OUR STORYETTE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 342, 4 January 1918, Page 4

OUR STORYETTE.

•5 UU Rirtuam**) <" 1 THE BANSHEE OF HIUtTMK MM). IttjUrtOttk-ffWKI waa .absjit tfee laat plgs£~th» world that a Sing fcatoahee or other supernatural visitant might 1m expected to patroa[ia*. it waanot even tolifjand, bat la ft* North diatriot of taw. am<*r. up-to-date untomantic London, i Ctaeadoran Villa, was 'rented by Mia, O'ShM, an Iriah lady lot good means, and immenae antiquity ;—aa. regarded family. Mrs. O'Shea jwt3 the widow of a.general officer, ks aha took good care to inform,her neighbours, upon whom she' looked don with Justifiable contempt as being principally oomposed of business people. None of the' O'Bheas had soiled their hands with trade; but In Mrs. o'Bhea'e native country there; were those so 111-natured as to whisper that the late Qeneral O'Sbea had found means to escape from his creditors by marrying the heiress of a wealthy Hiberaian bacon merchant.

The household of Grendoran Villa consisted of the stately widow, an orphan niece, and two servants —one a confidential maid, who had lived with Miss Molly Dowd before her marriage lO the aristocratic and impecunious Major O'Shea. Honor Carroll was a character in her way, but under .a harp manner and tongue hid a warm heart and much fidelity. She had served the Dowds from her youth, and was as careful to preserve her mistress's status a's was that lady herself. * Until very recently, Honor had '.ever disputed Mrs. O'Shea's will, exsept by the grumbling which had become habitual with her; but now there .vas a difference of opinion between uistress anl maid, and Honor held he,r iwn obstinately, for the happiness of Catherine O'Shea, whom the old wonan idolised, was at stake. Katherine •vas not an O'Shea at all, but merely i Dowd, being the only child of Mrs. O'Shea's brother; buj on the death of ler parents, her aunt had adopted her, and given her the grander name. She »vas a typical Irish girl, sail and merry jy turns, with a wholesome horror of. res.raint, and but little reverence for authority. She was pretty, with dark tyes and hair, small features, and a .'emarkably bright and clear complexion. The girl had nd nonsense about iier, and cordially detested her aunt's snobbishness. She had a special reason for rebelling against the enforced ?eutility of her position, as it had led Mrs. O'Shea to refuse her consent to the proposal of Katherine's lover—a young man in every way a suitable match for her, but to whom the General's widow objected on the score that ie and his people were "mere tradesfolk." • v

Hojior Carroll had taken the side of !he young people, and uttered her promts with no uncertain voice, and her remarks were as thorns in Mrs. O'Shea's side, for the home truths she advanced were incontrovertible.

It was a dull November afternoon, aot by any means the sort of day one would select for an. al fresco conversation; yet Katherine O'Shea and Henry Flavell were standing under the leafless elm trees at the end of the garden, and apparently perfectly unconscious of either cold or damp. Very frequently the young man paid these visits, safe from the observation of the mistress of the house. Honor, while scolding Katherfne briskly lor meeting her fiance, secretly kept watch that Mrs. O'Shea did pot come upon the scene unawares, ahd at the time 3f which we are speaking she was on luty. Th« sound of the drawing-room bell warned her th_t Katliprine would probably oe asked fcr by her aunt; and the old servant trotted down to the!lovers' meeting-spot, and, without any preliminaries, began:

"Shure, an' Miss Katherine, isn't it a shame fur ye to br meandering down there wid Master Flavell, an' ye knowin' that .lit mistress is dead agin him comin' at all?"

"Don't be rross, Honor," replied I Katherine. with an unconcerned laugh. "If I am not to receive my visitors properly inside, I'll take good care to enjoy myself out here." "It's cowid enjoyment, I'm thinkin'," muttered the old woman; "bur in wid ye now, fur the drawin'-room bell's rung, and the mistress is shure to be wautin' ye." "I expect it's you she is wanting, Honor,' remarked Henry Flavell. 'Don't you think Miss Katherine might stay out a little longer?" "Bedad! I do no:, Master Flavell." answered Honor, sharply, "a.i" It's yerself ought to he ?,bove matin' her on >he sly." . * "Did you never meet anyone on the 3ly yourself, Honor?" laughed the young man.

