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the waters of the lake at the bottom of the hill curl as it were with kindness and sympathy faith said fin beautiful an how are you â and how did you sport your figure during my absence my never a â as a grass widow a ever there was in sweet among the bushes fin gave a short good humoured cough and laughed most heartily to her how much he was delighted that she made herself happy in his absence an what brought you home so soon fin said she why said fin putting in his answer in the proper way never the thing but the purest of love and affection for yourself sure you know that s truth any how fin spent two or three happy days with and felt himself comfortable considering the dread he had of this however grew upon him so much that his could not but perceive that something lay on his mind which he kept altogether to himself let a woman alone in the meantime for or a secret out of her good man when she wishes fin was a proof of this â if s this said he s troubling me when the fellow gets angry and begins to stamp he ll shake you a irish whole and it s well known that he can stop for he always carries one about him in the shape of si to to any one that might it as he spoke he clapped his thumb in his mouth which he always did when he wanted to prophecy or to know any thing that happened in his absence and the wife who knew what he did it for very sweetly fin darling i hope you don t bite your thumb at me dear no said fin but i bite my thumb said he yes jewel but take care and don t draw blood said she ah fin don t my don t he s coming said fin i see him below thank goodness dear an who is it glory bo to god j that replied fin and how to manage i don t know k i run away i am disgraced and i know that sooner or later i must meet him for my thumb tells me so when will he be here said she to morrow about two o replied fin with a groan well my bully don t be cast down said depend on me and maybe i ll bring you better out of this scrape than ever you could bring yourself by your rule o thumb this fin s heart very much for was hand and glove with the and indeed to tell the truth she was supposed to be a fairy herself k she was however she must have been a kind hearted one fi r by all accounts she never did any thing but good in the neighbourhood now it so happened that had a sister living opposite them on the very top of which i have mentioned already and this was quite as powerful os herself the beautiful valley that lies between them h not a of more than about three or four miles broad so that of a s evening and were able to hold many an agreeable conversation across it from the one hill top to the other upon this occasion resolved to consult her sister as to what was best to be done in the difficulty that surrounded them said she are you at home no said the others â tm picking in the devil s â â said get up to the top of look about you and tell us what you see very replied after a few minutes i am there now what do you see asked the other be about us i exclaimed i see the biggest giant that ever was known coming up from ay said there s our difficulty that ant is the great and he s now up to leather fin to be done ru call to him she replied to come up to and refresh himself and maybe that will give you and fin time to think of some plan to get yourself out of the scrape but she proceeded tm short of butter having in the house only half a dozen and as i m to have a few giants and to spend the with me i d feel thankful if you d throw me up or sixteen or the largest you have got and you ll oblige me very much â do that with a heart and a half replied and indeed i feel myself under great obligations to you for your kindness in keeping him off us till we see what can be done for what would become of us all if any thing happened fin poor man she accordingly got the largest of butter she had irish which might be about the weight of a couple dozen so that you may easily judge of its size â and calling up to her sister said she are you ready going to throw you up a so be prepared to catch it i will said the other a good now and take care it does not short threw it but in consequence of her anxiety about fin and she forgot to say the charm that was to send it up so that instead of reaching as she expected it fell about half way between the two hills at of the broad near my curse upon you i she exclaimed you ve disgraced me i now change you into a grey stone lie there as a testimony of what has happened and may evil the first living man that will ever attempt to remove or injure and enough there it lies to this day with the mark of the four fingers and thumb in it exactly as it came out of her hand never mind said i must only

49William Black

do the best can with if all fail til give him a cast of to keep the wind out of his stomach or a of to draw it in a bit but above all things think of some plan to get fin out of the scrape he s in otherwise he s a lost man you know you used to be sharp and ready and my opinion is that it will go hard with you or you ll yet she then made a high smoke on the top of the hill after which she put her finger in her mouth and gave three and by that knew he was invited to â for this was the way that the irish long ago gave a sign to all strangers and travellers to let them know they were welcome to come and take share of whatever was going in the meantime fin was very melancholy and did not know what to do or how to act at all was an ugly a of customer no doubt to meet with and moreover the idea of the confounded cake the very heart within him what chance could he have strong and brave though he was with a man who could when put in a passion walk the country into and knock into the thing was impossible and fin knew not on what hand to turn him right or left â backward or forward â where to go he could form no guess whatsoever said he can you do nothing for me where s all your invention am i to be like a rabbit before your eyes and to have my name disgraced for ever in the sight of all my and me the best man among them how am i to fight this man mountain â this huge cross between an earthquake and a â with a in his pocket that was once â be easy fin replied i m ashamed of you keep your toe in your pump will you talking of maybe we ll give him as good as any he brings with him â or otherwise if i don t treat him to as smart feeding as he s got this many a day never trust again leave him to me and do just as i bid you this relieved fin very much for after all he had great confidence in his wife knowing as he did that she had got him out of many a before the present however was the greatest of all but still he be an to get courage and was able to eat his as usual then drew the nine threads of different colours which she always did to find out the best way of succeeding in any thing of importance went about she then them into three with three colours in each putting one to her right arm one round her heart and the third round her right ankle for then she knew that nothing could fail with her that she undertook having every thing now prepared she sent round to the neighbours and borrowed one and twenty iron which f irish she took and into the hearts of one twenty cakes of bread and these she baked on the fire in the usual way setting them aside in the cupboard according as they were done she then put down a large pot of new milk which she into and and gave fin due instructions how to use the when should come having done all this she sat down quite contented waiting for his arrival on the next day about two o clock that being the hour at which he was expected â for fin knew as much by the of his thumb now this was a curious property that fin s thumb had but notwithstanding all the wisdom and lo c he used to out of it it never could have stood to him were it not for the wit of his wife in this very thing moreover he was very much resembled by his great foe for it was well known that the huge strength he possessed all lay in the middle finger of his right hand and that if he happened by any to lose it he was no more notwithstanding his bulk than a common man at length the next day he was seen across the valley and knew that it was time to commence operations she immediately made the cradle and desired fin to lie down in it and cover himself up with the clothes you must pass for your own child said she so just lie there snug and say nothing but be guided by me this to be sure was to fin â i mean going into the cradle in such a cowardly manner â but he knew and finding that he had nothing else for it with a very face he gathered himself into it and lay snug as she had desired him about two o clock as he had been expected came in god save all here said he is this where the great fm m c indeed it is honest man replied go l save you kindly â won t you be sitting a of thank yon ma am says he sitting down m i suppose i am said she and i have no reason i hope to be ashamed of my husband no said the other he has the name of being the strongest and man in ireland but for all that there s a man not far from you that s very desirous of taking a shake with him is he at home why then no she replied and if ever a man left his house in a fury he did it appears that some one told him of a big of a giant called being down at the to look for him and so he set out there to try if be

49William Black

c catch him i hope for the poor giant s sake he won t meet with him tor if he does fin will make of him at once well said he other â am and i have been r him these but he always kept clear of me and i will never rest night or day till i lay my hands on him at this set up a loud laugh of great contempt by the way and looked at him as if he was only a mere handful of a man did you ever see fin said she changing her manner ah at once how could i said he he always took care to keep his distance i thought so she replied judged as much and if take my advice you looking creature you ll pray night and day that you may never see him for i tell you it will be a black day for you when you do but in the mean time you perceive that the wind s on tiie door and as fin himself is from home maybe you d be civil enough to turn the house for it s always what fin does when he s here this was a even to but he got up how irish ever aud pulling the middle finger of his right hand until it cracked three times he went out and getting his arms about the house completely turned it f she had wished when fin saw this he felt a certain description of which shall be nameless out through every pore of his skin but depending upon her woman s wit felt not a whit then said she as you are so civil maybe you d do another obliging turn for us as fin s not here to do it himself you see af er this long stretch of dry weather we ve had we feel very badly off for want of water now fin says there s a fine spring well somewhere under behind the hill here below an it was his intention to pull them asunder but having heard of you he left the place in such a fury that he never thought of it now if you try to find it i d feel it a kindness she then brought down to see the place which was then all one solid rock and after looking at it for some time he cracked his right middle finger nine times and stooping down tore a about four hundred feet deep and a quarter of a mile long which has since by the name of s this feat nearly threw herself off her guard but what won t a woman s sagacity and presence of mind accomplish you ll now come in said she and eat a bit of such humble as we can give you fin even although he and you are enemies would scorn not to treat you kindly in his own house and indeed if i didn t do it even in his absence he would not be pleased with me she accordingly brought him in and placing half a dozen of the cakes we spoke of before him together with a can or two of butter a side of boiled bacon and a of she desired him to help for this be it known was long the invention of potatoes who by the way a legend of as a as well as a hero put one of the cakes in his mouth to take a huge out of it when both fin and were stunned with a noise that resembled something between a growl and a yell blood and he shouted how is this here are two of teeth out what kind of bread is this you gave me what s the matter said coolly v matter shouted the other again why here are the two back teeth in my head gone i why said she that s fin s the only bread he r eats when at home but indeed i forgot to tell you that nobody can eat it but himself and that child in the cradle there i thought however that as you were reported to be rather a stout little fellow of your size you might be able to manage it and i did not wish to a man that thinks himself able to fight fin here s another cake â maybe it a not so hard as that at the moment was not only hungry but so he accordingly made a fresh set at the second cake and immediately another yell was heard twice as loud as the first thunder and he roared take your bread out of this or i will not have a tooth in my head there s another of them gone i well honest man replied if you re not able to eat the bread say so quietly and don t be the child in the cradle here there now he s awake upon me fin now gave a that startled the giant as coming from such a as he was represented to be mother said he i m â get me something to eat went over and putting into his hand a cake that had no in it fin whose appetite in the mean time was sharpened by what he saw going forward soon made it disappear was and thanked his stars that he had no the good fortune to miss meeting for as he said to himself i d have no chance with a man who could eat such bread as that which even his son that s but in his cradle can before my eyes i d like to take a glimpse at the cradle said he to for i can tell you that the who can manage that is no joke to look at or to feed of a scarce summer with all the veins of my heart replied get up

49William Black

and show this decent little man something that won t be unworthy of your fin m fin who was dressed for the occasion as much like a boy as possible got up and bringing out â are you strong said he thunder an i exclaimed the other what a voice in so small a chap i are you strong said fin are yon able to squeeze water out of that white stone he asked putting one into s hand the latter squeezed and squeezed the stone but to purpose he might pull the rocks of s asunder and a but to squeeze out of a white stone was beyond his strength fin eyed him with great contempt as he kept straining and d and till he got black in the ce with the efforts ah you re a poor creature said fin you a giant give me the stone here and when i ll what fin s little can do you may then judge of what my himself is fin then took the stone and exchanging it for the he squeezed the latter the as dear as water out in a little shower from his hand i ll now go in said he to my cradle i for scorn to â my time with any one s not able to eat my s â of ill or squeeze water out of a stone you had better be off out of this before he comes back for if he you it s in he d have you in two minutes seeing what he had seen was of the same opinion himself his knees knocked together with the terror of fin s return and he accordingly hastened in to bid farewell and to assure her that from that day out he never wished to hear of much less to see her husband admit fairly that i m not a match for him said he strong as i am tell him i will avoid him as i would the plague and that i will make myself scarce in his part of the country while i live fin in the mean time had gone into the cradle where he lay very quietly his heart in his mouth with delight that was about to take his departure without discovering the tricks that had been played off on him if swell for you said that he doesn t happen to be here for it s nothing but hawk s meat he d make of you i know that says a thing else he d make of me but before i go will you let me feel what kind oi teeth they are that can eat bread like â and he pointed to it as he spoke with all pleasure in life said she only as they re for back in his head you must put your finger a good way in was to find such a powerful set of in one so young but he was still much more so on finding when he took his hand from fin s mouth that he had the very finger upon which his whole strength depended behind him he gave one loud groan and fell down at once with terror and weakness this was all fin wanted who now knew that his most powerful and bitterest enemy was completely at his mercy he instantly started out of the cradle and in a few minutes the great that was for such a length of time the terror of him and all his followers lay a corpse before liim thus did fin the wit and of irish bin wife in his by which he never could have done by force and thus also is it proved that the women if they bring us into many an unpleasant scrape can sometimes succeed in getting us out of others that are as bad of the grey tone mentioned in this legend there is a very striking and melancholy anecdote to be told some or thirteen years ago a gentleman in the vicinity of the site of it was building a house and in defiance of the legend and curse connected with it he resolved to break it up and use it it was with some difficulty however that he could succeed in getting his to have anything to do with its two men however undertook to blast it but somehow the process of being it exploded and one of them was killed this coincidence was held as a of the curse mentioned in the legend i have heard that it remains in that state to the present day no other person being who had the to touch it this stone before it was exactly resembled that which the country people term a of butter is precisely the shape of a complete a circumstance which no doubt in the fertile imagination of the old gave rise to the superstition to it it may be mentioned that in the of the s part of the above quoted the wife of fin m is represented as the of a much larger mass of rock than the grey stone â namely the of near in like manner legend makes st drop the rock of and on his way to â chamber moan thb irish of the many remarkable characters that have been by the spirit and habits of irish feeling among the there is not one so clear distinct and well traced as that of the we could mention several that are certainly marked with great precision and that stand out in fine relief to the eye of the spectator but none at all who in richness of colouring in boldness of outline or in firmness of force can for a moment be compared with the the for instance lives a life sufficiently and distinct so does the dancing master and so also does the match maker but with some of colouring as for the the the

49William Black

and the foster nurse although all mellow toned and well by the strong of hereditary usage yet do they stand dim and shadowy when placed ce to ce with this great of the national temperament it is almost impossible to conceive a character of greater self importance than an irish or who in her whole bearing a more complacent consciousness of her own privileges the might be with and the master might follow him off the stage the might all disappear and the general business of life still go on as before but not so with her whom we are describing and this conviction is the very basis of her power the secret source from which she draws the confidence that bears down every rival claim upon the affections of the people before we introduce moan to our kind we â hall briefly relate a few points of character peculiar to the irish because they are probably not in general known to a very numerous class of our readers this is a matter which we are the more anxious to do because it is that an acquaintance with many of the old l powers with which she was supposed to be invested is fading out of the public memory and unless put into record it is to be feared that in the course of one or two generations more they may altogether disappear and be one of the least known of the secrets which old lore affirmed to have been in possession of the was the knowledge of how beer might be from the irish people believe that the and practised this valuable process and will assure you that the liquor prepared from materials so cheap and waa superior in strength and to any ever produced fix m nay they will tell you how it conferred such bodily strength and courage upon those who drank it that it was to the influence and virtue of this alone that the held such a protracted and won so many in ireland it was a secret however too valuable to be disclosed especially to enemies who would lose no time in turning the important consequences of it against the themselves the consequence was that from the day the first set foot upon the soil of ireland until that upon which they bade it adieu for ever no was ever able to get possession of it it came to be known however and the knowledge of it is said to be still in the country but must remain until the of a certain prophecy connected with the of ireland shall take away the obligation of a most solemn oath which the original of the secret to this the are said to have been these â on the evening previous to the final of the the irish ll t for their own country the wife of their prince was seized with the pains of child birth and there being no among themselves an irish one was brought who as the enmity between the nations was both strong and bitter resolutely withheld her services unless upon the condition of being made acquainted with this invaluable process the crisis it seems a very trying one the condition was complied with but the was solemnly sworn never to communicate it to any but a woman and never to put it in practice until ireland should be free and any two of its provinces at peace with each other the thinking very naturally that there remained no obstacle to the accomplishment of these conditions but the presence of the themselves and seeing that they were on the eve of leaving the country for ever imagined herself perfectly safe in entering into the obligation but it so happened says the tradition that although the knowledge of the secret is among the irish still yet it never could be applied and never will until ireland shall be in the state required by the terms of her oath so runs the tradition however one of power with which some of the old were said to be gifted so exquisitely ludicrous and yet at the same time so firmly fixed in the belief of many among the people that we cannot do justice to the character without mentioning so strange an acquisition it is this that where a husband happens to be cruel to his wife or her the is able by some mysterious charm to inflict upon him and from the wife the sufferings to her confinement as the penalty mentioned by holy writ which is to follow the sex in consequence of the of our mother eve some of om readers may perhaps imagine this to be but we that it is strictly true such a superstition did prevail in ireland among the and still does to an extent which u none would surprise any one not as well acquainted with the m irish and as we happen to be the manner in which the got possession of this power is as follows â it frequently happened that the good people or â that is the â were put to the necessity of having recourse to the aid of the on one of those occasions it seems the good woman discharged her duties so successfully that the fairy matron in for her vices and of attendance communicated to her this secret so formidable to all bad husbands from the period alluded to say the people it has of course been gladly from hand to hand and on many occasions resorted to with fearful but effect within our own â â several instances of its application were pointed out to us and the very individuals themselves when closely were forced to an assertion that was at least equivalent to an admission it was nothing but an attack of the which by the way was little else than a upon that departed malady many are the tales told of cases in which were

