A Foine Boy.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3515, 1 April 1880, Page 1

A Foine Boy.

Fergus O'Brian, of Gal way, Ireland, bad left the Queen's dominions and crossed the bine waters with his wife and one child, and the good ship which brought them over landed her freight , 1 living and otherwise, safely at Castle Garden on a stormy day, February, a.j>,, one year ago. After the usual preliminaries attending disembarkation, th« emigrants separated;' going north, and south, and west. The Pennsylrania Railroad brought Fergus and his family to Philadelphia, and after he had formed a residence for his wife and child, which domiciliary location consisted of two rooms in Front street, he was not iosg in finding employment for himself. Now, Mrs Fergus had a female cbasia who lired in part of the same house, and who was an incorrigible practical joker. Accordingly, when the first of April cams round she decided to make a " fool "of cousin Fergus. She laid her plans so as to hare Mrs O'Brian out of the way for the morning, and then sent a lad with a note to Fergus, where he was employed as a stevedore, which read thus: " Dear cousin: Accept my congratult* tions. You are a feyther. Come up at onct. " From your mindful cousin, - "Katie. "P.S.—lt's a foine boy, and weight beyant twinty pounds." While the boy was gone with the note, Katie made haste to borrow a negro baby of eight months old, and wrapping it elaborately in hastily extemporised garments, she deposited it in the'big clothes basket, and sat it before the fire. Then she proceeded to gather in the neighbors to witness her joke. Not a minnto too soon, either, for by the time the last irine had got safely stowed away Fergus came up the steps, clearing four at a leap. " Let me see the spalpeen—the bye," says he. - ■' . " Hist!" says Katie, " yell wake him. Its slapin he is. Now don't make stbir an' I'll let you pape at him." -"1 But the caution came too late, forth* strong lungs of the eight months .old " moke " set up a tremendous rackett „ "Thats an O'Brian," says Fergus, clapping his hands. " Mither of-Motes fvat an appetite he her got wid his voice I He could be harkin' the hound* alriddj in ould Galway. Be gorra, I'll say ef he knows his fayther." '. , . He had picked the basket up to carry it to the window, when the young African, having got his bands free made short work of the wrappings about bis face. '■ - <:--:;.7;":- • " Terra an' 'ounds!" said Fergus, drop* ping the basket, "is that my spalpeen P Is that a freeborn American citizen P Is that (Tat I kirn to this blessed country for, to be the fayther of a hagttt, an' misielf not naturalized. Its my jooty to kiss him, but Howley Moses! it's a hard one." l '..,-■- He stooped to the task, however, but it was too much. " Be the sod of ould Ireland, but his breath smells of onions and wet' dog mixed. Frat a brother he'll make to his white sister. But where is. Aileen P Aileen, acutbla, acushla! fy did you v make me the fayther of a nagur P Look at his legs, as crooked as two rainbows spliced togither. It's not himself that could irer stop a pig in a lane at all! at all!" Thinking the joke had gone far enough,. the jovial cousin told him it was an " April fool." " It's no fool at all. Niver an O'Brian was born a fool. It's an O'Brian all over, barrin' the color, and he can't help that." Aileen made her timely appearance here, and denied the maternity. The house wp cleared in a thrice, and Fergus has one less of his wife's relations to entertain. ■ r The great Napoleon, with trembling Europe at bis feet, was net high enough . to be abore being annoyed by two women; —De Stael aud Eecamier. He never liked the former, and she never forgave him for his indifference to her fascina* tions. The favour of the latter he had courted in rain;' and that was sufficient reason, even though she had not been the friend of Necker'.s brilliant daughter, for visiting her with his displeasure. Said Madam De Stael bitterly : " The coalition of two women on the banks of Lake Geneva frightened the master of the world." A coalition of two women anywhere will frighten any man. They are the, flint and the steel, and mania the powder. " , . , All things are engaged in writing their history. The planet, the pebble, goes attended by its shadow. The, rolling stone leaves its scratches on the mountain ; the river its channel in the soil the animal its bones^in the stratum; the fern and leaf their, modest epitaph in the coal. The falling drop makes its sculpture in the sand or the stone; Not a footstep in the snow, or along the ground, but prints, in characters more or less lastiug, a map of its march. Every act; of the man inscribes itself in the memories of his fellows, and in bis own manners and face. The air h full of sounds, the sky of tokens, the ground is memoranda and signatures, and every object covered over with, hints which speak to the intelligent. Think twice before you believe every evil story you hear, and think twenty times before you repeat it, especially if it is about a woman. Say to yourself, "This may not be true, or it may be exaggerated," unless you have proof of the veracity of your informant. People some- * times tell falsehoods, they often make. mistakes, and they sometimes " hear wrong." There is auricular illusion as well as optical illusion. Take all these things into consideration before you even believe. As for repeating the story, ask yourself if it is necessary. Then do it - with the fear of God and rememberance ,of the golden rule. Let us give .the helping hand, not the downward push; so may the angels reach their hands towards vs when we stand.in need.