"Ach! Go along wid ye," grinned Honor, her eyes brighteniug up with some merry thought of her girlhood. "Better fur ye to persuade the mistress to let ye court Miss Katherine straight out. Och! Murder! Av she isn't at the winder! I towld ye how It would be." ' Henry Flavell dodged behind the tree ia very undignified style, while Katherine and Honor walked towards the house. Mrs. O'Shea never for a moment dreamt that Henry Flavell would dare ?nter her grounds after she had forbidden him the house; therefore, her suspicions were not roused, and she only scolded Honor for not having more sense than to be out that, oold day without something over her head.

It v|as the evening of the same day, while Honor was helping her to get ready for bed, that Mrs. O'Shea began to hold forth upon the presumption of a person ia "young Flavell's position" attempting to p»y his addresses to her niece. "An' a fine young man he la, whin all's s«4 an' done," put in Honor, iturjdliy. "Falx! I see no great harm "wf 'Miss Katheriae an' he made a match it." | "How dare you, Honor!" [Mrs. O'Shea, with a wittering look at iher maid. "My tilece shall marry as jjvell as 1 aid, or r»maln an O'Shea all

<-t ' •' ,/ " ' • ~r ■ "An," hsreftlf no",O'Shea at all, bttl Dennia Dowd's daughter," muttered Honor; .ft: W braklft' Mi(» Katherine'a heart fur »toh noMenaej? Isn't Mr. Flavell's big warehouse tyiniy times grander npr the shop MiasKafkerine'a fatherGod rest his sowljl—fcad?" ""Honor!" screataed Mrs. OlShea. "If you ever dare to mention that shop, or let Miss Katherine know of it, I'll send you back to Ballymorty. Have you no respect for me at all?" "I'm not liklo* to seie the young peo* pie ctoaaed," maintained Honor. ••They shall never matry while I draw bnsath." "The blessed virgin grant ye may repint," was Honor's pious reply.

Before her mistress could .retort, a weird, wailing sound came borne on the still night,, and died away like a plaintive ory. There was not a breath of Wind, and Mis. O'Shea turned pale and grasped the hack of the chair, while Honor devoutly crossed herself and whispered: "The hely saiuts ,be betune us an' harm this night!" "It's like a ban»b e e," stammered Mrs. O'Shea, when dhe had recovered her voice. "There's, one in our family. It's a warning."

"t was afeered something id cum wherf ye was so hard on Miss Kather-' ine," said Honor, in®n-oving the occasion. , " Av yer tuk, marm; shure, nothing can kape the two from marring." "I am only (iolng my duty," remonstrated Mrs. O'Shea,. faintly. "We'll see what " comes av sich .duty," snaered Henor. , > "It ra»ifiO come^three:times," remarked' Mrs.'^CTShea^ referring to, the banshee.

"Oh, sivil doubtyit! It'll come," was the servant's comforting reply. And sure' enough, tbe following evening, abouf the.same hour, the uncanny, unaccountable, prolpnged wail came again; and "Mrs. O'SUea, trembling and unnerved, accepted it as her summons. > Honor Carroll, while admitting that it .was tlie banshee, hazarded the re'iua.\k that, if approaching death were r-enf. as a punishment for crossing the young peiople, speedy repentance on ihe part of Mrs. O'Shea might turn hack the judgment.

O'Shea was too fond of her rrresent eixistence to care to change it, unlejf* that was absolutely neces-j f-ary; and she there'and then made a] r.olemn vow that if she were spared, until the morrow, she would give her j consent ti» the the hope of propifciatting the banshee,.

She did not sleep that night, but ■■.he lived tl trough it: and to the great surprise artd joy of Katherine and Henry Flavell, : the old lady wrote a formal acceptance of the young man's proposal. . • 1 It need not be explained that the supposed banshee was" nothing more supernatural tSiat the sound emitted l,y tVie new motor cab Invested in by Mr. I'lavell, setnior. / CThe Enß.) j =•- W