49William Black

serviceable to the good people but unless their assistance was repaid by the of some secret piece of knowledge it was better to receive no payment any other description of being considered from this source also was derived another most valuable quality said to be possessed by the irish but one which we should suppose the virtue of our fair rendered of very application this was the power of destroying jealousy between man and wife we forget whether it was said to be in cases of guilt but we should imagine that the contrary would rather hold good as an is not exactly that description of husband who would suffer himself to be charmed back into the arms of a wife this wag effected by the knowledge of a certain the irish lit tion of which the parties were to drink nine successive times each time before sunrise and after sunset of course the name of the was kept a profound secret but even if it had been known it could have proved of little value for the full force of its influence depended on a charm which the had learned among the whether it was the of the middle ages or not is difficult to say but one thing is certain that not only have but other persons of both sexes gone about through the country to cure jealousy by the or of a mysterious which was known only to themselves it is not unlikely to suppose that this great secret was all nothing more than a application of the waters of jealousy mentioned by moses and that only resembled many other charms practised in this and other countries which are generally founded upon certain passages of scripture indeed there is little doubt that the practice of attempting to cure by existed elsewhere as well as in ireland and one would certainly imagine that who left nothing connected with the human heart untouched must have alluded to the very custom we are treating of when he makes speaking of s jealousy say â look where he comes not nor nor all the drowsy of the world shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep v thou yesterday here it is quite evident that the of the of was to be tried upon the mind only in which the s horrible malady existed that in the passage quoted alluded to this singular custom is we think at least probable we have said that the stood high as a match maker and so unquestionably she did no woman was better acquainted with charms of all kinds especially with those that i w oar is as one knows the only book on which the says prayers night and morning who has not heard of his prayer f we are now to consider the in the of a woman not only of knowledge but possessed of many secrets which the mere physician or could never penetrate as a she possessed a very high reputation for all complaints incident to children and females and where skill unlike the mere scientific man of she could set physical causes and effects aside and have recourse at once to the supernatural and miraculous for instance there are two complaints which she is beyond any other individual celebrated for managing â that is to say head ache and another malady is or only known to the country folk by what is termed the or bone of the breast being down the first she by a very formal and serious process called measuring the head this is done by a ribbon which she puts round the repeating during the a certain prayer or charm from which the operation is to derive its whole eâ the measuring is performed twice â in the first instance to show that its are separated by disease or to speak more plainly that the bones of the head are absolutely opened and that as a al consequence the head must be much larger than when the patient is in a state of health the of the first is marked upon a ribbon after which she the charm that is to remove the head ache and measures the again in order to show by a comparison of the two ribbons that the es have been closed the charm and the head ache consequently removed it is impossible to say how the in the is brought about but be that as it may the writer of this has seen the operation performed in such a way as to defy the most eye to detect any appearance of and he is convinced the irish tliat in the majority of cases there is not the slightest intended the is in truth a to a strong and enthusiasm when the raises the of the breast the operation is conducted without any assistance from the supernatural if a boy or a girl in flesh is troubled with want of rest or of appetite without being afflicted with any particular disease either acute or local the puts her finger under the bone which projects over the pit of the stomach and immediately feels that the of the breast is down â in other words she the parents that the bone is bent and presses upon the heart the of this precisely the operation of she gets a penny piece which she places upon the spot affected the patient having been first laid in a posture after this she a little spirits in a in order to the air in it she then presses it quickly against the part which is under the penny piece and in a few moments to the amazement of the on it is drawn strongly up and remains so until the heart bone is supposed to be raised in such a manner as that it will not return the next charm for which she is remarkable among the people is that by which a is taken out

49William Black

of the eye the manner of doing this as follows a white basin is got and a of the purest water the repeatedly her mouth with the water until it returns as pure and clear as when she took it she then walks to and fi o repeating the words of her charm her mouth all the time filled with the water when the charm is finished she the water out of her mouth into the clean basin and will point out the or whatever it may have been floating in the water or lying in the bottom of the vessel in fact you could scarcely mention a malady with which the of the old school was not prepared to by the aid of a charm tooth ache the child birth all had their rose moan respective charms the latter especially required one of a very cast every one knows that the power of in ireland is never so strong or so earnestly put forth as in the moment of when they strive by all possible means to secure the new bom before it is and leave a in its stead invaluable indeed is the mid who is possessed of a charm to prevent this and knows how to arrange all the ceremonies that are to be observed upon the occasion without making any mistake for that would all many a time on such occasions have the ribs of the roof been made to crack the windows rattled out the door pushed with violence and the whole house shaken as if it would tumble about their heads â and all by the but to no purpose the charm of the was a rock of defence the necessary precautions had been taken and they were ultimately forced to depart in a strong blast of wind screaming and howling with rage and disappointment as they went there were also charms for the diseases of cattle to cure which there exist in ireland some processes of very distant antiquity we ourselves have seen fire produced by the of two green boughs together applied as a remedy for the black leg and this is evidently of pagan origin and must have some remote with the old doctrines of the ancient god of fire whose worship was once so general in ireland of these charms it may be said thai they are all of a religious character some of them evidently the pro of and others apparently of those who seriously believed in their there is one thing peculiar about them which is that they must be taught to persons of the opposite sex a man for instance cannot teach a charm to a man nor a woman to a woman but he may to a woman as a woman may to a man if taught or learned in of this principle they possess no virtue the irish in treating of the irish we cannot permit ourselves to overlook the of the lucky whidi comes so clearly within her province the is a thin about the of very fine silk which covers the head of a new bom infant like a cap it is always the omen of great good fortune to the infant and parents and in ireland when any one has unexpectedly fallen into the receipt of property or any other good it is customary to say such a person was bom with a lucky on his head why these are considered lucky it would be a very difficult matter to ascertain several instances of good fortune happening to such as were bom with them might by their coincidence form a basis for the superstition just as the fact of three men during one severe winter having been foimd drowned each with two shirts on an opinion which has now become fixed and general in that parish that it is unlucky to wear two shirts at once we are not certain whether the is in general the of the â sometimes we believe it is at all events her integrity occasionally to the desire of possessing it in many cases she its existence in order that she may secretly dispose of it to good which she does for it is considered to be the herald of good fortune to those who can get it into their possession now let not our english n smile at us for those things until they wash their own hands clear of such at this day a will bring a good price in the most civilized city in the world â to t the good city of london â the british metropolis nay to such has the for been carried there that they have been actually advertised for in the times newspaper and it is perfectly well known that a large price will be given for them by that very intelligent class of men the ship captains of england who look upon a as a against ok moan of a winter evening at the fireside there can be few more amusing companions than a of the old school she has the of old times and old about her and tastes of that agreeable simplicity of manners which always a harmless and heart her language is at once easy and minute and if a good deal the is rather the and antique which with her profession than the property or bias of her individual mind she affects much mystery and that she could tell many strange stories of high life but she is always too honourable to betray the confidence that has been in her good faith and secrecy in her dress she always warmth and comfort and seldom or never looks to appearance flannel and cotton she heaps on herself in abundant folds and the consequence is that although subject to all the of the seasons both by night and day she is hardly ever known to be sick having thus everything so far as we could remember

49William Black

it connected with the social of her calling and detailed some matters not generally known that may we trust be interesting to those who are fond of looking at the springs which often move rustic society we now close this essay on and beg to bring the herself personally on the stage that she may speak and act for herself the village of was as pleasant a little place as one might wish to see of a summer s day to be sure like all other irish villages it was remarkable for a of pigs and which being the stock in trade of cabin it is to be presumed that very few villages either tub irish in ireland or elsewhere could go on properly without them it consisted principally of one long street which you entered from the north west side by one of those old fashioned bridges the arches of which were much more akin to the than the most of the houses were of mud a few of stone one or two of which had the honour of being on the front side of the roof and on the back where was not necessary there were two or three shops a liberal of public houses a chapel a little out of the town and an old market house near the centre a few little bye streets projected in a direction from the main one which was terminated on the side opposite to the north west by a pound through which as usual ran a shallow stream that was gathered into a little as it crossed the road a crazy mill all covered and with grey dust stood about two hundred yards out of the town to which two straggling rows of houses that looked like an street led you this mill was surrounded by a green common which was again hemmed in by a fine river that ran round in a line from under the arch of the bridge we mentioned at the beginning now a little behind or rather al v this mill on the skirt of the common stood a rather neat looking cabin with about half a of garden behind it it was but small and consisted merely of a sleeping room and kitchen on one side of the door was a window opening on hinges and on the outside to the right as you entered the house there was placed a large stone about four feet high backed by a sloping mound of earth so as to allow a person to ascend the stone without any difficulty in this cabin moan the and we need scarcely inform our readers that the stone in question was her mounting stone by which she was enabled to place on a or as the case happened when called out upon her usual u e rose was what might be called or p â with a good humoured set of features that is to say a pair of red broad cheeks a well set nose allowing for the disposition to turn up and two black twinkling eyes a mellow expression that good nature and a peculiar description of knowing professional humour that is never to be met with in any but a was dressed in a red flannel a warm cotton sack or which pinned easily over a large bust and a comfortable shawl she always wore a long bordered morning cap over which while travelling she pinned a second shawl of scotch and to protect her fix m the cold night air she her precious person in a deep blue of the true tint on her head over cloak and shawl and morning cap was fixed a black hat with the leaf down by her ears on each side so that in point of fact she cared little how it blew and never once dreamed that such a process as that of or was necessary to keep the subjects of these warm and nor that two systems should exist in ireland so strongly to each other as those of and father having thus given a brief sketch of her local habitation and personal appearance we shall transfer our readers to the house of a young new married farmer named who lived in a distant part of the parish was a comfortable fellow full of good nature and but his wife happened to be one of the meanest most suspicious and miserable devils that ever was raised in good humoured ireland her voice was as sharp and her heart as cold as an and as for her tongue it was incessant and interminable were it not that her husband who though good natured was fiery and resolute when provoked exercised a firm and control over her she would have starved both him and her servants into perfect and what was still worse with a temper that was thk irish and she affected to be religious and upon those v ho not know her actually attempted to pass herself off as a saint one night about ten or twelve months after his marriage honest came out to the bam where slept his two farm servants named and he had been sitting by himself his mind for a calm night s sleep or probably for a curtain lecture by taking a of the pipe when the with a certain air of hurry importance and authority entered the kitchen and informed him that moan must immediately be sent for the isn t well an the sooner she s for the so mind my words sir if you an pack either or for rose moan an hope i wont have to ax it again â â for so was called as being remarkable for â started up hastily and having taken the pipe out of his mouth was about to place it on the but reflecting that the could not much him in the delivery of his orders he out to the barn

49William Black

and knocked â who s there lave that you unless you wish to be this was followed by a loud from boys get up all haste it s the saddle and fly â puff â fly in a for rose moan an do you clap a black â puff â an an be for the s mother â puff both were dressing themselves before he had concluded and m a very few minutes were off in different directions each according to the orders he had received with we have nothing to do unless to say that he lost little time ii bringing mrs s mother to her aid but as is gone for a much more important character we beg our readers to b return with us to tlie of who is now et for it is o clock of a beautiful moonlight night in the pleasant month of august tap tap is mrs moan at home in about half a minute her warm good looking face enveloped in flannel is from the window who s that in name f the words in were added lest the message should be one from the i m s one of them at any an my has got a in her side â ha i ha ha â so she s thin â â i ll be you like a bow out of an arrow put your horse over to the stone an have him ready the lord bring her over her difficulties any way a she then pulled in her head and in about three or four minutes out dressed as we have described her and having placed herself on the coolly put her right arm round s body and desired him to ride on with all possible haste push an push an â time s precious at all times but on business like this every minute is worth a life but there s always one comfort that god is push never fear mrs moan if it s in i m the babe that will take it out of him come ould trot out â you don t know the message you re an nor who you re isn t your â the s wife â a daughter of ould s the of faith you may say that rose as we all know to our cost be me song she does have us sometimes that you might see through us an only for the but it no â she s down now poor woman an it s not the time to be up her it is not an god mark you to grace for so at a i thb irish time like this we must forget every thing only to do the best we can for our fellow creatures what are you now this question naturally arose from the fact that honest had been during their short conversation peering keenly on each side of him as if he expected an apparition to rise from every bush on the common the truth is he was almost for his terror of ghosts and and all supernatural whatever but upon this occasion his fears rose to a painful height in consequence of the popular belief that when a is sent for the good people throw every possible in her way either by the horse if she rides or by the guide from performing his duty as such however felt ashamed to his fears on these points but still could not help unconsciously turning the conversation to the very topic he to have avoided what war you at why there appeared something there like a man only it was darker but be this and be that â hem â if i could get my hands on him he boy your tongue you don t know but it s the very word you war goin to say might do us harm â he is that i d give him a lift on if he happened to be any poor fellow that stood in need of it oh the word i was goin to say against any thing or â my body you re right dear if you knew as much as i could tell you â push an â you d have a o sweat at the ind of every hair on your head be me song i m you know a power o things mrs moan if all said is you do now had mrs moan and her heroic guide passed through the village of the latter would not have felt his iso r b moan fears so strong upon him the along which they were now going was a grass grown that led them from behind her cabin through a waste and lonely part of the country and as it was a saving of better than two miles in point of distance mrs moan would not hear of their proceeding by any other direction the tenor of her conversation however was fast bringing to the state she so and described s your name she asked a son of fat s of an a cousin to who lost a finger in the wars â i know well in the hairs ud stand like o upon your head if vou beard all i could put his hand up and pressed down his hat as if it had been disposed to fly from off his head hem why tm it s but is it mrs moan that you have been brought on business to some o the â here looked about him cautiously and lowered his voice to a whisper â to some o the fairy women man alive â what the you to call them anything but the good people this day s thursday â god stand us an harm no i name nobody but there was a woman a â mind that don t say who she was â may be i know why too an

49William Black

may be it would be as much as my life is worth mrs moan i god us what is that tall thing the right â and he commenced the lord a prayer in irish as fast as he could get out the words why don t you see boy it s a fir tree ay an so it is i thought it was taller an taller ay â hut it is only a tree well dear there was a woman an she was called away ths irish one night by a little gentleman dressed in green i ll tell you the story some only this that done her duty an no payment she was called out the same night to a neighbour s wife an a boy you could nt see than she left behind her but it seems she happened to touch one of his eyes a hand that had a taste of their an it an as the child grew up every one to hear him speak of the multitudes o that he seen in all directions well my dear he kept ever anything to them until one day when he was in the of that he saw away meal an cotton an an everything that they thought serviceable to them so you see he could in no longer an says he to a little fellow that was very active an among them â why you take what doesn t belong to you says he the little fellow looked up at him god be about us what is that white thing goin along the ditch to the left of us it s a sheep don t you see i believe you re cowardly at night ay an so it is but it looked very somehow â an says he how do you know that see you says the other an which eye do you see us all says he again why the left says the boy that he gave a short of a blast up into the eye aa from that day not a the poor boy was never able to see it no i didn t say it was i named nobody an mrs moan is it that you can put upon them that their wives badly when you marry keep your that s all you knew long ned ay sure enough there was things said about â push an push an for who knows how some of tn is wanted you haye a good i believe it s poison the same ned would give me if he push an dear felt that he had got his answer the abrupt mystery of her manner and her allusions left him little indeed to guess at in this way did the continue as he thought from her own lips a of the various knowledge d extraordinary powers which she was believed to possess and she feeding his merely by hints and allusions for although she took care to affirm nothing directly or personally of herself yet did she contrive to answer him in such a manner as to confirm every report that had gone abroad of the strange purposes she could effect wasn t there an o yours up in the mountain bar that didn t live happily for some time his wife i believe so rose but it was before my time or any way when i was only a young an did you ever hear how the came no replied i never did an that s no for it was a thing they never liked to of it s for you boy well i brought about push an dear push an they re as happy a couple now as breaks bread any way and that s all they wanted i d a thirteen it was you did that rose hut your tongue sure they re happy now ay did it i named nobody nor i take no pride to myself out o things some people s gifted above others an that s all but well ma am how does the an his of a wife agree i m she s nothing else tub irish but itself as i you she often has u as empty as a paper the devil a thing but the light of a good conscience inside of us if we pray ourselves shell take care we ll have the at first cost so that you see ma am we a devout situation her an so the way you ay the downright an no why the she makes would run nine miles along a an a man at the far end of it i never like to go next or near women or places but for the sake o the innocent we must forget the guilty so push an push an knows but it s life an death us have you ne er a spur on the devil a spur time to wait for well all it s not to et a come for a woman like me what is called the s spur â a spur in the head â for it has long been that one in the head is worth two in the an so indeed it is â on business like this any way mrs moan do you know the of ma am â which o honey â o the beg to be i do a well favoured family they are an full o the world too the lord spare it to them they are ma am a well well ma am isn t odd but somehow there s neither man woman nor child in the parish but gives you the good word above all the women in it but as for a why i heard my aunt say if ever mother an child their lives to another she did her s and the s to you â in ireland â â good r b moan the reader may here

