The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-02-08
BRIAN TAAFE'S WILL.
BY CHARLES READE.

In certain part of Ireland, a lor G
tine ago, lived wealthy old furmer
wlose name was Brian Taafe. His three
sons, Guillaum, Shamus and Garret,
worked on the farm. The old man had n
g,cat affection for them all; and finding
himself grown unfit for work, he resolved
to hand lis farm over to them, and sit
quiet by the fireside. But as that was
not thing to be done lightly, he thought
he would Just put them 20 their trial.
He would take the measure of their in
telligence, and then OF their affection.
Proceeding in this order, he gave them
each q hundred pounds, and quietly
watched TO see what they did with It,
Well, Guillaum and Shamus put their
hundred pounds out to interest, every
penny: but when the old men questioned
Garret where his hundred pounds was,
the young man said: 81 spent if,
father"
Spent il q said the old man, aghast.
is it the whole hundred pounds ?"
Sure / thought you told lis we might
lay it out as we pleased" "
4" Is that raiscn ye'd waste the whole
of it in year, ye prodigal ~ cried the
old man; and he trembled Mt the idea of
his substance falling into such hands.
Some months after this he applied the
second test
He convened his sons and addressed
them solemnly I'm an old man, my
children; my hair is white on my head
and it's time | was giving over trade and
making my sowl." The two elder over
flowed with sympathy. He then gave the
dairy farm and the hill to Shamus, and
the meadows to Guillaum. Thereupon
these two We'd with each other in express
Sions of love and gratitude. But Garret
Said never a word; and this, coupled
with his behavior about the hundred
pounds, so maddened the old man that
he gave Carrots portion, namely, the
home and the home farm, to hA elder
brothers to hold in common. Garret he
tlisinherited on the spot and in due form.
nor pass him by; but even as spiteful
testators used to leave the disinhelited
one shilling, that he might not be
able to say he had been inadvertently
omitted, and it was all mistake, old
Garret Taafe with hazel staff and q
small bag. Poor Garret knew very well
what that meant He shouldered the
bag, and went forth into the wide world
with n sad heart, but silent tongue.
His dog, Lurcher, was for following
him, but he drove him back with a
stone.
On the strength of the new arrange
ment, Guillaum and Shamus married dl-
rectly, and brought their wives home,
for it was a large house, and room for all.
But the old farmer was not contented
to be quite cipher, and he kept finding
fault with this and that. The young men
became more and more impatient of his
interference, and their wives famed the
fame with female pertinacity. So that
the house was divided, and very home
of discord.
This went on getting worse and worse,
till at last, one winter afternoon, Shamus
defed his father openly before all the
rest, and said: SD like to know what
would plaise ye. Maybe yed like to turn
us all out as We did Garret.
The old farmer replied, with sudden
dignity: "If did, I'd take no more than
gave"
''What good was your giving it p said
Guillaum; "we get no comfort of it while
you are in the house."
"Do you talk that way to me too @
said the father, deeply grieved. "If il
was poor Garret I had, he wouldn't use
me So"
'"Much thanks the poor boy ever go,
from you, said one of the women, with
venomous tongue then the other woman,
finding she count on male support,
suggested to her father-in-law to take his
stick and pack and follow his beloved
Garret., "Sure he'd find him begging
about the country"
At the women's tongues the wounded
parent turned to bay.
" l don't wonder at anything 1 hear ye
say. Ye never yet heard of anything
good that woman would have hand in