Willy Burke, or, The Irish orphan in America - Digital Repository ...

THE IRISH ORPHAN IN AMERICA. 101
power. When they arose from their knees, Willy observed
to his brother : " Doesn't it do your heart good, Peter
dear ! to come here an' pray for her soul ? It jist seems
to me as if I had herself to talk to ;
the grave, where I seen her covered up, I can fancy that
I hear her talkin' to me as she used to do, an' then I find myself
uplifted above the world, an' I say to myself—
' Please
God, I '11 never do anything to disgrace her bones in the
clay !' " Peter on his part, declared his intention to come
often. " But", said he, " we ought to mark the grave,
some way or another, or we '11 not be able to find it out".
" I was thinkin' of that, too", said his brother ; " an*
next Sunday, when we come, we '11 bring a long, sharp
stone, or a slate, that we can stick down at the head
until such time as we can put a decent cross or a headstone
over her. If God spares us, I hope we '11 able to do that
soon be
!"
They now quitted the grave-yard ; and having left their
sisters " at home", the brothers returned to their new
dwelling, where they found good Mrs. Malcolm awaiting
their appearance, as dinner had been some time ready.
" An' ", said she, " there's ne'er a one o' these graceless
an* when I knelt on
chiels comin' back to dinner ; they 're sporting their
figure down on Staten Island".