Page:Shiana - Peadar Ua Laoghaire.djvu/227

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SHIANA
213

One thing that was better than all his other good qualities was that it was impossible to make him angry; and if he saw two people on the point of falling out with each other, before he would have said two words between them the anger would be all gone, and they would be laughing.

Shiana was there, silent, and breathing slowly as usual, with his mouth closed and his eyes wide open, looking far away, so that you would think he could see into the other world. He spent most of the night sitting above near the priest and John Kittach. He did not speak much of his own accord, but when he was spoken to there was no fear but he would hold his own with anyone.

And if you will believe me, Michael was there, and Michael's mother.

Kate.—No! And after his calling Sive a jade!
Abbie.—You are wrong, Kate. He didn't call her a jade. But he was sorry that he hadn't called her so.
Kate.—He called her a worse name than that. He called her a "brazen thing," and said she was old—and he was near paying for it.

Peg.—When Sive came home from the city the first thing Poll told her was that Michael's mother had been coming, and that she often spent the night in the house taking care of the sick man, while the nurse took a sleep. Bad as Sive was, that touched her heart. Before anyone had been invited she walked west to the widow's house and told her that she must come. "And," said she, "if you and Michael won't come to us, we won't have any wedding feast at all. I shall make out that my father is too weak as yet. I feel sure that but for you and John Kittach's