Frontier and pioneer life -- Québec (Province) -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Short stories
What Mrs Crowdie would have done; whether her resentment would have
returned and she again have driven away her daughter, God alone knows,
but at this juncture the patter of little feet was heard on the gallery
and Ruth, with her pinafore full of golden-rod, came shouting, “See
what I have got.” One glance at the tearful face upraised to see
her, and there was a glad scream of “Mama.” Clasping her child and
grandchild in her arms, Mrs Crowdie broke down. “It’s the Lord’s wark;
nane save Himsel could hae brocht us thus thegither, an I’se no fecht
against His will. By a lost child I’ve found my ain, an we’ll never
pairt. Ay, my bonny Ruth, I’m your grannie, and ye’ll bide we me, an
help me tak care o’ the hens an the turkeys, and the lave.”
“And, papa.”
“I’ll thole him for your sake; maybe I have wranged him in my
prejudices. We’ll sen for him.”
“An Toby, too?”
“That’s cousin’s dog, Ruth,” said her mother, smiling in her joy.
“Ay, Ruth,” said Mrs Crowdie, “we’ll get the dowg too, and we’ll let
byganes be byganes and begin a new life an ther’ll no be a happier
family in a’ Hinchinbrook. Eh, hoo true’s the Scripter in mair senses
than ane. An a little child shall lead them. Hech, but this’ll no dae.
There’s the nock chappin five, an the coos are comin up the lane, an
the fire’s to kinle. Let’s be steerin an get the wark dune an then
we’ll hae supper ance mair thegither.”
THE SUMMER OF SORROW.
LOOKING FOR THE BOOK.
You want to see the little buk I have? An who tould you about it?
You’ll do it no harm. Maybe you won’t get the chance. It’s not the
likes of you that should have it. You’ve driven from Huntingdon on
purpose and sure I won’t disappoint you. I didn’t ax you to come, did
I? You’ll print it. Yis, what suits you: laving out all that tells how
we poor Catholics were used in Ireland. Honor bright, you’ll print
every word of the little buk. Maybe you would and maybe you wouldn’t,
but it is not to everybody I would give a reading of my poor nevy’s
book, and, if you plaze, we’ll say no more about that same. Well, then,
I might tell you what I saw myself at the favor sheds. Did you ever
know anybody who seen a ghost like to talk about it? I tries to forgit
what I saw and heard, an thank nobody that brings me in mind o’t. Come
now, I’ll tell you a bettor shtory than about poor women and childer a
dyin by the score of favor an strong men alayin aside them too wake
to git thim a cup o’ wather. An its a thrue story, which is more than
can be said about some you’ve prented. Whin I wint to William Bowron to
buy my lot, I paid my money down for’t in goold. He wrote my ticket for
the lot an’ whin he hands it to me, says he, Now you’ve got a farrum,
my man, you’ll want a cow. Thrue for you, says I, I had always a cow in
Ireland an my father afore me. Confound it all, says he, then you must
have one in Canada; I have a heifer that’ll suit you. Gittin aff his
chair, he placed his stick across his back and hooked his elbows over
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account