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

THE IRISH ORPHAN IN AMERICA. 131
voured to keep his ground, clinging with almost desperate
fondness to the old tree which had sheltered his fathers
from immemorial time, and shrinking with bitter shame
from the idea of becoming an apostate— " a turn-coat ",
as he said to himself ; but he sought not strength from
above—he relied alone on himself, and took pride in what
he believed his immovable resolution. But at every attack
the assailants waxed stronger, and he weaker ; they pushed
home their arguments (as they chose to style their black
calumnies against the Church of God and their absurd
distortions of Scriptural texts), while he could only draw
back farther and farther, becoming ever weaker and more
wavering in his resistance : the consequence is easily
foreseen.
Meanwhile, it will be remembered how fruitless were his
brother's attempts to induce him to approach the sacraments.
Thus did he voluntarily absent himself from those
channels of grace, those sources of living water, opened by
Christ himself for the comfort and support of his children
while on their toilsome heavenward journey. Little did
Willy Burke suspect, when he so sorrowfully complained
to Father Fitzherbert of his brother's strange indifference
to the affairs of his soul, that already was that brother
more than a little advanced on the road of error, and that
the gem of faith could no longer be said to exist within
him..
Nay, so far had he already gone in the way of sin and
error, that, after each of these unsuccessful attempts of
his brother, he went straight to Mr. or Mrs. Watkins, to
boast of having " got rid of that troublesome Willy !" and
he was sure to be rewarded by some handsome present
and some still handsomer compliment* " I really do begin