Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-04-24

geese in the meadow, playing with the
big house dog, eating their fill of bread
and milk, and recovering every hour
their fresh looks-even little Mary grow
ing rosy in the soft Irish air and the
constant out-of-doors life.
Granny, of course, worshipped the two
pretty creatures, and spoiled them; Un-
Gle Jack became their slave; and Davy,
now big boy of thirteen, allowed that
they were ''well enough for girls, to be
sure" which was high praise for Davy.
But how could poor Mary Ann leave her
darlings? ? Daily her great eyes grew
darker and sadder. her cheerfulness was
ftful, her heart was as heavy as lead
whenever she dared to think. But the
inevitable day came.
"Oh, mother, it's LAWN the heart out
O. me breast to lave thin two. Mother
the saints be good to ye watch the
hairs O. their blissid heads till l be back
agin. Oh, it's the light O. me eyes an
me hearts blood I'm lawn behind. an
| can't bear it Oh, mother, mother, l
can't !" And she seized the children in
her arms, and pressed them to her breast
with an agony of pain and love tragic to
see-alas how more than tragic to feel
then, covering them with hot kisses
and a broken torrent of blessings and
prayers, flung herself into the car, she
snatched the whip from Jacks hand,
lashing the poor old horse into fren-
zied fight along the Dublin road, as if
she dared not trust his sober pace to
draw her away with slow tortures, but
must make the fatal leap speedily and
have it over with.
Over with Her agony had but just
begun. All through the long and stor-
my voyage she pined and thirsted and
painted for her children. Night Knocked
her with dreams. Soft arms clasped her
neck, rosy lips kissed her, shining head
lay on her arm, dark one on her bo-
som. She dreamed that her loss was a
dream, and woke to find it true, with
streaming tears and dizzy braln-woke,
all alone, to hear the dull dash of threat
ening waves against the ships side, the
shrieking wind in the cordage, the creak-
ing of rudder and yards, the hoarse cry
of the watch and the knowledge forced
upon her that every hour bore her fur
ther away from the delight of her life.
With but little education and few
mental resources, poor Mary Ann would
have gone crazy, probably, from the
mere reiteratiOn of hopeless anguish, had
it not been for thoughts of her husband
and constant prayer. 1t is easy to call
a religion which offers US no sOlace OF
support, idolatry and Journalism; but
how vast are their numbers to whom no
other religious expression appeals
Stress of life drove Mary Ann to her
prayers, and though she counted them
on beads and addressed them to saints
and martyrs yet they lifted her Ignorant
and wretched soul out of and above it.
self into that '.ampler other and diviner
air" where the dead rest and the wicked
cease from troubling. She rested her.
self in piteous weakness against strength
that had suffered and overcome. Who
shall say that the pitiful Father who
once parted with His only Son did moi
minister to her weakness with divinest
sympathy, even through mistakes, and
help the poor soul that in her own sor
row never forgot to pray with all for
giveness for the dead father who had
been so hard to her.
After all. who does not pray for the
dead? Not, perhaps, the buried, for il
is not they alone who are dead to love
to pity, to forgiveness, to natural affec
ton, to all the voices of tender appea
from the past, to all the possibilities O
the future-no, truly, we send up agon
les of prayers for hopeless subjects, anC
then sneer at prayer for those who still
live in love and loving, in sacred re
membrance. in hopeful faith. So Mar,
Ann told her beads hourly, dreamed
walked, wept, and dreamed again, al
through the long. weary voyage, grow
ing thinner and paler all the time. Tn
full red lips settled now into proud
sad curve, while her eyes deepened int
dark and fathomless sorrow that mad
the heart ache to behold.
But at last land drew near. and, afte
vexing delays, Mary Ann and her bO,
were set ashore, and she made her wa,
to her old lodgings, in order with keel
feminine instinct. to freshen and max
herself tidy before she went to Dan. Bu
she did not 90 to him. The old womal
who kept the house met her at the doc
with wringing hands and vociferous Ia
mentation.
-'Oh, is it yourself | see, alanna? O
murther, murther ov all the black days
an me to tell it o, ye poor crature
is it to the hospittle ye've been p
The parched lips shaped a hoarse. hal
uttered "No."
Small blame to ye. thin; an it's D
use if We wor, for it's two week SIN