The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1898-11-30

held his whip over his right shoulder
"Poor JOHN" he said to himself
$50 I'll never see you again!" He
was thinking of his oldest son who,
five years before, had left homo for
Australia, and last night came the
news of his death. And Thomas, too,
the youngest, who had gone to
America, the Pet of his father and
mother, but ungrateful, had taken the
price of two fat bullocks that he
sold at the fair, the day he left, and
never returned even to say good-by.
The thought of child's ingratitude
always hurts a fathers heart, and
Michael was thinking of this when he
came to the top of the hill, and, sod
of turf falling, he stopped the horse
to throw it up on the load. As he
reached down for the sod the light OF
the public house across the way
flashed out into the road, the publican,
Martin Haney, just lighting his lights.
There was time in his young days
when Michael O'Neil drank hard.
But he had changed, and not tasted
spirits for twenty years, never, since
the day he walked fifteen miles to
Moate, to take the pledge from the
hands of Father Mathew, had he
drunk a drop Of strong drink. So
much OF o. dislike had Michael for q
public house where drink was sold
that he would not now, not for the
world, have stopped the horse; even
for a sod of turf, before the door of
Martin Haney. 1t is always good to
break from bad habit, but better not
to fall into one, for aroad once walked
on is easy TO tread again, especially
il it was traversed at first when
we were young. And so with
Michael O'Neil now. For a score
of years he had not been tempt
ed, but this night he had been feeling
bad, and could he not DIN and drown
his sorrow in at least one glass? AS
he thought of this he put his hand
into his pocket for the money to buy
the dram. But there was none there.
He was walking up to the door while
doing this, and was near the step
when he found himself pulled from
behind. Three down jerks of his coat
made him look around, and he found
that his horse and load OF turf were
gone. He had heard no noise, and it
was all done in moment.
Michael was startled. He did not
know what to do. He stepped q few
PAGES further on and climbed up big
rock on the side of the road that was
on the top of the hill, the light of
Martin Haneys windows all the time
upon him. 1t was now very dark,
and the bog-land below aud the Hill Of
Hart beyond were quite lost to his
sight.
He stood there looking into the
night for a moment, when there came
a bright light from out of the sky that
lit up all the scene--the bog of An
Len, the River Doun and the Hill of
Hart. 1t was a blazing star that came
down from the sky, and shooting to
the centre of the bog beside the dead
water made from the digging en- the
peat, where was his horse and cart,
the whole bog was alive with fairies.
They we're running for the cart, as the
star lighted them, and it falling, rest
ed a dazzling thing of light ON the
load of turf. AS it did so the heavens
darkened again, but the star kept
bright the bog. Now the fairy king,
sitting upon his little horse, cried to
his men, "It must be done quickly,
before the moon rises!" And with
that he jumped from his horses back
right into the centre Of the star. As
he did so, there was less light, and
now Michael thought it was time to
run for his cart and horse.
Down the steep hill and across the
bog at full speed he went, the light of
the star all the time growing less and
less, and the fairy king growing
smaller and smaller, until, as he
reached the cart and the bright edge
of the moon came over the hill, it lit
only a small piece of silver on the top
sod of turf-perhaps the very sod
that Michael had flung up when at the
top of the hill. He stood on the
wheel, and reaching for it, found it
very hot in his hand. Tossing it
from one palm to the other. however.