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

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THE IRISH ORPHAN IN AMERICA. 17 o
M Your broder—he never see it before—de ole tingvat
you call ' presentation', eh ? Vat you show it to him
for—tell me dat ?
" Mr. Talbot", said poor Willy, turning in his distress
to that gentleman, and his eyes filled with tears—
" Mr.
Talbot, I 'd rather, if you please, sir, that Mr. Weimar
wouldn't put this question to me, if you 'd be good enough
to ask him".
" Nay", said Mr. Talbot, " you had better answer the
question. I myself am desirous to hear your reason for
bringing the crucifix to your brother, for I see there is
something unusual in this case".
" Well, sir", and Willy spoke with difficulty, for tears
were choking him, " poor Peter, I 'm afraid, is in a bad
way this time back, an' if what I heard the other evening
be true, his soul is in great danger of being lost ; so, as
I had tried every way I could think to make him begin a
new life, but all to no purpose, I just took it into my
head that maybe the sight of this crucifix might have
some effect on his mind : if it wouldn't, I might give him
up for lost". Here Willy stopped, for he could not
speak another word ;
up.
but Mr. Talbot quickly caught him
"Alas", sighed Talbot, as though thinking aloud, "when
the heart is hardened by a course of sin, or steeled by the
prejudice of error, how little is it touched by the sight of
any religious symbol ! To such, a crucified Saviour is
anything but dear or precious, since their daily and hourly
life, as they cannot but feel, is a continual insult offered
to him—the Man- God.
" Yes !
but, Mr. Talbot", said Willy, " if this was any
other crucifix but the one it is, I wouldn't have thought