THE “WISE THOUGHT.”

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 364, 12 October 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE “WISE THOUGHT.”

She was sitting under the shadow of a fi’agx-ant lime tx-ee tlxat ovexhxmg a vex-y anciexxt well; axxd, as the water fell into her pitcher, she was xxxingling with its music the tones of her “ 3 ew’s harp,” the oxxly instrunxexxt xxpon which Nox-alx Clax-y had leax-xxed to play. She was a merry xxxaidexx of “ sweet sevexxteen;” a rustic belle, as well as a rustic beauty, and a “ terrible coquette;” axxd as she had what ixx Scotland they call a “ tocher,” in England a “ dowry,” and in Ireland a “pretty pemxy o’ moxxey,” it is scarcely necessary to state, ixx addition, that she had—a bachelor. Whether the txxne —which was certainly given in alto —was or was not designed as a sxxmmons to her lover, I cannot take xxpon myself to say; bxxt her lips and fingers had not been long occxxpied before her lover was at her side. “We may as well give it xxp, Morris Donovan,” she said somewhat abruptly; “ look, ’twoxxld be as easy to twist the top off the gx-eat hill of Howth, as make father and mother agree aboxxt any oxxe thixxg. They’ve been playing the rxxle of contx-axy these twenty years, and it’s not likely they’ll takg a txxrn now.” k “ It’s mighty liax-cl, so it jsf,” replied handsome Morris, that married people can’t dx-aw together-. Norah, darlint! that would’t be the way with us. It’s one we’d be in heart axxd sowl, and an example of love and ” “ Folly,” iixterrxxpted the xnaiden, laxxghing. “ Mox-ris, Mox-x-is, we’ve quarrelled a score o’ times already ; axxd a bit of a bx-eeze makes life all tlxe pleasantex-. Shall I talk aboxxt the nxerx-y jig I daxxced with Phil. Kenxxedy, or repeat what Max-k Doolen said of xxxe to Max-yGx-ey?—eh Morris?” “ Leave joking, xxow, Nox-x-y; God only kxxows how I love you,” he said, in a voice brokexx by emotioxx: “ I’m yer equal as far as money goes ; and xxo young farmer in the coxxxxtry can tell a better stock to his share thaxx nxixxe; yet I doxx’t pretexxd to deserve you foxall that: oxxly I caxx’t help sayixxg that, whexx we love each other (now, don’t go to coxxtradict nxe, Nox-x-y, becaxxse ye’ve owxxed it over and over agaixx), axxd yer father agreeable, and all, to think that yer mothex-, jxxst oxxt of divihnent, shoxxld be putting betweexx us for xxo x-easoxx xxpoxx earth, oxxly to ‘ spite’ her lawfxxl husbarxd, is what sets me mad exxtix-ely, axxd shows her to be a goodfor

“ Stop, Mister Morris,” exclaimed Norah, laying her haxxd upoxx his moxxtlx, so as effectually to prevent a souxxd escapixxg; “ it’s my mother ye’re talking of and it would be ill-blood, as well as ill-bred, to hear a word said agaixxst an own parent. Is that tlxe pattern of yer maxxnex-s, sir; or did ye ever hear me txxrn my tongxxe against one beloxxging to you?” “ I ask yer pardon, my own Norah,” he replied xxxeekly, as ixx duty.bound; “ for the sake of the lamb we spare the sheep. Why not ? and I’ixx not going to gaixxsay, but yer mother ”

“ The least said the sooxxest xxxexxded! ” agaixx ixxterrupted the now impatient girl. “ Good evexx Mox-ris, axxd God bless you; they’ll be after nxissing xxxe within, and it’s little xxxotlxer thinks where I am.

