The Grenada gazette., 1886-08-14
A TALE OF FAMINE.
A Mans Heart Softened by His
Dogs Conduct.

The potato famine in Ireland was
nowhere felt more severely than in that
part of the country where the follow
ing story is told as a true tale: In a |
small village in one of the most barren
districts OF the west OF Ireland there
lived very poor widow whose sole
inheritance was two healthy children
girls, of the respective ages of three
and five. Painfully and by the utmost
efforts she contriyed to pass two years
of her sorruwful widowhood. Bad and
scanty food, obtained only by l.Dor too
great for her delicate frame, had at
last thrown her upon her sick-hed,
and death, in pity removed her in q
few days, and without great suffering,
from all her earthly troubles. The
poverty of the parish was so great that
nothing could be done for the orphans.
All the neighb0rs, with the utmost de-
sire to help, were too taminr->trickcn
and heard their own children too often
crv in vain for bread to assist others.
'If the children could only be got to
X 1urn." village some mile, distant,
said one Of the neighbor5 after the poor
mother had been buried, "a brother of
their father lives there and he could
not possibly refuse to take care Of
them.
But matters are as bad there as
here. replied another, land | fear
they will be no better off there. =
1T can not possibly be worse than
here, for nothing but starvation star"s
them in the face. If we send them to
their relations we have done our duty.
We can not possibly keep them here. -
All were at last agreed upon this
and a, there was carrier who on the
next day was going near to- kilburn,
he was requested, as an act of charity,
to take The children with him. The
man readily consented, and the neigh
borS felt satisfied that they had done
all that could be required of them. The
carrier, as agreed, came the next day,
and took the girls-Lizzie was seven
now and Mary tive--in his cart with
him. The timid children kept very
quiet and close together; the carrier
hardly looked at them. Toward noon
they reached the spot where the cart
would turn off. The man lifted them
out, showed them a road to the left
and Dade them 20 straight forward,
and if they did not turn from the high
road they would, in about two hours,
come to the place. He then drove off.
The children sObbed ont ''Good- bye,
and looked out after him as long
as they could see the least spcck
of the cart, and then they both began
to cry. Lizzie ceased her crying first,
she took hold of her little sister hand.
who had seated herself on the ground,
and said: "Get up, Mary; we must
not stay here if we wish to get to Kill
burn, We can not stop here, on the
road"
Il am hungry" sobbed Mary; ave
have had nothing to eat all day.
And again they began to cry, for
Lizzie was equally as hungry. The
poor children had gone to bed without
food the night before; it was long
time since they had full meal; the
neighbors, where they had stayed since
the death of their mother, had not given
them any breakfast, as the poor people
had really themselves nothing to eat.
1t was now dinner time, but there was
no dinner for them.
Come, Mary" at last said Lizzie.
tive must try to get to some house;
we may perhaps get little bread or
few potatoes If we stay here we shall
starvc; no one will bring us any thing
to eat here
"Oh, if our dear mother were but
alive exclaimed the little one, getting
up with difficulty.
The children were very weak and
could only drag themselves slowly
along. Hand in hand they tottered OH.
Several times Mary declared she could
not 20 any farther, and sat down on
the highroad; and it was with the
greatest difficulty that Lizzie persuaded
her to get up again, and to pursue
their way. AT last Lizzie fancied she
saw house and pointed toward the
spot, /
Now, Mary, we shall soon get
to eat; we shall find kind
people there.