“There was a great deal of enthusiasm manifested all along the route, and the procession did not cease marching until the shades of evening had approached.”
But to resume, once more, the thread of our story:—In due time the establishment of The Harp was disposed of to advantage, and the sum realized from it placed in the hands of O’Brien by his sister who had made her way to Buffalo according to his directions. When matters quieted down in the vicinity of Ridgeway, Martha paid a visit to her friend Kate, and was soon followed by Henry with a view to keeping his word in relation to their marriage which took place on the same evening and under the same roof with that of Kate and Nicholas. The joint affair was a grand one; many guests having been invited to the wedding; among whom were some officers of the I.R.A., and all that survived of Barry’s comrades. Tom, was in his glory; and as all the military men present had been at Ridgeway, the pros and cons of that important battle were discussed in a manner the most lively and entertaining. Then and there, it was voted, that although the invasion of the Provinces had not at the moment, resulted in any immediate benefits to the Irish, it had given a prestige to the arms of Ireland in an individual and national sense, not realized by that country for ages. Not since the palmy days of our early chivalry, had British soil been invaded by a hostile Irish army, until O’Neill broke the ice at Ridgeway; and at no period in the history of the nation had a mere handful of men performed greater miracles of valor or been handled with more consummate judgment and daring.
In the course of a few days, Mr. and Mrs. Evans returned to their home near Ridgeway; and prevailed upon Mrs., now the widow Wilson, to dispose of the house and property identified with so many unhappy associations, and near which the young wife could not now be induced to venture. In the roomy and commodious dwelling of the Evans’ she found a home; and in the course of time began to wear a more cheerful aspect, and forget, in a measure, the dreadful ordeal through which she had passed. Nevertheless, no real sunshine visited her brow, as the shadow that had fallen on it was too deep and sorrowful for even the peace and quiet now promised her in the decline of her years.
Six months after their marriage, the Barrys were apprised of their success regarding the Chancery-suit; but so enormous were the expenses attending it, that, after all, the benefits accruing from it were something similar to those experienced by Gulliver after his having encountered and overcome all the difficulties that could have possibly beset humanity. Still they were richer through its having been decided in their favor; and were enabled on the strength of it to purchase a handsome dwelling near their friends of the Rock, where they still reside in comfortable if not affluent circumstances. Tom and his sister, old bachelor and old maid, are once again in business, but this time not in the restaurant line; and had we not given assumed names throughout our whole story in so far as he and Barry are concerned, his establishment might be recognized at any period by those acquainted with Buffalo and its vicinity, or such as have passed along a certain well-known thoroughfare to Black Rock. His faith never falters in relation to the independence of Ireland; and he still keeps up his connection with the Brotherhood on both sides of the line; often receiving from Canada lengthy and mysterious epistles written by Burk, over which he pores, from time to time, with sundry nods, winks and significant smiles.
Henry and Martha are now occasionally to be seen at the Rock; the former wearing a green necktie, and the latter as happy as the day is long. In the arms of both Kate and Martha are now two sweet prattlers—one christened, John O’Neill Barry, and the other, Martha Ridgeway Evans. Perhaps in after years they in turn may plight their vows on the banks of the Niagara, as Kate and Nicholas had done by those of the Shannon. Kate now and then visits her friends at their residence on the Canadian side of the lakes; but Nicholas is of the impression, that he is quite as well off in judiciously remaining at home to look after the affairs of their establishment. Sometimes, however, he gazes across the river and wonders how soon again he shall have an opportunity of measuring swords with the ancient enemy of his race; while Tom has made up his mind to handle a rifle himself, the next time that O’Neill sounds “to horse!”
And so ends our story of Ridgeway, with all the difficulties, loves, hopes and fears connected with it. Throughout the whole of our narrative we have been faithful to circumstances where the interests of the truth required that we should be just and impartial. In this connection we have been guided solely by personal knowledge and the evidence of respectable eye-witnesses; and by official documents of the campaign, the veracity of which are beyond any question whatever. Here, then, we bid our readers good-bye for the present; trusting that we may soon again renew our acquaintance, and that we have not done injustice to any party; for, notwithstanding the slight tinge of romance with which our facts are interwoven, we have, after all, presented nothing for their perusal at variance with truth, or, we hope, prejudicial to society.
THE END.
[1] Although we are under the impression that others of these gentlemen than those designated belong to the I.R.A. yet we are unable to give their military rank, from the fact of our not being able, at the time of our writing, to obtain proper intelligence on the subject.