“ Norah, above all tlxe gix-ls at wake or pattern, I’ve beexx true to you. We have grown togethex-, axxd sixxce ye wex-e the height of a x-ose-bush, ye have beexx dearer to me thaxx aixythixxg else oxx earth. Do Norah, for the sake of our young hearts’ love, do tlxixxk if there’s xxo way to wixx yer mother ovex-. If ye’d take xne without her leave, sure it’s ixothixxg I’d care for the loss of thousands, let aloxxe what ye’ve got. Dearest Norah, tlxixxk; sixxce you’ll do nothing without her coxxsexxt, do tlxixxk—for once be serious, axxd don’t laugh.”

“ I’m not going to laugh, Morris,” replied the little mind at last, after a very long pause; “ I’ve got a wise thought in my head for once. His reverence, your uncle, you say, spoke to father —to speak to mother about it 1 ? X wonder (and he a priest) that he hadn’t more sense 1 Sure, mother was the man ; but I’ve got a wise thought. Good night, dear .Morris ; good night.” The lass sprang lightly over the fence into her own garden, leaving her lover perdu at the other side, without possessing an idea of what her ‘ wise thought ’ might be. 'When she entered the kitchen, matters were going on as usual—her mother bustling in style, and as cross “ as a bag of weasels.” “ Jack Clary,” said she, addressing herself to her husband, who sat quietly in the chimney-corner smoking his doodeen, “ it’s well ye’ve got a wife who knows what’s what ! God help me ! I’ve little good of a husband, barring the name ! Are ye sure Black Hell’s in the stable ?” The sposo nodded. “The cow and the calf, had their fresh straw T Another nod. “ Bad cess to ye, can’t ye use yer tongue, and answer a civil question 1” continued the lady. “ My dear,” he replied, “ sure one like you has enough talk for ten.” Tins very just observation was, like most truths, so disagreeable, that a severe storm would have followed, had

not Norah, stepped up to her father and whispered ixx his ear, “ I don’t think the stable door is fastened.” Mrs. Clax-y caught the soxxnd, and in xxo gexxtle terms ordered her husband to attend to the comforts of Black Nell. “I’ll go with father myself and see,” said Norah. “That’s like my own child, always careful,” observed the mother, as the father and daughter closed the doox-.

“Dear father,” began Norah, “it isxx’t altogether aboxxt the stable I wanted ye, bxxt—-but—-the priest said somethixxg to yoxx to-day aboxxt Mox-x-is Doxxo vaxx “Yes, darling, axxd aboxxt yerself, my sweet Norrv.”

“ Did ye speak to mother aboxxt it ?” “No, darling, she’s been so cross rail day. Sure I go through a dale foxpeace axxd qxxietxxess. If I was like other men, axxd got dx-xxxxk and wasted, it might be in rasoxx ; bxxt As to Mox-ris, she was vex-y foxxd of the boy till she fomxcl that I liked him ; and then, my jewel, she txxx-ned like soxxr xnilk all in a minxxte. I’m afraid even the priest ’ll get no good of her.” “ Father-, dear father-,” said Norah, “ suppose ye were to say xxothing aboxxt it, good or bad, and jxxst px-etexxd to take a sxxdden dislike to Morris, and let the priest speak to her himself, she’d come x-oxxnd. “ Oxxt of opposition to nxe, eh ?” “ Yes.” “ Trxxe for ye, Norry, my girl, true for ye ; I never thought; of that befoi-e !” and, pleased with the idea of ‘tricking’ his wife, the old man faixiy capered for joy. “Bxxt stay a while—stay; aisy, aisy !” he recommexxced; “ how am Ito maxxage ? Sxxre the priest himself will be here to-morrow morning eaxiy ; axxd he’s oxxt xxpon a statioxx xxow, so there’s no speaking witlx him; he’s xxo way quick either , we’ll be botlxex-ed entirely if he comes in on a suddent.”

