Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1849-04-06
From the Sailors Magazine.
THE IRISH MOTHER


.You will be obliged to dismiss that wo-'
man. she does her work so badly, said Cap
Tain n. to the steward Of the sailors Home,
one day.
Il suppose SHALL answered the steward.
81 took her in from pity"
..Fro,o pitv! Who is she, and what is:
shel'
:. She IS a poor Irish woman, just arrived ans
this country; her husband died Q few months
ago. and left her widow, with SIX young
children. She has left them in Ireland, and
come over here to find employment to earn
enough. if possible, to bring them over; such
10 her story, and she seems honest enough
swell, show her how to do her work, and
keep her awhile. till we know more about heE.".
She was modest, diffident, and retiring, Fit
tie disposed to be communicative, and wsth
little appearance of energy of character.
you have left your children in Ireland. L
understand - said the Captain, approaching
her.
Il have. ali of them, the dear Ones"
allow old are they !"
1.-The oldest girl was thirteen and f1lt
when | left her in care of them all, and the
Youngest, sweet one, was little more TRAN
two"
"Hov long since your husband died = and
how have YOU supported them since p
INV husband died about four months pc
fore | left Ireland, poor man, and left US II
little cottage and not half OF quarter acre: OF
land and the r9nt was twenty-five shIliIEgs
wear. | put the land into potatoes and gar
den vegetables for the support of the esil-
dren; but that was little, you see, sir, at3er
paving the rent. | thought should be obltg-
ed to take them to the poor-house; so | says
what thought to the children; but Johnny
saws to me-that is the second one. dear boy
%. dear mother do not send US to the poor
house. for We see they VIII not let you come
with u.s. and we shall be separated from you;
and the white swelling is there, and many of
the children die; but do, dear mother, leave
MS here to Get along as well as we can, while
you 90 TO America; and it may be, mother.
with Gods blessing, ye may be able to fetch
rs all over at last, if 1t be but only one at a
time And so the children were teaZing me
dav and night to come America; so | wrote
letter to my two sisters In New \ DIRK, the
one at service, the other married, for the lean
of a few pounds to fetch me over; and they
sent me six pounds; and left the younger
children asleep when came away, for knew,
sir, if | parted from them awake, they would
cry so after me, it would break my poor heart
The Irish mother toied on, after this con-
yersation. for weeks and even months, doina,
her work better, and renting every cent OF
her wages. often in advance, to her children,
and receiving in return from them letters,
from which we give few extracts -
Dean MOTHER Soon after you left this.
the landlord, seeing we could not paw the rent,
took the best bed, and the bedstead, and one
table, and the chairs, and left US only the
blankets and the straw on the ground :. bat
hope you viii return him thanks, and his fam
lily in your next letter. for giving the house
gratis to US. this present year."
Dear MotheT,-rhe price of meal here
is one shilling and six-pence, the worst OF
flour the same; in regard of the prices being
so high, that we deferred to pay their demands,
Tor rent, &C., which you had mentioned IN
YOUR letter, until the next time you write
Catharine boughtno shoes since you left home;
in like manner she would want TO buy some
clothes for the children. Dear Mother, we
must buy the firing, too, for if we be seen ia
the mountains, or IN any other place, gather
inc sticks, we will be summoned. Dear
Mother, hope you will send for myself, chat
is Johnny, as soon as you can, if you think |
would be of any benefit to you-there."
The mother. with her Irish heart almost
crushed with the thought, that although near
" year had passed, not ense9Ih had been
saved to pay the passage money cf the first
child, was about resolvi-r.-to g6:+9ck and
starve with her children in Ireland. BtAby
a good Providence, she was in the Saif6r 5
Home-her case reached the ears Of the Sail
ors The distance from a sailors ear to- bis
heart is short; from his heart to his poclSet,
shorter. a subscription was started among
the boarders, and raised at once to sixty dol
lars; increased a few days afterwards, by an
other set Of boarders, to one hundred dollars,
and by loan from her relatives, and an ad-
vance Of her wages, to one hundred and forty
dollars; sufficient to provision and pay the
passage of the whole six.
The Cd Sabbath in November, in the morn
ing, one of the runners Of the house made his
appearance before the door with six thinlv-
clad. bare-headed. and bare-footed Irish chil-
dren. The meeting of mother and children
was a meeting Of Irish hearts they laughed
and cried all at once, and all together. The
first burst Of Joy over, Croton water, haig-
brush and comb. did all that mothers love
and ingenuity could do to improve the condi-
ton and appearance of the young voyagers.--
At evening she might be seen in her little
room, by cheerful light, and with more
cheerful heart. gazing into the face of one ard
then another of her sleeping children as they
lay in pairs in different beds about the room.
'''Fhis is the first place / came to i'm Amer-
ica," said she. land this is the best place
have found yet. and this is the happiest hour
| have seen. By the blessing of God and
the kindness of the sailors, God bless them
all their days. we are all here in America
older ones employment. If we can get: the
latter we will soon have all the rest
HAPPINESS.
Would you not call that nan mad, WHO