The Cross and the Shamrock

rn hostile incursions of the elements. On the other, or the western side, were the pleasant hills of York State, which, in contrast with the mountains of Vermont, looked like so many tumuli of

woods from the elevated extremes on either side. The rivulet constituted a cooling retreat for cattle

younger members of the family, together with old uncle Jacob, an unmarried brother of Ephraim, the head of this family. We may as well here remark that Mr. Prying was, from the beginning, averse to receive these orphans into

n having Bridget to sleep with herself instead of her sister Melinda, whom she wanted to dispossess. Wesley, Calvin, and Cassius wanted

ur minister, Mr. Gulmore, is such a clever preache

esley. "Your minister, the old feller, is

Paul had better come to our meeting-the very name, Universalist, signifying the same wit

o see first whether Paul is willing to go with any of ye to yer m

he must go to meeting; and that it was better now not to urge the matter further. In future, she intended to instruct Pa

donations of the six ministers of her village, and each of the dominies received from her a neatly-worked handkerchief for pulpit use. Yet, though she was at once liberal and strict, pious and politic; though she induced one Sally Dwyer to join her church and declare she "got the change of heart;" though she was eternally working and planning to bring others to her way of thinking, and had some success in her proselyting efforts,-she never could, with all her art, biblical lore, and policy, succeed in causing any body to say, "I take thee, Amanda, to my wedded wife." This was the chief point; and here is just where she failed. What was the cause of it? She was not too old-not near so old as Miss Longface, whom the youthful parson Barker lately wedded. "And besides," said she, in a soliloquy, "when I was young, it was just the same bad luck. Is it that men are less numerous than ladies? There might be something in that, for she had seen it stated in their newspaper, 'The Home Journal,' that female births exceeded that of ma

at stood at the end of the green plot in front of the house, and that had its branches bent within a few feet of the ground by the embraces of a rich grape vine that for years had grown around it and impeded its development. For a few moments she watched the movements of the orp

t endure the sight of such happiness, or mortified at the miscarriage of her vain attempts to rob these innocent hearts of the treasure of true faith and piety which they possessed, still pale

e up these superstitious practices. Paul, Paul, dear," she said, tapping at the window, "come in o

minutes; we are just

justice to Reuben, whose wife was a southern lady, there was no obstacle thrown in the way of the children to prevent them from discharging their duties to their religion. On the contrary, the fidelity of Paul, and his watchfulness over the faith and morals of his younger brothers Patrick and Eugene, commanded the highest approbation of Mrs. Reuben Prying. And such was her horror of any thing like the domestic tyranny or intolerance of Amanda, that Mrs. Reuben always allowed the two young lads to say their own prayers in private, notwithstanding the advice of the ministers to the contrary. The only times that Pat and Eugene were ever asked into the parlor

will you be such good boys as Patsy and G

now how old Mathusalem was, who was the wife of Abraham, a

emptuously; "but I can tell how many cents in ten dollars

heard in the choir in the Methodist mee

you, Will," s

only a little of

ember," said she

t said, ma," sai

a man-O for a man

en ans

n sal-sen

alvation to

er burst out a-laughing, in which she was joined by the two

er than have that foolish hymn,"

Eugene, can you not sing? Come, let us hear

, what the Christian

said the lady. The lads began thus,

he prayer Of thy p

maternal care Pres

sigh In deep af

nt heart deny Th

thee, Whom God wa

Son to be, No pray

n implore One o

forevermore To Go

ul on hearing this delightful hymn sung by the poor orphans, whose countenances looked like those of angels' while chanting it. "God forgive those," s

c hymns sung and Catholic devotion practised in the convent where she, though a Protestant, received her education