Raymond Edward Boland

An art deco lamp with a slag glass shade cast amber light over the bed. The body of the silver haired man shuddered as he struggled to draw each breath. For seventy-six years Raymond Edward Boland lived a full and lusty life. Now he was dying. Resisting the waiting arms of death, he retreated into the past.
In 1845 nature cast a dark spell over Ireland, causing the number one food staple to fail. Leaves curled up, stalks turned black, potato tubers rotted in the ground, and a stench rose from the earth. For ten years, hunger and death ruled with ghoul-like fiendishness. Relief finally came, but too late for Raymond’s parents who died from cholera. In 1879 the blight returned with renewed vengeance. With only two ways of escaping the
Desperate to escape the hellish slum houses of New York, Raymond hopped a freight train headed west. His luck ran out in Kansas City, Missouri. A railroad bull cracked him over the head with a club and stole his money. He roamed the city looking for work and found "No Irish Need Apply" signs posted in most businesses. Penniless, he took refuge in a hobo camp where he learned a man could find work on the docks unloading barges that traversed the Missouri River.
Autumn tainted trees hemmed the Missouri River when Raymond first saw Sarah.
Dressed in a blue walking suit and carrying a parasol, she was on the arm of Rolf Van Horn, son of a notorious robber baron. They were strolling through River Market on the city’s north end. The open-air market bustled with independent farmers and merchants peddling their goods. On this day, Raymond was one of many Barkers painting the air with colorful cries that promised better merchandise at lower prices.
When the couple stopped at an adjoining stall to admire lace gloves imported from New Orleans, Raymond went into his spiel. The moment the raven-haired beauty turned her delft-blue eyes his way, Raymond’s spiel stumbled and fell silent. Dumbstruck, he stared at the most beautiful woman he’d ever
“I hope it pleases you.”
When Sarah resisted Van Horn’s attempt to care for the parcel, Raymond grinned and tipped his hat. Inside the box, lay Raymond’s note. In the space of a few minutes, Raymond had fallen hopelessly in love with Sarah Donaldson, the only child of a wealthy family.
The next day an errand boy delivered the lady’s response.
Raymond’s hand trembled as he read Sarah’s note. Dear sir, you are rather bold, but after much thought on what course to take, I have decided to forgive you. Since you are accustomed to forthrightness, I shall respond in kind. Circumstances make it impossible to accept your invitation to dine. However, if a reason to visit the market arises, I trust you will be there. Sincerely, Miss Sarah Donaldson.
Raymond arrived at the market before sunrise. Most patrons lured to Raymond’s stall left without buying anything Sarah wasn’t one of them. Mid-morning the sky darkened and a cold wind rolling off the river swept laggards homeward. Raymond turned up the collar of his jacket against the wind and shuttered the stall. Muttering, “I’m a complete plonker,” he snapped the lock closed
“What’s a plonker?” someone asked.
He turned and found Sarah staring at