Mortal Years - America

Our trip across the Atlantic was largely uneventful. Conor did meet David Bangle, an odd little English prestidigitator. David had “earned” his travel money through the “largess” of others. His tendency to seek such largess was why he was fleeing England. Apparently, David had the intent to seek such largess from me and was bragging about his intentions amongst the poor Irish. David assumed that the poor Irish would like to see gentry like me “get my due.” Conor took exception to this and “corrected” David, aiming him at a new target. I met an equally odd character. A Welshman named Bran Cadogan kept "welcoming me to the masquerade." As we weren't in fancy dress, his reference was completely lost on me. I had no idea what he meant until several years later.

New York came as quite a shock to us Irish. Our idealistic dreams were quickly dashed by "Irish Need Not Apply" signs and Americans attempting to rob us of our time and money. David's experience wasn't as unpleasant, as an Englishman, he was much more welcome than we were. Conor wouldn't accept my money, so took odd jobs to earn his keep. These ranged from a short stint in the fire department to fist fighting for prize money. I had the advantages of some money, an education and being Protestant. Conor had a some more run ins with David, but they gradually became more amicable. The Englishman was getting himself nicely established as a stage performer and had a few cons on the side.

The United States was a few years behind England in railroad advancement, but ahead of Ireland. Railroad companies were still scrambling for start up capital, so I invested. My investments paid off well and I in turn invested more. My stolen rents quickly grew into a tidy sum. The developers thought it odd a woman would have a business mind, but were more than happy to take my money for their projects. My only hassle was with the other investors. They refused my admittance to their "men's clubs" and would treat me with condescension. I didn't mind. I got around dealing with their foolishness by hiring good looking young men as my stand-ins. Nobody met face to face with me until after passing through my Irish.

They could play their games, while I focused on the bottom line and learning the actual machinery. This meant that my profits and knowledge grew even faster. The only game I played was to ensure that Conor always had a job with the railroad, even when he agitated against the foremen. He never knew at the time, but has hopefully since figured out, that I paid more than one policeman off.