Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-03-17
From Arthur's Home Gazette.
COUNTRY EXPERIENCES.
BY sYLvANus URBAN, THE YOUNGER.
PETER MULROONEY.

e morning regularly, from his youth upwards
d Ireland-if you believed him-wos the E
!. den of the world; land flowing with mill
$ and honey; and yet, some how or other
d after Peter got settled here, he did no,
P seem TO have any very feryent desire to g
back 10 his Paradise. ..z. ..-. -. - -.
His first introduction Of himself to my
notice was characteristic Of the man. He
came towards me with quick step, sham
bling gait, and touching his hat lightly
said
"The top o. the mornin' to yer honour
Would ye like to hire handy boy?"
Peter was at least forty. =. -. .
"What can you do?" enquired. IS --
sis it what can do? Oh, begorra,
there's nothin' comes amiss TO me, any
way" - - go - -. .'.'''.'
do you know, anything about farrs
ing9n 81. 80. >z-..s+
'sOch, mur,her! What 'ud I be good
for If didn't? Sure there wasn't more
Elegant hand in ould Ireland than mee-
SELF" " ''' w.
"Have you ever had anything to do with
horses2' '.-.' '.' I'd
"Bedad sir, ye jist guessed it. Divil a
mater hand with the horse yell find in all
county GALWAY that Pether Mulrooney;a jan
that's no lie. - -.--.. e. -''''' '.,
"And cows?''
.'Is it the bastes We mane9 Sure yer
honour's in the luck the day! Faix, I'd
like to see the man 'ud bate me wild the
craythurs." ''.'''
"But, we farm differently here, Mulroo-
ney, from what they do in The old coun.
try" ..-.....--.-.. -, s..-.-s.
'Sure that's thrue any how. It's the
dirty, black naygurs. the haythens, that's
be doin, The bad work see. Augh! sorra
thing they're good -for,the man -ating can
nibals." .
"And so you think you could better it,do
you?" ~ 80 r. =. :. ..=-''
'.Bedad sir, it 'ud be poor cha,e of
spalpeen am, if | couldn't. Wasn'. [
head man to wan Sprowl's, for more nor
two years? Och!. but be was the Elegant
farmer! Bad cess to The day left him"
'If you regret it so much, why did you
do sop ~s5 'f-..'', Ss5s
s'Ayeh! ye may well nx. 'Twas my
own doin sure. IT'S bit Of shindy /
had, and bruk Terry Lonnahan's head wild
me shillelah. Oh, wirra! wirra! who'd a
thought it was so saft?"
back in horror. - '-=' ~5s.' "
SIS it murdered him, ye name? Begor.
rn, he'd be poor thing TO mind a cracked
skull, any way. Sure sir, it was nothing
TO spake Of.
"Then why did you come away?"
"lt's dirty, name constable that 'ud be
comm afther me; an sure, what could |
do but bate him for the throuble he was
takin'! Mighty onasevI left him, any
way; an that's no lie," ..-
"Well, Peter, suppose try you for a
month. OF course do not expect you to
have perfect knowledge Of our ways at
first. You must let me see what you can
do" -. 'tzs go d"
s'Good luck to yer honor; its the raal
gintleman ye are. What'll | be doin'
/ first?" '.. ~ 's..' -'
Peter was set to perform various light
services upon the place; for, entertaining
certain misgivings as to Mr.. Mulrooney's
actual capacity, | determined to employ
him as sort Of odd man until such time
as could test more fully the amount Of
| farming skill he really possessed. The re
suit was that soon found Peter knew nc.
tually nothing beyond The simple use of the
shovel. With that implement he was tru.
! ly dex.erious. Horses. he could neither
feed, clean, nor manage. In ploughing,
he was positively SO awkward, that instead
of guiding firmly the handles of the plough,
he pushed them forward with all his
strength, trotting along all the time by the
side of the furrow; and instead of cutting
his furrew slices straight, and Of even depth,
he ran them. In and out, in the crookedest
way imaginable;while the depth of plough.
ing unduateo from two to eight inches.
These experiments convinced me Of Pc
ter's incapacity; SO, from thencefortb, |
kept him employed at ditching, or in the
garden, or in performing light offices for
the household. -@ st
One day having occasion 70 goto town,
called him to me.
''Peler," said /, Il think my carriage
runs heavily. 1t wants greasing; can you
do it?' = 5{ {-sEz@
",Sure," said he, "whal'nd be good for
if couldn'is Is it erase carrige: Faith,
that's asy enough any way" = 2.
''Ensy as it is, Peter, | am half afraid to
trust you to do it. You make so many
blunders. Perhaps, after all, had better
go with you and see it done." a-a s
"Oh. wirra! wirra! did liver hear the
likes o'that. Whal'ud ye be goin for!-
i Sure | know.n
"Ah, hut Peter, reoolleot what you said
about the ploughing S e.s4r,4 54
"Begorrap' said Peter, nothing abashed,
sits all the fault of ploughs, in this coun-
thry, any how. sThem's the contrariest
things that liver broke poor divil's back; =;
an that's no lie!' z,.ia seas :.,... .3s...l
HAnd the horses too, Peter, that you
knew so much about" z=~
''Its Ameriky bastes they are" said Pc
ter. "Would yer honor undtherstanalfis2ll
l at first, ii ye wini acrass to slilesea
ry1" ea sr5'st. 1se
7+- ''s'~ ra ~aisa