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

10 WILLY BURKE; OR,
going ! Be assured, Willy, that if my poor prayers can
obtain favour for you all from Almighty God, they shall
not be wanting". The good man spoke in a thick, husky
voice, and he hastened away, evidently desirous to hide
his emotion.
The rest of the company declared their intention of remaining
over night, so as to accompany the Burkes some
miles of the way on the following morning ; and the
night-hours passed away in sad but friendly conversation.
About the middle of the night the rosary was said, being
read aloud by Master Dogherty, and responded to by all
present, young and old. It was, and still is, the pious
custom of our people to approach the sacraments immediately
before their departure from Ireland, and this
consoling duty had been faithfully performed by the
family in question, who had all, with the exception of the
youngest child (who was only six years old), received the
Holy Communion on that memorable Sunday in their
parish church, and from the revered hands of Father
Maloney. Beautiful is the piety—the simple unostentatious
piety of the peasantry of Ireland— beautiful when
at home in their own loved island of sorrow—it sustains
their sinking souls in poverty, and hardship, and grievous
privation—and not less lovely it is when we find it
strengthening and fortifying their souls against tempta-
tion in the foreign land, where perchance it is treated
with ridicule and contempt by the half-infidel scoffers of
the world. Ay, still more radiant are ,then its Divine
lineaments, its truthfulness, its humility, and its mild-
ness, when brought into contrast with the proud, arrogant
spirit of the age—the cold, sceptical age in which
we live ! It was still dark, on that Monday morning,