Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1850-10-10

OH twas sorrowful night when my
father brought home the news. ! re-
member as well as if / saw it yesterday
the desolate look in his face when he sat
down by the ashes of turf fire that had
just baked yellow meal cake for sup
per. My mother was at the opposite
side, giving little Mary drink of sour
milk out Of her little wooden piggin, and
the child didn't like it, being delicate
and always used to sweet milk, SO she
said:
Mamma, won't you give me some
of the nice milk instead Of that ?"
81 havn't it ashore, nor can't get it, F"
said her motner, so don't fret"
Not one word more out of the little
ones mouth, only she turned her cheek
in towards her mother and stayed quiet,
as if shesas barking to what was 60
ing on.
"Judy,n said my father, ssGod is
good, and sure It's only in Him we must
put our trust; for in the wide world
can see nothing but starvation before
u.s."
"God's good" replied mother; I" He
won't forsake u.s."
Just then Richard came in with a
more joyful face than | had seen on him
for many day.
"Good news!' says he, "good news,
father! there's work for us both on the
Droumcarra road. The government
works are to begin there to morrow
you will get eight pence day, and | shall
get six pence"
If YOU saw our delight when we
heard this, you'd think twas free pres
ent of thousand pounds that came tc
us, falling through the roof, instead OF
an offer Of small wages for hard work.
To be sure the potatoes were gone, and
the yellow meal was dear, and dry, anG
chippy-it hadn't the nature about it that
a hot potatoe has for poor man; but
still it was great thing to have the
prospect of getting enough of even the
same, and not be obliged to follow the
rest of the country into the poor house,
which was crowded to that degree that
the crathurs there-God help them =
hadn't room even to die quietly in their
beds, but were crowded together on the
floor like so many dogs in kennel.
The next morning my father and Rich
ard were off before day break, for the
had long way 10 walk to Doumcarra,
and they should be there in time TO be-
gin work. They took an Indian meal
cake with them to eat for their dinner,
and poor dry food il was, with only a
draught of cold water to wash il down.
Still my father, who was knowledgeable
about such things, always said II was
mighty wholesome when it was well
cooked; but some Of the poor people took
great objection against it on account OF
the yellow color, which they thought
came from having sulphur mixed with it
and they said, indeed, it was putting
a great aifront ON the decent Irish to mix
up their food as if il was for so many
dogs. Glad enough, poor creatures, 10
get it afterwards, when sea weed, and
nettles, and the very grass by the road
side was all that many Of them had to
put into their mouths.
When my father and brother came
home in the evening, faint and tired from
the two long walks and the days work,
my mother would always try TO have
something for them eat with their por-
ridge bit of butter, or bowl Of thick
milk, or may be few eggs. She always
gave me plenty as far as it would go,
but twas little she took TO herself. She
would often go entirely without a meal,
and then she d slip down TO the backster's
and buy little white bun for Mary and
am sure il used to do her more good to
see the child eat it than if she got meat
dinner for herself. No matter how hungry
the little thing might be, she'd always
break off bit to put into her mouth, and
she wo'd not be satisfied till she saw her
swallow it; then the child would give
drink of cold water out of her little tin
porringer, as contentedas if it was new
milk.
As the winter advanced the weather
became wet and bitterly cold, and the
poor men worked on the roads suffered
dreadfully from being all day in wet
clothes, and what was worse, not having
annobange to put on when they went
home at night without a dry thread about
them. Fever soon got amongst them
and my father took it. My mother
brought the doctor TO see him, and by
selling all our decent clothes, she got
him whatever was wanting, but all TO
no purpose--'lwas the will of God to
take him 10 himself, and he died after a
few days illness.
1t would be hard TO tell the sorrow
that his widow and orphans felt when
they saw The fresh sods planted on his
grave. It was not grief altogether like
the grand stately grief of the quality
although maybe the same sharp knife is