Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1859-05-28
A)nmmous Skcttbts
Peter Mulrooney.

from nlS youth upwards. lrela00-lI you
believe him-was the Eden of the world and
yet, somehow or other, after Peter got set.
tied here, he did not seem to have any fer.
vent desire to 90 back to his Paradise
His first introduction of himself to my
notice was characteristic of the man. lie
came towards me with quick, shamblipg
gait, and touching his hat lightly, said
"Tbe top O. the morning to yes honor
Would ye ike to hire handy boy ?"
Peter was at least 40.
What can you do ?" ! inquired.
"Is it what can | do? Oh, begors, there's
uothin comes amiss to me, any way"
"Do you know anything about my farm
ing ?'
"Och, uurtber What 'ud DO good for,
il | didn't! Sure there wasn't more ILL
CANT hand in Ould Ireland than meeself"
Have you ever had anything to do with
horses!"
"Bedad, sir, ye iist guessed it, Divil q
mater hand wild the horse yell find in all the
county Galway than Peter MuIrooney, an
,hat's no lie."
"And cows p
"ls it the bastes ye name? Sure yer hon
or's in luck the day Faix. I'd like to see
the man c'ud bate me with the craythurs."
"But we farm differently here, Murooney,
from what they do in the old country.
"Sure that's thrue any how. It's the
dirthy, black naygurs, the haythens, that's
be dom the bad work ! see. Augh SOrra
a thing they're good for, the man a,ng can
nibals"
"And so you think you could better it, do
you"
"Bedad, sir il 'ud be q poor chato of
spalpeen | am, if | couldn't. Wasn't head
man to wan Sprowls for more than two years
Och but he was the illigaut farmer? Bad
cess to the day left him."
"lf you regret it so much, why will you do
so"
"Ayeh you may well ak. Twas my doin'
sure. 'Tis bit of shindy had aud bruk
Terry Lanahan's head wild my shllelah. Oh
wirra wirra who'd o thought it was so
saft?'
You didn't kill him." said I, starting
back in horror.
"Is it murthered him, ye name? Begora
he'd be poor th ng to mind cracked skull,
any how. Sure, sir, it wos nothing to spake
Of"
Then, why did you come away"
alt is dirty name constable that 'ud be
comm after me as sure. what could do
but bate him for the trouble he was takin'
Mighty opeasy left him, any way; an that's
no lie"
"Well, Peter, suppose l try you for o
month. OF course ] DO not expect you to
have q perfect knowledge of our ways at
first. You must let me see what you can
do"
Good luck 10 yer homer. It's the real
gentleman ye arc What'll be doin' first ??
Peter was set to perform various light ser.
bn al rar tarto nj ipr al n
msgivings as to Mr.. Mulrooney's actual ca.
pacty, | determined to hire him as sort oI
odd man until such q time as could test
more fully the amount Of farming skill be
really possessed. The result was, that
soon found Peter knew nothing beyond the
simple use of the shovel With that in5tru.
ment he was truly dexterous. Horses he
could neither feed, clean nor manage. lu
blowing be was positively so awkward that
instead of guiding firmly the handles Of the
plow, lie pushed them forward with all bis
strength trotting along all the tine by the
side of the furrow Ga6, instead of cutting
bis furrow slices straight and of even depth
he ran them in and out ia the crookedest way
imaginable, while the depth Of plowng rndp
lated from two to eight inches.
These experiments convinced me Of Peter:
incapacity, so, from henceforth ! kept bin
employed at ditchng, or in the garden, or IN
performing light Offices for the household.
Que day, having occasion TO so TO town,
called him 10 me.
Peter" said ], 81 think my carriage run'
heavily. 1t wants greasing. Can you CT
it?"
"Sure, SIR" said he, "what 'ud be good
for if | couldn't? is il erase "A carriage
Faith that's easy enough any way"
Easy as it is, Peter, am half afraid tC
trust you TO DO. it. You make so many blum
ders. Perhaps, after all. had better ge
with you and see it done"
"Oh wirra, wirra, did iyer hear tba like;
O. that? What I'D ye be goin' for Sure
know"
"Ah, but Peter, recollect what you sail
about tho blowing" ..
"Begorra!' said Peter, nothing abashed
"lts all the fault Of the ploughs in thi'
country, any how. Them's the coutrarest
things that ever broke poor dlviiS back
an that's no lie !"
"And the horses, too, Peter, that you knew
so much about"
"Its Amerlky ho-9es they are" said Peter
"Would yer honor undtherstand Irish, a
irst, il ye wint across to the Ouid country 7
shook my head.
| sure thin, that's the way 1t was. salt
Peter, triumphan,ly. "if II real gin,lqma
like yer houog, couldn't urHtherstend Irish
| is il brute baste that has the laruing L
know !, bolore taehe himf"
"Well, we'll bat about the carriage"
"Bedad. ye ueedn't trouble Yourself abou
it at all. There's mighty little differ 10 tn
carriages, ! see, all the world over
BE careful, then, Peter; snd grease
we'll do you hear!'
| "Faix, I'll do that same thing. I'll
pla2ing yer honor this time any way"
An hour passed and waited impatieutl
| for the carriage. Once or twice | saw Pete
pass the window with the s!ush bucket in b
hand, and begun 10 wonder what took hin
into the kitchen so often. at length.l halle
him, to know if the vehiee was not almos
ready.
"Ayeh :" saiG Peter, would ye have m
spoil purity piece of work It's little theI
naygurs knows about grasing anything, th
hsyt thens p
But you ere SO long, Peter, bad bette
come and see about it myself"
"Faix an there's no need. Yer honor cha
have il iorpiut the door in no time"
"Well, make haste, then, for AN 10
hurry" =.
u might have been fifteen minutes afte
,his that pater knocked at the door.