No. XIV. BLIND OWEN. "Oh ye! who, sunk in beds of down, BURNS. "BLIND Owen was in the sixty-seventh year of his age, and his wife had nearly attained the same fulness of days. From the time of their marriage, about fifty years ago, they had resided on a small farm of two acres, and their neighbours spoke of their great industry and irreproachable character with respect and admiration, "Of a large family, one daughter alone remained as a staff to support her tottering parents, and the produce of her wheel had been their subsistence during a long period; for her father had been blind about eleven years, and her mother was crazy. Though Owen was deprived of sight, Providence made his heart glad. With the lark, he sang and whistled at summer dawn, and his fife was heard warbling among the rocks after the cuckoo. Hard times, however, had driven him nearly to despair. His cow had been sold to make up arrears of rent, and his fife was pawned in Newry for two tenpennies that went to pay county cess. His crop of potatoes was not in the ground in June for want of seed. He sang not, neither did he whistle. He had not a shirt-his brogues were no security against stones-his whole dress was in tatters. Yet old blind Owen did not beg. I could bear all,' said he, with tears trickling down his cheeks, but for poor Mary's sake: yet she never complains; but on a Sunday morning, when she stands at the door and sees the girls, with their red cloaks and shawls, passing to prayers, she sobs outright; and well I know it is because she cannot go, for the creature has only a blue bed-gown.' "These particulars the old man detailed one day to me as I met him hobbling to the bog with a creel for turf; and there were such sorrow, sincerity, and worth painted on his withered countenance that a tear started to my own eye whilst I surveyed him and heard the affecting accents of his melodious voice. He went on to fill his creel, and I hastened home to get a shirt, with which I returned; and slipping behind him, as he came from the bog, I placed it in his creel, and followed him to witness his behaviour. He did not discover the shirt until he came to a stile, after passing my house; for there he was forced to place the creel on the steps, from off his back, and turn round to mount and lift it over: then he felt my present. His astonishment was great. He left his creel on the stile, and taking the shirt, sat down by the road side, and ascertained what it really was, by carefully handling the sleeves, &c. Then getting up, he struck the ground two or three times with a stick he had in his hand, as in perplexity; but at last he wheeled round, and marched back to my house, where he stood leaning against my gate for some time. One of my little daughters went out, and said to him— "Well, Owen, what do you stand there for? Why don't you come in?" 66 6 "O, miss,' said he, as I was passing, one of the shirts drying on the hedge, I believe, fell into my creel, and I returned with it here sore afraid and wondering.' "I put it into your creel, Owen,' said I; fwear it; and I shall endeavour, with the blessing of God, to raise up friends to relieve your distress, and put in your crop of potatoes.' 66 6 My prayers are heard,' said he; ' the Almighty has raised your honour up to be my preservation in this hour of need. I fell upon my knees this morning, and uttered the bitterness of my heart.' "I lost no time in making his case known to the public, through the medium of the Newry Telegraph; and a very handsome subscription was the immediate consequence. This was not only sufficient for his present wants to purchase articles of wearing apparrel, to put in his crop of potatoes, but also to buy a pig to grunt at his door and eat his potatoe skins, and a cow to con |