The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-12-21

lsn I long nave 10 stay wld ye, any way.
Yer own hair will be as white as mine vet,
plaise God and ye'll be thanking him ye
showed respect to mine, this night"
But they were all young aud of one mind,
and they turned him out and barred the
door, Pie crept away ,shivering in the wind
and rain, till he got on the lee side of a stone
wall, and there he stopped and asked him
self 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
white mark on his breast he saw it was
Lurcher, Carrots dog
'Ah,' said the poor old wanderer, you are
not so wise dog as | thought, to follow me.
When he spoke to the dog, the dog fondled
him. Then he burst out sobbing and crying
"Ah, Lucher Garret was not wise either
but he niver would have turned me to the
door, this bitter night,nor even thee And so
he moaned and lamented ButLucher pulled |
his coat, and by movements conveyed to him |
that he should notstay there all nj ght; so then
he crept on and knocked at more than one
door, but did not obtain admittancc, it was
so tempestuous, AT last he lay down ex-
hausted on some straw in the corner of an
out house; but Lurcher lay close to him,
and it is probably 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 some
| times he would shed tears that seemed to
scald his withered cheeks He got into an.
/ other country, and begged from door to door
As for Lurcher, he did not beg he used to
disappear, 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.
sometimes they roasted them in the woods
Lurcber was a civilized dog, ard did not like
them raw.
Wandering hither and thther, Brian Ia
afe came within a few miles of his own house;
but he soon had cause to wish himself far.
ther off from it: for here he met his first
downright 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
Shamus, who had sold him a diseased COW
that had died the week after So, for the
first time since he was driven out of his
home, he passed the night supperless for
houses did not lie close together in that part
Cold, hungry, houseess and distracted with
grief at what he had been and now was, ma
ture gave way at last, and, unable to outlast
the weary, bitter night, he lost his senses
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 hima he had
often guarded Carrots coat, and that kept q
little warmth in his heart and at the very
dawn of day the door OF farm. house open
ed, and the master came out upon his busi-
ness, and saw something unusual lying in
the road good way of. 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 charit-
able. lie soon hallooed to his men, and
had the old man taken in; he called his wife
too, and bade her observe that it was rev.
erend 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 recov-
cred his spirits, and thanked them with a
certain dignity.
When he was quite comfortable, and not
} before, they asked his name.
'Ah don't ask me that said he, piteous-
} ly. It's a bad name have and it used to
be good, one, too. Don't ask me, or may
be yo'll put me out, as the others did, for
the fault of my two sons. 1t is hard to be
3 turned from my own door, let alone from
, other honest mems doors through the vii
yins,' said he.
So the farmer was kindly, and said, Never
mind your name fill your belly
But by and by the man went out into the
ward, and then the wife could not restrain
her curiosity. Why, good man, said she,
sure you are too decent man to be asham-
| ed of your name
I'm too decent not to be ashamed of it,
, said Brian. But you are right; an honest
man should tell his name though they druy
him out of heaven for it, am Brian Taaft
that was.
| Not Brian Taafe, the strong farmer at
, Corrans?'
, 'Ay, madam I'm all that's left of him.
f Have you a son called Garrett
4 4 had, then
The woman spoke no more to.him, but
e ran screaming to the door; Here, Tom
; Tom come herer cried she; Tom Tom /
0 As Lurcher, very sympathetic dog, flew tC
. the door and yelled and barked fiercely il
support of this invocation, the hullabaloC
soon brought the farmer running in.
1 oh Tom asthore,' cried she, its Mr.
: Taafe, the father of Garret Taafe himself
r 90 Lordn cried the farmer, in equal agita
ton and stared at him, MY blessing OF
I the day you ever set foot within thes,
doors Then he ran to the door and hal
looed 'Hy, Murphy! Ellen come here, y,
i divilsr
Lurcher supported the calls with gres
= energy, In ran fine little boy and girl
Look at this man with all the eyes in you
4! body ? said he. This is Misther Taaie
d father of Garret Taafe that saved US all from
ruin and destruction entirely He thel
e turned to Mr., Taafe, and told him, littl
y more calmly, that, years ago every haport
d they had was gone to be carted for the ren
n but Garret Taaie came by, put his hand i
j. his pocket, took out thirty pounds, an
No | rlenred ihnm In a mnment Ii Mas n wn