49William Black

perceive that s flattery have had some design in it in with th and such indeed was the â m t but we had allow him to explain matters himself well honey sure that was but my duty but god praised for all for everything depends on the man above she should call in one o these new women that take out their from the lying in college in below for you see there is a place there â an it to that there hospital beside it which there is too they say but honey what are these poor ignorant creatures but new lights every one o them that a woman s life isn t safe to be sure mrs moan an every one knows they re not to be put in a woman like you that knows rich a power but how does it happen ma am that the does be but of you ay fm they spread the mouth at you sometimes the people does be about all the things you can do well well dear let them their laugh â they may laugh that win you know still one doesn t like to be provoked â no indeed an has a daughter mrs moan an a penny he can give her by all accounts the one o myself but ud be glad to put my on her if i knew how i hope you find yourself on your ma am i do honey let them talk let them talk it may their turn yet â only i didn t expect it from them you i hut what chance would you have with s daughter a j every chance an too if some one that know the irish an that every one that knows her respects would only give me a lift there s no use in about bush mrs moan â it s yourself i mane you could do it an whisper you and me it would foe only them right in regard of the way they of you â indeed an to the world that you know no more than another woman an that ould of knows more than you do this was perhaps as artful a plot as could be laid for engaging the assistance of mrs moan in design upon me s daughter he knew full well that she would not unless strongly influenced lend herself to anything of the kind between two persons whose circumstances in life differed so widely as those of a respectable farmer s daughter with a good portion and a boy great therefore he contrived to excite her prejudices against them by the most successful arguments he could possibly use namely a contempt for her knowledge and praise of rival still she was in the habit of acting coolly and less from impulse than from a shrewd knowledge of the best way to sustain her own reputation without undertaking too much well honey an so you wish me to assist you maybe i could do it an maybe â but push an dear move him an â well think of it an more about it some other time i must think of what s afore me now â so move move â push an much conversation of the same nature took place between them in which each bore a somewhat characteristic part for to say truth was as knowing a boy as you might wish become acquainted with in however he had a woman of no ordinary to encounter and the con was that each after a little more chat began to understand the other a little too well to render the topic of the i ef b to which again so as if had been rose soon saw that was only a or and only her for his own purposes and perceived thi t understood his too well to render any further with her vanity either safe or successful at length they arrived at echo s house and in a moment the himself took her in his arms and placing her gently on the ground shook hands with and cordially welcomed her it is very singular but no less true that the moment a enters the house of her patient she always uses the number whether speaking in her own person or in that of the former â you re welcome an i m proud an happy to see you here an it ill make poor strong an give her courage to know you re near her how are we how are we oh very much for you ol as i hear â well honey go away now i have some words to say afore i go in us maybe â a charm it is that has great in it the then withdrew to the barn where the male portion of the family were staying until the should be known a good bottle of however was among them for every one knows that occasions of this nature usually a and hospitable spirit now went the house in the direction from east to west stopping for a short time at each of the windows which she marked with the sign of the cross five times that is to say once at each corner and once in the middle at each comer also of the house she signed the cross and repeated the words or charm â thb irish t the four and the four god bless the moon and us when it shines ne moon true moon god bless god bless this house an this family mark and john god bless the bed that she lies on god bless the where christ was born an lave joy an comfort here in the mom st an st an the holy keep the for ever far from this house amen yea yea yea n n n amen these are the veritable words of the charm which she uttered in the manner

49William Black

and with the forms having concluded them she then entered into the house where we leave her for a time w th our best wishes in the bam the company were very merry himself being as pleasant as any of them unless when his brow became shaded by the very natural anxiety for the welfare of wife and child which from time to time returned upon him stories were told songs sung and jokes passed all full of good nature and not a little some of it at the expense of the himself who laughed at and took it all in good part occasional came out through a servant maid that matters were just in the same way a piece of intelligence which s mirth considerably at length he himself was sent for by the who wished to speak with him at the door i hope there s nothing like danger rose not at all honey but the truth is we want a seventh son who isn t left handed â a seventh son i why what do you want him for why dear just to give her three shakes m his arms â it never fails â an that s fortunate for there s m â if it did not happen to be new moon the words were good moon e rose moan c f the broad s a sod an he s not two from thb well hurry off one or two o the boys and tell if he makes haste that til have a word to say to him afore i go this intimation to put feathers to his heels for from the nt that he and started he did not once cease to go at the top of his speed it followed as a matter of course that honest m dressed himself and was back at s house before the family believed it possible the parties could have been there this ceremony of getting a seventh son to shake the sick woman in cases where difficulty or danger may be apprehended is one which frequently occurs in remote parts of the country to be sure it is only a form the man merely taking her in his arms ami moving her gently three times the writer of this when yoimg saw it performed with his own eyes as the saying is but in his case the man was not a seventh son for no such person could be procured when this difficulty arises any man who has the character of being lucky provided he is married to a red haired wife may be called in to give the three shakes in other and more dangerous cases rose would send out persons to gather half a dozen heads of and having stripped them of the black fine powder with which they were covered she would administer it in a little new milk and this was always attended by the best effects it is somewhat surprising that the whole faculty should have adopted this singular medicine in cases of similar difficulty for in truth it is that which is now administered under the more scientific name of of in the case before us the seventh son sustained his reputation for good luck in about three quarters of an hour was called in to kiss a strange young that wanted to see him this was an agreeable ceremony to as it always is to catch the first glimpse of one s own first bom thb irish on entering he sitting beside the bed in all the pomp of authority and pride of success bearing the in nt in her arms and it up and down more from habit than any that then existed for doing so well said she here we are all safe and sound god an if you re not the father of as a young man as ever i laid eyes on i m not here echo come kiss your son i say advanced somewhat whether to laugh or to cry and taking the child up with a smile he kissed it five times â for that is the mystic number â and as he placed it m â e in rose s arms was a solitary tear on its cheek go an your wife man alive an tell her to have a good heart an co be as kind to all her fellow creatures as god has been to her this night it isn t upon this world the heart ought to be fixed for we see how small a thing an how short a time can take us out of it oh said who had now recovered the touch of feeling excited by the child it would be too bad if i d grudge her a he accordingly stooped and kissed her but in truth to confess he did it with a very cool and business like air i know he proceeded that she u have a heart like a now that the son is come to be sure she will an she must or if not tu play the an break things well well let her get strength a bit first an rest and quiet an in the meantime get the ready until every one in the house drinks the of the stranger my to happiness but he s a bom beauty the of you all ever was the of what he ll be yet god he has s nose upon him any how ay you may laugh but it s true you may take with him you may own to him any where look at that i my to happiness if one egg e another i eh my where was it ay rose re there my duck o diamonds be tho flower the flock so you will an now mrs honey we ll lave you to yourself awhile till we these poor of the likes o them t to be overlooked an

49William Black

indeed they did feel a great itself poor things about you an moreover be lo gin of to s the here â mrs s mother and rose the birth treat between them it is unnecessary to say that the young men and girls had their own sly fun upon the occasion and now that s apprehension of danger was over he joined in their mirth with as much glee as any of them this being over they all retired to rest and honest m went home very hearty in consequence of s sense of the aid he had rendered his wife the next morning rose after dressing the infant and performing all the usual duties that one expected from her took her leave in these words â now mrs god bless you an yours an take care of yourself til see you again on sunday next when if s to be until then throw out no dirty before sunrise or after sunset an when father is goin to it let tell him not to forget to it against the fair an thin it ll be safe good bye ma am an look you to her mrs said she addressing her patient s mother an till i see all again the following sunday morning rose paid an early visit to her patient for as it was the day of young s her presence was considered indispensable there is â thb irish besides in the appearance and bearing of a upon those occasions which a spirit of light not only through the immediate family but also through all who may happen to in the ceremony or partake of the good cheer in many instances it is known that the very presence of a medical attendant such a cheerful confidence to his patient as of any is felt to foe a manifest relief so it is with the with this difference that she exercises a greater and more latitude of consolation than the doctor although it must be admitted that she generally falls short of that conventional dress with which we cover of expression no doubt many of her very stock jokes to carry on the are a little too dressed to pass current out of the sphere in which they are used but be this as it may they are so in character and so humorous in conception that we never knew the to feel offended or the temperament to maintain its at their recital not that she is at all gross or in any thing she may say but there is generally in her a passing touch of fancy â a quick but vivacity of at once so full of fun and and that truth which all know but few like to acknowledge that we defy any one not gone in some melancholy to resist her humour the moment she was seen approaching the house every one in it felt an immediate elevation of spirits with the exception of mrs herself who knew that wherever had the arrangement of the bill of fare there was sure to be what the call full an â an â a fact which made her groan in spirit at the bare contemplation of such waste and extravagance she was indeed a woman of a very un heart â so sharp in hei temper and so in soul that one would imagine veins were filled with instead of blood moan in the blessing of god be here on entering â the blessing of god and the virgin on you replied an you re welcome â i know that well how are we â how is my â on like a pair o â thank god for it t we a good right to be grateful to him any way an is my little man to be to day indeed he is â the will be here presently an so will her mother but dear will you take the of the an part of it â you re up to these things than we are an so you ought of let there be no want of any thing an if there s an may care there ll be poor mouths enough about the door for whatever s left so you see keep never any hint she may give you â you know she s a little o the but no let there as i said be enough an to spare there spoke your father s son all the ould s not dead yet any how well do my best but she s not fit to be up you know an of can t disturb us the expression of her eye could not be misunderstood as she uttered this i see said â â devil a if you manage that s right an now i must go in till i see how she an my son s an that s always my first start you know honey that their health goes afore every thing having thus undertaken the task required of her she passed into the bed room of mrs whom she found determined to be up in order as she said to be at the head of her own â well if you must you must but in the name of thb irish goodness i wash my hands out of the oh to think of a woman in state to sit at her own table that i may never if i u see it or be about the place at all if you take your life by your own why god forgive you but it mustn t be while i m here since you re bent on it why me the child an afore i go any how i may as well dress it poor thing i the heavens pity it â my little man â eh â where was it â â that s it a stretch away aye an an my son i o thin

49William Black

mrs but if s you that ought to ax god s pardon for goin to do what might lave that o the world an orphan may be be the if i can have patience you may pity you my child if any thing happened your mother what ud become of you and what ud become of your poor ther this day these latter sounds of surprise and regret were produced by striking the tongue against that part of the inner which covers the roots of the upper teeth indeed replied her patient in her sharp shrill quick voice i m able enough to get up if i don t we ll be s a fool an it u be only rap an every one in the place wait ma am if you â where s his little ay i have it â wait ma m if you phase till i get the child dressed an i ll soon take myself out o this heaven us i have seen the like o this afore â ay have i â where it was as dear as crystal that there was over them â ay over them that took their own way as you re but if i don t get up oh by all ma am â by all i suppose you a of your life that s all it s what i wish i could get an must i stay here in bed all day an be able to rise an wilful waste as will go an too rose moan er your warned this is your first god bless it an spare you both but mrs does it stand to that you re as good a judge of these things as a woman like me that it s my business i ax you that ma am this in fact settled the question not only by the reasonable force of the conclusion to be derived from it but by the cool manner in which it was put well said the other in that case i suppose i must give in you ought to know best thank you kindly ma am have you found it out at last no but you ought to put your two hands my feet for you from what you that i may never sup sorrow but it was as much as your life was worth compose yourself see that there s no waste and that s enough here my son â why thin isn t he the beauty o the world now that he has got his little dress upon him â till i pin up this apron across the windy the light s too strong for you there now the light s apt to give one a head ache when it comes in full upon the eyes that way come an now till i you to your father an them all thin mrs this was s d in a low confidential whisper and in a low tone which all description thin mrs but it s he that s the proud man the this day rise your head a little â â there now one kiss to my son now before he his he says for a while till he pays his little respects to his an to all friends he says an thin he ll come back to â to his own little bottle he says young soon went the rounds of the whole family from his father down to the little herd boy who followed and took care of the cattle many were the jokes which passed between the on this occasion â jokes which have been by such personages as rose almost in every thb irish b family in the kingdom for centuries and with which most of the irish people are too intimately and thoroughly acquainted to render it necessary for us to repeat them here rose now addressed herself to the task of preparing which in honour of the happy event was nothing less than white bread and with a glass of to the appetite as however is a description of bread not generally known to our readers we shall give them a sketch of the manner in which this irish luxury is made a basket of the best potatoes is got which are washed and raw then is procured a tin on which they are the water is then off th jn and the mass is put into a clean sheet or table cloth or cover this is caught at each end by two strong men who twist it in opposite directions until the drive up the substance into the middle of the sheet c this of course the water also but lest the twisting should be insufficient for that purpose it is placed like a cheese cake under a heavy weight until it is properly dried they then it into cakes and it on a pan or and when eaten with butter we can assure our readers that it is quite delicious the hour was now about nine o clock and the company asked to the began to the or were four in number two of them wealthy friends of the family that had never been married and the two others a ample country pair who were anxious to follow in the ma steps of and his wife the rest were as usual neighbours relatives and to the amount of sixteen or eighteen persons men women and children all dressed in their best apparel and disposed to mirth and friendship along with the rest was bob m the fool who by the way could smell out a good dinner with as keen a m the wisest man in the parish could boast of and who on h l rose moan occasions carried turf and water in that indicated the supernatural strength of a scotch rather than that of a human being bob s qualities however were well to each other for

49William Black

truth to say his appetite was equal to his strength and his cunning to either and mrs moan were in great and indeed we might as much for all who were present not a soul entered the house who was not brought up by to an out shot room as a private mark of his and treated to an glass of as good as ever went down the red lane to use a phrase among the people nothing upon an occasion naturally pleasant gives conversation a more cheerful impulse than this and the consequence was that in a short time the scene was animated and to an unusual degree breakfast at length commenced in due form two bottles of were placed upon the table and ihe first thing done was to administer another glass to each guest come neighbours said we must drink the good woman s health before we ate especially as it s the first time any how to be sure they will an why not an if it s the first time it won t be the last goodness you re welcome mrs m and in time too â this she said addressing his mother in law who ther entered look at this mrs m my soul to happiness but he s fit to be the son of a lord eh a pet where was my let me dip my finger in the til i rub his it that s my bully i oh the heavens love it â see how it puts the little mouth about for it you ll have the in you yet an it s a credit to the you ll be if you re spared as you will the heavens well d one of the here s a speedy thb irish on a recovery to the good woman an the little s health an god bless the baker gives thirteen to tiie dozen any how ay ay you ll have your joke any way an you re welcome to it if you weren t it isn t for young you d be to day enough said an by the isn t ike boy to be long an obligation to any one â h did i help you there you ll my son if you crush about him that way this was addressed to some of the who were pressing to look at and touch the it wont be my if i do said then to him who sat opposite her dark eyes flashing with repressed humour and however is sometimes a very convenient malady to young ladies for immediately commenced a series of playful attentions to the unconscious in nt which were just sufficient to excuse her from noticing this allusion to their marriage looked at her then nodded to shutting both her eyes by way of a wink adding aloud you ll be the happy boy an woe you if you aren t the sweetest end of a to her take care an don t bring me upon you well never mind who has a right to his joke than the boy that s â saints el but ye u â mother the child so you will where did i get him sure i brought him as a present to mrs i never come but i bring a little along me â nor the boy dear that s soon to be your husband take your glass the harm it ll do you â i m mrs moan what if it ud get into my head an me s to stand for my little no bad to me if â could â a glass ud be too many for mo r k moan it not more than half filled dear bat there s m what the girl says so press it an her in the brief space allotted to ns we could not possibly give anything like a full and t picture of the happiness and that prevailed at the break st in question when it was over they all prepared to go to the parish chapel whidi was distant at least a couple of miles the staying at home to see that all the necessary preparations were made for dinner as they were departing rose took the aside and addressed him thus now when you see the priest tell him that it is your wish above all things that he should it against the if you say that if s enough an come here youve not that child right but you ll know yet goodness no don t keep its little head so closely covered your cloak the clay s a day glory be to god an the lord guard my child sure the thing in the world where there a too much bait ud my keep if s bead out farther and shade it s little face that way from the sun will i ever forget the sunday poor m take s child from her cloak to be the poor infant was a corpse an only that the lord put it into my head to have it privately the father and mother s hearts would break glory be to gk d mrs if the child gets cross dear or anything act the mother by him the little man eh where was it where was my duck o diamonds â my little con my own little ace o h well god keep it till see it again the jewel well the child was by the name of his father and the persons assembled after their return from chapel about s house or took little in the neighbourhood until the hour of dinner this of course was much more thb irish and ten times more than the break st as that meal was at dinner they had a dish which we believe is like the peculiarly irish in its composition we mean what is called this consists of potatoes and beans up

