over to comfort him. She says,There, there, and I wonder why every-
one says there there when Malachy cries. I wonder what there there
means.
Its quiet at the table till Dad says,Things are terrible in America.
Grandma says, Och, aye. I read it in the paper. But they say Mr. Roo-
sevelt is a good man and if you stayed you might have work by now.
Dad shakes his head and Grandma says, I dont know what youre
going to do, Malachy.Things are worse here than they are in America.
No work here and, God knows, we dont have room in this house for
six more people.
Dad says, I thought I might get work on some of the farms. We
could get a small place.
Where would you stay in the meantime? says Grandma. And how
would you support yourself and your family?
Och, I could go on the dole, I suppose.
You cant get off a ship from America and go on the dole, says
Grandpa.They make you wait a while and what would you do while
youre waiting?
Dad says nothing and Mam looks straight ahead at the wall.
Youd be better off in the Free State, says Grandma. Dublin is big
and surely theres work there or in the farms around.
Youre entitled to money from the IRA, too, says Grandpa.You did
your bit and theyve been handing out money to men all over the Free
State.You could go to Dublin and ask for help.We can loan you the bus
fare to Dublin.The twins can sit on your lap and you wont have to pay
for them.
Dad says,Och,aye,and Mam stares at the wall with tears in her eyes.
After we ate we went back to bed and next morning, all the grown-ups
sat around looking sad. Soon a man came in a motor car and took us
back down the road to the shop which had our trunk.They lifted the
trunk up on the roof of a bus and we got into the bus. Dad said we were
going to Dublin. Malachy said, Whats Dublin? but no one answered
him. Dad held Eugene on his lap and Mam held Oliver. Dad looked out
at the fields and told me this is where Cuchulain liked to go for a walk.
I asked him where Cuchulain hit the ball into the dogs mouth and he
said a few miles away.
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