The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-02-17
Then the old man took fright and humbled

llmSelf: 49,
sAhI Shamus, Guillaum, acrhee, let We
have il as We will; Pm sorry for what said,
ara gal. Don't turn me out on the high
road in my ould days, Guillaum, and Pll
engage I'll niyer open my mouth against one
o. ye the longest day live. All! Shamus,
it isn't long have to stay wild sc, anyway.
Yer own hair will be as white as mine yet,
Phase God! and yell be thanking him ye
showed respect to mine this night"
But they were all young and OF one mind,
and they turned him out and barred the door.
He crept away, shivering in the wind and
rain, till he got on the lee side OF stone
wall, and there he stopped and asked himself
whether he could live through. the night.
Presently something cold and smooth poked
against his hand; it was a large dog that had
followed unobserved till he stopped. BY a
white mark on his breast he saw it was
Lurcher, Carrots dog.
"Ahp' said the poor old wandeIer, syou
are not so wise dog as thought, to follow
me-" When he spoke to the dog, the dog
fonded him. Then he burst out sobbing and
crying: "Ah, Lurcher! Carrot was not wise
either; but he would niver have turned me
to the door, this bitter night, nor even thee"
And so he moaned and lamented. But
Lurcher pulled his coat, and by his move
ments conveyed to him that he should not
stay there all night; so then he crept on and
knocked at more than one door, but did not
obtain admittance, it was so tempestuous.
At last he lay down exhausted on some straw
in the corner of an clubhouse; but Lurcher
lay close to him, and it is probable the
warmth of the dog saved his life, that night.
Next day, the wind and rain abated; but
this aged man had other ills to fight against
besides winter and rough weather. The
sense of his sons ingratitude and his own folly
drove him almost mad. Sometimes he would
curse and thirst for vengeance, sometimes he
would shed tears that seemed to scald his
withered cheeks. He got into another coun-
ty. and begged from door to door. As for
Lurcher, he did not beg, he used to disap-
pear, often for an hour at time, but always
returned, and often with rabbit or even a
hare in his mouth. Sometimes the friends
exchanged them for gallon of meal, some
times they roasted them in the woods; Lur'
cher was civilized dog, and did not like
them raw.
Wandering hither and thither, Brian Taafe
came at last within few miles of his own
house; but he soon had cause to wish himself
farther off it; for here he met his first down
right rebuff, and, cruel to say, he owed it to
his hard hearted sons. One recognized him
as the father of that rogue Guillaum Taafe,
who had cheated him in the sale of horse,
and another as the father of that thief Sham
US, who had sold him diseased COW that
died. the week after. So, for the first time
since he was driven out of his home, he
passed the night supperess, for houses did
not lie close together in that part. Cold,
hungry. houseless and distracted with grief al
what he had been and now was, nature gave
way at last, and, unable to outlast the weary,
bitter night, he lost his senses just before
dawn, and lay motionless on the hard road.
The chances were he must die; but Just at
Deaths door his luck turned.
Lurcher put his feet over him and his chin
upon his breast to guard him, as he had often
guarded Carrots coat, and that kept little
warmth in his heart; and at the very dawn
of day the door of farmhouse opened, and
the master came out upon his business, and
saw something unusual lying in the road
good way off. So he went toward it, and
found Brian Taafe in that condition. This
farmer was very well-to-do, but he had
known trouble, and it had made him charita-
BILE. He soon hallooed to his men, and had
the old man taken in; lie called his wife, too,
face, though he was all in tatters. They laid
him between hot blankets, and, when he
came-to bit, gave him warm drink, and at
last good meal. He recovered his spirits,
and thanked them with certain dignity.
When he was quite comfortable, and not
before, they asked his name.
cab! don't ask me that" said he, piteous
ly "It's bad name have, and it used to
be good one, too. Don't ask me, or maybe
you'll put me out, as others did, for the fault
of my two sons. 1t is hard to be turned from
my own door, let alone from other honest
mems doors, through the vilyins," said he.
So the farmer was kindly, and said, 'Nevei
mind your name, fill your belly"
Ruf bu opd m tho m on uant ont into The
yard, and then the wife could not restrain her
curiosity.
why, good man," said she, s'sure you are
too decent man to be ashamed of your
name"
'Pm too decent not to be ashamed of it,"
said Brian. "But you are right; an hon est
Nan should tell his name though they druv
him out of heaven for it. am Brian Taafe
that was"
"Not Brian Taafe, the strong farmer at
Corraps?"
SAY, madam; Pm all that's left of him."
slave you son called Garret?'
81 had, then"
The woman spoke no more to him, but ran
screaming to the door: "Here, Tom! Tom
come herep' cried she; "Tom! Tomp As
Lurcher, very sympathetic dog, flew to the
door and yelled and barked fiercely in support
brought the farmer running in.''
sob Tom asthore," cried she, otis Mr..
Taafe, the father of Gar ct Taate bimself."
80 Lordr' cried the farmer, in equal agita-
ton, and stared at him. "My blessing on
the day you ever set foot within these doors p
Then he ran to the door and hallooed: "Hy,
Murphy! Ellen! come here, ye divisp'
Lurcher supported the call with
great energy. In ran fine little boy
and girl. "Look at this man with
all the eyes in your body!' said he.
Taafe that saved us all from ruin and deseruc-
tion entirely" He then turned to Mr.. Taafe
and told him. little more calmly, "that years
ago, every happorth they had was going to be
carted for the rent; but Carrot Taafe came by
and put his hand in his pocket, took out
thirty polnds, and cleared them in a moment.
1t was way he had; we were not the only
ones he saved that way, so long as he had it
to give"
The old man did not hear these last words !;
his eyes were opened, the iron entered his
soul, and he overfowed with grief and peni-
tence.
"Och, murther! murtherp' he cried. "My
poor boy! what had to do at all to 90 and
turn you adrift, as done, for no raison in
In llfep' Then, with a piteous, apologize
wall: Il tuck the wrong for the right; that's
the way the world is blinded. Och, Carrot,
Carrot, what will do with the thoughts of
it9 An those two vilyins that gave it all to,
and they turned me out in my ould days, as
done you. No matherp' and he fell into
sobbing and trembling that nearly killed
him for the second time.
But the true friends of his son nursed him,
through that, and comforted him; so he re.
covered. But, as he did live, he outlived
those tender feelings whose mortal wounds
had so nearly killed him. When he recovered
this lass blow he brooded and brooded, but
never shed another tear.
One day, seeing him pretty we'll restored,
as he thought, the good farmer came to him
with bagful of gold. "Sir," said he, ''soon
after your son helped us, luck set in our way.
Mary she had legacy; we had wonderful
crop of flax, and with that plot tits kill or
cure; and then / found lead in the hill and
they pay me dale O. money for lave to mine
there. I'm almost ashamed to take it.
tell you all this to show you 1 can afford to
pay you back that thirty pounds, and if you