Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 32, Number 95, 21 April 1907 — Page 7

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mince By CHARLES BATTELL LOOMlS.

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Cep-jTight, 1907, ly Thomas 11. ItcKe. WHATEVER story there Is about this Is James's story. And James said his story was his mother's story, and I've a suspicion that James's mother's story came dowu to her along the line of the Irish tings from which she said she was descended. My meeting witft James was unusual, and the better to describe it I will go back to five minutes before I first saw him. I was reading the evening paper on my way across the North River to New York and came on 'a parairrr.nh ht-aded "Th? Bov Was Thanked." It told of a

"Who?" "Teddy. To give a hospital. If I had a vote las' election I would have tnin it fer him an me a Dimocrat, because dey was kind to me mudder in his hospital, an she had better food up dere dan me fadder was ever able to give her. Better dan any 6he had since she left Ireland. I used to go up dere to see her on . visitin days, an she saved me bits from dinner under der bed clothes. She was good to me. Say, boss, a boy's best friend Is his mudder." This was the first time I had ever heard" the hackneyed phrase uttered seriously, and I was touched. Jimmy meant every word he said and I fancied that his bright eye3 were clouded for a moment. And yet

a street boy is not given to emotion. I did not en-

poor boy who. after picking up a wallet that a banker lighten him as to the donor of the money that made

had dropped, chased him several uiocks ana nnauy restored it to him. The banker had opened it, had seen that his money was intact, and then said In a tone of great kindness, "Thank you, my boy. You are an honest fellow." It had struck me a3 I read that here was one of those eminently just men. The boy had done hi3 duty and the banker had done his duty, which was to thank the bov kindly. Only I wondered how much imagination the banker had to let such an opportunity for gratifying it pass him. The incident was still in my mind when I made my way off the ferry boat and, grip in hand, sought to cross West street. A snow-laden gust "of wind caught me unprepared and whipping my hat from my head sent it rolling and bouncing down the street In the direction of Libc?rty street Of course, four or five sprang for it, including myself, but the hat eluded us all and bowled down the car tracks, heading for one of those badges of New York's progressiveness, a horse car. Suddenly a boy dashed out from the sidewalk, made a headlong dive and caught the hat just in time to save it from the imprint of a hoof. Dodging the horse's feet he turned and ran with it to me. I reached out one hand to take it and put the other into my pocket so as to be unlike the banker. There was not a cent of change there. 'Carry your grip, sir? Haven't had a thing to eat for twenty-four hours." said the boy in a cheerful voice, holding the hat back and smiling an Irish smile that disclosed very white teeth. "Yes, but give me my hat before I catch cold. So you're starving are you?" The boy had given up the hat and had seized my grip and he said, "It's no lie. sir. Were ye' go'n'?" "Sixth avenue elevated," said I, wondering where I could get a five dollar bill changed so as to pay the boy for his trouble. "I'll take It for ten cents." He stopped as he spoke, as much as to say that If the ten cents was not forthcoming Immediately he wouldn't take the grip. ' "I'll give you ten cents when I get the bill changed, but don't you want any pay for getting my hat?" "Shure,. Moike. On'y fer me It would have been stove in." "Well, I'm very much obliged to you." And, reaching out, shook hands with him. He took my hand, but he looked up Into my face and grinned as he said, "Gee, I'd a chased it over the sea wall for that." "And glad to see it go, I suppose. Well, we'll call it a dime for getting the hat and you can carry the grip to oblige me. just for the sake of kindness." 'Fix it to suit yourself," said the boy, and I thought I saw a look of contempt stealing over his sunny face. What's your name and how hungry are you?" ".Jimmy" Mulrennan, an' I'm hungry as hell." The boy amused me, and as the train I was bound for did not leave until S:30, I determined to invite him to dine with me. "Got anything in particular to do to-night?" said I. "Well. I kin put it off if dere's money in anyt'ing else." said be, with a peculiarly winning grin.-. "I was wondering whether we couldn't eat dinner together. I want to see if you're as hungry as you ssay you are, and I haven't had dinner myself, and Smith & McNeil's is close by." Then to jolly him along, I said (and there was uiore truth than fiction in it), "I used to eat there when I was a poor boy." "Gee. was you ever poor?" said Jimmy, and I wondered whether there wasn't a touch of satire in his remark. I have never classed myself among the unduly rich. He ran on. "I used t -e rich, meself." "You were rich?" said 1, for a moment taking the announcement seriously. - "Oh, sure say, youse ain't kiddin' me? Arc we go'n ter git dinner for fair?" I turned into Greenwich street as an evidence of good faith, and said: "There's no doubt about it. As much dinner as would be good for you . after your fast. So you were rich?" "Oli, yes. said Jimmy cheerfully and mendaciously. "Until me farder lost his fortune I was rich. We lived in t'ree houses on Fift avenyer an' I studied football up ter Columbia and every time I seen a poor boy I lammed him one good. I never fought I was go'n to be poor meself some day. But Cis Chadwick woman needed me farder's money an he let her have it an den I kem down here to look for a job carryln grips an" I ain't went to Columbia since." "You're not very hungry," said I. looking down flt the bright and surprisingly clean face. "No hun

