road they could hear the tramping
of heavy-booted men.

"They'll be hurrying home from the quarries now. And 'tis not a lonesome
home they will be finding."

"True, ma'am."

And Tim sat there smoking the last of the three cigars he had bought
that afternoon, and thinking--thinking--sometimes of the evening's work
before him, but mostly of the old woman's story.

"Oh, yeh; if it was but a stone I had to put on their two graves in the
cemetery below!" she said after a long silence.

"And why shouldn't you have the stone to put over them?" Tim jumped up
and patted her white, straggling hair. "And you will have it, Nanna.
Come with me to-night and I'll guarantee you'll have it."

"And where will I go?"

"With me and have a fine, hot supper at Kearney's--and then to the town
hall to hear me speak."

"Indeed and I'd like that fine, Mr. Riley; but they don't be invitin'
women--old women--to any rallies."

"Tis me is giving the rally, and I'll invite whom I please--I mean, if
you're not afraid of the rioting when they don't like, maybe, what I'm
going to say to them."

"Me afraid? Of what? Sure and they could be liftin' the roof itself from
the town hall and a lone woman like myself would be safe among them. But
why should you be wanting me there?"

"Why? I'll tell you, Nanna, and you must take it for the true reason
until I can give you a better. And who knows it isn't the true reason?
I'm that vain, Nanna, that I want some one soul there that isn't against
me--some one that, before ever I begin, I know will hear me out. If
you're there I know whose heart will be warm to me while I'm speaking.
For 'tis terrible discouraging to see nothing but cold faces staring up
from the benches and your heart bursting to tell them what's in it."

"Sure and it must be, avic. The cold heart--'tis an awful thing. A bony
black cat itself is more company in the house than one of ourselves when
the heart is ice. But whisper"--she leaned doubtfully toward him--"d'y'
think there'd be hope of you turnin' Dimicrat?"

"I'm afraid I'm fixed where I am. I'm not easily turned, Nanna."

"Oh, yeh! Well, well--in one minute, Timmie avic, I'll be along with
you."

And she dusted the hearth and gathered up her cups and saucers, which,
as she washed, Tim dried. And presently he was guiding her halting steps
down the hill.

IV

At eight o'clock that night Tim was facing his audience, and a fine,
large audience it was--not a hand's width