Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-07-24
PATSY.

been christened Patrick. after the mo- u
Their country's patron saint when he OF
was n tiny child, but the abbreviation u
held good. aud Patsy he was To every M
body His father and mother died W
when he was very small aud Uncle n
Michael. who earned his living by Il
working in the nursery near by, u
prumbled at the extra mouth he had D
TO feed. for he had six gray eyed little q
roysterers of ills own TO care Tor, and u
Aunt Margaret said he ate more than p
two grown men and did nothing In Z
the wide world but tear his clothes Z
And yet Aunt Margaret would have i
been awfully lonely without Patsy. I
Who would have trotted To market Q
with her and have carried home the !
big basket Of truck" without "a muir. !
muir as Patsy did, and what boy would
have handed over every cent of a
weeks earnings in the nursery with
out sneaking enough to buy himself
some hot roasted peanuts from the
Eyetalian on the cornerl
Patsy didn't have much schooling;
He could read and write and he could
count row Of trees by walking along |
the furrow and touching each one and /
then walking back and counting them +
all over again. The two counts did
not always tally, but Patsy wasn't To /
blame. Uncle and aunt could read.
Uncle knew all about how Napoleon
fought and died, and aunt could tell
stories about the great Alexander that
would make Patsys brown unkemptt
hair literally stand ON end. lie did
not feel very sorry about not having
an education. IL was sufficient that a
-. - 49, fn,,1sl,. xvara taa rtln1
Ii Patsy couldn't count straight he
could place bud on tree in the nur-
sery SO that 1t could grow well and
straight, and he knew all about cle-
mats and roses, and he could trans
plant cabbages in Aunt Margarets gar
den so the hottest summer sun would
not wilt them He knew where the
first arbutus grew in the woods that
sheltered the nursery on one side, and
where the honeysuckles rs he called
the wild columbines, lungs their bells
in June time.
Father Knight, the village priest,
looked upon Patsy as something moi
far short OF n little heather. lie did
not know him very well, for Patsy
never went 10 church when he was
not positively obliged 10. Father
Knight talked rather sharply to Uncle
Michael about Patsy once, anc
Michael promised To send him te
church twice ON Sunday thereafter
But he reckoned without his host fol
when the next Sunday morning camt
Patsy was three miles down the creel
hunting watercresses when the bell
runr for mass. and Father Knight OF
his way To the mission that afternoon
met him coming home, barefoot, tan
ned and dirty. The priest was tempted
to stop and give him a talking 10. blu
the laughing blue eyes that looked III
at him rs ne passed. the frank smil,
that was on the straight led moutl
melted him and he passed ON. Patsy
heart just quaked within him, for IN
was awfully afraid of that dignifies
looking man, but there was too muct
of the fearless Irish spirit III him Il
sneak by. His hand had gone up |,
his cap at the first glance and Fathe
Knight was bound to recognize him.
The next day, rs Patsy was fitting
bud into the soft bark of an earl,
Crawford and getting ready TO twis
the bit of Eastwood shaving around
TO hold it snugly in place a dark shad
ow fell across the row, and Inc becam
suddenly aware that tall figure wa
AAI ARth Ia -
heart who il was, and In went RICH
on with his work. pretending not {
see the priest until the latter spoke.
Are you Patsy Flanaganr
.sYes, sir" He expected that il wa
coming now, but instead of the word
be expected the priest said:
mr.. Bdwell said you migih com
and transplant some shrubs that
have just bought for my garden. Il
thinks you know how they should b
treated"
Yes, sir
"You may come right along wit
mo | want To show you where To pu
them"
Shades of Erins green isle, was b
TO walk though the street with the el.
CANT looking man beside himf II
guessed he was, for Father Knight ha
said SO, and he was almost posltls
that such a nice looking man wouldn
say anything he did not mean, s
Patsy picked up his ragged jacks
from the row aud away he trotted a
ter the priest.
How il came about Patsy nevs
knew, but before he was aware Of
he was chattering away 10 Fath'
Knight as he would have talked
Aunt Margaret, aud the priest was II
tening interestedly to il all.
How would you like To go to scho'
and become scholar, Patssf
Faith, wouldn't like II at all, 81
I'd rather work In the nursery
Yes, Father Knight guessed on u
whole that Patsy would do better
the nursery, but he talked with Il
boy until he found that there was {
innate wit and shrewdness IN linn In
should be cultivated, and which II IL
latent would rob the world OF a ms
that was needed, so before Patsy g
through with his days work Faith
Knight had induced him TO say Tn
be would come to church on Sunda
and to the night school.
So all the day long Patsy worked
the nursery. Every morning he we
down the lane, past the Maginnis C
tage, whisiling like lark as il moui
into midair. Maggie Maginnis wou
open her sleepy blue eyes and hs
him go by, and at night when he ca
home from work she would watch
him coming down the lane, and
would present her with an apple o.
peach, Or perhaps bouquet q y