The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-05-01
IRISH CHARACTER SKETCHES.

| 'Neh wudn't have a siXpense to give
poor woman to buy a Crane ov tay.'
God bless yer reverence. bud l be say.
in yeh are a saint, an ye'll be canon
lied afOre yeh die. och. what wut
we do at all. at all, without yeh?"
There is another batch of the same
band of tinkers a. Father Toms kitch-
en- door, and they are holding a con-
versation with Father Toms house
| keeper somewhat after this fashion:
'Yed wudn't buy a tin can this morn
| in? I'll give il TO yeh for threepence.
We hadn't bit bite or sup since yis-
J terday evening. an maybe yeh have a
| bit ov mate to give us an the chllder.
Thank yeh, ma'am ION receiving some
portions of cold ham), bud we'd be all
right now ~ we mad q Crane ov tay.
"Ah, musha, bud may the heavens
| themselves be yer bed. it's hard to drink
black tay, cud yeh give US sup on
mild We don't like to ak yeh for
too much, ye're so good, bud it's harl
to ate dry bread. an a wee bit ov but
ter wud do us no harm, an the ang1lS
in heavin will reward yeh.
While the women folk are stormins
Father Toms house, front and rear
the men portion of the band are doing
a little begging, too. taking / should
say They are helping themselves to
some hay and potatoes in Father Toms
garden and, to judge from the cool
matter of form way they do it. you
would imagine they were absolute own
ers of these goods. Such, in fine. is
general description of the thinkers in
Ireland. Wandering from one parish to
another, they sold, begged and bor-
roWed, stole would be the right word,
but there is no such word as steal in
an Irish tinker's vocabulary, and if
there is he ignores it. But poor Jimmy
Hope was not like the general run of
thinkers. lie was rs. honest as the sun,
and led not a wandering life. His little
home stood on the little boreen below
the priests house. and there you found
him diligently plying his trade and
repeatedly the song:
If you like to see the height of hospi-
tally,
The crane ov kindly welcome and the.I
core ov cordiality,
JOY ov the olden time-you wishing !
to recall again.
Come down to Donovan'S and there
you'll meet them all again"
Jimmy Hope had the kindest and |
sweetest heart in that big frame of his. |
The youngest of his children had spine |
disease. and the love of that big man for |
that sick girl and his devotion to her
was one of the most beautiful charac-
-eristics in that simple. honest mans
life. Her every wish he anticipated: he
ed her with his own hands. and on the
inc days he would carry her chair out
n the sun with:
I'm bringin' yen, alanna. where yeh
an feel the sunshine an hear the birds
IN see the other childer down the
treet. An when 1 finish the tin can,
II go up to Dowd's for sugar stick for
-eh. " We want anything, call me, an
ere not to be frettin'. bud read yer
'ook an reminder. I'm to bring me
,et some day soon to Dublin
''Ye'I see Father Tom passin' to the
chOol soon, an yeh can ak him what {
ell wanted to know from me yister- {
ay about the angils. Keep yer shawl ]
trapped about yeh now. an the robins !
ill keep yeh company while I'm finish l
lg me tin can
The patient eyes of that sickly child '
-ould look so fondly, so lovingly UP at ]
er big father with the sweeping red !
card and the kindest of fathers ]
carts. ana say: y
Father, I'm not lonely when | have q
GU, and father, Doctor Gerald says I'll /
ct better some day and be able to r
.ork for you when you get old. Father 2
ON is praying for me, / asked him t
say mass yesterday for mother. I
h, fHther, don't cry, if you do I'll cry.
DO. Mother is gone TO heaven, an if l
ont get better, l would like to go to
er, too, but l won't go until you are h
bic TO come. too