Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1873-08-15
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THE CHAINED HOST.

uC pUJdtD III lTeluIu WIS no
where felt more severely than in that part
of the country where the following story is
told as true tale. r.i rNI
In small village in one of the most
barren districts of the west of Ireland,
there lived very poor widow-whose sole
inheritance from her husband were two
healthy children, girls, of the respective
ages OF three and five. Painfully and by
the utmost effort she had contrivcd to pass
two years of her sorrowfu widowbood
Bad and scaEty food, obtained only by
labor too great Il r her delicate frame, had
at last thrown her upon her sick bed, and
death in Pity removed her in a few days
without great suffering, from her earthly
troubles. The poverty of the whole parish
was so great that nothing could be done for
the poor orphans. An the neighbors, with
the utmost desire to help, were too famine
stricken, and nlheard their. own chill
dren too often cry in vain for bread, to as
sist others. .y. .u ..# .W ..
If the children could only get to Kill
burn a village some miles distant, said
one of the neighbors, after the poor mother
had been buried, "A brother of their father
lives there, and he could not possibly re-
fuse to take care of them.'
But matters are as bad there as here
replied another, 'and / fear they will be no
better of there. o'. ... -a..
1t can not be possibly worse than here,
for nothing but starvation starcs them in
the face. Ii we send them to their rcla-
tions we have done our duty. We cannot
possibly keep them here : . a..l
So carrier, who was going near to
Kilburn, us an act of charity, took the two
eirls--Iizzie was seven now and Mary was
iive-in his cart with him. The timid
childr,n kept very quiet and close together,
and the carrier hardly looked at them. To-
wards noon they reached the spot where
the cart would turn oil. The man lifted
them out, showed them the road to The
left, and bade them go straight forward,
and if they did not go from the high road
they would in about two hours come to the
place. He then drove off. The chiden
sob! el out good bye and looked offer him
as long us they could see the last spcck of
the cart, and then they both began to cry.
Lizzie ceased her crying first; she took
hold of her little sisters hand who had
seated herself on the grass, and said: Get
up, Mary we must not stay here if we
wish to get to Kilburn. We cannot stop
here on the road
Il am so hungry sobbed Mary. we
have had nothing to cat all day. And
! again they both began TO cry for Lizzie
was equally hungry.
The children were very weak, and could
! only drag themselves slowly along. Hand
in hand they tottered on. At last Lizzie
fancied she saw house, and pointed to-
ward the spot. 1t took them more than a
quarter OF an hour before they reached the
tarm-house, for such it proved to be. With
hesitating steps they entered the yard, for
I ha h..t ING tn M
their former misery. But at this moment
! they could think Of nothing else but their
terrible hunger. When but few steps
from the house they heard the farmer vic,
lently scolding one of his men, then he
went into the house, iiercely closed the
| door after Lin, so as to make the windows
rattle, continuing his abuse all the time.
! The children terrified, stood still at tho
door where they had to enter. The farmer
sat in his armed chair by the fire.
We'll, what do you want p he lmrshly
asked the children, who were too much
| frightened to utter q word and TO tell their
errand. Can't you speak he asked more
roughly.
Lizzie al last took courage, and said
! gently oh, if you would be 80 good as tc
! give us the least bit TO eat--a small piece
of bread or few pota toes
T. Il thought So, shouted the farmer
was sure you were nothing but bccgars, al
though you do not seem to belong to thi:
ncighborhoed We have plenty of thost
here, and do not want them to come from
other parts, We have not bread for our
selves in these hard times. You will gel
nothing here. BE of this moment
| The children, both dreadfully freightcr
ed, began to cry bitterly. ~
That will not do you any good, contin
ucd the man that kind of whining i,
nothing new to me and won't move me
i Let your parents feed You; but they nC
doubt prefer idling rather than gcttin,
| their living by honest labor.
sour parents are both dead, said Lizzie
Il thought So replied the farmer
Whenever children are sent out to be;