DREAMS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 33, 18 August 1904, Page 23

DREAMS

(Concluded from last week )

But even thai was denied her, for she met Kate soon after, and what she saw was a giilish figiuc small and graceful, with a striking face and wonueriui eyes all ahgnt witn happiness. Whilst Kate ieelni"herself keenly sci vt inised, saw a pieiiy girl wun an expression of unnatuial coldness and hardness in her delicate flower-like lace, and a fro/.en look m the big blue eyes. And the happiness and sorrow both alike weie caused by Shameen Fionn

In September they were to be married, and now at the end of August there was to be a great Feis in the neighboring town of Cahireiveen, and all the valleys rouad about were entering their best orators and singers and dancers for the competitions. There was a long-standing rivahy between Ballinablowne and the next parish of Coom, and the Coom men were now boasting that they had a singer and a dancer wh 0 very soon would knock the pride out of the men of Ballinablowne with their Shameen Dineen.

Shamccn should have the best dancer in the Glen for his partner, and that was Molly Dairy. And she refused flatly to take any part in the Feis. But Shameen kept uiging her, coaxing m the way he knew the power of, only too well. 'Do a chailm, do astoir. Since you wouldn't have the Coom boys' beating us before the judges fiom Dublin all. And if you don't dance I won't, and then they'll say we arc afraid of them.' Thus, because she could not refuse him when he sipoke like that with his golden head bent ovex her, when he whispered— ' For the last time, astoim ban '—she lifted hei. sad blue eyes to his and said ' I will ' , but bcfoie he could say another word she was off like a deer along the brown path home. The day of the Feis arrived, a perfect August day. The little town was crowded with people , gay flags with Gaelic mottoes floated from the houses , everywhere the sound of the Gaelic was heard in the thronged streets. Kate's heait throbbed high with the significance of it all. She had heard, of course, of the Gaelic Revival in America, but now she was in touch with it m its In ing reality. And she was very proud of her handsome Shameen, handsomer than ever that day with the sparkle of excitement in his eyes— for werbn't the hopes of Ballinablowne centeied in him to uphold their honor *>

In the singing he won an easy first with his splendid rendenng of the song Kate chose for him out of all the great store he had— the alluring ' Paisdin Fionn ' and her hcait was big with happiness and pride in her own dear Fairhead when he had fijushod the song, and applause suiged up atound him like the sea.

Alter the singing came the dancing. Kate was in a corner, 'just, out of reach of the .surging crowd, and beside her was a big window commanding a lovely \iew of the meeting of the wule ruor and the sea, beyond which \alcntia Island lay Hooded with the glorous light of the sinking sun Beyond the silver sweep of the waters in frant her eyes dreamily followed the outlines of the mountains till they rested with a sudden start on the shadowy cross on the summit of Knocknatubber E\er since she had first seen it on her return from America it had a strange fascination for her— that cross on the top of the lonely mountain— and her thoughts turned with irresistible sympathy and admiration to the man who had erected it there, one who had been a dreamer of gicat and noble dieams , aye [ and who would have achieved them greatly had not Death the ruthless taken him, dreams awd ali, lea\ing his work interrupted And Kate could see the beautiful church, too, where he sleeps his last sleep all the sounder, perhaps, for the knowledge that Uie ■work so magnificently conceived and begun by him is being carried out as he would have wished by those who came after him.

Btut now the cross chained Kale's attention E\cn in the midst of the laughier and fun and chatter, Hirough the mad ring of the fiddle and the tihud of the dancers' feet, her gaze and her thoughts wduld return to the cross on Knocknatubber, where it stood clear and well-defined against a periect evening sky, compelling her eves to seek it, till a vague fear crept cold into Ker .'heart.

' At last nui came Shameen and his pariner amid o thunder of applause. Forgotten was the lonely cro<-s and the shadow it cast over her spirits. Here washer share of the world, her'.s beyond doubt or fear. Shameen looked proud and happy ; and in Molly's white

cheeks two roses of excitement burned, the bie blue eves were dark W ,th many emotions, and little damp , <£5 clung in tiny rings round her white forehead. Kate thought her a veiy lovely girl, but her thoughts- did not d'fV^rhS.'' 111Cy tUrnCd lOVlngly t0 * hameen > h -

Uimly she became aware of voices beside her. They 6.1. d l^ 811 "" 61 " 1'""1 ' "" • Sliamccn - and the

«,h,£?w I( f u fh h «w w orn Molly B looked shadow o the girl she was three months ago. ' Ayeh! 11 go hkc her mother did,' said another. • But they do say tnat young Dineen there treated her mighty badly i hey used alwa>s be lugulhci, uud j*Gw he xi America lately. <Tis the old story, lhs lather did' the same, so he is a good chip of the old block ih«!fr !" X * Pr ° ly girl> and marr yi Q g a rich one,' that's

