The Brick Moon, and Other StoriesHale, Edward Everett
Science
The Brick Moon, and Other Stories
Hale, Edward Everett
Short stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
An immense wagon, with two giant horses, loaded with
the most extraordinary chests which have been seen since
the days of the Vikings. Piled on the top were many
feather-beds, and on the top of the feather-beds a
Scandinavian matron. With Mike, the good-natured
teamster, who was at once captain and pilot of this
craft, the army lass had easily made her treaty, when he
was told the story. He was to carry Nora and her outfit
to the Linwood Street house after he had taken these
Swedes to theirs. "And indade it will not be farr, miss.
There 's a shorrt cut behind Egan's, if indade he did not
put up a tinimint house since I was that way." And with
new explanations to Nora that all was right, that indeed
it was better this way than it would have been had her
brother been called from his work, she was lifted,
without much consent of her own, to the driver's seat,
and her precious "box" was so placed that she could
rest her little feet upon it.
Nora had proudly confided to the friendly lass the
assurance that she had money, had even shown a crisp $2
bill which had been sent to her for exigencies.
But when the lass made the contract with Mike
Dermott, the good fellow said he should take Nora and her
box for the love of County Cork. "Indade, indade, I
don't take money from the like of her."
And so they started, with the Swedish men walking on
one side of the cart with their rifles, keeping a good
lookout for buffaloes and red Indians and grizzly bears,
as men landing in a new country which they were to
civilize. More sailing for there was the ferry to cross
to old Boston. Much waiting, for there was a broken-down
coal-wagon in Salutation Alley. Long conference between
Nora and Mike, in which he did all the talking and she
all the listening, as to home rule and Mr. McCarthy, and
what O'Brien thought of this, and what Cunniff thought of
that. Then an occasional question came in Swedish from
the matron above their heads, and was followed by a reply
in Celtic English from Mike, each wholly ignorant of the
views or wishes of the others. And occasionally the
escort of riflemen, after some particular attack of
chaff, in words which they fortunately did not
understand, looked up to their matron, controller, and
director, exchanged words with her, and then studied
the pavement again for tracks of buffalo. A long hour of
all this, the stone and brick of the city giving way to
green trees between the houses as they come to
Dorchester.
Poor Nora looks right and looks left, hoping to meet
her big brother. She begins to think she shall remember
him. Everybody else looks so different from Fermoy that
he must look like home.
But there is no brother.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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