Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-11-05
had saw-mill, with a buzz-gaw in it.

had saw-mill. with buzz-saw in it.
"Tis wonderful what bad luck some
folks can have around a saw-mill!
Twas full a year before Pat Cronin
was successful in getting his right foot
in the saw, but twas a beautiful job
the saw did when he got it there, and
he had no complaint to make, for it
deducted Garry and Gerty and John
and Susan and James as clean and
nice as if they had never been.
She would hear no more of his going
back to the saw-mill after that, and
kept him about the hut every minute
of the day, SO that she could keep an
eye on all that was left of the children
from little Patrick, who was thumb.
to little Maria, who was the little toe
on his left foot, and she cherished
them as If she was manicure lady
with only one customer and no chance
of another. Day by day she made
the cottage, with his one good hand
laid out fiat on the table and his one
good foot propped up on stool in
plain view. 1t was not hard work ex-
cept for the temper it aroused in her
to see him sitting there doing nothing,
of her sight, but every day her tenn
per got worse and more of it, and at
last she gave it a little ease by throw
ing a flat-iron at him, which would
have done no harm had her aim not
been upset by her anger, SO that she
down and mashed little Patrick and
Mary and Larry and Bridget and
Michael.
Sure, that was one joke Pat had on
Maggie, and 'twould have done you
good to have heard him laugh when
the surgeon came and cut OFF his fin
gers and his thumb. one at time.
Then times got worse for Pat Cronin
and Maggie, for man with no fingers
and only five toes to his name is not
such good worker as one with more,
so they packed up everything they
owned but the pig and started for
America.
1--WE will take 40 more chances"
said Maggie, "and have here a box
to nail up your foot in, so that it may
go safe to Ameriky, and no harm
come to little Dora and Mark and Cora
and Luke and Maria" and with that
she brought forth fine box, just large
enough to hold his foot, and made him
put his foot in it, and she nailed the
lid on, but when she saw him smiling
she knew there was something wrong,
and she pried the lid off, and, behold
you, in mailing it on she had spoiled
two more of his toes, so that the sur
geon had to come and amputate little
Luke and Maria.
AS soon as they reached New York
Pat set up in business as a public
man and applied for job as a mill
ionaire, and laid his character away,
and all seemed going well, and Mag
gle was number four hundred and one
in the Four Hundred, and had the offer
of the first vacant place in the three
hundreds, when one day she came run
ming to him in tears.
Pat" says she, and do you re-
member the foretell the foretellin'
woman foretold to your
"Sure I do" he says. could l
forget it?'
"Well," she says, how many fin
gers and toes have We got left?"
az dunno" he says; for I have for
got, I have been so busy"
Count thim," she says, "for tits
important l sh'u'd know"
Wan-two-tree, he counted "and
that is all I have left"
At that Mrs. Cronin looked panied
and shocked, and shook her head sad
ly.
"Alas!" she said, "'twill never do
at all. Tree children is an outrageous
large family, and not at all what folks
in Ameriky has. W'u'd We be havin'
ev'ry wan think we are but ignorant
foreigners, Pat?"
81 would not" says he; 81 would
do as tn Americans do, and be as tn
Americans be. What is it you w'u'd
be havin' me do, Marguerite ?"
"T' save tn honor and glory of tn
family" says she, land t. prevint ridi-
Guile fallin' upon us. We must remove
wan of yer toes, Pat"
"For why?" says he.
because of the foretell as foretold
by tn foretellin' lady," says she, that
SAYS We will have as many children as
We have fingers and toes"
"But l will have but two left" says
he sadly.
at seems t. be tn CUSTOM" says
she.
And with that Pat got the carving
knife, and then there were only little
Mark and little Cora left of all his
twenty fingers and toes.