jerked his chin to where Daisy appeared to be in deep conversation with her
brother Sep.
"She's a star, that one, you know. But she's got principles and she sticks to them. She says what she means. I often feel like telling Father Hankin he should come and take lessons from her, for if ever there was a two-faced bugger, he's one. He hunts with the hounds, the moneyed ones, but doesn't even walk with the hare.
D'you know him? "
"Not really. He visited our house once," said Katie; then inclining her head towards Sammy, she said with a smile, 'but Sammy knows him well. "
"Oh, yes," - Sammy was grinning across the table now 'in Father Hankin's opinion, he knows where I'm going, but as the song says, "Who's going with me?" It's hell and damnation and I'm to be given the chief guide. "
"He hasn't put the fear of God into you then?"
"No, sir. No. Nor of the devil either."
"Ah, well," the man nodded towards him, 'you and our Daisy will make a fine pair. You should get at him together, because she makes his hair stand on end. Oh, my God! There was one day here, not a year gone, when I would have sworn he would have her excommunicated. Not that that would bother her
either, would it, you there? If Father Hankin excommunicated you. Daisy through the Pope, of course he would have to go there first, wouldn't he?
Would it bother you? "
"No, Da."
Len Gallagher now leant sideways and said quietly to Sammy, "D'you know what she told him?"
"No. No, Mr. Gallagher, I don't."
"Well, she told him they should alter the second part of the Hail Mary."
"Why just the second part?"
"Why, be god Why just the second part? But you know what it says there?"
"Yes, " Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for"--' Len Gallagher interrupted him by lifting his hand.
"That's it, the Mother of God bit. You didn't see how that could come about, did you, lass?"
"No, Da; I didn't; and I still don't."
"Well," - Len was nodding towards Katie now 'she told him that she could understand Mary being the Mother of Jesus and that's how it should be said: Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus, and so on, because Mary being a human being, she could have carried Jesus for nine months, but never anybody like God, who we are told is everywhere, bigger than this world, in the heavens, on the sea, on the planets, in the stars, everywhere. So how could an ordinary woman carry Him? There was no reason in it, you said to him, didn't you now? You said that was just a prayer made up by old fogies, men in monasteries and dried-up women in convents. " He was nodding round the table again.
"Every word of it is true, what she said to him. And you know something?"
He was nodding again.
"He's a ruddy-faced man, you know, fresh complexioned, but he went out of that door as pale as a piece of white lint. Oh," - he sat back chuckling 'we have our amusing moments in this house, especially when somebody decides to speak the truth.
"Tisn't often, mind,
but, nevertheless, it's something to look forward to when the past lies heavy on your mind. You know," - he was addressing Willie and Sammy now " I was thinking earlier on, if I was a man again and young, I'd make it me business to work at preparing for a bright past, something I could look back on when I was old and enjoy. But you never have the sense of the old when you're young. If God made us, as we're told, he didn't give us the
wherewithal, each one of us separately, to cope with the life He threw us into. It's difficult, you know, for many of us to build up a bright past when we're having a hell of a job tackling the present. D'you follow what I mean? "
Both Sammy and Willie inclined their heads, but it was Sammy who spoke, saying, "I follow you, Mr. Gallagher, and I'm with you in all you say. But sometimes from an unknown quarter you do get a helping hand. You won't
believe it, Mr. Gallagher, but I'm where I am today through using bad
language."
"You don't say?"
"I do, Mr. Gallagher, and I'll tell you about it some time. I was very
brother Sep.
"She's a star, that one, you know. But she's got principles and she sticks to them. She says what she means. I often feel like telling Father Hankin he should come and take lessons from her, for if ever there was a two-faced bugger, he's one. He hunts with the hounds, the moneyed ones, but doesn't even walk with the hare.
D'you know him? "
"Not really. He visited our house once," said Katie; then inclining her head towards Sammy, she said with a smile, 'but Sammy knows him well. "
"Oh, yes," - Sammy was grinning across the table now 'in Father Hankin's opinion, he knows where I'm going, but as the song says, "Who's going with me?" It's hell and damnation and I'm to be given the chief guide. "
"He hasn't put the fear of God into you then?"
"No, sir. No. Nor of the devil either."
"Ah, well," the man nodded towards him, 'you and our Daisy will make a fine pair. You should get at him together, because she makes his hair stand on end. Oh, my God! There was one day here, not a year gone, when I would have sworn he would have her excommunicated. Not that that would bother her
either, would it, you there? If Father Hankin excommunicated you. Daisy through the Pope, of course he would have to go there first, wouldn't he?
Would it bother you? "
"No, Da."
Len Gallagher now leant sideways and said quietly to Sammy, "D'you know what she told him?"
"No. No, Mr. Gallagher, I don't."
"Well, she told him they should alter the second part of the Hail Mary."
"Why just the second part?"
"Why, be god Why just the second part? But you know what it says there?"
"Yes, " Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for"--' Len Gallagher interrupted him by lifting his hand.
"That's it, the Mother of God bit. You didn't see how that could come about, did you, lass?"
"No, Da; I didn't; and I still don't."
"Well," - Len was nodding towards Katie now 'she told him that she could understand Mary being the Mother of Jesus and that's how it should be said: Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus, and so on, because Mary being a human being, she could have carried Jesus for nine months, but never anybody like God, who we are told is everywhere, bigger than this world, in the heavens, on the sea, on the planets, in the stars, everywhere. So how could an ordinary woman carry Him? There was no reason in it, you said to him, didn't you now? You said that was just a prayer made up by old fogies, men in monasteries and dried-up women in convents. " He was nodding round the table again.
"Every word of it is true, what she said to him. And you know something?"
He was nodding again.
"He's a ruddy-faced man, you know, fresh complexioned, but he went out of that door as pale as a piece of white lint. Oh," - he sat back chuckling 'we have our amusing moments in this house, especially when somebody decides to speak the truth.
"Tisn't often, mind,
but, nevertheless, it's something to look forward to when the past lies heavy on your mind. You know," - he was addressing Willie and Sammy now " I was thinking earlier on, if I was a man again and young, I'd make it me business to work at preparing for a bright past, something I could look back on when I was old and enjoy. But you never have the sense of the old when you're young. If God made us, as we're told, he didn't give us the
wherewithal, each one of us separately, to cope with the life He threw us into. It's difficult, you know, for many of us to build up a bright past when we're having a hell of a job tackling the present. D'you follow what I mean? "
Both Sammy and Willie inclined their heads, but it was Sammy who spoke, saying, "I follow you, Mr. Gallagher, and I'm with you in all you say. But sometimes from an unknown quarter you do get a helping hand. You won't
believe it, Mr. Gallagher, but I'm where I am today through using bad
language."
"You don't say?"
"I do, Mr. Gallagher, and I'll tell you about it some time. I was very
Similar Books
![Their Independent Bride [The Men of Space Station One #6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)](https://fs.ageofbook.com/508100/thumbs/152x264/their-independent-bride-the-men-of-space-station-one-6-siren-publishing-menage-everlasting.png)
