News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-05-21


she was dubbed 1.-THE flower of Dhri.
more" Ere yet Nancy was mature she
had to go the way of the young women
(and young men, too of our Donegal
seaboard-she had to go over the noun.
tains to hire with the Scotch planters
who owned the big rich farms by the
valley of the Finn. Nancy being of
such tender years, so inexperienced of
the world, and, still worse, possessing
the fatality of exceptional beauty, Seu-
mas and Nelly were loath to let her
go. But, despite a little fishing and a
little tilling, want gave an occasional
knock at Seumas' door, as at the doors
Of his neighbors, so perforce poor Nan
cy must face the world.
With very large store of advice and
warning, the only commodities her
mother could afford to be liberal with;
very small store of clothes, done up
in red handkerchief, and her fathers
and mothers blessing, Nancy took the
Toad with the other poor boys and girls
just before the sun began to rub the
mists off his. eyes and peep up over the
shoulder Of Barnesmore mountain on a
Friday morning and trudged SO miles
before bedtime and stood in the Rabble
market in Strabane next day waiting
for some one to come and hire her
Several big rough farmers and some
rougher farmers wives had come up
and viewed Nancy at every angle of
observation, quizzed, questioned and
cross questioned her, putting her
through the catechism of her abilities,
and then priced her and haggled with
her, trying to beat her down shillings
in the half years wage, and quilted
her, giving their opinion that she was
too delicate for a girls work in the
Laigan, which included wrestling with
tubs and pots of boiled roots, feeding
cows and pigs, milking, churning and
butter making Finally an imposing
old lady of generous girth and evident
ly of higher social status than the
farmers wife came up and, raising her
glasses, viewed Nancy calmly and crit
fcally and then trotted her through the
usual catechism. Mrs. Nelson, it turn
ed out, did not require pot wrestler,
y
ey's price suiting her, they quickly
agreed as mistress and maid, and Mrs.
Nelson's son, bashful young man,
than whom Nancy vowed she never be-
fore had seen any one so eXquisitely
dressed, drove them home in buggy.
Mrs. Nelson took much pains show
ing Nancy her work next morning, and
whom ha 70 ba
faction of both she led Nancy to the
parlor and, sinking into an easy chair.
began to read her a hOmily upon the
conduct she expected of all females I'm"
der her roof. The bashful and nice
young man, as primly dressed as ever,
read a book by the window. Though
he glanced at Nancy as he came in, he
was either too modest or too much alb
sorbed in the book to raise his eyes a
second time. Two virtues ever pos
sessed by Nancy were docility and re-
Spectfulness, but under Mrs Nelson's
lecturing tongue she had much ado to
keep down a rebellious spirit that for
the first time moved within her.
For, you know" the good Mrs. Neil
son tried to impress upon her, you
girls who come here from those wild
mountains have to be taught the pro
prieties necessary to yO@,g WLl.rlL
which, fear, are sadly left oct i'll your
Bringing up" Nancy flushed. Your
parents, it seems to me, dear, allow
you to grow wild, with the result that
you come over the mountains into our
country so hoidenish that it takes much
of our time and trouble to civiliZe you
and to teach you Christianlike con-
duct" Here Nancy gave her head a
most indignant little toss, which was
quite lost upon her mentor, who was
either so absorbed with her own dis
course that she didn't see it or else,
seeing it, took it as a matter of course.
"And now one thing in particular l
want to impress on you is to warn you
against giving our Tommy any encOur-
agement." Nancy looked at Mrs. Neil
son in Amusement. Tommy is my
eldest boy and sadly differs from Alex
snder here" indicating the young man
who read and who blushed in response
to the implied compliment-"is sadly
different, I'm sorry to say, from Alex
ander. Tommy is a harum scarum, of
whom we never could make anything,
for he couldn't be got to mind his
hooks. Tommy will go to the other
side of the parish after pretty face,
and the only objection I can yet find
with you is that Pm positive you won't
be with me "a hours till that boys
counting you"
e With her hands under her apron Nan
cy dropped a sarcastic courtesy and
said, I'm sure I'm very thankful to
ye, ma'am."
"Now, mind you give that boy no en-
enlargement My hearts nigh broken
with him." and she gave a faint sigh,
sand indeed but that have the COM
fort and consolation of possessing my
own wise, good Alexander | think it
would be quite broken long ago. Now
you have got your warning, dear
Nancy dropped a naughty courtesy
sand mind you keep that boy at arms
length, for emphatically I'll not toler-
ate my servant girls counting with my
SON"
Nancy tossed her head again and
flashed a look at Mrs. Nelson. She