gry boy could give me a fairy tale like that.'

her site was always t'inkin dat better times was comin'. "An here's der story. The boy 'was a born actor, for although his own accent was that of a New York street boy. as soon as he began to tell his mother's story he assumed an Irish accent which I have indicated phonetically as nearly as is possible with our inadequate alphabet "Wance upon a time there was a kiog of Ireland an he had a son. an the name of the son was Prince Shemus (Shamus). (Me mudder said dat Shemus was der same as me own name. Ja-mes.) Prince Shemus was that red-haired that the clouds was lit up of a dark night whenever he would go out of doors an' the eyes of him was like di'minds. An' Prince Shemus wasn't married, because he never seen a

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'CARRY YOUR GRIP. SIRf"

With, his disengaged hand Jimmy patted his sto

mach lovingly. "Gee, der hungrier I get der better stories I kin make up. I tell de udder boys fairy stories an dey blows me off sometimes. Some of dem I made up, an some me mudder tol me. She'd her head full of clem Irish fairy stories. It instantly struck me that here might be a folk lore vein worth delving into and I felt that virtue was going to bo rewarded as usual. We passed into the noisy and crowded restaurant and found seats in a corner, and Jimmy sniffed the air like a war horse. "Oh, dat smell makes me hungrier. Sometimes, boss, w'en I ain't got der price I cross over der ptreet w'en I pass a eatin house, because der smell of t'Ings cookin always makes me hungrier." "Well, get as hungry as you want and we'll see what we can do." I. looked at the bill of fare, and then I looked at the bright little face before me. Yes, he did look hungry. Probably some boys would have spoken with a beggar's whine, but he was evidently a lad of temperament and also of cheerful temperament, although temperament does not always denote cheerfulness. "How would a thick steak and a fat baked potato and some fried sweet potatoes and mince pie and coffee do?" "ITlIy gee! I won't do a t ing to dem." The boy clapped his hands in delight, and I could not help feeling (somewhat smugly, no doubt) that that banker had thrown away a golden opportunity when he dismissed that other boy with thanks. "Say, boss," said Jimmy, when the order had been given, "are you richer dan mos' folks?" Again suspecting satire in the queston, I said.. "No, I guess not. Probably not as rich asyour father was when he lived ia three houses on Fifth avenue." Jimmy burst Into a jolly laugh. "Oh. 1 was on'y l.iddin. Me fardtt was a street cleaner, an he's dead two years ago. an' me mudder was a scrubloldy till she got sick. She died of pneumonia ia Roosevelt Hospital. Say, but dat's another generous man." ;

