The Fourth Life of Sean Donoghue by Trish Hanan (children's books read aloud .txt) 📕

people didn’t actually come back from the dead.
The finished the work on the plower and it was a beautiful sight but it didn’t work right; the wheels couldn’t grip the ground and just spun around.
“They’re too smooth, we need to put something on them to make them grip the dirt that won’t interfere with the way it makes the rows,” Sean said frowning.
“We could try deer hide or cow hide,” Young Sean suggested. They did but it didn’t work right, it slipped too much. Materials of all kinds didn’t work either. Then Ryan had a clever idea.
“What about that material they used to make the sandals out of in Topanga,” he suggested and looked at Sean. Sean thought about it.
“You mean that rubber stuff from the rubber trees,” he said and tilted his head to think about it. “You know that just might work. We could melt it and shape in into any shape we want, put grooves on it to grip the ground.” He grinned. So he took his boat and his sons because he couldn’t bear to be a day without them and of course the old men had to go along to, and went to Portsmyth to look for a ship that was going to Topanga. And his boys, Lonnie, Todd and Young Sean had to come along for the ride in their boats. He figured they just wanted an excuse to use their boats but they took their wives so they could go shopping so it was a fun trip.
They found a ship going to Topanga and gave the Captain a few emeralds to bring them back a whole bunch of rubber. Then they loaded up on mangos, pineapples, kiwis and other tropical products, plus of course coffee, tea and all the regular stuff they needed. Sean carried his boys everywhere and women were attached to him like flies to shit, as Danny put it. The old men got a real kick at seeing their Granddad curse under his breath as yet another woman stopped to coo at the cute little boys.
They were in a bookshop buying books for Sean’s latest idea. He wanted to build a library in Sweetwater when the three men overheard two ladies in the next row having a conversation. They couldn’t help but hear it, the whole shop could hear them, the one lady was practically shouting.
“No, I don’t want a divorce, Aunt Grace, I don’t want the husband I’ve got why would I want another one?” she snapped, her voice full of impatience. The three men exchanged an amused look. They heard the other women sigh.
“Just because you picked one bad man doesn’t mean they’re all that way,” she tried to console her. The other woman laughed.
“Anyway it’s a moot point, William wouldn’t give me a divorce even if I asked him for one, I’m stuck with him for life,” she said. “What I ought to do is find a nice man with a couple of children since I’m barren and live in sin with him.” The other women gasped as did several of the bookshop’s patrons. Sean lifted his eyebrow. Now here was a woman he could appreciate. He decided to have a look at her and moved slowly to the end of the row. Ryan nudged Danny and they both grinned. Sean glanced around the corner of the shelf and nodded. The older woman was nice to look at but the younger woman was quite stunning and a redhead to boot. He’d always had a thing for women with red hair. They both noticed him staring and he grinned and ducked back around the shelf.
“You can’t mean that, Claire, even you wouldn’t be that reckless,” Aunt Grace snapped. Claire laughed.
“Well, at least I’d be doing the same thing William is doing,” she snapped back. “And don’t tell me you believe that blonde woman he’s got living with him is his cleaning women, for God’s sake, even you’re not that stupid.” A few people in the bookshop laughed and Claire waved her hand.
“See even they know the truth,” she said and the older women sighed.
“Well, just because William had decided to commit adultery doesn’t mean you should, dear,” she said weakly. Claire snorted.
“Why not, I’m over twenty-one and I’m barren and can’t have children, why shouldn’t I have some fun, it’s the Eighteenth Century, for God’s sake, women do have rights you know, they’re just not the property of some man,” she spat and Sean wanted to clap his hands but they were full of children so he merely stepped into the row instead.
“Good for you, lass, show some spirit, tell that bastard William you’re not going to take his shit anymore and go out and live your own life,” he told her. Both women looked at him with surprise on their faces. Claire recovered first.
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” she said. Sean bowed.
“I am Sean Donoghue and these are my boys, Kalin and Bobby, and we’re very pleased to meet such a strong woman with such spirit,” he informed her and grinned. Ryan and Danny quickly walked around the shelf and bowed. Sean smiled at them.
“These are my grandfathers Ryan and Danny Donoghue,” he introduced them. “Gentlemen, this is the very spirited Claire and her Aunt Grace,” he told them. Both women blushed realizing that everyone in the bookshop had overheard their conversation.
“We’re delighted to meet you nice gentlemen and sorry that you had to overheard our private conversation,” Aunt Grace said with as much dignity as she could. Sean shook his head and looked at Claire with admiration in his eyes.