49William Black

together in such a manner that the beans are not broken and on this account the potatoes are well before the beans are put into them this is in a large bowl and a hole made in the middle of it into which a or roll of butter is thrust and then covered up until it is melted after this every one takes a spoon and away with his utmost vigour dipping every morsel into the well of butter in the middle before he puts it into his mouth indeed from the strong competition which goes forward and the rapid motion of each right hand no spectator could be mistaken in the motive of their proceedings to the principle of the old proverb devil take the from another dish made of potatoes in much the same way if there were beans for instance in it would be this practice of many persons eating out of the sim ie dish though irish and not is of very old it at the last supper let us hope however that like the old custom which once pre in ireland of several persons drinking at meals out of the same the usage we speak of will soon be replaced by one of more cleanliness and individual comfort after dinner the began to go round for in these days punch was a luxury almost unknown to the class we arc writing of in ct nobody there knew how to make it but the who wisely kept the secret to herself aware that if the were presented to them in such a shape they would not know when to stop and she herself might fall short of the snug bottle that is usually kept as a treat for x which she continues to pay during the con of her come who was to soften fast it s your turn now to a glass of what never seen â take the glass deed will iâ but the is i never it hard no but i ll take a o hot an a grain o sugar an it that an as much seeds as will lie upon a sixpence does me good for god help me the stomach isn t at all me in regard o being up so much at night an deprived of my rest said one of them is it that you war out one night an brought to some grand lady to the wait for poor thing an c i ll for about a o spirits to take the smell o the off it the poor she s a little weak stiu an indeed it s how she stood it out but my dear god s good to his own an fits the back to the burden praise be to his name she then proceeded to the of spirits for herself or in other words to mix a good ladies making it as the phrase goes hot strong and sweet â not forgetting the to give it a this being accomplished she made the wan grace for mrs echo still throwing in a w â d now and then to sustain her part in the conversation which waa now rising fast into mirth lai ter and well but about the lady of quality yon tell us that oh many a thing happened me as well worth if you go to that but i ll tell it to you for sure the curiosity s to why i was one night at home a wan is a kind of small or meal tea with thi aa asleep an i hears a horse s for the bare life up to the door i immediately put my head out an the says are you mrs moan the name that s an me your honour myself dress yourself thin he for you re sadly wanted dress your el and mount behind me for there s not a moment to be lost at the same time i forgot to say that his hat was tied about his ce in a way that couldn t catch a glimpse of it well my dear we didn t let the grass grow feet for about a mile or so now he you must allow yourself to be an it s useless to oppose it for it must be done there s the character maybe the life of a great lady at stake so be quiet till i cover your eyes or he out a great oath it ll be worse for you i m a desperate man an sure enough i could feel the heart of him his ribs as if it would burst in pieces well my wliat could i do in the hands of a man that was strong and desperate so i cover my eyes an welcome only fer the lady s sake make no delay that he dashed his spurs into the poor horse an he an like a lime already any way in about half an hour i found myself in a grand bed room an as was put into the door he whispers me to bring the child to him in the next room as soon aa it would be born well sure i did so after the mother in a ir way but what ud you have of it â the first thing i see an the table was a purse of money an a case of pistols at him i thought the devil lord guard us i was in his â ice he looked so black and terrible about the brows now my good woman he fig you ve acted well but there s more to be done yet take your choice of these two he this purse or the contents of one of these pistols as your reward you must the child on the spot in the name of god an his mother be you man or devil i defy you i an innocent

49William Black

blood u never be by these hands hi give you ten minutes he to put an end to that there an that he cocked one o the pistols my i had for it but to say in to myself a an ave as fast as i could for i thought it was all over me however glory be to god the prayers gave me great an i spoke stoutly the king of i â an he was a greater man than ever you ll be â the king of the of to put moses to death they wouldn t do it an god them in spite of him king though he was says i an from that day to this it was never known t t a took away the life of the babe she aided into the ho an not goin to be the first that ll do it the time is out he the pistol to my ear but i ll give you a minute more let me go to my knees first i an now may god have mercy on my for bad as i am i m to die sooner than commit an the innocent he ve a start as i spoke and threw the pistol down ay b an the innocent â an the innocent â that is but are an extraordinary woman you have saved the child s life d from committing two great crimes for it was my to murder you you had it i thin by his brought the poor child to its mother and i back to the room take that purse says he an keep it as a reward for your honesty the help o god says i a penny of it never come into my company so it s no use to ax me well he afore you lave this you must swear not to to a what has happened this night for a year and a day it didn t signify to me whether i it or not so bein jack indifferent about it i the oath and kept it he thin bound my eyes hoisted me up behind him an in a short time left me at home indeed i wasn t the o the start it out o me for as good as six weeks thk a the company now began to grow musical several songs were sung and when the evening got farther advanced a neighbouring was sent for and the little party had a dance in the bam to which they lest the noise might disturb mrs had they held it in the before this occurred however the s glass went the round of the each of whom drank her health and dropped some silver at the same time the bottom of it it was then returned to her and with a smiling face she gave the following toast â health to the parent stock so long as it there will always be branches long life an good health to you an yours may your son live to see himself as happy as his father here s that you may a good example the company s health in general i wish an that you ms jt never have a blind child but you ll have a lame one to lead it ha i ha ha s the world without a joke i must see the good woman an my little son afore i go but i won t follow to the bam i ll bid good night neighbours an the blessing of rose moan be among and so also do we take leave of our old friend moan the irish who we understand took her last leave of the world only about a ago and thb irish who minister to are every and as much so in ireland as in other countries here amongst the people at large no sort of more kindly regarded than the wandering or two of artists who may be said to have the whole business of keeping in good their the is especially a in the primitive provinces of and in they are not bo common and in the north may be described as rare though i am not sure but thai for this very reason they are as welcome in as in the other provinces their notes producing an impression which is agreeable in proportion to its novelty of course it is but natural that there should exist a striking resemblance between the respective habits and modes of life that the and the and of the latter as well as the former it may be observed that although most of his associations are drawn firom the habits of the people in to those of the higher classes yet it is unquestionably true that he is strongly with the lingering remains of that old spirit which has now nearly departed from the country even although generally neglected by the gentry and almost utterly overlooked by the nobility yet it is a melancholy but beautiful trait of the old feeling which him always to speak of them with respect and deference ho will admit indeed that there is a thb tliat the good ould stock is gone and that the house is not what it used to be the square s would bring him into the before all the quality an make him play his two tunes of the fox s and the hair in the instead of that the ha now will them but a kind of musical coffin that they call a thirty or forty or something that way that to hear it ud make a dog e his ther if he didn t behave himself this the utmost length to which he carries hb censure and even this is uttered more in sorrow than in anger on the contrary nothing can be more amusing than the simple and complacent pride with which he his hearers that as

49William Black

he passed the big house the young square brought him in â an it s himself that knows what the good ould of the pipes is w more he ought â an kind father for him to do so â it s the ould square himself that had the true irish relish for them i him all his father s both in the light way and in the sorrowful i was done he slipped five shillings into my hand take this ds he for the sake o that s gone an of the ould times he spoke low an in a hurry as if his heart was m what he said an somehow i felt a tear on my cheek at the time for it is a sorrowful thing to think how the blessed ould airs of our â the only ones that go to the heart â are now so little known and thought of that a fashionable lady of the present day feel ashamed to acknowledge them or play them in company it s a bad sign of the times any how â may god mend them i the irish â the necessary monotony of his life is generally a man of much simplicity of character â not however without a cast of humour which is at once single minded and his little and heart â and he has his share â the serious evil his life but it is remarkable that in a single instance are these indulged in at the expense of the agreeable who is hj no means looked upon as a rival not so his brother for in the nigh and spirit of competition by which they are animated never passes out of their own class but with heroic rage amongst themselves which has been j carried are ludicrous almost beyond belief the moment a s reputation is established on his beat that moment his misery those firom the neighbouring beats him by that contain any thing but principles of harmony sometimes it is true they are cunning enough to come disguised tb hear him and if they imagine that a trial of skill is not likely to to their credit they off without allowing any one unless some particular to become of their secret these were about forty or fifty years ago much more than they have been of late in the good old tim s however when the of ireland their own beer and had for a shilling a the escapes and pursuits hich took place between persons of this class were rich in dramatic effect and afforded great amusement to both the gentry and the people i remember hearing the history of a chase in which a named pursued a rival for eighteen months through the whole province of before he caught him and in order to ascertain by a trial of skill whether his was more entitled to have the epithet great to his name than he himself it appears that the and admirers of the former were in the habit of calling him the great a circumstance which so completely roused the soul of his opponent that he declared he would never rest night or day until he stripped him of the epithet great and transferred it to his own name he was beaten however and that by a of an extraordinary kind tub offered to play him while drunk â to remain sober off his guard and anxious under ain y to be able to of a victory over such an agreed and was consequently overcome the being that his opponent like when on the harp was never properly to distinguish himself as a unless when under the inspiration of not at all aware of the trick that the other had played upon him of course took it for granted that as he had stood no chance with when he must have a still less one in his and the consequence was that the next morning it was found he had taken leave in the of the night there was some years ago playing in the of a blind named whose performance was singularly and beautiful this man though blind from his infancy possessed mechanical genius of a higher order and delicate and exact not merely as a but as a he used to perform in s tavern in street where he arrived every night about eight o clock and played till twelve or as the case might be one he was very social and when drawn out possessed much genuine irish and rich powers sometimes at a late period of the night he was prevailed upon to attach himself to a particular party of pleasant fellows who remained after the house was closed to enjoy themselves at swing then it was that shone not merely as a companion but as a the change in his style and manner of playing was the spirit humour and pathos which he into his execution were observed by every one and when asked to account for so remarkable a change his reply was my irish heart is warmed vm not now for money but to please myself and â but yon as well during the if you wished as you do now no if you were to me my heart must get and irish â i must he as i am this minute tliis indeed was very significant and strongly of the same genius which distinguished gk w and other eminent though blind used to employ his leisure hours in and organs and and mending every description of musical instrument that could be named his own pipes which he called the grand pipes were at least eight feet long and for beauty of appearance richness and delicacy of surpassed any thing of the kind that could be witnessed and when considered as the production of his own hands were indeed entitled to be as an extraordinary natural curiosity played before george

49William Black

iv and appeared at most of the london theatres where his per were received with the most enthusiastic applause in person was a large looking man red and good looking though strongly marked by traces of the he always wore a blue coat folly made with buttons and had altogether the look of what we call in ireland a well dressed or half sir which means a kind of gentleman farmer his pipes indeed were a very instrument or rather combination of instruments being so complicated that no one could play upon them but himself the tones which he brought out of them might be imagined to proceed firom almost every instrument in an â now resembling the sweetest and most notes of the finest and again the deep and solemn of the organ a and was applied as a word of to the english the meaning is not now attached to it although it often is thi irish like every irish of talent that we have met he always preferred the rich old songs and airs of ireland to every other description of music and when lit up into the enthusiasm of his profession and his love of country he has often d with tears in his eyes the which modem had made and was making upon the good old spirit of the by gone times nearly the last words i ever heard his lips were highly touching and characteristic of as well as the if we forget our own old music said he what is there to remember in its place â words alas i which acre equally with melancholy and truth the man however who ought to sit as the true type and representative of the irish is he whose whole life is passed among the with the exception of an occasional elevation to the lord s hall or the squire d parlour â who is equally with the irish and english languages â has neither wife nor child house nor home but from one or farm house to another carrying mirth amusement and a warm welcome with him wherever he goes and filling the hearts of the young with happiness and delight the true irish must wear a coat breeches grey stockings smoke tobacco drink and take snuff for it is absolutely necessary peculiar position among the people that he should be ot walking of irish social and so he generally is for to the practice and cultivation of these the simple tenor of his life is devoted the most perfect specimen ot this class we ever were acquainted with was a blind man known by the name of his beat extended through the county of and occasionally through those of and was precisely such a man as i have just described both as to dress a knowledge of english and irish and a thorough feeling of tints which an and change in the spirit of irish threatened even then to i have said he was blind but unlike s his was smooth and his pale placid features while playing on his pipes were absolutely radiant with enthusiasm and genius he was a and had won one of the and most modest is in the rich agricultural county of in spite of the competition and of many wealthy and independent but no wonder for who could hear his ma c performances without at once the whole heart and feelings to the almost influence of this â no no i â after hearing the very remembrance of the music which proceeded from the grand pipes was absolutely indifferent and yet the pipes on which he played were the meanest in appearance you could imagine and in point of size the smallest â ever saw it is singular however but no less true that we can scarcely name a celebrated irish whose pipes were not known to be small old looking greasy and by the and which indicate an indulgence in the habits of life many a distinguished have we heard but never at all any whom we could for a moment of comparing with unlike it mattered not when or where he played his notes were still the same for he possessed the power of utterly his whole spirit into his music and any body who looked upon his pale and intellectual countenance could perceive the shadows and lights of the irish heart over it with a change and rapidity which nothing but the soul of genius could command though comparatively unknown to any kind of fame but a local one was yet not unknown to himself in truth though modest humble and in his manners he possessed the true pride of genius for instance though willing to play in a respectable s house for the amusement of the he never could be prevailed on to play at thb irish a common dance and his reasons which i have often heard him urge were such as exhibit the spirit and intellect of the man â my music said he isn t for i iq feet or but for the ear an the heart you ll get oi foot but i m none of i wiu now give a brief sketch of the last evening i ever spent in his society and as some of his observations bore slightly upon scotch music they may probably be with the more interest by readers he was seated when i entered at the spacious hearth of a wealthy in the neighbourhood by large dean settles and an ample whose well reflected the dancing blaze of a huge turf fire the ruddy farmer and his comely wife were placed opposite him family of sons and daughters in a wide circle at a due distance whilst behind on the settles were the servant men and maids with several of the neighbours young and old some sitting on chairs and others leaning against the the tables and the meal within the brace depended large

49William Black

sides and of t bacon and dark of hung beef presenting altogether that of abundance which gives such a cheerful sense of solid comfort to the interior of a substantial farmer s house when i made my appearance in the kitchen he was putting a tobacco pipe into his mouth but held it back for a moment and i ought to know that foot after which he extended his hand and asked me by name how i did he then eat a while in silence â for was his habit â and having sucked his as they say he began to blow his and played when he had j it well i observed what a fine piece of martial music that is no no he replied shaking his head there s more tears than blood in it it s too sorrowful for war play it as you will it s not the thing to rise the heart but to sink it and but what do yon of the scotch ic would you have me to ill of my he replied with a smile sure they had it web even so they ve not made a bad use ol lt knows they haven t he replied the scotch airs o them â is the very breath of the heart itself even then i was much struck with the force of this sion but i was too young fully to perceive either its truth or beauty the conversation then became general and he ad himself with great to the who began to him on the subject of a second wife flow can dark men choose a wife mr god makes up in one sense what they want in another tb the ear tis the ear continued he witb apparent emotion that s what will never you i did not an it never will any body â no indeed p why how do you prove that ned it isn t the song continued ned no nor the laugh i them that could sing like angels and to all appearance were merry enough too a god forgive them there was little i ut in them after all it s the voice and natural if there s sweetness in that you may there s music in the heart it comes from so that as i said it s the ear that judges this from a man who had not his sight was indeed very characteristic and we believe that the observation contains a great deal of moral truth â at least was certainly of the same opinion now said he hadn t we have a dance and that i ll play all your so now trim your heels for a dance what s the world good for if we thk c after playing the old bard s exquisite air the myself among the rest joined in the dance the punch being then introduced a happy night was spent in chat music rich old legends and traditions principally furnished by himself who in addition to his many social and amusing qualities possessed in a high degree the and powers peculiar to the old irish such is a feeble and imperfect sketch of the irish a character whom his countrymen love and respect and in every instance treat with the kindness and cordiality due to a indeed the of ireland are as harmless and a class of persons as ever existed and there can be no greater proof of this than the very striking that in the criminal of the country the name of an irish or ac has scarcely if ever been known to appear frank thb foster brother there is scarcely a trait of human nature involved in more mystery or generally less understood than the singular strength of affection which the humble peasant of irish life to his foster brother and more especially if the latter be a person of rank or consideration this attachment though it may be to a certain extent is nevertheless very seldom known to be equal in strength between the parties experience has sufficiently proved to us that whilst instances of equality in feeling have been known to it the power of its spirit has always been found to exist in the person of the party how to account for this would certainly require a more philosophical acquaintance with human nature than has fallen to our lot we must therefore be content to know that the fact is precisely as we have stated it irish history and tradition furnish us with sufficient materials on which to ground clear and distinct that the of habit and in these instances that of natural affection itself it is very seldom that one brother will lay down his life for another and yet instances of such high and heroic sacrifices have occurred in the case of the foster brother whose affection has thus not â over death it is certainly impossible to this wild but attachment to the force of domestic feeling because whilst we maintain that the domestic affections in are certainly stronger than those of any other country in the world still instances of this thb inexplicable devotion have occurred in the persons of those in whom the domestic ties were known to be very feeble it is there are many moral in the human heart with which we are as yet but imperfectly acquainted and as they arise from some and irregular combination of its impulses that operate of any known principles of action it is not likely that we shall ever thoroughly understand them there is another peculiarity in irish feeling which as it is to this we cannot neglect to mention it we allude to the a term which we must explain at further length to our readers when the hospital was in existence the poor whom an unhappy destiny consigned to that gloomy and withering institution were to different parts of the country to be nursed by

