The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1855-06-08
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ONoE upon a time, and, ss story tellers
said many years ago--yesl iniast frank.
ness, own the melancholy truth, thoughlit
does unpleasantly remind me that am not
hear 50 young rs ! was, but am rapidly has
tening towards that undesirable period OF
life POLITICALLY termed 'sthe sore and yel-.
low leaf" remember having read come !,
where-or was Il one q the many well-told
tales, with which my good oId spectacled8
grandmother was won't TO afnuse me 2---as
highly humorous account of an unlettered
Patlander's cheat, successfully practiced upon
ia priest, who was not exactly prepared on
oil occasions to disabuse his mind of aluri..
ing affection for the currency,sor, In other
words, who, in common with this money
scraping world of our in general, was sonre-
atsorely afflicted with an itching palm, and
not always in possession of the sublime virtue
of granting the favors of the church ri
fair equivalent; and no wonder, for, let me
ask the momentous question, can the clergy,
any more than the laity, live upon theaif?
Sorry am that my mind, at this moment,
is disposed to be little freakish, vexs:<5=;isss
ly declining to furnish the account as read
or heard it, which, ouldgladly have it do,s
for the entertainment of your readers who
have so obligingly tolerated my occasional
emanations or perhaps, it would only be
Edecorous in its justification to say, that at
this distance of time, one can hardly expect
its pristine vigoror quondam unfailing fidel-
ity; that memoFy, the key of the mind, like
every other belonging to nature, is subject TO
declensions, especially SO after arriyalat ma
turity, and that, despite the most careful cul I
tiyation of its powers of enchantment, the
time will come whenit cannot summon, as
in. .daysof yore, the immediate apparition Of
by cones from the vasty deep of the past L
must, therefore, pray indulgence, when re-,
membranes, utterly fails to couch the an
ecdote in my own homely diction, prom,
ising an earnest endeavor, at least, to mako
it readable and understandable as much SO
as so humble pen as mine is can make it,
las Urah Heep might say; but asI would.
be understood to say, without little cftIiat
black-hearted scoundrel's mock humanity.
Pat Donoghue--may his choice fraternity
increase and multiply was of class of
racy, fun-loying, laughter-provoking charac-
ters, to be often encountered among the Irish
peasantry. Like Rory O'More, he was
broth of boy, though Rory's antipodes in
morals. In the free and easy nature ofhis
habits and disposition, he was the fac simile
of the mercurial, mischievoIs valet of Chas.
O'Malley--nay, it might be shrewdly sur
missed he was the great prototype himself
of that deyil-may-carish individual, and Lev
err had him in his. minds eye when he drew
Mickey Free. BE that as it may, certain it
is that, like Mike, he had GOODNESS of assu-
rance, positively refreshing, and the highly
national quality of seeming simplicity, per-
fectly matchless in the eventful history Of
such rogues, although in the estimation Of
too partial friends, itsdid not often happen
that Pat was deemed more knaye than fool.
He was, too, blessed to degree quite
enviable, with that happy talent of making
the best Of everything land that ready adap-
liability of himself to all circumstances, how
adverse or prosperous soever, which We all
so hugely admire, but do not equally pos
sess.
Although, also, "a holy Roman" he was
by no manner Of means so intensely deyout
as his illustrious namesake of sainted me-
mory could have desired /; and consequently
praying and fasting and the like observance,
so vigorously exacted by the apostolic church,
rarely shared, and never literally, either his
time or thoughts. |Unfriendly whispers of
| this scandoluD, nsagnatiura would not unfre-
quently reach the religiously nice ears Of the
good Father Maurice O'Ronrke, the parish
lpriest, who considered him indebted in an
amount Of penance, discharged only by life
of uninterrupted devotion and repentance.
Such life he either despaired ofliving, or
regarded as work of supererogation. Yet,
like many Of his .betters in such strait, he
cherished the forlorn hope of chance, some
fine morning, bringing him gratuitous for
giveness. Not that he never experienced a
conscientious qualm, for as the rhymer tells
as, "When the devil got sick, the devil a
saint would be- So our hero, whenever any
misfortune from sickness 70 other cause be-
feI hina, was went to be visited with the
keenest apprehension, for misdeeds whilst in
health; but like the prince of fallen angels,
also, whenever there was prospect Of con-
yalescence--
'The devil monk was he'
| There was one circumstances that, above
all others, disturbed bis tranquil self-compla-
cency. His father, who, while living, pre-
ferred the boisterous jollities of the rosy god,
to the serene beautitudes ofthe church, had,
when diving directed A sum Of money TO be