The Headless Horseman Part 78

"Is he at home? Thare now, that's comin' to the point--straight as a poike staff. An' supposin' I wuz to say yis, fwhat ud yez be afther wantin' wid him?"

"I wish to see him."

"Div yez? Maybe now ye'll wait till yez be asked. Ye're a purty crayther, notwithstandin' that black strake upon yer lip. But the masther isn't in a condishun jist at this time to see any wan--unless it was the praste or a docthur. Yez cyant see him."

"But I wish very much to see him, senor."

"Trath div yez. Ye've sayed that alriddy. But yez cyant, I till ye.

It isn't Phaylim Onale ud deny wan av the fair six--es.p.a.cially a purty black-eyed colleen loike yerself. But for all that yez cyant see the masther now."

"Why can I not?"

"Why cyant yez not? Will--thare's more than wan rayzon why yez cyant.

In the first place, as I've towlt you, he's not in a condishun to resave company--the liss so av its bein' a lady."

"But why, senor? Why?"

"Bekase he's not dacently drissed. He's got nothin' on him but his shirt--exceptin' the rags that Misther Stump's jist tied all roun' him.

Be j.a.pers! thare's enough av them to make him a whole shoot--coat, waiscoat, and throwsers--trath is thare."

"Senor, I don't understand you."

"Yez don't? Shure an I've spoke plain enough! Don't I till ye that the masther's in bid?"

"In bed! At this hour? I hope there's nothing--"

"The matther wid him, yez wur goin' to say? Alannah, that same is there--a powerful dale the matther wid him--enough to kape him betwane the blankets for weeks to come."

"Oh, senor! Do not tell me that he is ill?"

"Don't I till ye! Arrah now me honey; fwhat ud be the use av consalin'

it? It ud do it no good; nayther cyan it do him any harm to spake about it? Yez moight say it afore his face, an he won't conthradict ye."

"He _is_ ill, then. O, sir, tell me, what is the nature of his illness--what has caused it?"

"Shure an I cyant answer only wan av thim interrogataries--the first yez hiv phut. His disaze pursades from some ugly tratement he's been resavin--the Lord only knows what, or who administhered it. He's got a bad lig; an his skin luks as if he'd been tied up in a sack along wid a score av angry cats. Sowl! thare's not the brenth av yer purty little hand widout a scratch upon it. Worse than all, he's besoide hisself."

"Beside himself?"

"Yis, that same. He's ravin' loike wan that had a dhrap too much overnight, an thinks thare's the man wid the poker afther him. Be me trath, I belave the very bist thing for him now ud be a thrifle av potheen--if wan cud only lay hands upon that same. But thare's not the smell av it in the cyabin. Both the dimmy-jan an flask. Arrah, now; _you_ wouldn't be afther havin' a little flask upon yer sweet silf?

Some av that agwardinty, as yer people call it. Trath, I've tasted worse stuff than it. I'm shure a dhrink av it ud do the masther good.

Spake the truth, misthress! Hiv yez any about ye?"

"No, senor. I have nothing of the kind. I am sorry I have not."

"Faugh! The more's the pity for poor Masther Maurice. It ud a done him a dale av good. Well; he must put up widout it."

"But, senor; surely I can see him?"

"Divil a bit. Besides fwhat ud be the use? He wudn't know ye from his great grandmother. I till yez agane, he's been badly thrated, an 's now besoide hisself!"

"All the more reason why I should see him. I may be of service. I owe him a debt--of--of--"

"Oh! yez be owin' him somethin? Yez want to pay it? Faith, that makes it intirely different. But yez needn't see _him_ for that. I'm his head man, an thransact all that sort av bizness for him. I cyant write myself, but I'll give ye a resate on the cra.s.s wid me mark--which is jist as good, among the lawyers. Yis, misthress; yez may pay the money over to me, an I promise ye the masther 'll niver axe ye for it agane.

Trath! it'll come handy jist now, as we're upon the ave av a flittin, an may want it. So if yez have the pewther along wid ye, thare's pins, ink, an paper insoide the cyabin. Say the word, an I'll giv ye the resate!"

"No--no--no! I did not mean money. A debt of--of--grat.i.tude."

"Faugh! only that. Sowl, it's eezy paid, an don't want a resate. But yez needn't return that sort av money now: for the masther woudn't be sinsible av fwhat ye wur sayin. Whin he comes to his sinses, I'll till him yez hiv been heeur, and wiped out the score."

"Surely I can see him?"

"Shurely now yez cyant."

"But I must, senor!"

"Divil a must about it. I've been lift on guard, wid sthrict ordhers to lit no wan go inside."

"They couldn't have been meant for me. I am his friend--the friend of Don Mauricio."

"How is Phaylum Onale to know that? For all yer purty face, yez moight be his didliest innemy. Be j.a.pers! its loike enough, now that I take a second luk at ye."

"I must see him--I must--I will--I shall!"

As Isidora p.r.o.nounced these words, she flung herself out of the saddle, and advanced in the direction of the door.

Her air of earnest determination combined with the fierce--scarce feminine--expression upon her countenance, convinced the Galwegian, that the contingency had arrived for carrying out the instructions left by Zeb Stump, and that he had been too long neglecting his cue.

Turning hurriedly into the hut, he came out again, armed with a tomahawk; and was about to rush past, when he was brought to a sudden stand, by seeing a pistol in the hands of his lady visitor, pointed straight at his head!

"_Abajo la hacha_!" (Down with the hatchet), cried she. "_Lepero_!

lift your arm to strike me, and it will be for the last time!"

"Stroike ye, misthress! Stroike _you_!" blubbered the _ci-devant_ stable-boy, as soon as his terror permitted him to speak. "Mother av the Lard! I didn't mane the waypon for you at all, at all! I'll sware it on the cra.s.s--or a whole stack av Bibles if yez say so. In trath misthress; I didn't mane the tammyhauk for you!"

"Why have you brought it forth?" inquired the lady, half suspecting that she had made a mistake, and lowering her pistol as she became convinced of it. "Why have you thus armed yourself?"

"As I live, only to ixecute the ordhers, I've resaved--only to cut a branch off av the cyacktus yez see over yander, an phut it undher the tail av the owld mare. Shure yez won't object to my doin' that?"

In her turn, the lady became silent--surprised at the singular proposition.

The odd individual she saw before her, could not mean mischief. His looks, att.i.tude, and gestures were grotesque, rather than threatening; provocative of mirth--not fear, or indignation.

"Silince gives consint. Thank ye," said Phelim, as, no longer in fear of being shot down in his tracks, he ran straight across the lawn, and carried out to the letter, the parting injunctions of Zeb Stump.

The Mexican maiden hitherto held silent by surprise, remained so, on perceiving the absolute idleness of speech.

Further conversation was out of the question. What with the screaming of the mare--continuous from the moment the spinous crupper was inserted under her tail--the loud trampling of her hoofs as she "cavorted" over the turf--the dismal howling of the hound--and the responsive cries of the wild forest denizens--birds, beasts, insects, and reptiles--only the voice of a Stentor could have been heard!