News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-10-15

| VI lSlIl IdCtu NOIlldll III IL 1lItll cap WAS
spinning and grooming a soft song in
Gaelic. All
'Gavigan, wake up! What the divil
are you dreaming about? | asked you
to read that letter."
Johnnie started and he read with
some difficulty Ghe caligraphy was
certainly immature):
Corraclamp Upper, Meenadring P. O.,
County of Tyrone,
June the 3, 1898.
Dear Unckle Myles-I take up my pen
| to write you these few lines, hoping it
will find you as thank God it leevs US at
present in the best of helth except wee
Jaimsie has the hoop and coff. Dear
Unckle Myles | go to school to Master
Rainey every day in my life and he says
l am a notorayus scollar and that l was
born to be a priest, which 1 want to be
very bad. But of course my poor father
he has not the muney to spare to make a
priest out of me. Michael Burns of
Tullvalt that was in America 10 yeers and
five in Pencilvainy says it is far cheeper
to be priest in the states. So, as every
one comes home tells how rich Unckle
Myles is, | thought l would ask you to
pay my passage out there and l would
then SOOne ern enough of money to get
priested and l would say my first Mass
y
my passage muney very soone. Dear
Unckle wont you please too send me it,
and it's you'll be the proWd man when I'm
the parish priest of New York some day
pleese God. My father he cant give me
my passage muney for you know he has
hard struggil and the spotty COW the one
we called the Master bekase she had
prowd walk with her just like Master
Rainey she got elfshot on the hill
month agoe and died, and we have only
Horny left. My mother she ust always
say when l was wee that she would like
to see her wee Donoch a priest, but she
stopt locking of it now this many years.
She doesn't kno l am writing to you for
my passage or she wouldn't let me, for
asked her to let me write to you for the
lone of some muney to buy another COW
and to buy her a dress and she got very
angry with me and then bust into crying,
and she went down to the room and cried
a long time with the dore shut. / will be
thirteen yeers next bonefire night, and
am a able big fellow and able to work
hard in America send you all our loves
and my mothers love, for | kno she would
send it for she always gives out a prair
for you every knight when we are at the
Rosary, for God to guard, guide and pros
per Unckle Myles and keep his heart
right. Write soon and / lay down my
pen and ink and remain your affectonit
nefew. DONOCH M ATEER.
L. S.-t1lGdSe write SOUL.
When Johnnie Gavigan laid down
the letter. he inserted knuckle under
each glass of his spectacles and forced
something out of his blinking eyes,
though his employer glared at him.
Sir" said he. with Il bold courage
that astounded Myles Mcguire. what
answer will | give? Or suppose you
prefer to answer that yourself. Can
l get you Il Graft|
"Gavigan," aud all of poor Johnnie's
imprOmptu courage was Instantly
startled out Of him, you are an asst
After little, when Myles Mcguire
saw that his clerk was properly re
morseful, he said in calm, firm tones:
There's no answer. Gavigan, to that
foolish youngsters scribble. | showed
you that letter that you might read it
in connection with the wan from
O'Rourke and see for yourself that the
Irish here are as great idiots as at
home and the Irish at home as great
idiots as they are here. Here's these
poor fools of O'Rourke's that are wraS-
Ting with the wurl and striving with
all their might just to earn as much
as will keep the life in them-here they
are wanting to lose half a day to go
processing with a crowd of equally
BANKED fools. thrapping themselves
out in green ribbons and squandhering
a couple of days pay for the pleasure
of throtting behind a web of green cal
leo, throwing out their chests and throw
ing up their chins and stepping on time
to some ould ranting air that their
great grandfathers used to dance to.
And then here's those people in lrelan'
me own sisther ME own sisther Ell
len, no less-turning a child's head
with foolish notions about becoming
priest or a praicher when it would be
filter, both for themselves and him,
that they were teaching him which
fist to put foremost on a spade handle
and keeping him at school every day
when it's in the ditch sheugh they
should have him half the time No
wonder! No wonder! Small wonder
there's poverty and hardships in Ire
Ian and plenty of want in Ameriky.
"It's seven and thirty years, Gavigan,
since l and me little bundle were
thrown out of the ship on American
soil without the face of a friend to
greet me or as much as an acquaint
ance to say, There you are, Myles Ma
guire, and the divil sind you may pros
perr | was sixteen bare years of age.
l bent me back and put me hands to
the day afther l landed and for hard
years wrought the very soul of me out
through me fingers. l met no friends,
and ! made none. What's more, l
wanted none and wouldn't have them.
| kept meself clear of all from home.
They're never a help, always him
dhrance. If they came to me wanst,
they soon found their welcome wouldn't
keep warm for a second visit, and so
they were soon shaken off. l saw that
in Ameriky If a man wanted to go
ahead it took him to think of himself
and himself only all the time-forget
Ireland its Pathrick's days and its pow
erty. | did that. And as a result, sir,
Myles Mcguire, the poor delicate child
that then jumped on to quay at the
foot of New York with his belongings
under his arm and % shillings and six