The Doctor [28]
of mountain and glen and loch fell upon her sons and upon the girl seated at her feet, while Iola's great lustrous eyes, fastened upon the stranger's face, softened to tears.
"Oh, that is too lovely!" cried Iola, when the song was done, clapping her hands. "No, not lovely. That is not the word. Sad, sad." She hid her face in her hands one impulsive moment, then said softly, "I could never do that. Never! Never! What is it you put into the song? What is it?" she cried, turning to Barney.
"It's the moan of the sea," said Barney gravely.
"It gives a feller a kind of holler pain inside," said Ben Fallows. "There hain't no words fer it."
"Sing again," entreated Iola, all the lazy indifference gone from her voice. "Sing just one more."
"This one, mother," said Barney, playing the tune, "your mother used to sing, you know, 'Fhir a Bhata'."
"How often haunting the highest hilltop, I scan the ocean thy sail to see; Wilt come to-night, Love? wilt come to-morrow? Wilt ever come, love, to comfort me? Fhir a bhata, na horo eile, Fhir a bhata, na horo eile, Fhir a bhata, na horo eile, O fare ye well, love, where'er ye be."
For some moments they sat quiet with the spell of the dreamy, sad music upon them.
"One more, mother," entreated Dick.
"No, laddie. The night is falling. There's work to-morrow for you. Aye, and for Margaret here."
Iola rose and came timidly to Mrs. Boyle. "Thank you," she said, lifting up her great, dark eyes to the old woman's face, "you have given me great pleasure to-night."
"Indeed, and you're welcome, lassie," said Mrs. Boyle, smitten with a sudden pity for the motherless girl. "And we will be glad to see ye when ye come back again."
For this, too, it was that Iola as well as Margaret could never forget that afternoon.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," cried Dick, striking an attitude, "though the 'good cheer' department may seem to have accomplished the purpose for which it was organised, it cannot be said to have outlived its usefulness, in that it appears to have created for itself a sphere of operations from which it cannot be withdrawn without injury to all its members. I, therefore, respectfully suggest that the department be organised upon a permanent basis with headquarters at the Mill and my humble self at its head. All who agree will say 'Aye'."
"Aye," said Barney with prompt heartiness.
"Me, too," cried Iola, holding up both hands.
"Mother, what do you say?"
"Aye, laddie. There's much need for good cheer in the world."
"And you?" turning to Margaret, who stood with Mrs. Boyle's arm thrown about her, "how do you vote?"
"This member needs it too much"--with a somewhat uncertain smile-- "to say anything but 'Aye'."
"Then," said Dick solemnly, "the 'good cheer' department is hereby and henceforth organised as a permanent institution in the community here represented, and we earnestly hope that its members will continue in their faithful adherence thereto, believing, as we do, that loyalty to this institution will be its highest reward."
But none of them knew what potencies of joy and of pain lay wrapped up for them all in that same department of "good cheer."
VIII
BEN'S GANG
The harvest time in Ontario is ever a season of delightful rush and bustle. The fall wheat follows hard upon the haying, and close upon the fall wheat comes the barley, then the oats and the rest of the spring grain.
It was this year to be a more than usually busy time for the Boyle boys. They had a common purse, and out of that purse the payments on the mortgage must be met, as well as Dick's college expenses. For the little farm, with the profits from the mill, could do little more than provide a living for the family. Ordinarily the lads worked for day's wages, the farmers gladly paying the highest going, for the boys were famous binders and good workers generally. This year, however, they had in mind something more ambitious.
"Mother," said Dick,
"Oh, that is too lovely!" cried Iola, when the song was done, clapping her hands. "No, not lovely. That is not the word. Sad, sad." She hid her face in her hands one impulsive moment, then said softly, "I could never do that. Never! Never! What is it you put into the song? What is it?" she cried, turning to Barney.
"It's the moan of the sea," said Barney gravely.
"It gives a feller a kind of holler pain inside," said Ben Fallows. "There hain't no words fer it."
"Sing again," entreated Iola, all the lazy indifference gone from her voice. "Sing just one more."
"This one, mother," said Barney, playing the tune, "your mother used to sing, you know, 'Fhir a Bhata'."
"How often haunting the highest hilltop, I scan the ocean thy sail to see; Wilt come to-night, Love? wilt come to-morrow? Wilt ever come, love, to comfort me? Fhir a bhata, na horo eile, Fhir a bhata, na horo eile, Fhir a bhata, na horo eile, O fare ye well, love, where'er ye be."
For some moments they sat quiet with the spell of the dreamy, sad music upon them.
"One more, mother," entreated Dick.
"No, laddie. The night is falling. There's work to-morrow for you. Aye, and for Margaret here."
Iola rose and came timidly to Mrs. Boyle. "Thank you," she said, lifting up her great, dark eyes to the old woman's face, "you have given me great pleasure to-night."
"Indeed, and you're welcome, lassie," said Mrs. Boyle, smitten with a sudden pity for the motherless girl. "And we will be glad to see ye when ye come back again."
For this, too, it was that Iola as well as Margaret could never forget that afternoon.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," cried Dick, striking an attitude, "though the 'good cheer' department may seem to have accomplished the purpose for which it was organised, it cannot be said to have outlived its usefulness, in that it appears to have created for itself a sphere of operations from which it cannot be withdrawn without injury to all its members. I, therefore, respectfully suggest that the department be organised upon a permanent basis with headquarters at the Mill and my humble self at its head. All who agree will say 'Aye'."
"Aye," said Barney with prompt heartiness.
"Me, too," cried Iola, holding up both hands.
"Mother, what do you say?"
"Aye, laddie. There's much need for good cheer in the world."
"And you?" turning to Margaret, who stood with Mrs. Boyle's arm thrown about her, "how do you vote?"
"This member needs it too much"--with a somewhat uncertain smile-- "to say anything but 'Aye'."
"Then," said Dick solemnly, "the 'good cheer' department is hereby and henceforth organised as a permanent institution in the community here represented, and we earnestly hope that its members will continue in their faithful adherence thereto, believing, as we do, that loyalty to this institution will be its highest reward."
But none of them knew what potencies of joy and of pain lay wrapped up for them all in that same department of "good cheer."
VIII
BEN'S GANG
The harvest time in Ontario is ever a season of delightful rush and bustle. The fall wheat follows hard upon the haying, and close upon the fall wheat comes the barley, then the oats and the rest of the spring grain.
It was this year to be a more than usually busy time for the Boyle boys. They had a common purse, and out of that purse the payments on the mortgage must be met, as well as Dick's college expenses. For the little farm, with the profits from the mill, could do little more than provide a living for the family. Ordinarily the lads worked for day's wages, the farmers gladly paying the highest going, for the boys were famous binders and good workers generally. This year, however, they had in mind something more ambitious.
"Mother," said Dick,