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

THE IRISH ORPHAN IN AMERICA. 201
Oh, my God ! my good Master ! how wicked I have
been—a bad, bad servant : it wasn't for you I worked in
my life, but for myself. Oh ! what a miserable man I
am ; I shut my eyes against the trut till de very last
and how can I hope to be forgiven? Oh! blessed
Virgin Mary ! I'm so poor a creature dat I dare not
look up to dat God whom I have so often offended ; but
you '11 pray for me to your Son, dat he may have mercy
on me. I ask your pardon, great Queen ! because I have
so long time despised your name ; but now I know de
great power dat you have in heaven, and I hope you '11
look with pity on me !"
By this time all the family had assembled around the
bed, and the doctor returned, saying that he could do
nothing more. " I told Mr. Weimar to avoid excitement",
said he, " and he has never ceased talking since.
Now he must take the consequences. I shall wait some
time, however, in the next room, in case any favourable
change might occur,
hope
of which, indeed, I have not much
!"
But Weimar heeded not his words ; for just then he
perceived Willy Burke, who was kneeling near the foot
of the bed, his head bowed down, and his hands clasped
as in fervent prayer. " Ha ! Willy!" said the old man,
making an effort to raise his voice so as to be heard,
" you pray for me ; dat 's well ; when I 'm gone, you
pray for me too. Come here". Willy approached, and
bent down to catch the faint accents of the dying man.
" I like you very much, Willy Burke you good boy,
;
good servant of God. I owe you much ; and when my
will is opened, you find dat old Weimar did not forget you.
You stand up well, and resist temptation when you poor*
;