The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-05-17
A FOINE BOY.
"An O'Brien All Over. BARN the Cslor."
EnrnI1s o. Rrlen Of EulNaN Ireland had LET

Gan O'Brien All over, BARN the (0lOr.
Fergus O'Brlen, ofGalway, Ireland, had lett
the Queens dominlOus and crossed the blue
waters with his wife and one child, and the
good ship which brought them over landed her
freight living and otherwise, safely at Castle
Garden, one stormy day in February one year
ago. After the prciminares attending dis
cmbarkatlon the cmigrants separated, going to
the north, south and west. The PENNSYLVANIA
railroad brought Fergus and his little family to
Philadelphia, and after he had found Il resi-
dence tor his wife and child which domici!iary
location consisted of two rooms ON Front street,
he was not long in getting employment.
Now Mr. Fergus had II iemal cousin who
lived IN part of the same house, and who was
an lnCorrigible practical joker Accordingly,
when the LIST of April came around she decided
to tool" cousin Fergus. She laid her plans
so rs to have Mrs. O'Brien out of the way for
the morning and then sent lad with a note
to where Fergus was employed, which read rs
follows
DEAR COUSIN Accept my congratulations.
Iou are Il teythcr. Come up at once From
your mindful cousin.
p, Sit is toinc hoy and weighs beyant
twenty pounds.
While the boy was gone with the note Katie
made haste to borrow a negro baby eight
months old, and wrapping ii deliberately in
hastily improvsed garments, she deposited it
in the big clothes basket and set it before the
fire, Then she proceeded to gather in her
ncighbors TO witness the effect of her Joke
Not a minute too soon, either, for by the time
the last one had got safely slowed away Fergus
came up the steps clearing four at II leap.
LET me see the spalpeen-the bye" says he.
Hist ~ says Katie, well wake him. It's
slapin he Is. Now, don't make any sthir an
III let vcZ pane at him.
But the caution came too late, for the vigorous
lungs Of the eight-months.old "moke" set up Il
tremendous racket
That's an O'Brien" says Fergus, capping
his hands Mother o. Moses, fvat an appetite
he have rot wild his voice He could harkin
the hounds already in ouId Galway. Begorra,
III say if he knows his faythrr'
He had picked up the basket to carry it to
the window, when the young African, having
struggled his hands free made short work of
the wrappingS about his face.
Terra an 'ounds." said Fergus, diopplng|
his basket, "is that my Spalpccn? Is that free
born American citizen? Is that fvat kim toI
tins blessed country for, to be the fcyther Of a
nagur and misself not nateralzed? It's me
jooty 10 kiss him, yez say Howly Moses
hut IT,, a hard one
Il. -t""pcG &c tlly task. however, lut il was
ir, r.t,N
BY ,he sod OF ould Ireland, but his breath
smells like onions and wet dog mixed Fvat Il
brthcr hell make til his white sister! But
where is Alice? Alleen, acusha, acushla,
Why doyc make me tayther of nagur? Look
at his legs, as crooked as two rainbows splicedI
together 1t isl not himself as could liver shtopl
pic in Il lane, at all, at all, ~ Thinking the
Joke had gone far enough, the jovial cousin
now told HIM 1t was an April fool"
u ~ -.
IA fool It's an O'Brcn all over barin the
color, and he can't hip that"
Ailccn made her timely appearance here and
denied the maternity, The house was cleared
IN trlce, and Fergus has one less of his wites
relations to Phjt0dciphia Times.