The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-07-25
Peter Films Luck.
BY FALCONRIDGE.

In that beautiful, quiet city OF parallel
streets, sweet butter and sweet women
Philadel lphia-there once did live certain
native of the Emerald Isle, called Peter
Finn. HIS vocation was that of the most
honorable, because of its usefulness to the
commercial world-driving a dray. Peter
owned a very ancient and nowise spry
horse, and an equally unstable dray, by
means whereof he essayed, and by dint of
great physical exertion succeeded in OBJ
tanning for his large and growing family a
tolerable living.
Stephen Girard lived and carried on his
immense mercantile transactions at the
time of which l write, and was principal
performer in my little story. The one
eyed little Frenchman-the great pet of
dame FOrtune-was not man OF very
wonderful developement of heart and soul,
or sympathy in the misfortunes, crosses
or losses of his fellow beings; bat HOW and
then he was known, more through eccen-
tricity than ought else, TO perform some
very creditable and really magnificent acts
of kindness and generosity towards those
falling in his way. One day said he TO
Peter Finn, whom he had oft, and for
long time employed upon his wharyes, in
hauling goods from his large ships to his
warehouses.
"Pe-tair, / believe you have worked
vairy hard.'
"Yes, sir, and be my soul have" res
ponded Peter.
Every long time; you no save anythlng!"
said the banker, the merchant prince, the
millionaire!
'Be my conscience, Misther Ge-rad, it's
~ II IL. 81, lo1y l.. oil
might dance his hornpipes in my pockets
of a Monday morning, without disturbing
a toe-nail OF his tut agin' the silver that's
there"
1.-TWO, three, five, seven of de children
home, eh!"
"Faix, and it's yerself that's guessed it
exactly, Misther Ge-rad; have seven as
brave boys and gals as iver ye claPped an
eye upon, sir.
"Ah, yes; | see, | see. VARY well,
Pe-tair, you shall have one chance pres
emily, by and by, directly, to do sumslng
bettaire zan drive de old horse and dray
"Faix, Misther Ge-rad, it's myself
that's saying it as should not be saying
1t, p'raps, but its few men labor harder
nor longer, for the meat, bread, praties,
and hay that we ate, than meself and
Barney, the old hoss there; and be my
conscience, it would be God-send that
would put us both, meself and the poor
ould baste there, over all our ills and
miseries," said the drayman.
"Ah! ah! vairy well, Pe-tair; you come
into my counting house by and by" and
the little old Frenchman, with his hands
locked behind him, stocked off to his
counting house, leaving the poor drayman
considerably mystified as to what the re-
suit of this conference was to be.
s.Be dad" says Peter to himself, ''may
be its the old feller's whim TO set me up
in shop! or be CORY, to buy new dray
and horse. Oh, be my conscience, there's
no tellin' what the ould gintleman will do
when he takes the turn;" and thus solilo-
quislng, after respectful delay, Peter
presented himself at the door of the mil
lionaire's counting room, and dofing his
hat, in he walked.
"Pe-tair," said the merchant prince, ''ze
brig Canton packet ship Mozart lay down
at my wharf"
''Yes, sir"
"She have one grand cargo of tea, -
continued the banker.
"Faix, she have," said Peter.
Tomorrow, Petair, re whole cargo
be put under de hammaire, TO be sold to
re highest bidder
"Yis,' Peter replies, still deeper in
mystery to what or how that could inter-
est or concern him.
VARY well, Pe-tair," continued the
banker. "To-morrow morning when ze
sale begin, be you dar; re tea be put up
two or three lots; one of ze merchants be-
gin to bid, den you bid de next"
"Me! Oh, be CORY, save your pris
Ince, Misther &c rad, would it be for the
likes Of Pether Finn to be among the
merchants and bidding for cargo of tay.
It's mad entirely they'd say was!'
"Nevair mind; you bid on re tea. When
re tea knocked down yon take de whole:
zen you come to mel fix 'em. Good
morning, Pe-tair." And Stumbling and
awkard with astonishment, Peter got out.
and the rest of the day he went about
muttering over to himself the entire strange
and bewildering part which he had 80
enact on the morrow, at the grand tea
sale.
Next day the merchants of the Quaker