The Irish standard., 1906-03-03

life as l have done. Indeed, do not
know whether shall ever be able to
stop working, now that have an OPP
portunity to quit. And anyway, it is
necessary for me to. continue my job
for a few weeks at least, as have not
yet taken possession of the estate and
money that have been left me.
will so back to Irland to live?
Not on your life. would not take
the whole city of Belfast, much as
love every stick and stone of the dear
old place. would not take it all as
precious gift and be obliged to live
there the rest Of my life and give up
my American citizenship. I have toiled
and suffered here, l married my wife
here and my children were born here.
have helped to elect three Presidents
of the United States. tell am mighty
proud of being an American and
would rather forfeit all the money of
John Hughes, of Belfast, than to lose
God has been good to me, and
Uncle Sam has been good to me in
spite of all my hard luck. America
has stuck by me when was down, and
now that am up I mean to stick to
her. America was good enough for
ME to earn Il living in. and I guess
%<> Ia
spend my money in.
will move to New York city" No.
II won't. l don't like New York. I
have been up there twice, and l don't
like the place. l don't feel at home
there. I'd rather stay right here in
Lodi, even If it is barren and ugly
than to so up to that great, cruel, UNI
friendly city. No, think shall not
go further than Paterson. There is a
beautiful place, u white house on a
green hill that looks down over . the
town. which l have always coveted.
And now have made up my mind ]
will buy that very house. No house
in tine world, rot even the great man.
sion in Belfast which the letter tells
ME l now own, could mean the same
to me as that white house on the hill
overlooking Paterson. And now 1 will
tell you why.
In the mill where ! used to work
could see that house all day long
every time looked up from my loom
ana allowed my eyes to wander across
the floor toward the window. Pater-
son, or that region of the town where
the mills are located, is, as YOU know.
Il black ana ugly place, and this white
house on the green hill always looked
SO beautiful and serene and peace Civ
ing.
Il always rested my eyes upon the
green of that hill when they got tired
following the pattern of the silk web.
There is nothing like green to rest the
eyes upon when they are tired, you
know. I used to look ut the hillside
and at the white house, and built
castles in the air about what I would
do and say and how l should feel if
tina. white house and that green hill
side were mine.
Maggie, my Wife I would say to
myself Maggie, my wife, would make
Il fine mistress for it-and the chill
dren, what pretty sight they would
he playing on the lawn in their white
| frocks and their pink sashes! ! used
to picture them all living thcre-Mag-
gle and the two little girls. could
see my wife as plain as anything
rustling around the house in Il silk
gown Of brown shot with green. or
sometimes she would be after wearing
Il frock of silver gray shot with pale
pink or blue. Sometimes when was
ver% tired. when we would be work
ing overtime, 1 have dreamed so much
about this foolish fancy that have
tangled my shuttles and been locked
for it Il whole quarter OF Al day.
But l have said enough to make
you understand just why I'd like to
buy the white house on the hill And
my wife wants it. too. Because she
used to dream of it as she washed and
cooked and baked in our little dark
house. She dreamed OF i, because l
had talked so much to her about it
that she after Il while actually got to
believe we We're really some day to
own II. And my little girls Nora and
Kathleen. they. too. dreamed and chat
tered. even when they were tiny girls,
about what they would do and say
and how they would feel when their
4 papa would get rich and buy the beau
tiiul white house on the green hill.
"Of course 1t was all moonshine. all
child's talk. but 1t gave us all a lot Of
pleasure. and. in fact. the building of
these castles III the air has been about
our only pleasure. For we have been
very. very poor. counting ourselves
lucky to have the chance of working
honestly from one months end to the
other undisturbed by strikes and lock-
outs.
And now. all Of y sudden something
has happened which makes it possible
for me to live in house much grand
err by far and with green gardens