GRANNY.

room below, which served also for parlor, dining-room
and kitchen; but now an “ell” had been built on
one end of the little house, and the lower of the two
nice rooms thus added was fitted up by Terry for
Granny, and Granny alone; for the bond between
Terry and Granny, who had made a “gintleman ” of
him, waxed stronger year by year.

At a distance of only a few rods from the O’Toole
cottage, though somewhat below it, ran a broad deep
brook, a mild, inoffensive little stream in ordinary
weather, but quick to rise and overflow its banks
whenever a steady rain saturated the neighboring
hills. Still as a narrow meadow stretched a little
below and on the other side, there was usually plenty
of room for the water to spread, so that no damage
had ever come from it to the O’Tooles.

Shortly after their house had been repaired and
enlarged, however, and when they were beginning to
regard it as a more precious possession than ever be-
fore, an elm-tree of enormous size fell across the
broad brook just above the little meadow, and was
allowed to lie there; and more than once they had
thought seriously of possible danger from the great
bridge above, which was old and very rickety. If
the bridge should go down when the water was high,
and lodge against the tree and thus dam the stream,
the whole force of the current would be turned toward
their own little house; and though it had a little
meadow beyond it also, the worst results might fol-
low. To be sure the highway commissioners had
reported that a new bridge was needed at that place ;
but, as in most small villages, there was delay upon
delay, for the “‘ town fathers ” are slow to act in such
cases. What were the cosey O’Tooles to them, or
the small amount of travel over this particular by-
road, that they should build a new bridge before the
old one had actually tumbled down ?
~ One night after it had been raining hard for twenty-
four hours, the sunshiny stalwart young Terry came
in very wet, and looking uncommonly sober.

“The old bridge is a-shakin’ like the ager,” he
said savagely.

Biddy began a sharp tirade about the “select men,”
but Granny knitted silently away as usual. Terry
came and stood by her, and stroked her soft hair,
still a satiny brown.

“If it’s to coom, it’ll coom, Terry, me boy,” she
said brightly. “I belave everythin’s for the best,
an’ I'll go to bed to-night as aisy as ever. Besides,”
smiling upon the pride of her heart, “what a

231

stout boy is here to take care of the old Granny!”

Her reassuring words made Terry feel a great deal
calmer, and indeed it affected all of them comforta-
bly, for they relied much on Granny’s sweet wisdom,
believing her, in fact, to be under the special pro-
tection of the saints; and the family retired only a
little later than usual.

As the rain poured harder and harder on the roof
above his head,
however, Terry
could not help get-
ting up and half
dressing himself.
Then feeling a
trifle ashamed of
his fears, he threw
himself back upon
the bed, and lay
there listening.

Suddenly he
heard a distant
crackling noise,
and presently a
swish of water
different from the
steady dashing
and roar of a
moment before.
At that instant
there was a loud
knock at the door;
a man shouted
outside :

“One pier’s
gone from the
bridge! It'll be
down in ten min-
utes! Get over
your meadow to
high land, and be
quick about it!”

Terry woke his brothers
down-stairs ata bound. His mother met him, dressing
as she spoke.

“ Here’s the babies,” she said, running back to the
bed and bringing the two youngest children to him,

With but a single blanket around them, he hurried
out of the house, and across the meadow.

Crack, crack, thud! Into a whirlpool din of
waters went the bridge; and just as Terry, with his

 

GRANNY’S “WINS.”

and sisters, and sprang