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

66 WILLY BURKE; OB,
O'Grady, as she hastened to administer a portion of the
medicine sent by the doctor. " An' I 'm afeard it '11 be
some time before she knows any one—God help her!"
" Then I need n't be waitin' here, Willy !" said Peter,
turning to his brother ; " there 's enough of ye to take
care of her, an' I could do no good. Mrs. Watkins has
promised to give me some money for my mother, an' to
send her some nice things that '11 be good for her, if 1 '11
hurrv back home, for we have a great deal to do in the
office".
" An' what are you doin' in the office, Pether ?" asked
Willy, drily, for he did not at all like this new move of
his brother ;
" sure you can't write any yet for them ?"
" No", said the other, with some little embarrassment,
" but I can tie up papers, an' keep the place in order,
while the clerks are all busy writin'. I '11 come back in
the evenin', an' if my mother 's no betther, I '11 stay all
night".
" Ah, then, that same 'ill be a great stretch o' kindness",
retorted Willy, whose anger was again rising, and
though he did not allow it to burst out, yet he could not
prevent himself from speaking tartly and testily. u It 's
a good thing that mother 's not dependin' on you any way,
or I 'm afeard she 'd come off badly. It 's well for her
that Father Fitzherbert knows where she lives, an' you
may tell Mrs. Watkins that. I 'm sure, Pether Burke,
if you were as you ought to be, you 'd never darken Mrs.
Watkins's door afther the way she has thrated
heart-broken mother".
my poor,
" I can't wait to answer you now", was Peter's reply ;
" but you may be sure, Willy, that I jist think as much
about my poor mother as you do, for all your talk !" And