The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-08-04
WASHINGTON. d. C..
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For the National Era Copy night secured
THE SHAM 0CK;
OR,
RECOLLECTIONS OF IRELAND.
BY SLOW JAMIE.
CHAPTER WV
authorizations of -Americo.

AHttcipdtiOns Of Ame,ic0.
n father having four sons, and only ss
scrrs OF land, began TO consider whether b
had better remove with his whole family tC
America, and so keep them together, or allow
them to 20 themselves, after a while. and so b.
scattered. He had been in America before
aud after shaking awhile with the ague haC
r.turned to Ireland, in order to finish his day.
IA hi native isle. You may well suppose then
that the matter was long and earnestly debated
and during the time the new country was the
grand topic Of conversation. The Irish had
then, aud indeed have STILL very imperfect
notion Of America. The letters which emf
grants sent back were ordinarily extravagant
ether ia favor or prejudice of the place, ac
,,.rling To their leanings, and often according
10 the humor they happened to be in at the
time of writing. The few who ever returned
laI aeldom 4emained long enough to know
asything about it. One of our neighbors had
been forced, after the rebellion Of 1898, to alb
scUnd, for a time, in the United States Many
were the stories he told, on his return, about
thu Americans. To Illustrate their volatility
ot spirits he said he had seen grandmother
doWn till she would dance bit of a Jig on the
grass, and then carry it home. He had, no
doubt, seen some hair Drained individual do so
once, and Judged of the whole by part. Had
h. lived ten years in this country, he would
have found the American ladies no less sedate
than the Irish danes, and quite as dignitied.
H. also said that man would come into the
house to dispense law, and then go out to his
plough This was literally true; but when ne
told it in a country where man must be
worth $4,000 year in order to fill the office OF
justice of the peace, he conveyed wrong i'm
preston. Indeed, he had a wrong impression
himself
listened to all heard, and pictured to my
self forest of luxuriant foliage and rich pro-
auctions, in spring adorned with blossoms of
q thousand tints, in summer affording berries
Of delicious flavor, In autumn shedding down
nuts and wild grapes in abundance, and in
winter pouring out copious streams of sirup to
every one who tapped the maple. Countless
herds Of deer and buhaloes iattened on the
wild pasture, providing meat for the poor.
Boys had only to search for the nests of wild
tnIkeys in the spring, to supply themselves with
eggs In any quantity. Birds Of every variety
revealed in the dense forest, and made the air
vocal with their joyous notes. The wild bees
sept up constant hum, and deposited their
honey in hollow trees, where it could be easily
reached.
The wild pasture also fed great herds OF tame
cot.lc, whore rroGts enriched tie farnno-, -.;.l
little trouble 70 himself A rich soil produced
such abundant crops, that the poorest people
could eat wheat bread and fruit trees were so
plenty, that apples and plums lay along the
road -de, not only for boys, but swine, TO
gather up at pleasure. There was neither
rent, tithes, nor mass-money, to pay, and taxes
we're very light, so that people could soon get
rich nor was property less secure than in
countries where it was so hard TO obtain.
But such a fine country was not without its
draw bacEs Poisonous and unsightly reptiles
lurked among the grass, fierce panthers, bears,
and wolves, infested the woods and sickly ma
h.ria tainted the air. Nor was the wild Indian
the least annoying of the denizens Of the forest.
Tie summer was So hot that you must change
linens once or twice day, on account of per
spiration and if you would drink more than
:, nouthiu of water at time, you would drop
down dead. The frost vi winter was so in
tense, that if YOU would stop minute on the
road to speak to a friend, you would freeze to
the ground. To be out of doors at night, was
running the risk of death-in summer by sick
ness in winter by freezing.
The reader will perceive at once that this
ezageerated picture was overdone in the favor
able points much more than in the untavorable,
sci 1t was 10 my Imagination a delightful piano.
rama, which the future never realized. This
veriiies the old SAYING, that far-of fowls have
tine feathers. We invariably prize what is far
away, or hard to attain, and despise what is
near. We're man, in his present condition,
placed ia Paradise, suppose he would be hap
by Tor a short time, but 1t would be short.
la the summer of 1881, my father advertised
has farm for sale, and great crowd came to
the auction. He had nothing but the tenant
right of it, and the lease was during the life oi
:. man who was now far advanced in life. The
buildings consisted Of a dwelling house, barn
with stables, and few cots. All these were
stone buildings, matched with straw. The
soil however, was In fine state Of cultivation
and ii sold for e27 lSl35) per acre. The crop
Ia the ground was AT the same time disposed oil
10 other purchasers. A second days sale dis
posed OF the chaitels and furniture. The old
heavy clock which had stood in the corner
since my father was born, the spinning whee
which had hummed in the kitchen for many a
year, and the trusty reel, whose unerring crack
had counted more linen yarn than | will ever
own, passed off to strangers. The mahogany
bureau which my mother brought with hel
when she came to the house, and the black oah
one which my grandmother brought long be
fore, went the same way. The auction itsel
vas a lively affair, but to my father and mother
II must have seemed in some respects like q
of tho m al
together void of the feeling of mourners. l re
member a few old men sitting by the fire, smo
king, while others were bidding. One of then
remarked, Wan hates to loss nelghbor, ant
another added, Ay, an good neighbor Viii
ham was Some time after that, an old lady
named Rachel Bennett, dropped in of an even
ing, while NY father and mother were packing
up. They were both born in sight of he
dwelling, and she had known them both eve
since. She sat little, then she got up to go
and talked long time at the door, as If sh
wanted to say something, and did not know
whether to say it or not At last she said
We would rather We wonld fix up again, ant
stay" They both smiled, and told her 1t wa
too late then. Ny father was in all respects al
lrishman, not excepting the fiery temper AM
ready tongue. 1t is not TO be supposed that b.
had lived thirty years in the place without hav
ing some little difficulties with his neighbors
Indeed, | believe he had more than an ordinar,
share Of them. But the Irish are as ready t.
coo! down, as TO warm up. All the disagree
able was now forgotten, and they only remem
bered that he had been good neighbor.
1t was now fall, and we expected to be OF
the sea in the cold weather. The tailors hac
been brought to make us warm clothes. Nearly
barrel of oaten cakes were baked, half O
which We never ale. My father bought severa
watches and great quantity Of ready-mad,
clothing, to sell again in America, and all wa
ready Tor our departure.
On the 26th of Qctoher at one O'clock In tn,