The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-05
ST. PATRICk'S
NAMESAKE
By ARTHUR w. BREWSTER


and put bit of green ribbon in the
buttonhole of his jacket After mass
the O'Rourke children came over to |
the Mulcaheys to play with little Pat.
There were Tommy O'Rourke, seven |
years old, and Nora, who was nine. |
| They, too. had green ribbons n their |
breasts, and Mrs. Mulcahey, setting |
them all down in row, told them sto- !
ries of the patron saint of Ireland-how
he did away with the slavery of the
lower people and how he rescued the
country from false religion and es
tablished the true church. She also
told them of the wonderful miracles
done by st. Patrick and the many peo
pie he saved from some impending
danger.
Everybody knows that st. Patrick's
day falls on the nth of March and that
the 18th of March is near the begin
ming of spring. In the southern states
sometimes it is pretty warm at that
time, and the snow, melting farther
north, swells the creeks, and the creeks
swell the rivers, and occasionally they
, have what is called an inundation.
1t happened that on this st. Patrick's
day where these children lived they
had an inundation. The O'Rourke chill
dren went home from the Mulcaheys
, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and
| found the water. which had not been
within half mile of them in the MOI l.
ing, was now a foot deep all around
: the house. They thought it lots of fun to
hold up their clothes and walk in the
! water to their front door. Their mother
being out at work, Tommy made a raft
e of some old boards he found floating in
e the cellar, and then they had a fine
I time pushing themselves around with
f a clothes pole.
I But the water kept getting deeper
d and deeper, so that before dark the
I lower floor of the house was covered
e with water
e The food began to look serious to the
i children. and they wished their mother
would come home. But she had been
at work during the day at a house
@ built on lower ground than her home
| and when the waters came up she was
q obliged to stay and help the persons
/, living there TO move out their effects
e So when night came on she had not
l. /
b over which she must pass had beer
e washed away, and she was prevented
from going farther.
e So Nora lighted a lamp, and she and
lie Tommy climbed the stairs to the sec
a. ond story to get away from the water
" Tommy began to be frightened, bu
d. Nora told him that there was no rea
IS son to be scared. At any rate, if the.
h We're in danger the good saint tina
Mrs. Mulcahey had been telling then
I'd about in the morning would take car
of them. But the water kept comm
a higher and higher, and after awhil
as they heard something crack below, an
n the house began to rock. Being G
ed wood, it had been lifted off its Pounds
d. ton and was af1oat.
he Mother" said little Pat Mulcahe
ed that night, we're lucky to be on TIL
id, high ground"
it Yes, we are. It's dreadful to thin
ed of people in the valley"
id. 81 wonder how it is at the O'Rourkes
- 81 don't know
I'm going out to have look"
nd Don't you go far said the moth,
ed anXiously.
I'm Pat went down toward the O'Rourke
but when still some distance from the
id, he was stopped by the flood. In Il
by direction of their house he saw a lig
slightly rocking, as though it were in
at boat. All sorts of articles-bOards, fl
g. niture and other things that won
1T fioat-were slowly drifting about. 2
ain was worried about his two little frien
,ly. and wished for a boat in which to
and see how they were getting G
ion But there was no boat at hand
t 7 Presently the light he had seen a
OIL peared to be drawing nearer. T
if watched it as it came on, and aft
yed awhile he could look into a windo
in Some person or persons were insiC
op- but the boy could not distinguish W
she they were. The house drifted to wit
eu- in hundred feet of him, when it e
IDENTIFY grounded for it didn't come a
tell nearer. Then Pat heard a child cryil
col A large board had foated near r.
vas and he resolved to go out to the hou
hat So he got some small pieces of wo
her for paddles and pulled out. Coming
aid, a second story window, he put in
cat head.
up Tommy" cried a girls voice, I'VE
last saved Here's st. Patrick come
take us to land
and I'm Pat" said the little rescu
SIX but I'm not the saint
an "Oh. Pat. is it you,' cried Nora,
her lieved. land have you come in boat
an mo. I've come on a board"
ent MY gracious goodness! We ca
go away on a board"
Its big one. Come, Tom. I'll ia
you first; then I'll come back for Nor
eta Tommy looked out of the wind
raj and, seeing the flood, drew back. but
SUI sister urged him. and, getting on