The Path of Duty, and Other StoriesCaswell, Harriet S. (Harriet Sophia)
General
The Path of Duty, and Other Stories
Caswell, Harriet S. (Harriet Sophia)
Country life -- Fiction; Family -- Fiction; Friendship -- Fiction; Pastoral fiction; Short stories
gazed upon the now withered shamrock leaves which the poor boy prized so
highly. Would that they had proved as a talisman to guard him from evil!
I listened with much interest to Terry's story till our conversation was
suddenly interrupted by Mr. ---- calling him, in no very gentle tones, to
go and drive home the cows from the pasture. To reach this pasture he
must needs pass through about a quarter of a mile of thick woods. He had
a great dread of walking alone in the woods, which his imagination
filled with wild animals. When he returned that evening he seemed very
much terrified, and when questioned as to the cause, he replied that he
"had met with a wild baste in the woods, and was kilt entirely wid the
fright uv it."
We endeavoured to gain from him a description of the animal he had
seen, but for some time were unable. "What color was the animal?"
enquired Mrs. ----. "Indade Ma'am, an' its jist the color uv a dog he
was," answered Terry. This reply was greeted with a burst of laughter
from all present, at which he was highly offended. In order to pacify
him I said, "we would not laugh at you, Terry, only that dogs are of so
many different colors that we are as much in the dark as ever regarding
the color of the animal you saw." "Well thin," replied he, "if you must
know, he was a dirthy brown, the varmint, that he was." From what we
could learn from him we were led to suppose that he had met with one of
those harmless little creatures, called the "Woodchuck," which his
nervous terror, aided by the deepening twilight, had magnified into a
formidable wild beast.
A few evenings after, two or three friends of the family chanced to
call; and in course of conversation some one mentioned an encampment of
Indians, who had recently located themselves in our vicinity, for the
purpose of gathering material for the manufacture of baskets, and other
works of Indian handicraft. Terry had never seen an Indian, and
curiosity, not unmixed with fear, was excited in his mind, when he
learned that a number of those dark people were within three miles of
us. He asked many questions regarding their personal appearance, habits,
&c. It was evident that he entertained some very comical ideas upon the
subject. After sitting for a time silent, he suddenly enquired, "Do they
ate pratees like other people?" A lady, present, in order to impose upon
his credulity, replied, "Indeed Terry they not only eat potatoes, but
they sometimes eat people." His countenance expressed much alarm, as he
replied, "Faix thin, but I'll kape out o' their way." After a short time
he began to suspect they were making game of him, and applied to me for
information, saying, "Tell me, sir, if what Mrs. ---- says is true?" "Do
not be alarmed, Terry," I replied, "for if you live till the Indians eat
you, you will look even older than you now do."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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