Roosevelt Hospital possible. If he thought it was "Teddy" it would do the President no harm, and it would surely do the real donor no good to tell Jimmy the facts in the case. He was silent for a minute, and then he said thoughtfully, "I wisht I could go to Ireland w'ere me mudder kem from." 0 "Your name is Mulrennan, you say," said I. "Din't your father come from there, too?" "Jeose, no. He was born in der Nint' Ward like meself. Terence Mulrennan, he was an American, all right, but me mudder was Irish, an' she tol' mo dt all der country is green dere, an' dere ain't no snakes dere gee, but I'd like to see a snake; an she used to say der boids sang out of doors dere. Not sparrers. but boids, dat was singing all der while. An' she said der sun was brighter dere, an w'en I growed up she hoped I'd go dere an' see for meself. I t'ink it's pretty bright here most of der time. But dere's reel fairies dere, She said so, She seen c"eni in der moonlight. Mustn't dat have been a cinch?" Further talk along this line was Interrupted by the arrival of dinner, which Jimmy attacked with such gusto that I felt quite sure that his hunger was the real thing. For a while neither of us said much. He was too busy. Finally, after a third helping of steak, Jimmy drew a satisfied sigh and said: 'Ge- boss, I'm near bustin." "Well, you'd better stop eating or you'll be sick.

I ought to have thought of that."

Jimmy looked at me to see If he could see where

the joke came in. and then he burst into a hearty laugh. "Dat's a noo one, boss. Sick from eatin' too much. 1 guess it's not many dat's sick dat way. Gee, I'd like to have dat disease every day. Sick from eatin' too much. I mus' tell der boys dat, Dey'll say it's one of me 'fairies.' Ully gee!" Jimmy started to take a drink of coffe but choked over it, his desire for laughter not yet extinguished, and the result was disastrous to the tablecloth. "Oh, dear," said he in alarm, feeling his throat. "What happened to me? Me t'roat feels twisted." I told him he had swallowed the wrong way. "Gee. it's near time I loined how to swallow, an me doin' it fer twelve years." I was sitting opposite Jimmy. He looked at me and smi":eu, then sighed again , and suddenly his hand came across the table and gripped the top of mine from pure good feeling. I could not help warming tc the little chap. He was evidently revolving something in his mind, and at last it came out. "Say, boss, will I tell you one of der 'fairies' der boys gits me to tell?" "Well, 1 should say so." There was to be after-dinner ppeaklng. and I was only sorry, that smoking was not allowed, that I might have leaned back and pretended that I was listenirij: to some noted Irish wit. "W"l, wance upon a time," began Jimmy, and then h? stopped and said: "Boss me mudder was descended from der kings of Trelanc.. Dat's no lie. She was only' a scrubloidy in this country, but she said if I had live lon a.o I would have been a prince." "And as handsome a little prince as ever listened to a har-j." thought I, as looked at the wavy blond hair and the round blue eyes of the earnest lad who was now pajing for his dinner in the only way h'j knew hos.-. , I used of'en to t'ink dat it was funny she happens": to be me mudder. because she was different from me farder an never swore like some of der boys mudders does.. An no matter w'at happened

