Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-10-21
MIKE RAGGARTYs LEGACY.
BY JAMES GREENWOOD.

bright peat fre-the only cheerful looking
article of furniture in the wretched cabin
and launching his hat at a group of
ragged-headed, bright eyed boys and
girls who were clustered round their
mother "Be aisy with your castle build
ing and botheration shure it's ondacent
of ye to be laughin', wild the voice of the
crater foriver lost to US barely turned the |
corner !"
Whist, Michael dear T. said Norah,
his wife, restoring Mr.. Raggarty's hat,
and smoothing him over generally" its
not disrispictful we are to the memory iv
the pig, poor darlin' But hear to little
Elsie's dhrame. She 'dreamt that you
were hung, dear that's what makes us
glad for shure as iver nothing worse than
the hanging to ye could happen to us
drames being conthrary-some lucky
stone will turn up, we may dipind!' !''
eff only had hould of that big thief,
Pat Sullivan, this minnet, it's widout the
contraries ye'd have to do for it's hung
I'd be for him, or diyil hinder mep
Pat Sullivan was a bailiff, and the era
ter whose voice was hushed foriver' was
late the pocirne property of Mr.. Raggar-
ty, but siezed by the ruthless Donovan in
lieu of rent. And surely, what greater
calamity the sudden abduction of their
porker can befall an Irish family in the
rural districts To them he is a hog-skin
savings bank, cheerfully accepting the
smallest deposits, and returning bountiful
interest-a mudicum of rich, fat bacon
for every stray potato or spoonful of por-
ridge. He is treated by the family with
as much courtesy and respect as is rich
uncle among his poor relations. Indeed
the only pig is in quite as much danger
of being spoiled-of becoming domestic
tyrant-as the only child. If he should
fancy a wallow in an adjacent kennel, and
tired of the fun, return to the family par
lor, and deposit his muddy carcass along
the newly-swept hearth, the act is merely
regarded as pleasant eccentricity; no
body demonstrates fawning shareholders
will even scratch his back, to soothe hin
to repose. If he should happen, espec
tally during the last few weeks of his
reign, to make a raid among the wintel
store of vegetables, he is called purity
pig and the most endearing epithets arr
used to induce him to abandon his prize
IF he is busy cleaning out the KEITH
that has been employed in the manufact
ure of the matutinal porridge, and whicl
is now wanted to boil the potatoes for din
ner, you'll please to wait for his pigship'
pleasure. But alas his reign is briet
Like the beautiful captive that wa
annually selected to represent the oil
Mexican Gods, or-to use a more familia
simile-like a lord mayor, twelve month
is the extent of his sovereignty. Ther
if by chance the greater part of him ha
not been mortgaged to the meal-man, th
family who have petted and caressed hir
to a state of obesity, treacherously fall o
and slay him, making puddings of h
blood, and bacon of his flesh.
But the Raggarty pig was destined
be cut off in its prime, and before it ha
arrived at the happy condition above de
cribed. In fact, it had barely turned tt
corner of that hoyden waspishness ft
which Irish pigs are somewhat celebrate
when the patch of potatoes failed, as d
Raggarty's health, the rent went bac
and the inexorable farm bailif came fo
ward and walked off with the animal, al
with all Micheal's hope of winter chez
1t was the morning following the day
the pigs departure, when little Elsie, wi
had had the lucky dream, came rushir
in to say that the man with the post-b,
had got his pony stuck fast in the lal
and was signalling for assistance from Il
cabin. At first Michael thought that Il
postman only wanted lift out of the bo
but when he reflected that the lane h
no lhoroughfare-indeed that cabin sto
squarely blocking up the end--it occurr
to him as being just possible that the po
man might have some business with hin
indeed, as he made his appearance at t
door, the man on the pony took lett
from his bag and beckoned Michael Ra
garty with it.
Run, jewel! exclaimed Norah,
wife; eagerly; shure it is yourself
wants its some news, anyhow-and W
knows but that the dhrame about t
hanging may come true, after alp
Maybe its notice to quit observ
Che desponding Raggarty, as he tuck
uplhis trowsers, and set oat towards t
p0Ssman.