Irish Americans -- Juvenile fiction; Mothers and sons -- Juvenile fiction; Poor -- Juvenile fiction; Widows -- Juvenile fiction
"I knowed it. He's the man to be loike." She looked around upon her
sons, and then she said, "I want all my b'ys to remimber that it's
honorable empl'yment to do anything in the world for Gineral Brady and
Mrs. Gineral Brady, too. The toime may come when you can do some big
thing for 'em, but the toime's roight here when you can sweep and cook
and wash dishes for 'em, and make 'em aisy and comfortable, and so
lingthen out their days. Moike goin' to the store gives Andy a chance to
show that the O'Callaghans knows how to be grateful. And, Moike, you'll
be takin' home another goose for 'em when you go. A goose ain't much,
but it shows what I'd do if I had the chance. And that's all that makes
a prisint seem good anyway--jist to know that the giver's heart is warm
toward you."
She paused and then went on, "Well, well, and that's what Pat was kapin'
still about at supper toime. I could see that he knowed somethin' that
he wouldn't tell. He'd be givin' you the chance to bring your own good
news, Moike, do you see? Pat's the b'y to give other folks the chances
as is their due. There's them that fond of gabblin' and makin' a stir
that they'd have told it thimsilves, but sure O'Callaghan ain't their
name."
At this every face grew bright, for even Barney and Tommie saw that no
undue praise of Pat was meant, but that, as O'Callaghans, they were all
held incapable of telling other people's stories, and they lifted their
heads up. All but Larry who, with sleepily drooping crown, was that
moment taken up and prepared for bed.
"And now, Moike," said Mrs. O'Callaghan when Larry had been disposed of,
"'tis fitting you should sit to-night in the father's chair. Sit you
down in it."
"Not I, mother," responded the gallant Mike. "Sit you in it, and 'twill
be all the same as if I sat there myself."
"Well, well, Moike," said the widow with a pleased smile. "Have it your
own way. Kape on tryin' to spoil your mother with kindness. 'Tis
somethin' you larned from your father, and I'll not be denyin' it makes
my heart loight."
And then the talk went on to Andy's promotion to General Brady's
kitchen.
"Andy and me won't be a team then," put in little Jim. "I'll run things
myself. I guess I can cook."
"Well said, Jim!" cried his mother. "To be sure you can cook--when
you've larned how. There's them that takes to cookin' by nature, I've
heard, but I've niver seen any of 'em. There's rules to iverything, and
iverybody must larn 'em. For 'tis the rule that opens the stingy hand,
and shuts a bit the ginerous wan, and so kapes all straight."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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