a quite man, niver minded that, but let her go on with her do-se-does an’ bought her a bicycle.  All th’ bicycles th’ poor man had himsilf whin he was her age was th’ dhray he used to dhrive f’r Comiskey; but he says, ‘Tis all th’ thing,’ he says.  ‘Let th’ poor child go her way,’ he says to his wife, he says.  ‘Honoria,’ he says, ‘she’ll get over it.’

“No wan knowed she had th’ bicycle, because she wint out afther dark an’ practised on it down be th’ dump.  But las’ Friday ev’nin’, lo an’ behold, whin th’ r-road was crowded with people fr’m th’ brick-yards an’ th’ gas-house an’ th’ mills, who shud come ridin’ along be th’ thracks, bumpin’ an’ holdin’ on, but Molly Donahue?  An’ dhressed!  How d’ye suppose she was dhressed?  In pa-ants, Jawn avick.  In pa-ants.  Oh, th’ shame iv it!  Ivry wan on th’ sthreet stopped f’r to yell.  Little Julia Dorgan called out, ‘Who stole Molly’s dhress?’ Ol’ man Murphy was settin’ asleep on his stoop.  He heerd th’ noise, an’ woke up an’ set his bull tarrier Lydia Pinkham on her.  Malachi Dorsey, vice-prisident iv th’ St. Aloysius Society, was comin’ out iv th’ German’s, an’ see her.  He put his hands to his face, an’ wint back to th’ house.

“But she wint bumpin’ on, Jawn, till she come up be th’ house.  Father Kelly was standin’ out in front, an’ ol’ man Donahue was layin’ down th’ law to him about th’ tariff, whin along come th’ poor foolish girl with all th’ kids in Bridgeport afther her.  Donahue turned white.  ’Say a pather an’ avy quick,’ he says to the priest.  Thin he called out to his wife.  ‘Honoria,’ he says, ‘bring a bar’l,’ he says.  ’Molly has come away without annything on,’ he says, ‘but Sarsfield’s pa-ants.’  Thin he turned on his daughter.  ‘May th’ Lord forgive ye, Molly Donahue,’ he says, ‘this night!’ he says.  ’Child, where is ye’er dhress?’ ‘Tut, tut!’ says th’ good man.  ‘Molly,’ he says, ’ye look well on that there bicycle,’ he says.  ’But ‘tis th’ first time I ever knowed ye was bow-legged,’ he says, says th’ soggarth aroon.

“Well, sir, she wint into th’ house as if she’d been shot fr’m a gun, an’ th’ nex’ mornin’ I see Doheny’s express wagon haulin’ th’ bicycle away.”

“Didn’t Father Kelly do anything about it?” asked Mr. McKenna.

“No,” replied Mr. Dooley.  “There was some expicted she’d be read fr’m th’ altar at high mass, but she wasn’t.”

A BIT OF HISTORY.

Mr. McKenna found Mr. Dooley standing at the end of his bargain counter with the glasses on the tip of his nose.  He was in deep contemplation of a pile of green paper which he was thumbing over.

“Jawn,” said he, as Mr. McKenna walked over and looked on curiously, “d’ye know a good man that I cud thrust to remodel th’ shop?”

“And what’s got into you?” asked Mr. McKenna.

“Im goin’ to have two large mirrors put on th’ side an’ wan below.  Thin I’m goin’ to have th’ ceilin’ painted green, an’ a bull-yard table put in th’ back room.  ’Twill be a place to par’lyze ye whin it is through with.”