The Irish standard., 1915-10-30

of You, from the day you were born til
the day Id go to my grave-deep il
the sea or high on the land, wherever
that grave might be-thoughts of how
when for the first time l would take
you with me in the yawl and vol
would look out on the wide ocean, my
self standing beside you, to watch the
blue eyes of you grow big and dark II
twas the great roll of that same ocean
would be growing in your mind, O,
deep and slim, with your little eye
brows lowering down when twas q
far-away ship you would be wishful tc
make out. And would curl my hand
to the tiller, the way would be one
day curling your little hand within my
own to hold it and telling you of the
ways of the high sea and the tall
ships. "A great sailor I'll be making
of you,' would say to myself. Mas.
ter of the sea and whatever class OF
ship it is you'll choose to sail in when
tits fine big man you've grown to be.
And now, God help me, 'tisn't the
bright sun is shining down on Gods
blue sea, but the black night that's
on me and yourself, acushla, laying
dead across my knees!"
| Twas wrung from me aloud. 20
John, john" said, ito be denying the
like of you the living Joy of your own
child! But it wasn't from want OF
love of the lad or you that wished
| it," l told him then.
And no word of blame did he have
for me.
"'Tisn't for you or for me to ques.
ton the ways o. God, Mama Wan,"
he said. IF it wasn't Gods will,
'tisn't God would take him."
But he cried as if himself was a
little child, and tits right and natural
that women should cry,-but a strong
man to cry-no, no. God spare me, -
l said that night, from ever again
to have the hearing of it,
And we carried him high up ON the
side of the hill where l did be going
until was ten years of age to look
for the fairy queen on Christmas eve.
: would lie there in the cold twilight
behind fiat rock to see her unbe-
knownst when she would come walk
ing atop of the waves with the golden
crown on her golden head and her
blue-and-silver robes trailing in the
sea behind her. TITS the foolish childs
mind l had that time, believing every
thing was told me till long past my
child's days. And there we buried
him; and to no fishing would John
go again until he had carved little
headstone, myself on the settle before
the peat fire beside him to tell him
the better how to fashion the letters
that sometimes he would be doubtful
of.
The black plague passed, but long,
hard year it was after the little lad
was gone, with not night that 1
wasn't weeping myself to sleep for the
want of his little hands reaching up
to me in the dark And then came
the black famine on the mainland and
the failure of fishing in the islands,
and 1t came to me then that the
dreams l did have for our children
would never come to be anything more
than the light talk of young girls on
the rocks in the sun, if we lived longer
there. And so l spoke to John about
going to America.
rs it leave here" he said, where
for all the long years since farther
back than the parish records go my
fathers and forefathers and your own
before them have followed the sea-"
1T isl said.
And where our fathers and forefa-
theirs, yours and mine, from first to
last, except such as are deep in the
ocean, do lie buried?"
1T 49," said.
And we sold our little cabin and
John gave over his fine, stout yawl to
Jimmie, and we said good-by to every
body and sailed on ship was leav-
ing for America; and sailing out past
the island it was hard enough it was
to be looking back on my mother and
Jimmie and the little grave where Ger
aid was. There 'tis," said John, high
up where no sand from the sea will
ever wash up to hide it, and there
twill be, his little grave, for the light
of the sun and the blue heaven to
fall upon till the island is sunk in the
sea or judgment day itself will come. F"
Nine weeks we were out on that
ship, a weak-made, leaky ship with
sails that were not able to withstand
the force of the wind and after great
storm they put us into boats, John and
in the long-boat with the captain
and the second mate. A terrible, huge
man the second mate was.
And we rowed and sailed on the
wide ocean two days and two nights,
until the captain said 'twould be bad
weather again. And asked John and
he said yes, 'twould be moderately
bad weather again. And the captain
had great fear, and he says to the
second mate: We'll have to begin to
tighten this boat or she will founder