49William Black

the wives of the lower classes of the â such as day and small farmers who cultivated from three to six or eight acres of land these children were generally indeed almost always called â a word which could be properly applied to such only as having no known parents were supported by the parish in which they happened to be bom it was transferred to the however although with the exception of the metropolis which certainly paid a parish tax for their maintenance they were principally supported by a very moral act of parliament which by the wise provision of a large grant held out a very liberal to at all events the epithet of was that usually fixed upon them now of all classes of our fellow creatures one might almost naturally suppose that those deserted and forsaken beings would be apt consigned as they uniformly were to the care of strangers to experience neglect ill treatment or even cruelty itself and yet honour be to the generous hearts and affectionate feelings of our humble people it has been proved by the authority of a appointed to and report on ihe working d the very hospital in that the care affection and tenderness with which these ill fitted creatures were treated by the nurses to whom they were given out were equal if not superior to those bestowed upon their own children even when removed firom these nurses to situations of more comfort â situations in which they were lodged fed and clothed in a superior manner â they have been known in instances to from masters and and return to their old preferring the in of their affection with poverty and distress to any thing else that life could offer all this however was very natural and reasonable for we know that even the domestic animal will love the hand that him but that which we have alluded to as the strong between it and the attachment of the foster brother is the well known fact that the affection of the children to the nurses though strong and remarkable was as nothing when compared with that which the nurses felt for them this was proved by a force of testimony which no could encounter the parting scenes between them were affecting and in many instances to the last degree nay nurses have frequently come to and with tears in their eyes and in accents of the most sorrow begged that the might be allowed to stay with them undertaking rather than part with them that they would support them at their own expense it would be very difficult to produce a more honourable testimony to the moral honesty generosity and exquisite kindness of heart which our people than the we have just mentioned they fell naturally in our way when treating of the subject that preceded them and we could not in justice to circumstances so beautiful and striking much less injustice to the people themselves pass them over in silence tub v tâ b brother g we shall now relate a short story the attachment of a foster brother but as we have reason to believe that the circumstances are true we shall introduce names instead of real ones the rebellion of ninety eight was just at its height when he are about to mention took place a gentleman named had a daughter remarkable for her beauty and accomplishments indeed so celebrated had she become that her health was always drunk as the toast of her native county many she had of course but among the rest two were remarkable for their attentions to her and an intense anxiety to secure her henry was a high as was her own father whose consent to gain the affections of his daughter had been long given to his yoimg friend the other a young named who m point of fact had already secured her affections was unfortunately deeply involved in or we should rather say an open leader on the side principles having become known to as a republican for some time before the breaking out of the h was in consequence forbidden the house and warned against holding communication with any member of his he had succeeded however before this by the of miss herself who was aware of his principles in placing as butler in her father s family his own foster brother frank â an arrangement which never would have been permitted had known of the peculiar bond of affection which between them of this however he was ignorant and in admitting into his he was not aware of the advantages he afforded to the of his daughter this however came too late for the purposes of prudence ere it was had exchanged f mutual affection but the national outbreak which immediately ensued by forcing to assume his place as an rent leader frank appeared to placed a barrier between him and her which was naturally considered to be in the mean time himself who was a local magistrate and also a captain of took an extremely active part in the and in hunting down and securing the nor was less zealous in following the footsteps of the man to whom he wished to recommend himself as his future son in law they acted together and so vigorous were the measures of the young that the other felt it necessary in some instances to check the of his loyalty this however was not known to the opposite party for as always seemed to act under the instructions of his friend so was it obviously enough inferred that every harsh aa t and wanton stretch of authority which he committed was either or suggested by the other the consequence was that became if possible more odious than who was looked upon as a rash hot headed whilst the was marked as a cool and old fox who had ten times the cunning and cruelty of the

49William Black

senseless he was managing in this it is unnecessary to say they were mistaken in the meantime the rebellion went forward ana many acts of were committed on both sides s house and family would have been attacked and most probably murder and ruin might have visited him and his were it not for the influence of with the twice did the latter succeed and on each occasion with great difficulty in preventing him and his household from falling victims to the vengeance of the was a man of great personal courage but apt â to the character and enterprise of those who were opposed to him indeed his prudence was by no means on a par with his bravery or zeal for he has often been vn to sally out at the head of a party in quest of his enemies and leave his own man thb foster brother and the lives of those who were in it exposed and on one of these excursions it was that he chanced to capture a small body of headed by an intimate friend and distant relative of s as the law at that unhappy period was necessarily quick in its operations we need scarcely say that having been taken openly armed against the king and the constitution they were tried and executed by the summary sentence of a court martial a deep and bloody vengeance was now sworn against him and his by the who for some time afterwards lay in wait for the purpose of in a spirit prompted by the character of the times s attachment to s daughter however had been long known and his previous interference on behalf of her father had successful on that account only now however the plan of attack was laid without his and that with the most solemn to every one concerned in it not to disclose their object to any human being not acquainted with it much less to who they calculated would once more take such steps as defeat th purpose these arrangements having been made matters were allowed to remain quiet for a little until should be off his guard for we must observe here that he had felt it necessary after the execution of the captured to keep his house strongly and resolutely defended the attack was therefore postponed until the apprehensions created by his recent activity should gradually wear away and his enemies might with less risk undertake the work of and destruction the night at length was appointed on which the attack must be made all the dark were arranged with a deliberation at which removed as we now are from the excitement of the times the very soul and gets sick a secret how frank ever communicated even under the most solemn to a great number stands a great chance of being no secret at all especially during civil war where so many interests of and marriage bind the opposing parties together in spite of the public principles under which they act miss s maid had a brother for instance who together with several of his friends and relatives being appointed to aid in the attack felt anxious that she should not be present on the night lest her acquaintance with them might be ultimately dangerous to the he accordingly sought an opportunity of seeing her and in earnest language urged her to absent herself from her master s house on the appointed night the was not much surprised at the of his hints for the truth was that no person man or woman possessing common sense could be ignorant of the state of the country or of the evil in which and and all those who were active on the part of the government were held she accordingly told him that she would follow his advice and spoke to him in terms so shrewd and significant that he deemed it useless to preserve further secrecy the plot was thus disclosed and the girl warned to leave the house both for her own sake and for that of those who were to their vengeance upon and his family the poor girl hoping that her master and the rest might fly from the impending danger communicated the circumstances to miss who forthwith communicated them to her father who again instead of flying took measures to collect about his premises during the early part of the dreaded night a large and well armed force from the next military station now it so happened that this girl whose name was had a leaning towards s foster brother her fellow servant who in plain language was her accepted lover if love will not itself in a case of danger it is good for nothing we need scarcely say that tub foster brother apprehensive of danger to her sweetheart confided the secret to him also in the early part of the day of the attack was especially when he heard from that had been kept in ignorance of the whole design for so her brother had told her in consequence of his attachment to her young mistress there was now no possible way of off such a calamity unless by communicating with and this as was a sound united he knew he could do without any particular danger he lost no time therefore in seeing him and we need scarcely say that his foster brother felt stunned and at the deed about to be without his knowledge then left him but ere he reached home the darkness had set in and on arriving he sought the kitchen and its comforts ignorant as were indeed most of the servants that the upper rooms and out houses were literally crammed with fierce and well armed soldiers matters were now coming to a crisis aware that there was little time to be lost collected a small party of his own immediate and personal not one of whom fi om their known attachment to

49William Black

him had been any more than himself admitted to a knowledge of the attack upon determined therefore to be beforehand with the others he and they met at an appointed place from whence they went quickly and with all possible secrecy to s house for the purpose not only of him of the fate to which he and his were doomed but also with an intention of him and all his family as far from his house as might be consistent with the safety of both parties our readers are of course prepared for the surprise and capture of honest and his friends of whose friendly intentions they are aware it is too true not expecting to find the house defended they were unprepared for an attack or sally and the was that in a few minutes too of them were shot and most of the among whom were hem son taken prisoners on the spot those who escaped to the other an account of the strength â which s house was defended and the latter instead of making an attempt to rescue their friends abandoned the meditated attack altogether and left and his party to their a fate that was and of their innocence were all in vain an party were expected to attack the house and of they came headed by himself who as said no doubt intended to spare none of them but his daughter and her only in order that she might become a rebel s wife too his rival in love and his foe in politics was on the court martial and what had he to expect death and nothing but the darkness of the night prevented his enemies from putting it into immediate execution upon him and hu companions maintained a dignified silence and upon seeing bis friends guarded from the hall where they were now assembled into a large barn he desired to be placed along with them â no said if you are a rebel ten times over you are a gentleman and must not herd with them and besides mr with great respect to you we shall place you in a much safer place in the highest room in a house unusually high we shall lodge you out of which if you escape we will say you are innocent man frank show him and those two soldiers up to the get him and leave him in their charge guard his door men for you shall held responsible for his appearance in the morning the men in obedience to these orders escorted him to the door outside of which was their station for the night when frank and he entered the the former gently shut the door and turning to his foster brother exclaimed in of deep distress but lowering his voice there is not a moment to be lost you must escape thb foster that replied unless i had wings and could use them â we must try returned frank we can only fail â at the most they can only take your life and that they will do at all events i know that said and i am prepared for it hear me said the other i will come up by and bye with refreshment say in about half an hour be you stripped when i come we are both of a size and as these fellows don t know either of us very well i wouldn t say but you may go out in my clothes i ll hear nothing he added seeing about to speak i m here too long and these fellows might be n to suspect something be prepared when i come good bye mr he said aloud as he opened the door in and conscience i m sorry to see you here but that s the consequence of rebel against king george an glory to h ia â soon an sudden he added in an under tone in about half an hour i ll bring you up some supper sir keep a sharp eye on him he whispered to the two soldiers giving them at the same time a knowing and confidential wink these same is like an will slip as easily through your fingers â the devil s one have in there and as he spoke he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb to the door of the much about the time he had promised to return a crash was heard upon the stairs and s voice in a high key exclaiming the curse o on ye for stairs an hell presume all the in europe i pray heavens this night i there s my nose broke between all he then stooped down and in a torrent of bitter â all conveyed however in mock oaths â he collected and placed again upon the tray on which they had been all they materials for s supper he then ascended and on presenting himself at the prisoner s door the blood was streaming from frank his nose the soldiers â who by the way were â on seeing him could not avoid laughing at his aj â a circumstance which seemed to him a good deal may laugh i he exclaimed but td a ive shed more blood for his majesty this night than either of you ever did in all your lives may hell all any how this only heightened then mirth in the midst of which he entered s room and ere the action could be deemed possible they had exchanged clothes now said he fly behind the garden miss is for you she knows all take the bridle road through the broad an get into captain s take my advice too an go both of you to america if you can but easy god forgive me for you by the nose instead of the hand an me may never see you more the poor fellow s voice became unsteady with emotion

49William Black

although the smile at his own humour was upon his face at the time as i came m with a bloody nose he proceeded giving that of a fresh pull you know you must go out with one an now god s be about you i think of one who loved you as none else did the next morning there was uproar tumult and confusion in the house of the old magistrate when it was that his daughter and the butler were not but when on examining the it was ascertained that was safe and gone no language can describe the rage and fury of and the military in general our readers may anticipate what occurred the fellow was brought to the drum head tried and to be shot where he stood but ere the sentence was put into execution addressed him now said tub brother he i will get you off if you tell us where and my daughter are i pledge my honour that tu save your life and get you a free pardon if you enable us to trace and recover them i don t know where they are he replied but even if i did i would not betray them think of what has been said to you added i give you my pledge also to the same effect mr he replied i have but one word to say when i did what i did i knew very well that my life would go for his an i know that if he had thought so he would be now in my place put your sentence into execution i m prepared take five minutes said give him up and live mr said he with a decision and energy which startled them all i am his foster brother this was felt to be he stood at the appointed place calm and and at the first discharge fell dead thus passed a spirit worthy of a place in a brighter page than that of our humble and which if the writer of this lives shall be more recorded finding that the cause was becoming hopeless escaped after two or three other unsuccessful engagements to america by the of his young wife old died in a few years afterwards but he survived his resentment for he succeeded in the then government to his son in law who returned to ireland and it was found by his will much to the mortification of many of his relatives that he had left the bulk of his property to mrs who had always been his favourite child and whose attachment to he had himself originally encouraged there are two records more connected with this transaction with which we shall close in a northern newspaper dated some years there occurs the following â affair of honour â fatal â yesterday art the early hour of five o clock a was fought between a esq and j esq of the former of whom we regret to say fell by the second fire we hope the words attributed to one of the parties are not correctly reported â the blood of frank is now the other record is to be found in the churchyard of â ii here there is a handsome monument erected with the following inscription â j to tj e oc death presented an instance of the greatest of which human is capable â that of laying down his life for his friend this monument is erected to his memory bj james his friend and foster brother to more unworthy life he nobly hi own tom the irish the state of irish society has changed so rapidly within the last thirty or forty years that scarcely any one could believe it possible for the present generation to be looked upon in many things as the descendants of that which has gone before it the old bearings of society which were upon the ancient of our country now hang like tattered over the of customs and which sleep beneath them and unless rescued from the hand of time scarcely a of them will be left even to tradition itself that many gross have been by a social condition more enlightened and healthy is a fact which must gratify every one who wishes to see the general masses by those principles which follow in the train of knowledge and civilization but at the same time it is that the which accompanied those old of harmless ignorance has departed along with them and in spite of education and science we miss the old familiar individuals who stood forth as the representatives of manners whose very memory touches the heart and affections more strongly than the hard of but more truths for our own part we have always loved the rich and ruddy twilight of the hearth where the capricious tongues light shoot out from between the turf and dance in vivid reflection in the well and as they stand neatly arranged on the kitchen â loved did we say ay and ever pre i tom it to philosophy with all her light and fashion with all her and for this reason it is that whilst as it were the steps of our early life and bringing back to our memory the acquaintances of our youthful days we feel our heart touched with melancholy and sorrow because we know that it is like taking our last farewell of old friends whom we shall never see again from whom we never experienced any thing but kindness and whose time touched faces were never turned upon us but with pleasure and amusement and affection in this paper it is not with the whose name and are associated with high and historical dignity that we have any thing to do our sketches do not go very far beyond the manners of our own times by which we mean that we paint or record nothing that is not remembered and known

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by those who are now living the we speak of is the dim and diminished reflection of him who filled a distinct calling in a period that has long gone by the regular â the herald and historian of individual families the faithful of his long descended patron â has not been in existence for at least a century and a half perhaps two he with whom we have to do is the humble old man who feeling himself gifted with a strong memory for history old family and lore in general passes a happy life in going from family to family comfortably dressed and much dropping in of a saturday night without any previous notice bringing eager curiosity and delight to the of the house he visits and filling the ears of the old with tales and legends in which perhaps individuals of their own name and blood have in former ages been known to take a remarkable and conspicuous part indeed ere is no country in the world where from the peculiar features of iu social and political changes the of the would be more likely to produce such a thk irish effect as in ireland when we consider that it was once a of princes and chiefs each of whom was followed aud looked up to with such a spirit of enthusiasm and devoted attachment as might be naturally expected from a people remarkable for the force of their affection and their power of imagination it is not surprising that the man who in a state of society which presented to the minds of so many nothing but the records of greatness or the decay of powerful names and the of rude grandeur together with the ruin of and the of religious institutions each invested with some local or national interest â it is not surprising we say that such a man should be welcomed and listened to and honoured with a feeling far surpassing that which was awakened by the idle of a or the gorgeous dreams by fiction neither the transition of society however nor the scanty of knowledge among the irish allowed the to produce any permanent impression upon the and the consequence was that as the changes of society hurried on he and his audience were carried along with them his lore was lost in the ignorance which ever arises when a ban has been placed upon education and from the recital of the high deeds and heroic of by gone days he sank down into the humble of legends and dim traditions for such only has he been within the memory of the oldest man living and as such only do we intend to present him to our readers the most accomplished of this kind that ever came within our observation was a man called tom or tom the he was a very stout well built man about years of age with a round head somewhat bald and an forehead that argued a considerable reach of natural intellect his knowing organs were large and projected over a pair of deep set lively eyes that with tom strong of humour his voice was loud im rapid but distinct and such was the force and of his spirits added to the vehemence of his manner that altogether it was impossible to resist him his laughter was and so loud that it might be heard of a calm summer evening at an distance indeed tom possessed many qualities that rendered him a most agreeable companion he could sing a good song for instance dance a as well as any dancing master and we need not say that he could tell a good story he could also imitate a jew s harp or upon his lips with his mere fingers in such a manner that the deception was complete and it was well known that flocks of the country people used to crowd about him for the purpose of hearing his performance upon the ivy leaf which he played upon by putting it in his mouth and uttering a most melodious whistle altogether he was a man of great natural powers and possessed such a memory as the writer oâ this never knew any other human being to be gifted with he not only remembered every thing he saw or was concerned in but every thing he heard also his language when he spoke irish was clear and sometimes eloquent but when he had recourse to the english although his remained yet it was the of a man who made an use of a which he did not understand his on this account was highly ludicrous and amusing and his wit and humour original and pointed he had never received any education and was consequently completely yet he could repeat every word of s irish sermons s think well on t the seven of and the substance of s and kill s all by heart many a time have we seen read as he used to call it one of dr s sermons out of the skirt of his big coat a feat was looked upon with twice the n it would have thb irish produced had he merely said that he repeated it to read it out of the skirt of his coat i heavens how we used to look on with awe and veneration as tom in a loud rapid voice â it out of him for such was the term we gave to his recital of it his learning however was not confined to mere english and irish for tom was also classical in his way and for want of a better substitute it was said could serve mass which must always be done in latin certain it was that he could repeat the de and the dies ir bj in that language we need scarcely add that in these learned he dealt largely in false quantities and took a course for himself