Kate b heart seemed turned to icy lead as she heard this. She tried to stir, to sly T was aHe but no sound would come from her parched lips'; < A her Zin tif^ dHIId H IIy f \ n fr ? nt of her ' where Shameen, ;Comi g to the end of his dance, caurtesied to Molly, and holding her hand, led her off the stage How many things now became plain to Kate S,'i" -r^ffi «& sirs S P ? 'tt H^ Could she hhea ' c believed fo«t *#%ved her ? lie had never been lover-lifce she remembs<^|bwonly a gay comradeship carelessly happy, he U^rfgred her She ought have known the difference. ~'"r The rosy blinding veil was loin from before '■''hex eyes, how she saw everything in its true light, no ongcr dieanuly, n o lotoger the imaginative, veavings of her brain, but this fact-that with all her heart and soul and with all the strength of a passionate and loyal nature she loved a man who loved aaother gifh even while he was willing to many her for the wrett died pc t she had earned with her heart's blood durine: years oi toil. & Almost, numb with pain, she turned her 'eyes, attray Horn the stage out again to where the cross on .Knocknatubber came out clearer and more distinct tW ,*ever against u»c sky, and it seemed to her as if the was branded red hot upon her smarting heart ; and in the golden sky behind Valentia Island clouds were piling hSi.5 1 Ti h T y , l nd lhreatcnin S- H was all symbolic—the day that had dawned so brightly and happily feu her \\ as closing in gathering clouds 'neath the shadow of the cioss

Shamccn saw very little of her in the days that followed s-he needed sohtude to mature a plan that was forming m her tired brain. It was a very simple plan. She was just to clear the way for others, a nd, perhaps, after a while, peace might come again to her heart when she would be far away from the Glen where she had been so happy, and so unutterably miserable. Once she had thought no earthly misery could be greater than leaving the Glen again. Now she was wiser. Not that she loved the Glen less. Oh no ! But what was the Glen, what was anything m hf e compared to the loss of Shameen's love, the love ■•hat never was nets' In those days she dragged ' through the veiy loneliest depths of human pain. But it was not m vim that the blood of heroes ran m her veins. One evening Molly, holding her smallest brother by the hand, was crossing the bog-road after the cows w#en she was suddenly confronted by Kate Moore. Startled and half afraid, she was about to pass on, but Rate stopped her. ' Don't be afraid,' she said ; < there is something 'l want to ask you. Do you love Shameen ? ' ' I do,' answered Molly. ' And he— does he love you ? ' she asked, very quietly '

IHe does— he did,' icphcd Molly, in growing wonder. 1 I only wanted to tell you that T never knew,' said Kate, dully. ' And I'm going away to-morrow, so it won't make any diffeience. Promise!; mo that it won't come between you and him,' she added, eagerly, and Molly said, ' 1 promise you.'

The small yellow-headed boy smiled ud at Kate and because of the tiouble in her eyes, he thrust a .btmch of withered field-flowers into her hand in silent sympathy ■ so she bent and kissed him, and the fair head-of him reminded her with a cruel stab of pain of another fair head, so dear, that would ne\er, never again feel ' -the kisses of her mouth.

' Be good to him, and Cod keep you and him happy,' Mie said at last and went aero.% the bog; and over the hill, oul of Molly's m trht, for ever Only the girl's heait leapt high with hope though she knew not for what, except that Kate had said that she was • eroine away.

' Be good to him ; g-ood to the pulse of her heart ! Why need anyone ask her to be that ? ' Then, remembering the look of Kate's face, her generous little heart turned.. from her own happiness to another's pain.

Kate had one more journey to go that evening, this time .to Shameen's own house.. She watched till he was gone out, and his father alone inside. What passed between them can only be guessed at , but when he was again alone by the smouldering turf fire, the old man brushed away a mist from before his eyes frequently, muttering over and over again :

' Kate a gradh, mo bhron, mo bhron ' ' but whether his thoughts were of the far-away past or of the present 1 >.now not.

But next day he said to Shamccn : ' You may marry that little girl of the Barry's whenever you like. You are a great fool, my boy, but tine fault' is not yours.' After that he never alluded to Kate again, except in his wandering 1 ?, when he grew older, when he seemed to have mixed up the younger Kate with her mother.

As for Shameen, not to any living soul did he tell what passed between Kate and himself \when he met her that night coming down the boreen from his father's house. Not even to Molly did he breathe a word of it, though she would have dearly liked to know the particulars of Kate's good-bye.

Soon after Kate's going, Molly was informed that a good sum of money was lodged to her arcount in the bank, enough to establish her eligibility for Shameen's hand in the eyes of Tade Drnccn. All those concerned knew where the money came fiom. And so, \eiy colly one misty morning in September, Kate Moore left the place of her dreams for ever. Only six months .-,ince she had come home, never to leave these hills again. And now the sight of thorn seemed to crush her in till she longed to escape, though she loved him just as much as ever.

When she reached Cahirciveen a great heavy cloud rested over Knocknatubber, and all along the hills, while Valentia was completely hidden froni her sight Dully she thought it was all as it should be , clouded skies and breaking hearts go best together But e\en as she looked the clouds broke and lifted, the sun shone out. and a shaft of light rested on the cross, glorifying it, till it seemed to her no lonccr to threaten and menace her life with its shadow, but to point out to her a fuller life of love and hope and a peace exceeding great.

In the outgoing ship* from Queenstown Kate thought she saw a familiar ligure amid the crowd on deck. It was, indeed, the Man of Experience ; and her weary heart felt glad to see one who had shown himself her friend. But she avoided him ; she could not stand the scrutiny of his keen eyes in the searching light of day. That night as she leant over the ship's side ga/ing back to where Ireland lay, with eyes that had no more tears to weep, she felt him beside her suddenly lie gave no greeting, only—' You are coming back, then ? ' ' Yes,' she said, ' I am coming back.' ' And your droam ? ' he asked

She kept her head turned away, but he knew She choked down something, and said, with fenced lightness, ' Oh, my dream came too near reality, and I woke up, and—' hut an uncontrollable sob finished what she meant to say, and the Man of Experience found himself alone under the stars.

1 Popr little girl,' he said to himself, softly. ' Poor little girl ! ' For he, too, had had his dreams — ' Weekly Freeman.'