The Monitor-register., 1896-01-31
Old Peggy Dunphy.

nice calico dress, q checked apron, and,
In summer, sunbonnet. In winter she
put on hood and shawl, and had a
little foot.stove for her feet. PAS grand
pa told us what it was. He said that
when he was young, old ladies had them
carried to church to put their feet on,
and often used them in the house when
they sat far from the big wood fires they
used to warm the houses with where he
came from, but he did not know that any
one ever used them nowadays until he
saw old Peggy's. He talked to her once
about it. She said:
ut came from the olld country, sir,
and It's saved my life NANNY cowld day
bless iti''
When it rained, Peggy put up great
umbrella, like those they have on wagons,
and never went home unless it was very
heavy storm. ....
All that Peggy sold she made herself,
and she gave good measure, and she did
not mind if person could not quite make
up her mind whether she wanted lemon
candy or peanut taffy.
stake your time, child" she used to
say. "Niver do things in a hurry. The
right idea will come after WHILE"
Once l said to her: "I'N tell you how
it is. I've only got penny, and like
peanut taffy best and Kitty likes lemon
Drops" And Peggy said:
swell, then, I'll give you the hall
lemon and the half peanut, and you'll
both be contint."
So we bought all we wanted of Peggy
after that. Besides candy, she had apples
and ginger snaps and sometimes oranges.
We all liked Peggy very much, and, oh,
how sorry we were when one day dread.
full accident happened to her.
A wicked boy had stolen lady IS purse
and was running away from the police
and crowd of other people after him.
Our school was just coming out, and
some of us were going to buy candy and
oranges, but we ran upon some door
steps to get out of the way, and as we
stood there we saw poor Peggy standing
between her table and the crowd to save
her stock, and the next minute the thief
struck against her and knocked her down
and the rest rushed past without stop
ping; and there lay the poor creature on
the pavement, calling for help, and no one
giving her any.
AS soon as we could get to her we did.
| sat down and put her head in my lap,
and Kitty ran for Pa. The other girls
did what they could. One got glass OF
water and one famed her.
At last my pa came. He picked hel
mp and carried her into our house anG
laid her on lounge, and. brother Bot
went for doctor. AS for me, stood b.
the table and watched it, and when tn,
girls came along l asked them to bu,
everything they could, SO that L coult
give the money to Peggy. Those whit
had pennies. did, and some ladies ant
gentlemen, who found out what l wal
doing, bought, too; and soon all the can
dies were sold and all the cakes; and
folded up the table and asked the butcher
to take care of it and Peggy's chair, and
carried the money home to her.
When got there the doctor had plas-
tered great cut on her head and bound
up her arm, which was sprained, and she
was drinking cup of tea. How aston
ished she was when gave her the money
and told her all was sold, and how CRATE.
full to ma and pa for their kindness to
her!
"Folks say it's bad world,'1' she said,
"but think it's mighty good. It's like
story book, so kind you've beea to
meW She said that over again to the
gentleman from the newspaper who came
to ask about the accident-a reporter. he
said he was, and put it all in the paper,
where we read it few days after. And
he told how Peggy came from respecta-
BILE family 10 Ireland; how little Miss
Ada and little Miss Kitty Brown sold
her things at the stand for her; and made
real story of it. #
That was Thursday. Peggy stayed at
our house all the next day and Saturday,
too; and in the evening, when she was
beginning to feel much better, the door
hon o,,I khar q xub oo1, 1,ol
if Mrs. Peggy Dunphy was there still.
Ma said "Yes," and asked him into the
room where Peggy was, and as soon as
he saw her, he called out: 'Motherw
And she called out:
"Oh! My boyl My boy! My boy Pat
rickl Do l live to see you again"
And he put his arms about her and she
kissed him and you never saw two people
so happy.
Then he told ma and pa how he ran
away to sea when he was boy, and when
he came back found that his mother had
gone to America with his married sister.
The sister was dead, and they told him
his mother was, and he hadn't know n
happiness since.
"But yesterday" he said, 81 was read
ing the paper, and behold there was the
story of the accident, and my mothers
name, and the place she came from, and
all your kindness to her; and began to
hope I'd found her; and l have. And
but for your goodness, maybe there'd
never have been SO much written, and
we'd not have been brought together.
And God bless you forever, anyhoww
Then he told US he had plenty of
money, and would take care of his
mother as long as she lived; and after
awhile he took her away in cab, just
the happiest person that ever lived.
The iiexf ~ be Sent us two great wax
dolls, addressed in silk.
"a present from my mother, with
thanks for ,Your goodness" he wrote.
"And Pm taking her home to Ireland to
see the old place again."
That is the last we ever saw of them;
but ma says II was nice end to old
PeggRN storys and that Peggy was SO
kind and cheerful while she was poor
and 5onely that she deserved the good
brtsne that seemed to have come to her
n isst. And little did the old woman
t4Ink when she got the fall that hurt her
sos that il was the means Of bringing
f1put : rennioH with her lost sbn.
| f'TAe angels !, said MamRa, ''often
bling abont quriblessings in sery aston
Lots OF Life IN tne1H Yer.
People whose forty. afth bifthbay ia be.
hind them fancy that thalT power Il resist