49William Black

altogether independent of and this however was no argument against his natural talents or the surprising force of his memory tom was also an easy and happy both in prose and poetry his invention was indeed remarkably fertile but his genius knew no between and satire he either lashed his friends for the deuce an enemy he had with rude and fearful attacks of th latter or gave them as pope did to every virtue under heaven and indeed a good many more than ever were heard of beyond his own system of philosophy and morals tom was a great person for attending wakes and where he was always a busy man comforting the afflicted relatives with many learned repeating or spiritual songs together with the de or dies over the corpse directing even the domestic concerns paying attention to strangers looking after the pipes and tobacco and in making himself not only generally useful but essentially necessary to them by his happiness of manner the cordiality of his sympathy and his humour at one time you might see him engaged in leading a for the repose of the soul of the departed or singing the of a religious song to the company â and this tom duty being over he would commence a series of comic tales and anecdotes which he with an ease and spirit that the best of us all might envy the irish heart passes rapidly fix m the depths of pathos to the extremes oi humour and as a proof of this we can assure our readers that we have seen the nearest and most afflicted relatives of the deceased carried away by laughter at the broad grotesque and ludicrous farce of his it was here also that he shone in a character of which he was very proud the possession of which he was looked up to with great respect by the people we mean that of a or as it is termed an of scripture for when a man in the country parts of ireland wins local fame as a he is seldom mentioned in any other way than as a great of scripture to argue scripture well therefore means the power of one s in a religious contest many of this kind passed between tom and his in most of all of which he was successful his memory was his wit prompt and and his humour either broad or sarcastic as he found it convenient to apply it in these he spared neither logic nor learning where an english quotation failed he threw in one of irish and where that was understood he posed them with a latin one closing the quotation by desiring them to give a translation of it if this too were accomplished he rattled out the five or six first verses of john in greek which some one had taught him and as this was generally beyond their reading it usually closed the discussion in his favour without doubt he possessed a mind of great natural and power and as these were principally conducted in wake houses it is almost needless to say that the wake at which they expected him was uniformly a crowded one tom had a good voice and used to sing the â id irish the irish songs of our country with singular pathos and effect he sang the red haired man s wife and na with a feeling that early impressed itself upon our heart indeed we think that his sweet but voice still rings in our ears and whilst we remember the tears which the enthusiasm of sorrow brought down his cheeks and the quivering pause in the fine old melody which marked what he felt we cannot help acknowledging that the memory of these things is mournful and that the hearts of many in spite of new systems of education and poor houses will after the homely but touching traits which marked the harmless and the times in which he lived but now all these innocent fireside are gone and we will never more have our hearts made glad by the mirth and rich good humour of the nor ever again pay the tribute of our tears to his pathetic songs of sorrow nor feel our hearts softened at the ideal miseries of tale or legend as they proceed in mournful from his lips alas alas i knowledge may be power but it is not happiness such is we fear an imperfect outline of tom s life it was one of ease and comfort without a care to disturb him or a passion that was not by the simple but virtuous integrity of his heart his wishes were few and innocently and easily gratified the great delight of his soul was not that he should experience kindness at the hands of others but that he should communicate to them in the simple vanity of his heart that degree of amusement and instruction and knowledge which made them look upon him as a wonderful man gifted with rare for in what light was not that man to be looked upon who could trace the old names up to times when they were great who could climb a tree to the top branch who could tell all the old irish tales and legends of the country and beat the horse tom who had the whole bible bj heart at arguing scripture harmless ambition i humble as it was and limited in compass to thee it was all in all and yet thou happy in feeling that it was gratified this little boon was all thou ask of life and it was kindly granted thee the last night we ever had the pleasure of being amused by tom was at a wake m the neighbourhood for it somehow happened that there was seldom either wake or dance within two or three miles of us that we did not attend and god forgive us i

49William Black

when old was on her death bed the only care that troubled us was an apprehension that she might recover and us of a right merry wake i upon the occasion wc allude to it being known that tom would be present of course the house was crowded and when he did come and his loud good humoured voice was heard at the door heavens how every young heart bounded with glee and delight the first thing he did on entering was to go where the corpse was laid out and in a loud rapid voice repeat the de for the repose of her after which he sat do and smoked a pipe oh well do we remember how the whole house was hushed for all was expectation and interest as to what he would do or say at length he â is frank there all that s left o me s here tom an if the sweep general had his due frank that wouldn t be much and so the longer you can keep him out of that same the for yourself folly on tom you know there s none of us all able to up to say what you will it s not so when you re beside a girl frank but sure that s not you were bom with in your mouth an that s what makes your to the fair be so soft in ha ha ha well frank never mind there s worse where you ll go to keep your own counsel last irish let s salt your an you ll do yet boys tm goin to a an that frank an i will pick a couple o dozen out o to box the the is a play or diversion peculiar to wakes it is in its character but full besides of comic sentiment and humour he then commenced an irish or song the substance of which was as follows according to his own translation st it seems was one sunday morning crossing a mountain on his way to chapel to say mass and as he was an humble man weren t then invented at any rate an a great he took the shortest cut across the mountains in one of the lonely he met a herd who spent his time in his s cattle to the of them times which was not by any means so an as now the countenance of the day was clear an extremely every thing was at rest the little river before him an indeed one would think it flowed on more decency an than upon other occasions the birds to be sure were sin n but it was easy to see that they out their best notes in honour of the day good morrow on you said st what s the you re not goin to prayers my fine little fellow what s prayers the boy st looked at him with a very pitiful and expression in his face can you bless yourself said he no said the boy i don t know what it means worse and worse thought st poor it isn t your fault an how do you pass your time here why my mate food s brought to me an i do be kings crowns out of my rushes i m not watching the cows and sheep tom ib st down his head great an said well you do be kings crowns but i tell you you re bom to wear a greater one nor a king s an that is crown of glory come along me i can t lave my cattle said the other for they might go astray enough st â but i ll let you see that they won t now any how st understood cattle irresistible himself been a herd boy in his youth so he clapped his thumb to his an gave the a to the sheep an you they came about him great an respect keep yourselves sober and he them till this boy comes back an don t go your owner s property or if you do be worse for if you regard your health the season mind an attend to my words the rot this year s likely to be i can tell now you see every sheep while he was the right fore leg an the head a little an when he finished they kissed their foot an made him a low bow as a of their estimation an he thin clapped his finger an thumb in his mouth gave a loud whistle an in a time he had all the other on the hill about him to which he addressed the an they bowed to him the same polite he then brought the lad along him an as they made progress in the journey the little fellow says you seem by the walk an if you let me carry your bundle i ll feel obliged to you â â do so said the saint an as it s rather long throw the the bag that the things are in over your shoulder â find it the way to carry it well the boy adopted this an they went along till they reached the chapel tub irish do you see that house said st i do said the other it has no chimney on it no said the saint it has not but in that house christ he that saved you will be present to day an the boy thin shed tears he thought of the goodness of christ in saving one that was a stranger to him so they entered tlie chapel an the first thing the lad was struck with was the beams of the sun that came in through the windy beside the altar now he had never seen the like of it in a house before an it was put there for some use or other in the he threw

49William Black

the which was like a saddle bag across the an loan you the supported it an at the same time a loud sweet voice was heard saying this is my st an he s welcome to the house of st then took him an instructed him in the various of the languages until he became one of the greatest saints that ever ireland saw with the exception and of st himself such is a faint outline of the tone and manner peculiar to the of tom indeed it has frequently surprised not only us but all who knew him to think how and where and when he got together such an incredible number of hard and difficult words be this as it may one thing was perfectly clear that they cost him little trouble and no study in their application his pride was to speak as aa possible and of course he ned that the most successful method of doing this was to use as many expressions as he could crowd into his language without any regard whatsoever as to their propriety immediately the of this legend he passed at once into a different spirit he and frank their forces and in a few minutes two or three dozen young fellows were hotly engaged in the humorous game of the the tom followed by the standing and the two other sports practised only at wakes and here we may remark generally that the amusements resorted to on such occasions are never to be found elsewhere but are peculiar to the house of mourning where thej are introduced for the purpose of sorrow having gone through a few more such sports tom took a seat and addressed a neighbouring named as follows â jack do you know the history of your own name and its original p indeed no tom i cannot say i do well boys if your noise a little tu tell the of the name of it s only about ould whose tongue is on the look out for a drop of ever since he went to the lower story â ee the following legend the castle of or a legend of by tou thb the hum of general now gradually subsided into silence and every face assumed an expression of and interest with the exception of who was rather deaf and blind george m so called because he wanted an eye both of whom in high and tones carried on an angry discussion touching a small that had gone against in the court of which george was a kind of rustic attorney an outburst of impatient rebuke was immediately poured upon them from fifty voices ye pair of devil s limbs an tom goin to tell us a your bowl s as crooked as your lame leg you sinner an as for blind george if ud save a man he d escape the devil yet to an be quiet till we hear the story ay tom says that when the blind leads the blind both fall into the ditch but god help the lame that have blind george t lead them we may easily guess he d guide them to especially such a poor innocent as there this as it waa not intended to give offence so was it received by the parties to whom it was addressed with laughter and good humour â silence boys said tom â i ll take a of the pipe till i put my mind in a proper state of for what i was goin to ca of or he then smoked on for a few minutes his eyes complacently but closed and his whole ce composed into the philosophic spirit of a man who knew and felt his own superiority as well as what was expected fix m him when he had sufficiently arranged the materials in his mind he took the pipe out of his mouth rubbed the end of it against the of his coat then handed it to his next neighbour and given a short preparatory cough thus commenced his legend â you must know that charles the first happened to miss his head one day lost it while a game of heads an points with the scotch that a man called or was sent over to ireland a parcel of an english to the irish an as many of the as had been friends to the late king who were called now it appears by many learned that had in his army a man named or the of a fellow who was as as as as a fox an as gross as the swine he was named there is no doubt of it was as a hand at a town or castle aa ever went about it but then any town that didn t at discretion was sure to experience little at his hands an whenever he was bent on wickedness he was sure to say his prayers at the commencement of every siege or battle â that is that he intended to no in â for he d get a book an it at the head of his army he d cry my brethren let us praise god by till sing or a an god help the man woman or child that came before him that well an good it so happened that a of his singers were despatched by him from where he stopped to assistance to a party of his army that o was down near an on their way they happened to take up their for the night at the mill of now a legend of the brown ve all men in the creation who should be appointed to lead this same but the of go off you said when his instructions to him but be sure that whenever you meet a fat on the way to pay your respects to him as a christian ought says he an above all things

49William Black

my dear brother neglect your otherwise our arms can t prosper and be sure says he with a pious smile that if they opposition you will make them anyhow either in purse or person or if they provoke the grace of take a little from them in both an so the lord s name be praised sang a of for bein elected by his commander to a holy office set out on his march an the next night he an his choir slept in the mill of as i said now had in this same of his a long legged named sandy which name he got by way of for his charity for it appears by the historical that sandy was perpetually about affection an love an what more than anything else was that while this same sandy had the persuasion to make every one believe that he thought of nothing else he shot more people than any ten men in the he was indeed what they call a dead shot for no one ever knew him to miss any thing he fired at he had a that would throw point blank an english mile an if he only saw a man s nose at that distance he used to say that with aid from above he could blow it for him with a leaden that he could blow it off his face a and so by all associations he could for indeed the â i its he performed were very an now it so happened that at this period there lived in the castle a fine ould named or tub of or as they are often had but one child a daughter whose beauty an r an near over the country an who had her health drunk as the â t of ireland by the lord lieutenant in the castle of the sympathetic of of it was her son that afterwards ran through the estate and was forced to part the castle an it s to him the proverb which ould john that the castle of that bears no to the story so what could you have of it but who had heard of the other s wealth and the daughter s beauty took a holy both an as usual said his prayers and sung a he determined for to clap his thumb upon the father s money that the daughter would be the more to folly it in other words he made up his mind to sack the castle carry off the daughter an marry her rather he said through a sincere wish to bring her into a state of grace by a union with a god man whose walk he trusted was ward than from any cardinal for her wealth or beauty he accordingly sent up a file of the most pious men he had picked with good voices and strong noses to request that john would give them possession of the castle for a time an afterwards join them at prayers as a proof that he was no but a friend to and the now you see the best of it was that the very man they demanded this from was by the people as jack in consequence of the great of his courage an besides he was known to be a member of the hell fire club that no person could join that hadn t fought three killed at least one man and in to show that they regarded neither god nor hell they were to dip one hand in blood an â legend of the brown the other in fire before they could be made members of the club it s to see then that was not likely before a handful of the very men he hated all the in his power an he accordingly put his head out of the windy an them their for being there about your business he said i owe you no regard what brings you before the castle of a man who you don t think to me you for you can t my castle s well provided men an an food an if you don t be off i ll make you sing a different tune from a one he did plump to them out of the windy when s men returned to in the mill they related what had place and he said that prayers he d a second message in an if it wasn t to they d put their trust in god an storm the castle the he commanded was not a numerous one an as they had no an were surrounded by enemies the of the castle which was a strong one might cost them some at all events was bent on the attempt especially he heard that the castle was well an indeed he was joined by his men who licked their lips on of such glad was a v headed man without much or deliberation otherwise he might have known that the bare of the beef and mutton in his castle was only fit to make such a hungry pack desperate but be that as it may in a short time wrote him a letter of him in the name of an the to the castle or if not that ould as he was he would make him as as a two year ould it threw the letter back to the messengers a recommendation to regarding it but whether the q thb ib ov au or was followed up and acted on ii soon as he wished historical do not on their return the military to commander the reception they a second time from an he then resolved to lay regular siege to the but as he knew he could not take it by ie determined as thej say to starve the garrison and by degrees but first an foremost a thought strode him an he immediately called sandy behind the

49William Black

mill which he had now turned into a pulpit the purpose of the word an to his men sandy he are you in a state of justification to day towards noon replied sandy i had some strong with the enemy but i am able under praise to say that i him in three attacks and i consequently feel my much i had some wholesome with the miller s a comely who may yet be recovered from the world and led out of the darkness of by a word in well sandy replied the other i lave her to your own instructions there is another poor maiden who is also comely up in the castle of that sinner who to the club an indeed sandy until somehow removed i think there is little hope of her like a brand from the burning he sandy in the face as he spoke an thin cast an glance at the that was as as to say can you an sandy a reply an up the gun rubbed the barrel an patted it as a ud pat the neck of his horse or dog reference for the villain to either one or the other if it was known sandy it would her heart against me an as he is hopeless at all event a member of that club â â â le of thb brown go t said sandy but you lave the miller s daughter to me i said so well if his removal will give you any in the you may say no more i could not sandy justify it to myself to take him away by pen violence for you know that bear a conscience if any thing too an also i wish sandy to an reputation for humanity an besides the daughter might become as as the father if she suspected me to be personally in it i have heard a good deal about him an am sensibly informed that he has been shot at twice before by the sons it is thought of an enemy that he himself killed rather significantly in a very well sandy i would myself feel scruples but as both our is touched in the business i think i am justified indeed captain it is very likely au that we are but mere instruments in it an that it is through us that this ould sinner is to be removed by a more judgment neighbours a rascal s bent on wickedness it to find enough to back him in his and so was it sandy and that ould was shot through the head in the windy of his own castle an to the suspicion of such an act from s men himself went up the next day very politely to have a explanation squire that he had harsh orders but that if the castle was delivered to him he would for the sake of the young lady see that no injury should be offered either to her or her father the young lady however had the high drop in her and â the only answer he got was a flag of defiance this the an he found there was else for it thb ca of l ut to place a guard about the castle to keep all that was in in â and all that was out out in the meantime the very appearance of the in the neighbourhood struck such terror into the people thai the country which was then only very inhabited became quite an for miles about the oe of a bein couldn t be seen their own as they were s was always a bloody one an the people knew that they were in putting the hills and mountain between him and them the miller and his daughter bein encouraged by sandy staid principally for the sake of miss but except them there was not a man or woman in the to bid good morrow to or say on the of the third day who knew his extremely well and had sent down a messenger to to see whether matters were so bad as they had been reported was delighted to hear that o had disappeared from the neighbourhood he immediately informed of this an him that he had laid siege to one of the passes of the north an that by possession of the two castles of and he could keep o in check an command that part of the approved of this an him to proceed but was sorry that he could send him no assistance at present however said lie a good cause sharp swords an aid from above there is no fear of us they now set themselves to take the castle in an sandy one another an not a day passed that some one wasn t dropped in it as soon as every a face appeared pop went the deadly an down fell the corpse of whoever it was aimed at miss herself was spared for good reasons but in the of ten or twelve days she was nearly alone ould though a man that feared nothing was only guilty of a profound when a of the brown goat he reported the strength of the castle and the state of the provisions to an his crew but above all things that which their was the want of there was none in the castle an although there is a beautiful well beside it y t it was of small responsibility to here thin was the poor young lady placed at the of her father s for however she might have doubted in the begin that he was shot by the yet the death of nearly all the servants of the house in the same way was a sufficient proof that it was like like man in this case what however was to be done the whole garrison now consisted only of miss herself a fat man cook advanced