gerrul that made him sorry he was livin alone. "But one day there was a fair in Bally (Gee. boss, I never could remember der names or der places in me mudder's stories. Dey was Bally dis and Bally dat.)", "Call it Ballyhack," said I. "(All right, on'y dat wasn't it.) Well, he went to the fair an' he seen there a fortune-teller in a booth that told him the gerrul he was to marry lived across the says in America, although she was Irish. An wid that out on the wall beside him was a pitcher of a golden-haired gerrul as white an red as flesh an blood. Oh, she was so beautiful that the prince fainted dead away an" when he come to himself he axed the fortune-teller where would he find a gerrul like that. And the fortune-teller told him to go down to the say an he'd find a shin on the shore an' to get into it widont a worrid and sail for America an the rest wo"d happen to him." "And Prince Shemus did as he was told, and he laves the booth in the fair an jumps on his creamcolored horse. (T forsrot to tell yonse about der horse. My mudder always beenn wld tellin' me of the looks of der horse.) TTe was cream-colored wid a'wh'te tail that swen the.uroiind nn gleamih eves, an he was that gentle he could walk on jou without hurt'n you. "PHncp Shernus lent unon h's horse an rode down fo the roar'n sav. pn' there rM1"' on the waves was a white sn'l boat with' not a soul nhoord her. h p f nrToTi cr froTn the :TinTA fn no pnehor to hoH hor Tnto th wstpr he charred his hnrj. nn Into the wfter thp irrc:f writ an ssm to tho eh'n and then cv a le'n an jumped on her deck without a sound from hi! hoofs. "An' Prince Ppmna went belnw til pr' fhore was a stall for th horse an' a fin soft bed for himfp" pti a tahlA w?th Tirpsi" an' wtn vrn it. "Tlnrv ho fry f!- nn' fTT pave Prinoo Chamin rvVof mrro wmild T wont' An "c oro nnv fl ftia fpvs he So It's rooro a'1" wsnt. An he went fr th stall. n there wc hav fnr tho firt rav out n tVioio wps frech wntr in a nail An that was lirkv. for the water around hlrn was salt being the sa v. "'All' what phnnit the second 1av 0"t savs Prfnofl Phorni's tn h"s ho'co. an tho hoi-c nodded h?s head, an sr5 PHnoo. siprnna. Tt mnst be all rsrt or I wnnirin't h oro An he wnt nn on deck an" thpv wr a mfle from te srrpen shores of Ireland an Prince ?hpmns fpit hs front ernw choked wid the thought of r.vin. the ouM sod but he thinks.'Tis wid the srood wife I'll he sro'n back. "So he eoes to the cabin an he drinks the wine an' atea what bread there is an feels ready for what may come. "An" he feeds the horse the hay an gevs him tho water to irmk an -when he went up after that there was no land in siht an the say high on the two sides of him. an they go'n In a valley of water. "An at night the snn goes down blood red an Prince Shemus goes to sleep wld the horse standln on the deck to keep watch an the silver moon showed the ship the way all night long, an' in the marrnfn Prince Shemus wakes up an there unon the table Is more bread an' wine, an in the stall is more hay an water for the horse. "An -all day long the horse sleeps standin In his stall an Prince Shemus watches the ship sail on her way t'roo the valley of the say. "And at night the sun goes down blood red (me mudder always said the woids der same way, an' it makes it sound better), an' Prince Shemus "goes to sleep wid the horse standln on the deck to keep watch an' the silver moon showed the ship the way alt the night long, an in the marrnin' Prince Shemus wakes up an" there upon theahle is more bread an' wine, an' in the stall is more hay an' water for the horse.

"An all day long the horse sleeps standin' in his stall, an" Prince Shemus watches the ship sail on her way t'roo the valley of the say. "And at night the sun goes down blood red an Prince Sbemus goes to sleep wid the horse standin on the deck to keep watch an' the silver moon showed, the ship the way all the night long, an' in the marrnin' Prince Shemus wakes up an' there upon the table is more bread an' wine, an" In the stall Is more hay an water for the horse. "An all day long the horse sleeps standin' in his stall an Prince Shemus watches the ship sail on her way t'roo the valley of the say. An he seen a storm comin' out of the north. An' well he knew that his cukkle shell of a boat was not wan to live in a storm, an' he goes down to see what is to be found, an there is a bottle of holy oil. "An" when the storm comes up he breaks the bottle of holy oil over the say an the shin sails to where 13 a foreign shore, an that's America." Up to this point of the story I had been reminded of various tales I had read when a boy. but Jimmy's mother had evidently changed the story In order to give it an Interest for the boy that sometimes attaches to familiar local color. Jimmy's cheeks burned with excitement as he went on. However it may be with some after-dinner speakers, he was enjoying himself. "An Prince Shemus le'ps upon the horse's back an the horse le'ps from the boat, an' the Prince turns to look behind him an' the boat has gone. " 'Well, It's lucky It lasted me across.' says W?. an rides up on the shore an' comes to the City cf New York. (Me mudder said this was hundreds of years before the sky-scrapers was built.) "An he rides up Broadway and every one seen he wa3 a prince an hansomer than any man that bad ever been seen in America at all, at all. "An the gerruls lined the sidewalks an threw kisses to him. an' he lifted his velvet can off his head an' bowed right and left (the way Roosevelt did when I seen him go up Broadway last fall. It made me t'ink of me mudder's story). "Well, though he bowed right an left an made his horse prance on his two hind legs to show he was a to'robred. Prince Shemus did not see a single colleen he'd give the wink of his eyelid for. None of them looked like the gurrel he seen on the wall in the booth at the fair. "An' he come up to a little green lane in the woods that stood where Fourteenth street is now. an he looked, an the crowds had left him, but there sat

