The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-10-03

| Ell, uOu, my utdFG was ike TO SILK 1QGS
my feet with the loneliness and the desc
lation and the danger I judged I was in
If it wasn't for being laughed at, TC
have gone back. Well, I dropped dow
into the hollow, and walked up to the
cabin. The door was open and thu
thought came to me for the momen
that they'd all gone off and pleased I'G
| have been for that. But, no there wal
a bit of fire in the corner, and in the
darkness I could just see some people
crouching down, and the old grand
mother sitting in her chair by the pea
fire.
"God save all here" I said, as
walked in
"Save -e kindly!' replied a gruf
voice from the corner.
And with that / sat down on the old
kish that had been filed with turf, and
pulled out my pipe and began to smoke
I could distinguish objects now in the
| gloom. There was just heap of chill.
| dren in the corner, with an old rag
covering them sleeping just as sweetly,
too, as if they'd been wrapped in down
| aud there was the mother of them with
| the babe at her breast, and Terence ly-
ing doubled up with his head in his
bosom; but never another soul in the
hut.
''Take draw of pipe, mon," said I !;
I" and don't be down-hearted.
I gave him my bag of tobacco, and he
found pipe in the corner, and began to
smoke.
"Ye'l no have wee drap whisky in
the house ?" I said.
"Divil a drap your hammers left us, "
said the man, drylY.
Take a pull at my flask, then, "
said I.
And Terence took it and drank.
Somehow telt more comfortable then.
I was safe as long as [ was inside the
cabin.
''I suppose you knew what I've come
here for, Terence ?' said, after a while
As though this had been a precon-
certed signal, the wife here burst out
with a loud lamentation the old
grandmother raised feeble "wirru,
wirru y rocking herself backward and
forward in her chair the children in
the corner, aroused by the noise, began
to vail and cry; and the little babe at
the breast howled dismally in concert.
Whisht, whisht! !" shouted Terence,
angril, "would ye take all the heart
out of me, and bring me to shame be-
fore his hammer ?"
go what will we do, what will we
do! o Terry, Terry, will ye leave
the children to starve and the babe that
hangs to me breast? o hone! o
hone !"
"Whisht, woman, dye hear? May
hap it isn't so bad as we think. May
hap his hammer will give us a week or
two, while the praties come out of the
ground and -
shook my head.
"I can't do it, Terence; it's queens
job, you know"
"And if the queen were spoken to,
yer hammer" said the woman" she's
had babes of her own, she wouldn't
take the husband away from me, that
wasn't to blame at all, except with be-
ing too good natured with those two
black Williams -
Hold your tongue. Bridget !"
shouted Terence, interrupting her.
"Thero is a way" I said. eff Ter
ence will show me the road to the
still up among the bogs, he'll be let off
his Imprisonment, and happen get TWEEN
ty pounds into the bargain.
|. 40 Terence darling, do you hear
that ? Do you hear what his hammer
tells you? Go on to your knees, Ter
ence. and thank his hammer p
But I saw Terence was not to be sha-
ken; he thrust away from him the cling
ing arms of his wife.
"Do you know that it's an informer
he wants me to be? I'm ready to go"
he said, getting up and coming toward
me. "Come along, yer hammer, afore
my heart breaks entirely"
"All right, Terence we must walk
across to where the Dublin road crosses
the tail of the bog. We shall have
plenty of time to catch the coach.
els it the coach I'll have to go by?
Won't it cost power of money!
Seventeen shillings tn" fare, two
shillings the coachman, shilling for
rsfreshment; you'll cost the country a
pounl altogether, Terence"
GA pound, your hammer a whole
pound geolden sovereign. to take
the likes of me to prison! 0 your
hammer" said Terence, his face lighting
up all of a sudden, " if ye'd only give
the pound to the misthress, to keep the
ohilder and the babes while lie in the
jail, I'd run by the side, yer hammer;
ye should never take your eyes off me.
All, I'd bless your hammer all the days
of my life, and the childer should learn
to pray for you, and the old mother,
that's almost in the grave, shall entreat
the queen of Heaven for your soul.
1 was young and soft-hearted then
1 couldn't withstand the sight of so
much distress. 1 gave him the sover-
eign, which he handed over to his wife.
"Now, Terence" / said, 81 shall
trust to your homer. By 10 o'clock to-
morrow morning you must be at Dub
lin castle gate if you fail me, L am
ruined by my kindness to you.
"Tll be there, your hammer, by the
holy cross" said Terence, crossing him
self devoutly, to give effect to his
words.
L didn't feel comfortable, either, but
I wouldn't go back from my word so
1 made my way across the hearth. Ter
ence showed me my route till We came
in sight of the Dublin road, white
streak in the darkness, and then he
went Looping on his way by some inscru-
table tracks across the hills.
After I'd waited some time the coach
cam" up the front seats were full and
took my place behind, where there
was nobody but an old woman, who was
fast asleep, proPped up by some boxes.
I seated myself beside the old woman,
and went to sleep too. The coach stop.
ped ct Montmellick to change, and that
reused me, and then / heard my own
name called.
McAlister 4! Saunders McAlister
are you there?'
"Sure enough I am," said, Jump
ing up and rubbing my eyes; "who
wants me !"
A man clambered up to the roof of
the coach with a dark lantern in his
hand, which he flashed full upon me
and the old woman-still asleep.
you've got your prisoner all right,
then ?" said the man.
What do you know ab0ut prison
ers p said /, sulkily land what do