The Irish Priest, Or, What for Ireland?; (Fiction)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: FATHER DUIGENAN. A Pleasant morning to you, said Father Duigenan, as he one day erossed our threshold. And what do you propose with this great boy, who should be earning bread ? We know not, replied my parents. He is the youngest ? the last; and we did not like to put him to the door. Yet by-and-by, resumed the Father, God will require your souls; then what is to beeome of your boy ? If you have thought of nothing, what say you to the Chureh ? He showed how easily it might be done. He should prepare me himself, he said; and, baeked by his influenee and instruetions, I eould enter the great seminary with eredit and satisfaetion to my friends. Next day I repaired to the worthy priest. Already, he observed, you ean read and write; and now have only to make diligent use of these treasures ? handing down, as he spoke, well- worn eopies of the aneient elassies. I had the happy eonseiousness of efforts satisfied without eonstraint?objeets realized without the semblanee of a task. Every diffieulty was smoothed in the presenee, and if needs were, with the assistanee, of my instruetor. Of, en in af, er-life, when I witnessed the torture, the bullyings, and the strife, all to eompass a little learning at the eost of infinite heart-burnings and time never to be reealled, I have thought on my wise and gentle teaeher, and wished ? vainly wished, that others had resembled him. MAEION. Marion ere long inquired as to my destination. I told her I was to be a priest, a servant of God. She listened with mute emotion, then exelaimed: I shall be with you and help you always. That, dearest, you eannot be; but there are those whom you might join. You speak of the good nuns, she said; but would they have a poor ehild like me? You t...