“Faith, she didn’t—not thin, nor aftherwards. She called me Cushla ma-chree,—which manes Pulse av me Heart,—an’ Jool, an’ Precious, an’ Light av me Eyes—”
“But those are my own names, truly, all but the first one, and Heart’s Content, and—”
“Ah, the mithers—bless thim! There does be but one langwidge they spake the wurrld over. Don’t I know the truth av it? An’ the haythins as well, that haven’t a wurrd av English to their names—God pity thim, though he made thim an’ gave thim their gibberish, too—they say the same thing in their outlandish tongue, an’ the little haythins undershtand as well as you an’ me. Heart’s Contint, an’ Wurrld’s Blessin’ an’—”
“‘Dear my little own,’—only muvver made that up speshilly for me; she told me so—”
“Did she, now? Begorra, the familiarity av it sounds like music in me ears. I remimber me own mither whisperin’ something akin to it wanst whin I snuggled clost to her. Whist! ’tis out av their falin’s fer us that they do be gettin’ the wurrds afther all, an’ that’s betther than learnin’ thim from the books. Whin ye come to think av it, it ain’t to be wondered at that there’s a sort av fam’ly raysimblince betwixt thim, seein’ as their hearts are av the same complexion. Oh, there ain’t annything annyw’eres like a mither’s love.”
For just a little minute the eyes blazing with fun took on a misty twinkle, and something like a shadow crossed the old man’s face, making it seem strangely grave; but it was gone as quickly as it had come, and he was his merry self once more.
“It must have been a most ’normous long while ago when you were a baby,” the child said, inspecting him shyly.
“It was, me darlint; it was the beginnin’ av toime—fer me.”
“Somehow I never thought of you as a baby at all,” she went on, plainly distressed. “Oh, what ever did the little children do then for Santa Claus? There was never any other, was there?”
“Niver a wan, Swate Eyes. I’m the original, simon-pure Santa Claus, an’ no mishtake. Troth, they had to get on the best they cud widout me; an’ a sorry toime they had av it, wan an’ all. Thin I came, an’ the wurrld was a different place iver afther—so me mither towld me.”