The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1858-05-21
The AHectionate Seal,

| 'eo !" tNc kitclen Ol gentleman whose
house WAS situated on the sca.shore. It.
grew apace, became familiar with the f,mi.
~; ITS habits were innocent and cen,ecl it
played with the children, came at its mas.
ter's call, and ms the man described him to
me, was fond as dog, and playful as Il kit.
ten"
DAILY the senl went out to fish, and after
providing for his own wants, frequently car.
rlrd IN salmon or turbot to his mast.r.-
! Ills de'lght IN summer was to b;sk in The
sun, and winter TO liz before the fire, or if
allowed, creep in the large oven which at
that time formed the regular appendage Of
an Irish kitchen.
-Four years the seal had been thus domcs-
t'rated. when, unfortunately, disease, call
cd in that country the crippawn-a kind of
paralytic affection ofthc limits which rrnc-
rally ends faiallv-a,t;ukrd some black
cattle belonging to the master Of lI.c house: ::
some died, others became infected. anJ tho.
customary cure produced hv changing them,
drlcr pasture f.ied. A wise woman WA
consulted, and the bag assured the cr,du.
l"us owner that til" mortality among his
COWS WAS orcaSioned bv his retaining an un.
clean beast about his habitatinn the harm
less and amusing seal. 1t must lie made
away with directly, or the ciippawu wnul.l
continue. and her charms bc unequal to
avert the mal,dy.
he Supcr>tti"us wretch consented to the
hangs proposal; the seal WIS pu, on board
t"a:, carried ont beyond ,kc Clare Island.
;''d there committed to the deep 10 man
age tor himself us llc best could The boat
returned, the family retired to rest, and thu,
next morning servant awakened her mas
ter To tell him that the seal WAS quietly
! sleeping III the oven the poor animal over
night came back to his hcl"vcl home, rrrp'
through an open window, an. took posses.
sion OF his favoritc resting Place.
Next morning another cow was reported
| 10 be uuwcll. The seal must now be i,,aliv
| tcn"ved; a Galway fishing boat Was lrav-
ng Wrstport on her return home, and the
master undertook to carry off the seal, and
! not put him overheard until h. hal gone
! leagues beyond Innois Bnnin. 1t was done,
! a day and night passed; the second evening
! closed, the servant WAS rakiny the fire for
the night, something scratched gently at
| the-it was Of course the house dog: size
opened il, and in came the seal Wcaricd
with his long and with long and unusual
voyage lle testified by peculiar cry, express
! rml'crs Of the hearth, hc fell iuto deep
sleep.
The master ofthc house was Immediately
appri>cd of this unexpected and unwclrome
! visit. In tho cxgency. the bcllanc WAS
awakened and consulted: she avcrrl that
it was always unlucky to kill a seal, hu'
suggested that animal si,oul.! he deprived
of sight, and a third time carried out to SEA
]" this pr"po>i ion the person who owned
| the house consented, and the ailcciul,a,.
and conflnhing creature was cruelty robbed
OF sight. Next morning, wr,hing in agony.
the mutilated seal was embarked. taken out
side Clare Island, and for the las, time com
! mitttd to the waves.
A week passed over and things become
worse instead of better {; the cattle dieI fast.
and the behlame gave him the plrasurable
tiling> that her arts were useless, and that
the destructive visitation upon his cattle
exceeded her skill and cure.
On the eight night after the seal had been
devoted to the Atlantic, it blew tremendous
ly. In the pa,'ses Of the storm: wail,r
noise at times was family heard at the door.
When morning broke. the door WAS opened
the seal was there lying dead upon the
threshold!
The skeleton ofthe once plump animal
for, poor beast, it perisled from hunger,
being incapactated from blindness TO pro-
cure its customary fuod-was buried in n
sand hill, and from that moment miSfor-
tunes followed the ahe,tors aud perpetrators
of this inhuman deed. Tie hag who had
denounced the inoffrnsivc seal WAS, within
twelve month hanged for murder.
Everything about this devoted house mel
ted away-shecp ro,te'l, cattle died. "and
Slighted was the corr" Ofscvcral children
one reached maturity, and the savage pro-
prietor survived everything he loved or
cared for. lie died blind and miserable.
or the cottage building there is not one
stone standing upon another.