Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-10-05
MiSceIl y.
CHANGED IN THE CRADLE.
EF MARY KYLE DALLAS.

Old Peter Donohue shall ever
forget him-on the day when, in his long
tailed blue coat, leather breeches and
thick-soled brogans, he presented himselt
at our garden gade, and implored US, fol
the love Of all the saints in the calendar
70 give c-ployment to a "dacent man who
had been robbed Of everything belonging
10 him Words cannot do him Justice
for nothing 50 original was ever seen out
of the Emerald Isle; and to register his
unconscious witticisms, SMILES and blund-
ers. would have been utterly impossible
save to a skillful phonographist.
\ faithful, honest servant he proved
himself, despite his many peculiarities, and,
save for his strange fondness for hunting
grasshoppeIs and butterflies, would have
been Industrious. As it was, no occupa-
ton could restrain him from the instant
pursuit Of any one of these insects which
caught his eve, and he would interrupt
the most minute orders TO drop on his
knees IN pursuit Of the former among the
grass, or shamblc wildly after the latter
as it fitted past him over the broad field.
These impromptu hunting excursions were
always accompanied by CALCULATIONS such
as "Now | have We 90 "Whurrah! that's
him to a certainty" or dts your own
yell be having soon, Pete, NE boy :" and
was always the prelude to a fit of low
spirits, and the declaration that good luck
was clane gone from him, out and out"
For one year Pete Donohue remained
In our service. and, at the end Of that
time, took his departure for the purpose Of
returning to Ireland, as he said, "to lay
his bones in the old churchyard at Bally-
rannan." Before he went he came to US
with his old knapsack on his shoulder, and
addressed us in the following words -
I've lived with yez a twelyemonth.
I've wintered ye and summered ye, and
III say that for ye that ye're never given
me occasion to find fault or complain of
yer behavior; and III not 90 without lett
in We know who | am. I've been livin'
wid ye under false pretcnces, and am not
the boy ye think me, at all, at all. | told
ye I'd been robbed of all belonging TO me
when l came-and so | had, but not by
hyin' men or mortal robbers. Its the
good people, as we call the fairies, doneit
to me-and anout and out robbery it was,
as any was ever done by housebreaker; SO
it was no lie told ye, but the truth. Still,
anyway, before Igo, III let ye into the
truth, just that ye may know who ye've
had in yer service, and be able to brag of
il as long as ye live.
Il was born and brought up in ould
ireland, in the town Of Ballygannan, and
a merrier gossoon ye could not find in all
the country round. Not a boy of them
.nll could come near me in the games and
the wrestling matches, and the girls used
TO say I'd the lightest foot and the hand
soonest face to be met with in all the coun-
try round The only thing l had to COM
plain Of was the poverty,which was mighty
provoking entirely, and many time I've
said to meself, If it was only rich [ was,
] wouldn't want a better heaven than
could make out of this blessed green earth
I'm livin' on. Mebby it was a wicked
hought but, somehow, I've niver been
able TO make up my mind that the best Of
US hates the world the worst, or tha
there's anything wrong in being Thankful
for the purity place the Lorl has given us
10 live and die in. and lookin' at the bright
side as long as we're able to look at all
Howsomever, sometimes, when the want of
.iho bit and the sup made me stay diggin'
and delVin' at home, when I'd dale rath-
.cr have been off to the fair with friend
Bnd me shillelah, or when | was obliged to
Stay at home Of Sunday, when all the
purity girls were going 70 church and look
.iu' cut of the corners Of their eyes for
handsome Pate Donahue to come along,
bust only for the rason that I'd pawncdme
elanc shirt and me boots the night before
to fill the bottle for couple Of friends and
meaeif to warm our hearts with-on sich
oeeaslons, yer honor, it used to seem
us'e more like purgatory, and I'd get
ciaie out OF patience with meself for not
having had the sinse to be born a rich
mans son. fye was the rich LAWYERS
boy, now, Pate Ia say. ,or the souireen
himself, with his silver handled WIN and
has top boots, Or to 60 all the lengths
while ye are about it, the proud Englisb
lord that travelled through the con9try
last year, turning up his nose at everything
and calling a bit of friendly chat from q
poor lady PAIGE of impertinence. Ifye
were him, Pate, wouldn't ye enjoy life ?''
AS for meself, | never could discover
that had any father or mother-nobody
knew anything of them. | found meself
Twin about from house to house with any
dacent body who'd haveme. The first l
could reminder Of anything, and somebody
tod me l was found in the road torninst
the iary vel, wrapped up in 4 bit of
blanket, with sorra another rag on me ouly
string of blue beads that | was sucking
ior dear life because I'd nothing else to ate.
LII they'd been rich people, with enough
and TO spare, It's the poor house I'd have
been sent to; but bein' they were poor, and
had more mouths than they could fill al
ready, they kept me, and was always
welcome to pratic or a mug of butter
mix when there was any to the fore, and
when there wasn't | could not complain, for
they went without it Likewise.
Growing up among poor people, and