“Ora, what’s a trouble to ye, Rosheen acushla!” says Art; but it was a while afore he could get an answer out of her she was that fretted and put about. But at long last she told him. Mr. Heffernan, she said, that was wanting to marry her.
“What!” says Art, bursting out into a big laugh; “ould Heffernan to think to marry you! he that might be your father! ay, or your grandfather to the back of that, ready!”
But Art was wrong about that. Heffernan wasn’t that far on at all.
“That’s a nice joke to be putting out upon a body!” he says, “for of coorse it’s only nonsense ...” and he looks hard at her; “say it’s only joking y’are, Rosy!”
“The sorra joke!” says poor Rosy, and she looking at him most pitiful, and her cheeks and eyes wet with the tears; so much so that Art thought well of doing his best to dry them for her; and Rosy went on, “He was down here this morning, talking to me mother....”
“Well?”
“Well, sure, what was I to do, only say that I wouldn’t agree to him; and then he got vexed, and says he to me mother, ‘Go off,’ he says, ‘to Father Connellan, and let him at her, to see to bring her to raison!’ And och! Art, jewel, what will I do, at all at all!”
“Sure, never heed them!” says Art, very stout.
“That’s all very fine! but they’ll all be agin me! Too sure I am that Father Connellan will be for Mickey, on account of the good wedding ... all the money he has! And he has promised me mother to bring her to the Furry Farm, as well as me, and to give her every comfort. He says he’s after getting word of some one that is going to marry his sister beyant there in England. So then, there wouldn’t be Julia on the flure, to contind wid. And me mother is to have a side-car to drive to Mass of a Sundah; and a slip of a sarvint-girl to be ordhering about, and every comfort, if only I’ll agree to take him. And of coorse she’s getting middling ould and wakely in herself ... so there it is now!”
“Well, don’t you cry any more, annyhow, Rosy!” says Art; “look-at-here, if he wants a wife so terrible bad, and is so anshis to have your mother at the Furry Farm, why wouldn’t he take her there, and l’ave the two of us in p’ace and qui’tness?”