“Ah, lass, don’t worry, it was a wonderful conversation,” he informed them. He turned to Claire. “And if you’re looking for a man to live in sin with, may I be happy to be first in line, lass. I have two sons here needing a gentle women’s touch and a wife who’s left me and if we both get a divorce and if we like each other well enough, then we can get married,” he said with a big grin. Claire looked at him and the two cute little boys while her Aunt grabbed her hand.
“Don’t be absurd, young man; that’s the most shocking thing I have ever heard,” she snapped at him. When her niece didn’t answer right away Grace was appalled. “Claire, don’t be ridiculous, what will you Uncle say, what will William say; what will he do to you. He’ll probably beat you.” Claire threw back her head.
“What’s was your name again?” she asked Sean. Sean grinned.
“Sean Donoghue, lass,” he told her. She nodded and turned to her aunt.
“Tell Uncle George that I’ve run off to live in sin with Sean Donoghue,” she said and her aunt and several ladies in the bookshop looked like they might faint. Claire laughed. Sean gave her his elbow and they started to walk off. Her aunt came back to life.
“But what about your clothes?” she asked her. Claire paused.
“Oh,” she said and looked at Sean who grinned again.
“I’ll buy your new clothes, lass,” he told her. She threw back her head again.
“He’s buying me new clothes, Aunt Grace,” she told her aunt who gasped again.
“But where are you going, Claire, where are you taking my niece, Mr. Donoghue?” she wailed. Ryan turned back towards her.
“The town of Sweetwater in the Donoghue Valley, that’s where we live and that’s General Sean Donoghue,” Ryan informed her and everyone in the bookshop looked at them with wonder.
“That’s General Donoghue, oh, my God, he’s the one who saved us from the Hamish and he was here in my bookshop.”
They left the bookshop and immediately went shopping for new clothes for Claire and he rushed her through it before she could change her mind and go home. But she seemed determined to live in sin with someone and took her time picking out nice dresses and skirts and blouses. When she noticed that he didn’t look at the price tags, she threw caution to the wind and didn’t either and he never minded anything she selected. Claire liked this man, William always fussed about every gilder she spent and it was her coin.
Everyone was surprised when Sean and the two brothers came back with no books and a woman but anything he did they accepted so they set off for home. She was very impressed with all of the boats and the many bundles of things on them. She sat in the middle holding Bobby on her lap. He was a year old and very cute.
“Your sons are very cute, where is their mother, Mr. Donoghue?” she called out, he was steering the boat with a long stick. Sean smiled at her.
“Please call me Sean, lass, since we’ll be living in sin and all,” he suggested and she blushed. “Their mother is a Malweenah Indian and she went back to the Malweenah Valley to live, she didn’t like living in Donoghue Valley.” She frowned.
“What’s wrong with Donoghue Valley?” Claire asked. Sean shook his head.
“Nothing’s wrong with the valley, lass, it’s a very beautiful place, it even has a waterfall you can see right from your front door,” he informed her and she nodded.
“I don’t see how she could leave such beautiful children behind,” Claire remarked and she smiled down at Bobby who laughed and pulled at her red hair. She laughed and flicked some into his face causing him to giggle. Sean smiled at this.
“She didn’t leave them, she took them with her, but I went to the Malweenah Valley and asked for them back,” he explained and she frowned.
“And she gave them to you?” she asked and he nodded.
“She sounds like a very strange woman to me, if they were my children you would have to kill me to take them away from me,” she declared. He nodded.
“That’s exactly how I feel, lass,” Sean said.
They camped that night on the Ridge where everyone was happy to see them. Sean made a big fire and the women cooked over it. Claire helped but obviously had never cooked before and laughed at herself. Sean liked her spirit.
“She’s a pretty one,” Ryan remarked as they sipped coffee. Sean grinned at him.
“My last wife was pretty too and look where that got me,” he said. Danny snorted.
“Yeah, but this one’s got gumption, too bad she’s barren, why would you want a barren wife?” he asked him. Sean shrugged.
“There’s more to marriage than children, lad, and I like a woman who will stand up to me and not pout and whine to get her way,” he explained. Ryan nodded.
“I like this girl, but how are you going to marry her when both of you are already married?” he wondered. Sean shrugged.
“I can get a divorce from Julie because she abandoned me,” he reasoned. “And this William sounds like the kind of man who would appreciate the sight of gold. He can use the same excuse to divorce Claire and then if she’s willing, we can get married.” It sounded like a good plan to him. Both brothers nodded.
After dinner they slept under the Peanja trees. Sean tied a rope around the boys waist and then to himself. Claire thought that strange.
“Why