up her mind to leave-the room and find somewhere else to wait she suddenly beard herself addressed and in no uncertain tone of voice. There were indignation, surprise and anger in Ethel’s question: “How long have you been here?” Peg turned around and saw a strikingly handsome, beautifully dressed young lady glaring down at her. Her manner was haughty in the extreme. Peg felt most unhappy as she looked at her and did not answer immediately. (TO BE CONTINUED )