49William Black

in years who danced in his distress in that he might his own perspiration and a little orphan boy that she her it was a hard case an yet god bless her she held out like a man it s an ould that there s no up the tongue of fame an it s also a true one the account of the siege had gone lar an near in the an none of the irish no matter what they were who ever heard it but sorry sandy was now the devil an all as there was no more in the castle to shoot he should find something to his hand upon for instance he practised upon three or four of s friends who one pretence or other were seen about the castle an none of their relations come to take away their bodies in to bury them at length things came to that pass that poor miss was at the last gasp for something to drink she had out as well as she could a drop of moisture here and there in the damp comers of the castle but now all that was gone the fat cook had sucked himself to death an the little orphan boy died calmly away a few hours him the helpless lady with a tongue swelled and an a mouth an burned for want of drink still the blood of the thb of or was in her an yield she would not to the villain that left her as she was then was the of her to be on the to catch if possible a little of the dew of heaven she surprised to see something flung up that rolled down towards her feet she lifted it an on the contents found it to be a stone covered a piece of brown paper inside of which was a slip of white the words endure â relief is near you but poor young lady of what could these be to one in her situation â she could hardly see to read them her brain was dizzy her mouth like a her tongue swelled an black an her breath felt as hot as a she could barely an was in the very act of down the triumphant air of heaven to die when she heard the shrill voice of a young kid in the castle yard and remembered that a brown goat which her lover a gentleman named had when it was a kid made her a present of remained in the castle about the stable the whole she instantly made her way slowly down stairs got a bowl and the goat she a little of the milk which i need not at once relieved her by this means she recovered an no further anticipation from she resolved like a to keep the out an to wait till either god or man might lend her a hand now you must know that the miller s daughter had also a sweetheart called or an humble branch of the great of an this same was servant an foster brother to the intended husband of miss who lived some miles off on the condition of the castle gathered together all the far an near and as was honestly hated by both an â you see himself promised to send a few of his followers to the rescue in the meantime dressed l nd of tub goat himself up like a fool or idiot an the of the s daughter who in great style was allowed to about and joke the but especially he took a fancy to sandy and him to put one stone out of five in one of the port holes of the castle at a match of finger stone sandy who was nearly as at that as the was rather relaxed when he saw that could at least put in every fifth stone and that he himself could hardly put one in out of twenty well at all events it was their sport that fool as they called him contrived to fling the scrap of i spoke of across the at all chances for he to go to the castle he up his life as lost but he didn t care for that in case he was able to save either his foster brother or miss but this is not at all indispensable for it is well known that many a foster brother sacrificed his life the same way and in cases of great danger when the real brother would beg to decline the compliment â things were now in a very state entirely heard that relief to the castle an what to do he did not know there was little time to be lost however an something must be done he twice a day from the mill an sang for grace to be directed in his righteous intentions but as yet he derived no particular â com either sandy appeared to have got a more of grace nor his captain tor he succeeded at last in the miller s daughter to sit the word at her s fool as they called had now become a great favourite the an as he proved to be quite harmless and they let him run about the place opposition the castle to be sure was still guarded but miss kept her heart up in consequence of the note for she hoped every day to get relief from her friends now that the castle of au or the miller s daughter was more serious tlie of formed a plan that he thought might enable him to the castle an bear off the an the money this was to strive very delicate meditation to prevail on the miller s daughter through the renown that he thought sandy had over her to open a miss for he knew that if one of the gates was unlocked an the girl let in the whole

49William Black

would soon be in her now this plan was the more dangerous to miss because the miller s daughter had intended to bring about the very same for a different purpose her friends an her enemies it was clear the poor lady had little chance an it was s intention the moment he had her an the money to make his escape lave the castle to might choose to take it things however were to take a different t the of was to be in the of his own an to be in his own premises well the plot was mentioned to sandy who was promised a good sketch of the an as it was the very thing he about night an day he snapped at it as a hungry dog would at a sheep s that night the miller s daughter â whose name i may as well say was the girl an the sweetest singer that ever wag in the country â was to go to the castle an tell miss that the all gone killed an his whole army to this was a different plan from poor s who now saw clearly what they were at but never heed a woman for bein witty when hard pushed i don t like to do it she for it looks like as my father has left the neighbourhood and i don t know where he is gone to an you know s in either or woman still sandy it goes hard for me to a of the brown goat refuse one that i â i well i wish i knew where my is â would like to know what he d think of it hut said sandy where s the use of such scruples in a good cause â when we get the money we ll fly it is principally for the sake of you an her from the darkness of that we do it indeed my conscience would not rest well if i let a soul an body like yours remain a prey to my well said she doesn t the captain this he does my beloved an with a a few verses from the song of solomon it s then said she to sit under the word an perhaps some light may be given to us this delighted s heart who now looked upon pretty as his own indeed he was obliged to go gradually and cautiously to work for cruel though was sandy knew that if any violent act of that kind should him the guilty party would sup sorrow well to this pious arrangement assembled all his men who were not on duty about the in which he stood as usual an had commenced a powerful the of which was devoted to he dwelt upon the happiness of religious love said that scruples were often suggested by satan an that a heavenly duty was but when put in an earthly one he also made to the old squire that was by sandy said it was often a judgment for the wicked man to die in his sins an was on great eloquence an when a low noise heard an up his clenched hands an his teeth shouted out hell and d â n til be ground to death the mill s goin i i m gone â faith it was true enough â she had been set a goin by some one an before they had time to stop her k thb ov ob tiie of had the feet and legs twisted off him their eyes â a fair illustration of his own doctrine that it is often a judgment for the wicked man to die in his sins â when the mill was stopped he was pulled out but didn t live twenty minutes in the loss of blood time was they ran up a shell of a coffin and tumbled it into a pit that was hastily dug for it on the mill common this however by no manner of relieved poor from her difficulty for now finding himself first in command determined not to lose a moment in his plan upon the castle you see he a way is opened for us that wc didn t expect an let us not dose our eyes to the light that has been given lest it might be suddenly taken from us again in this instance i suspect that fool has been made the chosen instrument for it appears upon inquiry that he too has disappeared however heaven s will be done we will have the more to ourselves my beloved â it is now dark he proceeded so i shall go an take my usual smoke at the mill window an in about a of an hour til be ready but i m all in a tremor after a frightful accident replied an i want to get a few minutes quiet before we engage upon our this was very natural and accordingly took hia u seat at a little windy in the of the that faced the s house an firom the way the bench was ho was obliged to with his face exactly towards the same there we leave him upon his own till we folly or f h as they called him who all that was done and that no time was to be lost gate all over as ruined unless be acted on a of thb brown quickly at once had thought of the mill a goin l ut kept the plan to himself any farther than her not to be surprised at any thing she might see he then told her to steal him a gun but if possible to let it be s as he knew it could be depended on â but i hope you won t shed any blood if you can avoid it said she that i don t like tut replied to the question it

49William Black

s good to have it about me for my own defence he could have shot either or in daylight but not without certain death to himself as he knew that escape was impossible besides time was not before so upon them an every day relief was expected now however that relief was so near â for with a party of an s men must be within a couple of hours journey â it would be too entirely to see the castle and the lady carried off by such a long legged as at great risk took an opportunity of his gun to who was the shot of the day in that or any other part of the country and it was in consequence of this that he was called or sharp eye but indeed all the were famous shots an i m there s one of them now in that could hit a pigeon s egg or a silver sixpence at the distance of a hundred yards did not merely raise the when he set the mill a goin but he whipped it out altogether an threw it into the dam so that the possibility of saving the of was he made off however an threw himself among the tall that grew upon the common till it got dark when as was his custom should take his smoke at the windy here he sat for some period over many before he lit his pipe as he called it â the celebrated the first shot of d i was at tliis time living in m rub of â now said he to himself â there to me from away or rather from sure of the grand instead of the miller s if i get the castle it can l e soon effected for if she has regard for her reputation he will be quiet i m a handsome lad enough a high in the cheek bones in the skin an d a trifle but stout an an tough as a but aj ain what is to be done wi hut she s but a miller s an may be disposed of if she gets troublesome i know she s fond of me but i blame her for that however it become me now to entertain scruples that the way is made so plain for me but save us eh that was an awful death an very like a judgment on the of it is often a judgment for the wicked to die in their sins that whatever he intended to say further cannot be by man for just as he had uttered the last word which he did while holding the candle to his pipe the bullet of own gun entered between his eyes and the next moment he was a corpse the name he got for truer did never bullet go to the mark from s own aim than it did firom his there is now little more to be to my story before day break the next came to the of his intended wife s party were surprised taken an cut to pieces an it so happened that from that day to this the of a to him was never seen near the mill or castle of with one exception only and that was this you all know that the mill is often heard to go at night when nobody sets her a goin an that the most of torture come out of the an that when any one has the courage to look in they re sure to see a man dressed like a with a white face in the act so to say of his legs ground off him many a guess was made about who the spirit could be but all to no purpose there a legend of brown however is the truth for the spirit that shrieks in the is s ghost an he s to be ground that till the day of judgment be and miss were married as war du an an if they all lived long an happy i wish we may all live ten times longer an happier an so we will but in a world than this god well but tom said how does that account my name which you said you d tell me right said tom i was near forget tin it why you see was their veneration for the goat that was the god of miss life that they changed the name of to which in irish or a brown goat that all their posterity might know the great obligations they lay to that reverend animal an do you mane to tell me said that my name was never heard of until s time i do never in the wide an earth was a name known till the i you an it never would either only for the goat sure i can prove it by the will you give us another draw o the pipe tom s authority in these matters was and besides there was no one present learned enough to diet him with any chance of success before such an audience the argument was consequently without further discussion decided in his favour and was silenced touching the origin and of his own name m thb irish prophecy the individual to whom the heading of this article is applied stands among the lower classes of his countrymen in a light and position from any of those characters that we have already described to our readers the intercourse which they maintain â the people is one that simply the means of for themselves by the exercise of their professional skill and their powers of to the lighter and more harmless amusements of their fellow countrymen all the influences they possess as arising from the hold which the peculiar nature of this intercourse gives them generally individuals only on those minor points of feeling that act upon the

49William Black

lighter phases of domestic life they bring little to beyond the mere that are to the general modes of life and manners and consequently receive themselves as strong an impulse from those with whom they mingle as they communicate to them in return now the prophecy man presents a character â ir from all this with the ordinary habits of life he has little sympathy the amusements of the people are to am little else than vanity if not something worse he that class of men who live and think only for the present without once performing their duties to posterity by looking into those events he in the of domestic joys or â s do wh in tke least him because the thb irish man man not to do with feelings or emotions but with principles the speculations in which he and by which his whole life and conduct are regulated place him far the usual impulses of humanity he cares not much who been married or who has died for his mind is in point of time with generations upon affairs of high and solemn import the past indeed is to him something â the future every thing but the present unless when marked by the prophetic little or nothing the topics of bis conversation are vast and mighty being nothing less than the te of the revolution of the ruin or establishment of the fall of or the rise and of and powers can a mind thus engaged descend to those petty subjects of ordinary life which engage the common attention how could a man hard at work in out of prophecy the of some hostile state care a whether s daughter was married to given s son or not the thing is impossible like fame the head of the prophecy man is always in the clouds but so much higher up as to be utterly above the reach of any intelligence that does not affect the fate of nations there is an old anecdote told of a very high and a very low man meeting â what news down there said the tall fellow very little replied the other what kind of weather have you above well indeed might the prophecy man ask what news is there below for his mind seldom leaves those heights from which it watches the fate of europe and the forth of ture changes the prophecy man â that is he who solely himself to an anxious observation of those political which mark the signs of the times as they bear upon the the principal business of whose life it is to associate them with his own prophetic theories â is now a rare character in ireland he was however a very marked one the and m other characters had when compared with him a very limited beat indeed instead of being confined to a parish or a the bounds of the prophecy man s travels were those of the kingdom itself and indeed some of them have been known to make excursions to the oi scotland in order if possible to pick up old and to make themselves by an intimacy with the capable of getting a clearer insight into and rules lor developing the latent secrets of time one of the heaviest blows to the speculations ot this class was the and death of â especially the latter there are still living however those who can get over this difficulty and who will not hesitate to assure you with a look of much mystery that the real is alive and well and will make his due appearance when the time comes he who surrendered himself to the english being but an of the true one the next fact is the failure of the old prophecy that a george the fourth would never sit on the throne of england his and reign however puzzled our sadly and indeed sent adrift for ever the pretensions of this prophecy to truth but that which has nearly the system and the whole prophetic host is the failure of the speculations so confidently put forward by dr in his general history of the christian church called s prophecy he having assumed the name as an or de the theory of was that and all descriptions of would disappear about the year eighteen hundred and twenty five an which he drew with considerable ingenuity and learning from prophecy taken in with past events and which he argued with all th zeal and enthusiasm of a the irish naturally anxious to see the truth of his own the failure of this which was their great modem standard has nearly the political as a class or compelled them to fall back upon the more revelations ascribed to st st and others having thus as is our usual custom given what we conceive to be such preliminary observations as are necessary to make both the subject and the person more easily understood we shall proceed to give a short sketch of the only prophecy man we ever saw who deserved properly to be called so in the fuu and sense of the term this individual s name was m but in what part of ireland he was born i am not able to inform the reader â all i know is that he was spoken of on every occasion as the prophecy man and that although he could not himself read he carried about with him in a variety of pockets old books and that treated upon his favourite subject â was a tall man by no means dressed and it is unnecessary to say that he came not within the character or condition of a on tlie contrary he was considered as a person who must be received with respect for the people knew perfectly well that it was not with every farmer in the neighbourhood he would condescend to he had nothing of the and abstracted

49William Black

of the prophet in his appearance so far from that he was inclined to but like a certain class of fat men his natural disposition was calm but at the same time not with something of the pensive his habits of thinking as might be expected were quiet and meditative his personal motions slow and regular and his from one resting place to another never of such length during a single day as to exceed ten miles at this easy rate however he traversed the whole kingdom several times nor was there probably a m local prophecy of any importance in the with which he was not he took much delight in the greater and lesser of the old testament but his heart and soul lay as he expressed it in the of st john the divine his usual practice was when the family came home at night from their labour to stretch himself upon two chairs his head resting upon the with a for a pillow his closed as a proof that his mind was deeply engaged with the matter in hand in this attitude he got some one to read the particular prophecy upon which he wished to and a most curious and amusing entertainment it generally was to hear the text and his own singular and original upon it that he must have been often bj and wits was quite evident from the startling of the text which had been put into his mouth and which having been once put there his memory never forgot the fact of s arrival in the neighbourhood soon went abroad and the natural consequence was that the house in which he thought proper to reside for the time became crowded every night as soon as the hours of labour had passed and the people got leisure to hear him having thus procured him an audience it is full time that we should allow the fat old prophet to speak for himself and give us all an insight into the good man his host would bay here s a lot o the neighbours come to hear a from you on the and sure if you can t give it to them who is there to be found that can â although i say it that should not say it there s truth in that at all the same knowledge has cost me many a an sore heel in it up an down through mountain an in the irish prophecy i an not the of sc where there s what they call the short prophecy or second sight but wherein there s all but little of the irish or long prophecy that regards what s to befall the winged woman that into the no no their second sight isn t prophecy at all if a man goes out to fish or steal a cow an that he happens to be drowned or shot another man that has the second sight will see this in his mind about or the time it happens why that s little many a time our own irish are to it an indeed i have it firom a that the gift they boast of has four parents â an empty thin air a weak head an strong â an that a man must have all these the last before he can have the second sight properly an it s my own opinion now i have a little book indeed i left my books with a friend down at that contains a prophecy of the hind an the bloody an a of the daughter there s to be in the valley of the black pig as by or the prophet with the red mouth who never was known to speak but when he or to but when he spoke the lord bless and keep us â an why was he called the man the red mouth i ll tell you that first ne about the slaughter an that was to take place in the time to come an secondly while he spoke the red blood always out of his as a proof that what he was true glory be to god i but wonderful all out well well ay an or the red mouth is still â i why is he a man of our own time own time the lord help you it s more than a m years since he made the prophecy the case you see is tliis he an the ten thousand witnesses are in an enchanted sleep in one of the mountains an how is that known it s known every night at a certain hour one of the witnesses â an they re all by the way â must come out to look for the sign that s to come an what is that it s the fiery cross an when he sees one on of the four mountains of the north he s to know that the same sign s abroad in all the other parts of the kingdom an ills men are then to up an by their aid the valley of the black pig is to be set free for ever an what is the black pig the church that stretches from to an back again from to well well but prophecy is a strange thing to sure only think of men a thousand years every night one of s men must go to the mouth of the cave which opens of itself then look for the sign that s expected he walks up to the top of mountain an turns to the four comers of the heavens t if he can see it an when he finds that he cannot he goes back to who the other touches him starts up an him is the time come he replies â no the man w but the hour is not an that instant they re both asleep again now you see