at the beautiful colleen, an him like to faint, an she disappears in the woods. . "An' th" apple an the knife, too, Is gone, so h takes out another Irish shillin an be buys, another red apple, an' the ould woman says. 'Put your hand in your pocket an take out the silver knife an cut the red apple fu two. an if annywan spakes to you answer her quick. . . "And Priaco Shemus put his hand in his pocket ajc he pulls out a silver knife an he cuts the red apple in two halves an the next second out flies a gerrul as red an' as white as the gerrul on the wall in the booth at the fair. "'Give me a drink of water, says the gerrul. but Prince Shemus on'y clasps his hands an looks at the colleen, an him like to faint, an she disappears In the woods. "An the' apple an the knife, too. is gone, so he takes out another Irish shillin' an he buys auother red apple an the ould. woman says. 'Put your hand in your pocket an' take out the silver knifo you'll find there an' cut the red apple In two. an bad scran to you if you don't answer annywan that spakes to you. "An Prince Shemus put his hand in his pocket an he pulls out a silver knife. An he knew that scrra bit would there be another gerrul coino out of a red apple, for there were no more red apples and no more shillings, so he shut his eyes soias not to be carried away wid the sight of beauty, au' whin the gerrul said, 'Give me a drink of water. he says, 'Certainly I will. an he hoi's out his bund an into it th ould woman puts a silver cup filled to the edge with fresh could water. "An Prince Shemus hands it to the gurrel wld his hands tremblin an she drank it an says to him, 'You are my husband. '"Indeed. says he to the colleen, 'but you re the good guesser. And he turns to thank th ould applo woman, but she had gone away like a flash of heat lightnin. "Well, when the New Yorkers saw it was a rale prince an a rale Irish princess for tho gerrul from the apple was tho same as the gerrul on the wall In the booth at the fair they axed him to live in a palace an be their king, but Prince Shemus said he'd rather be nothln' but a prince in Ireland than a king in America. "But he thanks them kindly, bein a prince, an bini an the beautiful princess walks down to tho shore an' the horse walks be the side of them, fo

"BUT PRINCE SHEMUS ONLY CLASPS HIS HANDS AN' LOOKS AT THE COLLEEN."

an ould woman sellin' apples. An no wan came to buy them, an' the woman looked sorryfil. "An Prince Shemus was kind hairrted an he was .hungry, too, an' he says, 'Give me a red apple.' (Me mudder said all der apples in Ireland is green.) 'Give me a red apple, says he, an chucks an Irish shillin to her. (An' me mudder always used to say that an Irish shillin' was made of better silver dan an English shillin.') "Th ould woman drops a curtsey (dat's der same as bowin, ye know, boss) an she says in Irish. ( In der Irish language, yer know. I can't speak it, an' me farder couldn't, but me mudder could. It was funny to hear her.) "Th ould woman says In Irish, 'Put your hand in your pocket an take out the silver knife you'll find there an cut the red apple in two. an if anny wan span.es to you answer her quick,' "An" Prince Shemus knew he had no knife in his pocket, but he puts bis Laud there an he pulls out a silver knife after all. an' be cuts the red apple in two halves, an the next second out nies a gerrul from the apple as red an" as white as the gerrul on the wall lr. the booth at the fair. "'Give me a drink of water.' savs the gerrul. but Prince Shemus only clasps his hands an" looks

the prince was too merciful to make the two of then ride the wan baste, and the princess wouldn't ride alone, "An there on the shore was the little sail boat, bobbin an' boundin like a cork in a basin, an Prince Shemus put the princess on the horse's back an he carried her to the little ship and then came back for Prince Sherpus, an' when the two was on board there,,, was two bottles of wine an two loaves of bread, but on'y the wan cup, bein' they was lovers; an they went back the way he had come through the valley of the say, on'y it took them twice as long because there was twice as many aboord. "An when they got to Ireland the King of Ireland was waitin for them In Dublin Bay, an' he kissed the princess ani his son, an' there was feastin, an' drinkln. an dncm, and fightin' till you couldn"t rest." Jimmy sat back in his seat and dropped his hands In his lap. His eyes were dancing and his cheeks were glowing, and be was a pretty spectacle ot a boy. He straightened himself up in his ragged coat and he said with pardonable pride: "Me mudder said dat 1 was descended from Prince Shemus. '

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