A Story of Irish Life.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 342, 13 February 1889, Page 6

A Story of Irish Life.

An Irish lady sends us a story which illustrates a favourable side of liish character. She writes :—ln: — In a cabin on a. sunny hill-sido o\erlooking the Bay of Dublin dwelt a middle-aged brother and sister. The man was a helpless cripple, entirely dependent upon his sister's exertions ; and on her death a car was sent from the poorhouse to bring him thither for shelter. " The poor wretch clung to the only home he had ever known, and utterly refused to leave it, crying that he would die if deprived of his ' say air and shut up within prison-walls.' His loud lamentations had brought the priest and some of the neighbours to his side, and one of the latter, Maggie O'Flynn, felt a deep impulse of pity towards the unfortunate man. She was a single woman of about fifty-five, of weather-beaten and certainly not attractive appearance. She acted as herd on the estate of a gentleman close by, to v horn her services were invaluable. ' Hould ' hard,' she said to the workhouse officials ; ' it's not Maggio O'Flynn that'll see a poor craythur taken to the poorhouse when &he can ghe him a shelter. It's a corner and a welcome in me own cabin Mick Costilloe shall have.' But, here his reverence interposed, and vowed he would allow no such scandal in the parish as an unmarried man and woman sharing the same dwelling, cripples or no cripples. ' Shure, Maggie, you won't go back of your word ?' implored poor Mick. Maggie hesitated a moment, then, turning to the priest, said, ' If there's no other way to save him fiom ' the house,' your riveience, I'll marry him, an' sorra a haporth will anyone be able to say agin ifc thin.' Ib was in vain fcliat his leverence pointed out the terrible burden Maggie was taking upon herself. * It's for the lo\e of God I'm marry in' him, an' not to plase meself,' was fcli^ ansuei she returned ; 'an shure the Blessed Viigin will never let me want for the bite an' j,up when fehe sees me febaiin' ib with the ciaythur that has naythur.' The maniajre took place, and until his death, several yeats later, the kind hearted Magjjie O'Flynn carefully tended and .supported the poor helpless ciipple in her own cabin.