“Bring that man aboard.”
They soon brought him back, and I gave his wife over to the care of the stewardess. She speedily rallied, and hugged and kissed her children as if she would never part with them.
“So, O’Donnell, these are your children?”
“Yis, they are; an’ I’d have ye know I’m in a frae country, bedad, and I dare ye to lay a finger on me.”
“Don’t dare too much,” I said, “or I’ll show you what can be done in a free country. Now, if I let the children go, will you send their passage money to the company when you get it?”
“I will,” he answered, although I knew he lied.
“Well,” I said, “for Mrs. O’Donnell’s sake, I’ll let them go; and I must congratulate any free country that gets a citizen like you.”
Of course I never heard from O’Donnell again.
[Miss McMillan]
“Come hop, come skip, fair children all,
Old Father Time is in the hall.
He’ll take you on his knee, and stroke
Your golden hair to silver bright,
Your rosy cheeks to wrinkles white”