“ Leave it to me, dear father-—leave it all to xxxe 3” exclaixxxed tlxe animated girl; oxxly pluck up a spirit, axxd xvlxexxever Morris’s xxaxxxe is mentioned, abuse him—but not xvith all yer heart, father—oxxly from the teeth oxxt. “ What’s for supper, mother ?” asked Nox-alx, as they re-entered the kitchen. “ Plaguy snipeens,’ she replied ; bits o’ bog chickens, that you’ve alxvays such a faxxcy for; Bax-xxey Leax-y kilt tlxexxx hinxself.”

“ So I did,” said Barney grinning ; axxd that stick wid a hook, of Morris Donovan’s, is the fixxest thixxg in the world for kxxocking ’em down.” “ If Morris Doxxovaxx’s stick touched tlxexxx, they shaxx’t coxxxe here, said the farmer, striking the poor little table such a blow with his clenched haxxd, as made not only it, but Mrs. Clary juxxxp. “ Axxd why so, pray ?” asked the daxxxe. “Because nothixxg beloxxgixxg to Morris, let alone Morris hinxself, shall come into this house,” i-eplied Olary; “he’s xxot to my likixxg anyhow, axxd thex-e’s no good in his bothering here after what he woxxt get.” “ Excellent!” thought Norah.

“ Lord save us!” ejaculated Mrs. Clary, as she placed the grilled snipes on the table, “ what’s come to the man?” Without heeding his resolution, she was proceeding to distribute the dainty “ birdeens,” xvlxexx, to her astonishment, her usually taxxxe husband thx-ew the dish axxd its coxxtexxts ixxto tlxe flames; the good wonxaxx absolxxtely stood for a moment aghast. She sooxx rallied, however, axxd coxxxxxxexxced hostilities: “How dare yoxx, ye spalpeexx, throw away axxy of God’s xxxate after that faslxioxx, axxd I to the fore ? What do you xxxeaxx, I say ?” “ I maxxe, that nothixxg touched by Morris Doxxovan shall come under this roof; axxd if I catch that girl of nxixxe lookixxg at the same side o’ the road he walks on. I’ll tear the eyes out of hexhead, and send her to the nunnery !” “ Yoxx will! Axxd dax-e you to say that to my face, to a child of xxxixxej Yoxx will, will ye ?—we’ll see, my boy ! I’ll tell ye what, if I like, Morris Doxxovan shall coxxxe into this house, and, what’s xxxore, be xxxastex- of this hoxxse; and that’s what you never had the heart to be yet, ye poor oxxld sxxail!” So sayixxg, Mrs Clary exxdeavoxxred to rescue fronx the fire the hissing remaixxs of the burnixxg snipes. Norah attempted to assist her mother; but Clax-y, liftixxg her xxp, soxxxewhat after the fashion of an eagle raisixxg a golden wrexx with its claw, faix-ly pxxt her out of tlxe kitchen. This was the signal for fresh hostilities. Mrs Clary stormed axxd staxxxped; and Mx- Clary pex-sisted in abxxsixxg not only Mox-ris, bxxt Mox-x-is’ uxxcle, Father Doxxovaxx, until at last the farmer's helpmate swore, ay, axxd roundly too, by cross axxd saixxt, that, before the xxext

sunset, Norah Clax-y shoxxld be Norah Donovan. I wish you could have seexx Nox-x-y’s eye, daxxcing with joy axxd exultation, as it peeped through the latch-hole; it sparkled more brightly thaxx the x-ichest dianxoxxd ixx our monarch’s crown, for it xvas filled xvith hope axxd love.

Tlie wedding is soon described : The bride, of course looked lovely, but “ sheepishand the bridegroom—but bridegrooms are always uninteresting. One fact, however, is worth recording. When Father Donovan concluded the ceremony, before the bridal kiss had passed, Farmer Clary, most indecorously sprang up, and shouted “ Carry me out!

by the powers she’s beat! we’ve woxx tlxe day! Success, boys!—she’s beat, she’s beat. Whether the good wife discovered the plot or not, never transpired, but the joyous Norah never had reason to repexxt her “ wise thought.”