Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-03-11
miscellaneous.
THE WOFULLY Welded.
AN IRISH TALE.
BY MARY HowITT.-(coNcLUDED.)

BY MARY -(coNCLUDED)
"CHRIsrY stayed three days with us The
last day he was very still, and looked I'M
happy, and in the evening he asked Agnes
to take walk with him. The last walk
we may ever take together said he. was
coming into the house as he said these words.
There was something very particular in the
tone--it was just as he used to speak,
That is the true Christy that is speaking
now said | tomyself, and there's grace in
him yet p felt so pleased | cannot tell
it seemed to me as if great load was taken
from off my heart, and thought sure enough
that now all would be right and straight,
and Just as it used to be-
" 1t was moonshiny night, and | went
up into my room on pretence of looking for
some yarn, Just to see how they went on
For was very fond of Chrsty, and nothing
could have pleased me better than to have
received him this night as the forgiven prod
igal son. Backwards and forwards they
walked in the garden, and then they went
and safe them down in the arbor. It's all
right said |, and | felt so lightsome, and
came down stairs thinking what was the best
thing | could get that night for supper
When ! got down stairs | saw the old man
sitting on the settle by the fire, and looking
vexed,
"' What's amiss, father 2 says |, for |
felt as if | could bear everybody's troubles.
c. hope now said he, that she is not
going to make up with that castaway p
Why not, father ? said |, shocked at
his words, so different to my own state of
feelings; you may depend upon it there is
deal of good in Christy after all
"' He's good-for-nothing p said he, stri-
king his stick violently against the floor
and by that / knew that he was in great
passion libertine and nfdel, and | do
not like his talk bit =
GO Father said |, wishing to satisfy him,
depend upon it, Christy has made himself
out worse than he is. He has had sad
heart all this time-for all his talk, and
am sorry for him..
"' I'll tell you what, Alice, says he, the
man that cannot keep himself right for love,
will never be tied by matrmony, and so I'll
never give my consent, and that's the long
and short of it.
"There might be some truth in what the
old man said, but for all that | was Just then
in the humor to forget and forgive. | was
sure that he loved Agnes STILL and though l
saw plain enough that father was very an
CRY, still put in word for Christy. But
| could make no impression, and all | could
get him to say was, that he had seen the
cloven foot, and that was enough for him.
"In many respects Agnes took after her
father. She had very strict notions both in
religion and morality, and Christy's foolish
way of talking had displeased her sadly
After that it was too late to undo what was
done But what really passed between them
on that evening never knew, only when
they came into the house it was plain e.
nough to see that all was up between them
Agnes first of all came in; she looked very
pale and sad, and | could see that she had
been crying she took up her candlestick,
and wished us all good night. The father
looked at her and said nothing, but he was
satisfied that all was as he wished. In about
a quarter of an hour Christy came in he
looked, | thought, Hurried and distressed
but nobody else thought so. He held him
self very stiff, and said, in a cold voice, tina
he was going away that night that the shiI
in which he was going sailed next day
Nobody asked him to stop. / could no
even say kind word to him, there wa
something so repulsive in his manner. lit
had cased himself up in his pride, and III
seemed as if he would shew us all that
was he who cast us off God knows wh
amongst us was wrong have had my mis-
givings in my own mind that it was us; an
if it were so, heavy punishment came il
good time. Well, Christy, as he said, sail
ed the next day from Liverpool for America
he fell in with merchant on shipboard fror
Boston he entered into his service, and i
a few years was a well doing man on hi
own account. He married relation of tn
merchant that he was with; and from this
think, as | always thought, that there was
deal of good about him All, 1t was a sa
thing altogether; and if wrong was done
we were severely punished, and most of a
was she punished, poor young thing, VIII
meant so honestly to doright But we are
all of us, poor, short-sighted creatures, VIII
ought never to lose sight of two things
not to put temptation III one another's way
aud when we have done so, to keep litt
bit of charity alive in our hearts TOWARD
them.
"The old man, as | said, took again
Chrsty, and our Michael thought that A,
mes had done quite right AS for me / ne
er mentioned his name-I thought that WI
the best way and tried to be Cheerful
and would have asked company now an
then, and gone out with Agnes more tina
ever if she would But she preferred sto
ping at home. She was naturally very still
and kept all her feelings to herself but
was plain to me that she was sadly cut dow
and if / were to say that she never laught
after that day, | should not tell falsehoo
But for all that, she was the same kind, co
siderate creature for others that she had e
err been she heard the children their lie
sons and waited on her old father Just as c
er; and he, poor old man, did not seem
think that he could do enough for her