The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-03-20


great sorrow of disappointment for littl
. girl " that was dead before she was born
and then another JOY of hope and anticipa
tion and another sorrow of great disappoint
ment for little boy that was but few sec
onds baby before he was an angel: ant
yet third time hope budded and bloomed-
yes, thank God. bloomed into a big, burly
scowlins, handsome, healthy baby, tina
clenehed his fist and avowed in baby fashion
to live as long as Methuselah. And the,
called his name Corny. Then in all the lane
was nobody so happy as Corny and kath
lee2. Corny, the great, worked all day loris
and then came home and futed to Corny tn.
less. and Kathleen washed and scrubbed ant
scolded, and said the baby was cross, ant
such trouble she couldn't do any work
laughing in her heart the while from pure
delight, and would have torn YOUR tongue
out if you had asserted or even assented thai
the baby was the least bit cross or trouble
some.
! But strange to say, Corny, who had borne
his disappointment bravely before, now that
ne was drinking down great draughts of
fatherly JOY, began to grow discontented
There came over him mighty yearning for
the old country. think he wanted to show
his foreign born baby to his Cork county
friends, and perhaps this new paternal love
in his heart reviewed and strengthened the old
tllal love. Jnst now, too, letters came from
the homestead. His old mother declared she
believed she should live twenty years longer
II she could see his face once more. His
old father male generous Irish protfers OF
unlimited turf and perpetual house rent, and
probable inheritance, and Corny hung up his
scythe and threw down his hoe and said he
would 60. Then he and Kathleen talked If
over, and Kathleen did not care for the turf
or the house rent and did rot over much. |
am afraid for the father and mother, whom
she scarcely knew. She only saw a long.
tlresome and dangerous voyage for the prince
in the cradle, and she rocked him with an
emphatic foot, and made no scrupie of let
ting it be known that she bad verv con-
temptuous opinion of migration, and still
Corny said he would 60. Then there came
stories of destitution, distress aid impending
famine in sorrow striken Ireland. and kath-
ieen saw horrid vision,-a pair of quiv-
ering Jelly lips growing thin, and sharp, and
still; Gimples tiattening out Of little hands.
creases Strengthening ont Of little legs: and
what'll the boy do for milk or shipboard =?
asks Kathleen Mavourneen. little spice of
acid IN her honest, ringing voice.
"Sure, all he'll drink tay now like an ould
woman, answers Corny; and the more lions
ramp and rear in his path the more he de-
termlnes to go, and accordingly gives notice
to his landlord. The whole world cannot
stop NE from going says Corny O'Curran.
But away off in the northwestern corner
of this country terrible things were happen
lEg-children torn from their mothers arms
and beaten to death against rocks, husbands
shot down in their wheat fields, wives at
their cottage doors, and blood and rapine
and the wild war whoop scattering horror
and dsmay. Men left their mown grass in
the fields, and their oxen standing By the
nebs, and cakes smoking on the hearth. and
fled for life, for love, BY day, by night.
through the woods, for the nearest forts and
towns or refuge. One father and mother
deserted their log house just built, their rich
lands just cleared, all their past toll and hope
OF future harveSts, sorrowing only for ore
little mound in the corner of the garden, but
unspeakably glad for one little head that
rested still on their bOSOmS. and turned their
steps to the remembered farm house in New
England and to gray haired parents that
went in and out under the broad elm shall
ows. But the journey, easy for the strong
man and woman, was to hard and long for
the baby feet. They faltered-they turned
aside-they went up the shining steep, and
walked with God.
Corny sauntered past the old farm house
un der the elms one afternoon, the very dav
he had given notice of leaving to his land
lord, and there was funeral. Some one
standing outside told him the sad story Of
that little life. He went in. He saw tiny
coffin, white flowers, dead baby's face, and
came out shuddering. Wien he came home
that night, he went straight to the era.
die. Baby Corny kicked and crowed and
flung up his warm, notified arms and man
Corny took kicking legs and growing lips
and mottled arms and pressed them all in a
huddie close against his heart.
'Corny calls Kathleen from the oven in
which her head was thrust, 'Jem has been
here, and says he'll give you dollar for the
table,
Let him keep his dollar, and I'll keep me
table, said Corny, tossing baby up to the
ceiling.
Its all We be likely to get said shrewd
Kathleen.
An more,' answers Corny, shame faced.
Katie, don't believe we'll go this fall and
he mumbled something about work and wa.
ges; but Kathleen will not rest till she has
1t all out of him, and glad enough is she.
Now the winter is upon us, and Corny is har-
vestlng great granaries of ice, with never a