Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-09-08
BELLOWS FALLS, VT. FRIDAY.

Win an EoSllsn nai-pehnY upon IT,
bring who over?" asked Mr.. Bawn,
arrested by the ode speech as he turned
upon his heel, and turned back again.
"Jist Nora and Jamesy.'
"Who are theyH"
"The vans me wife, the other me
child" said the man. o masther, jist
thry me. How'll bring 'em over if no
one will give me a job? | want to be
airning, and the whole big city seems to
be against it, and me with arms like
thim."
He barred his arms to the shoulder as
he spoke, Mr.. Bawn looked at them, and
then at his face.
"Tll hire you for the week." he said,
"and now, as it's noon, go down into the
kitchen and tell the girls to get you your
dinner-a hungry man can't work"
And with an Irish blessing, the new
hand obeyed, while Mr. Bawn untying
his apron, went up stairs to his own meal.
Suspicious as he was of the new hands
integrity and ability, he was agreeably
disappointed Connor worked hard and
actually learned fast At the end of the
week he was engaged permanently, and
soon was the best workman in the shop.
He was great talker, but not fond Of
drink or wasting money. As his wages
grew, he boarded every penny, and wore
the same shabby clothes in which he had
made his first appearance. "Beer costs
money" he said one day, "and livery cint
| spends puts off bringing Norah and
Jamesy over; and as for clothes, them
have must do me-betther no coat to me
back than no wife and boy by me bedside !;
and any how, it's slow work saving"
1t was slow work, but he kept at it all
the same. Other men, thoughtless and
full of fun, tried to make him drink
made jest of his saving habits, coaxed
him to accompany them to places of
amusement or to share in their Sunday
frolics. All in vain. Connor liked beer,
liked fun, liked companionship but he
would not delay that long looked-for
bringing of Nora over, and wasnot "mane
enough" to accept favors of others He
kept his way, martyr to his one great
wish-living on little, working at night
on any extra job he could earn few
shillings by; running on errands in his
noontide hours of rest, and talking to
any one who would listen to his one
great hope, and Of Nora and little jane
sy.
At first the men, who prided them
selves on being all Americans, and on
turning out the best work in the city,
made a sort of butt of Connor, whose
"wild Irish" ways and verdancy were
indeed often laughable. But he won
their hearts at last, and when, one day
mounting workbench, he shook his lit
tie bundle, wrapped in red kerchief, be-
fore their eyes and shouted, " Look, boys,
I've got the whole at last I'm goin to
bring Norah and Jamesy over at last !
Whorool I've got it p all felt sympa-
thy in his joy, and each grasped his great
hand in cordial congratulations, and one
proposed to treat all round, and drink a
good voyage to Nora.
They parted in merry mood, most of
the men going to comfortable homes.
But poor Connor's resting place was a
poor lodging-house, where he shared a
crazy garret with four other men, and in
the Joy of his heart the poor fellow ex-
hi6ited his handkerchief, with his hard
earned savings tied up in hard wad in
the middle, before he put it under his
pillow and fell asleep. When he waken-
ed in the morning he found his treasure
gone. Some villain, more contemplate
than most bad men are, had robbed him.
At first Connor could not even believe
it lost. He searched every corner OF the
room, shook his quilt and blankets, and
begged those around him to "quit joking,
and give it back"
But at last he realized the truth.
as any man that bad that it's thaved
from ef" he asked in breathless way.
"Boys, is any man that bad p
And some one answered.
"No doubt of it, Connor It's stole"
Then Connor put his head down on
his hands and lifted up his hands and
wept. 1t was one of those sights which
men never forget 1t seemed more than
he could bear, to have Nora and his
child put" as he expressed it, months
away from him again.
But when he went to work that day it
seemed to all who saw him that he had
picked up a new determination. His
hands were never idle. His face seemed
to say, "I'll have Nora with me yet"
AT noon he scratched out letter, blot
ted and very strangely scrawled, telling
Nora what had happened; and those
who observed him noticed that he had