49William Black

while the is on the mountain top the mouth of the cave is open an any one may go in that might happen to see it one man it appears did an to know from curiosity whether the were dead or he touched one of them his hand who started up an him the same question is the time come very fortunately he said no an that minute the was as sound in his trance as before the irish prophecy man an what did the mane he said the man is but the hour is not what did he mane til tell you that the man u which put into proper explanation the side that is the true cause men have found that out wasn t a great prophet he was a great man entirely at prophecy and so was st he that the cock the purple comb is to have both his wings by one of his own breed before the struggle comes before that time too we re to have the black an that it is time for every man to be prepared an who is the cock the purple comb why the to be sure isn t purple their colour the dirty thieves an the black who are they i have gone far an near through north an through south up an down by hill an hollow till my toes were an my heels in but could find no one able to resolve that or bring it clear out of the prophecy they are to be in black an all their arms an is to be the same colour an farther than that is not known as yet j it s a you don t know it foi there s little about prophecy that you haven t at your finger ends three birds is to meet proceeded in a kind of enthusiasm upon the â two an a dove â the two is to attack the dove until she s at the point of death but before they take her life an comes and tears the two to pieces and the dove there s to be two cries in the kingdom one of is to from the giants to the centre house of the town of the other is to firom the falls of m to the mill of which is to be turned three times with blood but this is not to happen until a man with two an six fingers upon hid right hand happens to be the who s to give the sign of freedom to ireland the little boy the red coat that s bom a dwarf lives a giant and dies a dwarf again he s of foot but leaves the heaviest foot mark behind him an it s he that s to give the sign of freedom to ireland there s a period to come when is to be upon the earth attended by his two servants and who are they they are the sons of an or in other words of death an and cousin to the devil himself which of is the why he them lord save us i but i hope that won t be in our time is to come from the land of o according to which himself an his army fire an out of their mouths according to the glorious revelation of st john the divine an the great prophecy of both of which beautifully compromise on the subject the prophet of the black stone is to come who always backwards and what has happened he is to be a mighty hunter an instead of to his in blood he is to ride upon it to the admiration of his times it s of him it is said that he is to be the only prophet that ever went on horseback then there s who as there was a prophet the red mouth is called the prophet the red nose ireland was it appears from ancient books means fire the irish prophecy man fi many hundred years before her discovery but bein allowed to become visible one day in every year the enchantment was broken by a sword that was thrown upon the earth an from that out she remained dry an became inhabited woe woe woe says the time is to come when we ll have a second an ireland is to be once more a well is to open at cork that will cover the whole island from the s to cape clear in them days st will be despised an will stand over the pleasant houses his pastoral in his hand crying out in vain woe woe woe â iy s for in them days there will be a great confusion of colours among the people there will be neither red noses nor pale cheeks an the divine face of man alas will put forth blossoms no more the heart of the times will become changed an when they rise up in the it will come to pass that there will be no longer light heads or shaking hands among woe woe woe men women and children will then die an their only complaint like all those who perished in flood of ould will be on the â on the brain i woe woe woe says for the changes that is to come an the misfortunes that s to befall the many for the of the few i an yet such things must be for i in virtue of the red spirit that dwells in me must prophecy them in those times men will be shod in liquid fire an not be burned their breeches shall be made of fire an will not bum them j their bread shall be made of fire an it will not bum them their meat shall be made of fire an will not bum them an why â oh woe woe shall so prevail that the

49William Black

coolness of their bodies will keep them safe yea they shall even get fat fair an be full of health an strength by wearing garments wrought out of liquid fire by eating fire an all because they do not liquid fire â an this calamity shall come to pass says the prophet of the rod nose m two shall be grinding at the mill of w the prophecy one shall be taken and the other left thus would proceed repeating such ludicrous and of old and from scripture as were for him by those who took delight in amusing themselves and others at the expense of his love for prophecy but the mill of of the two wi there whether will the one that is taken or the one that s left be the best off the prophecy doesn t say replied an that s a that men are very much divided about my own opinion is tliat the one that s taken will be the best off for st says that wars an an men will be so scarce that several of them will be to pieces by the women in their struggles to see who will get them for husbands that time they say is to come â but isn t there many ould about p families in ireland ay several and i ll tell you one of them about t that s not us this minute you all know the wall of the ould church in j do to be sure an we know the prophecy too of i h you do in the neighbourhood well is it in why that it s never to fall till it comes down upon and takes tho of a m â ht enough but do you know the it wo o ui t that but however we re at home when you ro hero ril toll you st was maybe next to him one of in ireland but at any thb irish man we may put tim next to st now you see when he was building the church of it came to pass that there arose a great famine in the land and the saint found it hard to feed the workmen where there was no what to do he knew not an by he was at a sad no doubt of it at length he boys we re all hard set at present an food we can t work but if you my directions we ll to have a bit o mate in the an among ourselves it was seldom wanted for to tell you the i never thought my back an belly would become so well acquainted for the last three days they haven t been an i find they are perfectly willing to part as soon as possible an would be glad of anything that ud put them now the fact was that for timber an stone an all the necessary for the church they had but one an him st resolved to kill in the an to give them a fog meal of him he accordingly him his own hands but he to the workmen mind what i say boys if any one of you breaks a single bone even the smallest or the hide in the you ll destroy all an my to glory but it ll be worse for you besides â he thin all the flesh off the bones but not till he had them of which he them up again in the skin an put in the shed a good o straw before them an glory be to go j what do you think but the next the was alive an in as good condition as ever he was in during his life fed workmen you couldn t see an the himself got so fat an rosy that you d scarcely know him to be the same man it now this went on for some time whenever they wanted mate the was killed an the bones an skin kept safe aa before at last it happened that a long sided fellow among them named m not satisfied his allowance of the m hai mate took a â to a at the an ill spite of all the saint said he broke one of the an out of it but behold jou i â when went to yoke the they found that he was useless for the leg was broken an he couldn t work this to be sure was a sad misfortune to them all but it couldn t be helped an they had to wait till times came for the truth is that the is broken no power of man could make the leg as it was before until the core is brought about by time however the was very much good right he had now m said he to the guilty man i it an that the church we re building will never fall till it falls upon the head of some one of your name if it was to stand a thousand years mark my words for they must come to pass an sure enough you know as weu as i do that all down long ago the exception of a piece of the wall that s not but any visible support in life an only propped up by the prophecy it can t fall till a m comes it but although there s plenty of the name in the ten of the strongest horses in the kingdom wouldn t drag one of em half a of it there now is the prophecy that belongs to the wall of church didn t you say something about the winged woman that vn to the i l that s a deep point an it s few that it the heads an ten horns is to an he va to his appearance it was said to be time for tliat might

49William Black

be alive thin to go to their â wliat the seven heads an ten mane â â why you as i am informed firom good authority the has an it s clear the horns that he could bo no than the â who was to re thb irish wives an by all accounts they an ornamented hun sore his will now set in case that of them â five times two is ten â hut i the s as clear as crystal but ru prove it you see the woman the two wings is the church an she flew into the wilderness at the very time harry the eighth his ten home on him his greatest power that s the explanations to it in great style but the woman the is only to be in the for a time times an half a time that s exactly three hundred an fifty years that there s to be no more faith that s great sure t tl am should come the church would be in no danger but that that she must be a cloud fer a time an half a time in the same way well but how do you explain that an st that when d oc is uppermost the church will be hard set in ireland but indeed there s no end to the that there is concerning ireland an the church however neighbours do you know that i feel the heat o the fire has made me rather drowsy an if you have no objection i ll take a bit of a nap there s great things near us any how an about brings to my mind another ould prophecy made up they say and st an it is this that the triumph of the will never be at hand till the in ireland such were the speculations upon which the harmless mind of m ever dwelt from house to house from parish to parish and from province to province did he thus never in a hurry but always steady and constant in his motions he might be not termed the old s bob s or for i will save them a long process of reasoning on the subject by stating that all this of laughter and comic uproar proceeds from a principle that does honour to s heart â i mean sympathy with those whom the death of some dear relative has thrown into affliction indeed no people more deeply with each other than the irish or enter more fully into the spirit that whether it be one of joy or sorrow the then why the neighbours and acquaintances of the deceased flock at night to hold wakes â the of all merry meetings â frequently in the very house where be or she lies dead is simply that the sen e of the may be by tbe light hearted ev ments which are before eyes the o the irish however is strongly susceptible of the and sorrow our national heart is ci ble of being moved by the two impulses almost at tiie s me moment many a time i have seen a widow over the dead body of a husband t her desolate so completely borne away by the irresistible fun of some wag who acted as master of the that she ha been into a fit of that brought other those of sorrow to h eyes often has the ther â the features of the pious and mother of his children the still ness of death â been in the same manner carried into a fit of mirth on witnessing the droll es exhibited ia the or the of the screw pin dance the legends and tales and stories that are told at irish wakes all bear of this mad extravagance and it is because i am now about to relate one of them that i have deemed it expedient to introduce it to my readers by this short but necessary preface those who it axe not to imagine that i am gravely writing it in my study but that oa the they are sitting and ome the droll his face lit up into an expression of broad humour is proceeding somewhat as follows was the son â daughter i mane â of ould jack â aâ who was remarkable for a habit he had of always wearing his head his hat but indeed the same was a one as everybody knew that was acquainted them it was said of them â but whether it was or not i won t to say for i d tell a lie â that whenever they didn t wear shoes or boots they always went but i hard that this was disputed so rather than say anything to injure their i ll let that pass now ould jack had two sons and â hut what are you all laughing at â i mane a son and daughter and it was generally believed among the neighbours that they were brother and which you know might be or it might not but that s a thing that the help o goodness we have nothing to say to there was many ugly things put out on them that i don t wish to such as that neither jack nor his son ever a perch one foot afore the other like a salmon an i know that it was whispered about that whenever she had an out of the way custom of her eyes shut if she did however god forgive her â the loss was her own for sure we all know that when one comes to shut their eyes they can t see as far before them as another was a fine young girl large and lavish a head o hair on her like scarlet that l one of the why she was called or red her arms an cheeks were much the colour of the hair an

49William Black

her saddle nose was the thing of its kind that ever was on a face fists â for thank goodness she was well them too â had a strong to two by the sun an to keep all right and tight she had a temper as fiery as her head â for indeed it was well known that all th s marriage or were hearted it appears that god gives nothing in vain and of course the same fists big and red as they were if all that is said about them is were not so much given to her for ornament as use at them in her lively temper we have it upon good authority that there was no danger of their getting for want of practice she had a twist too in one of her eyes that was very in its way and made her poor husband when she got him take it into his head that she could see round a corner she found him out in many things doubt but whether it was to that or not i wouldn t undertake to for f teu a lie well anyhow it was that was the and as they say that marriages does be sometimes made in heaven so did it happen that there was a in the neighbourhood just as much beauty as her self and he was named the lord guard us was what they call a black mouth and wouldn t keep christmas day the except what they call ould style was rather good when seen in the dark as well as herself and indeed it was well known as the talk went â it was in nightly meetings that they had an opportunity of detached to one another the was that in due time both â began to talk very seriously as to what was to be done s brother o gave the best of two what they were it s not worth about but at any rate one of them was a an as knew his man he soon came to his senses accordingly everything was for their marriage and it was appointed that they should be by the samuel m the parson on the following sunday now this was the first marriage that had happened for a long time in the neighbourhood a black mouth an a thb catholic an of there was strong objections on both sides it an only for one thing it would never a tack place at all at any rate there was one of the bride s ould harry a fairy man who could cure all complaints a secret he and as he didn t wish to see his niece upon such a fellow he fought he match all s however stood up for the marriage him an of the sunday was appointed as i said that they were to be dove together well the day arrived and as became her went ta mass and to meeting which they were to one another in jack s ere the priest father m was to slip up mass to take hi dinner and to keep m who was to marry them company nobody remained at home but ould jack an his wife who stopped to dress the dinner for to tell the truth it was to be a great let out entirely maybe if all was known too that father m was to give them a cast of his over an above the in regard that s friends weren t altogether satisfied at the kind of marriage which m could give them the sorrow may care about that â here â there â all can say is that when mrs was goin to tie up a big bag in walks harry the man in a rage and shouts out â blood and what are here for why harry why why the sun s in the and the moon in the high there s a an an there you re both as as if it was about to rain go out and cross yourselves three times in the name o the four for as prophecy says fill the pot â a blazing star s a rare go out both of you and look at the sun i say an ye u see the condition he s off t marriage or sure enough jack a to the door t wife leaped like a two year ould till thej were got on a beside the house to see what was wrong in the what is it jack said she can a see anything â no says he the full o my eye of anything i spy the son himself that s not visible in regard of tht god guard us i i doubt there s something to happen â if there wasn t jack what ud put harry that knows so much in the state he s in p i doubt it s this marriage said jack â if s not over and above religious for to marry a an only for but it can t be helped now though you see the a taste o the sim is to show his oe upon it as to that says the wife both her es if s satisfied with enough i know who ll the whip any how but in the mane time let tis ax harry what the sun well they accordingly wâ it in an put the question to him harry what s wrong what is it now for if anybody alive knows tis yourself ah said harry win his mouth with a kind of a smile the sun has a hard twist o the but never mind that i tell you you ll have a than you think that s all and said this he put on his hat and the house now harry s answer relieved them very much and so calling to him to be back for the

49William Black

dinner jack sat down to take a o the pipe and the wife lost no time in tying up the and it in the pot to be boiled in this way things went on well enough for a while jack away an the wife an at the rate of a hunt at last while as i said at ae fire it he could an odd kind of motion in the pot that puzzled a good deal said he the ii in thia ot oa the fire thing but the big why do you ax says she why said he if ever a pot took it into its head to dance a and this did thunder and look at it i it was true enough there was the pot up an down and from side to side it away as merry as a an it was quite to see that it wasn t the pot itself but what was inside of it that brought about the be the hole o my coat shouted jack there s something alive in it or it would never cut such be the there is jack something entirely has got into it man alive to be done as she spoke the pot seemed to cut the in prime style and a spring that ud shame a off flew the lid and out the itself as as a on a head about the floor jack blessed himself and crossed herself jack shouted and screamed in the name of the nine said he keep your distance no one here injured you i the however made a set at him and jack first on a chair and then on the kitchen table to avoid it it then danced towards who was now her an at the top of her voice while the thief of was and it round her as if it was amused at her distress if i could get the said jack â i d it â by i d its no no shouted there was a fairy iâ it rob s ob let us it who knows what harm it might do now said she to the dear don t harm honest people that never meant to offend you it wasn t us â in it was ould harry that you pursue him if you wish but spare a woman like me for whisper dear i m not in a condition to be â tm not the seemed to take her at her word and danced away from her towards jack who like the wife there was a fairy in it an that it ir was the best plan thought he would give it a soft word as well as her your honour said jack she only the truth you don t know what harm you might do her an upon my we both feels much to your honour for your faith it s quite clear that if you weren t a gentlemanly all out you d act otherwise ould harry the dam rogue is your mark he s gone down the road there and if you go you ll overtake him be me song your did his duty any how thank your honour i god speed you an may you never meet a priest parson or in your as jack spoke the appeared to take the hint for it quietly out and as the house was directly on the road side turned down towards the bridge the very way that ould harry went it was very natural of that jack and should go out to see how it to and as the day was sunday it was but natural too that a greater number of people than usual were the road thi was a fact and when jack and his wife were seen the the whole neighbourhood was soon up and it â jack what is it will you tell os what it â â why replied â be the it s my big thb that s an it s now hot foot here she stopped not to mention her brother s name â same one or other that surely put an it this was enough jack now that he had assistance found his courage back to him so says he to go home says he an lose no time in another as good an here s s wife says she ll let you boil it on her fire as you ll wan t our own to dress the rest o the dinner and himself will lend me a for the morsel of the same will escape till i let the wind out of it now that i ve the neighbours to back an support me says jack this was agreed to and went back to prepare a fresh while jack an half the pursued the other and all possible description of instruments on the went however at the rate of about six irish miles an hour an a chase ever was seen an were all it armed as i said an bad end to the thing but its own activity could save it here it made a hop and there a was made at it but off it went an some one as to get a at it on the other side got the instead of the big frank the miller of got a backwards that brought a out of him you might hear at the other end of the parish one got a of a another a of a a third a rap of a that made him look nine ways at where is it goin asked one it s goin to mass replied a second then it s a catholic exclaimed a third â down it no a fourth it s above superstition my life for you it s on it s way to meeting three cheers for it if it turns to â put it under fairy influence os the out

49William Black

of it if it s a shouted the others if it turns to the left it into pan cakes we ll have no here by this time the people were on the point of to have a regular fight about it when very fortunately it took a short turn down a little bye lane that led towards the house an in an instant all parties were in an uproar against it as a it s a shouted several voices an by this an by that into a chapel it won t put a foot to day or we ll lose a fall let the wind out of it come boys where s the the one of them however ever could touch the an when they thought they had it up against the of the t chapel it gave them the slip and over to the left into the river and sails away before all their eyes as light as an egg shell now it so happened that a little below thb place the wall of colonel was built up to the very of the river on each side of its banks and so there was a stop put to their pursuit of it they went home again every man woman and child of them puzzled to think what the was at all â whether catholic or â what it meant or where it was gi iu had an his wife been to let out the opinion they held about it there is no doubt but r harry might be badly by the crowd when their blood was up they had sense enough to keep that to themselves for harry an ould was a kind to the of o was all kinds of talk about it â some g k u this and some in one party the was of their another party it an it n v l to them so on b in the mane time for the dinner might come short went home and made another much about the same size as the one that had escaped and it over to their next neighbour s it was put into a pot and placed on the fire to boil that it might be done in time as they were to have the priest an the and that both loved a warm of a good as well as e er a pair of in europe anyhow the day passed and were made man an wife an no two could be more their friends that had been asked to the were about in pleasant little groups till dinner time an but above all things to account for the of the for to tell the truth its adventures had now gone through the whole parish well at any rate dinner time was near and was comfortably his wife at the fire the before their eyes when in walks harry in a flutter â blood and what are here for why harry â why said mrs â why said harry the sun s in the an the moon in the high here s a an an there you sit as as if it was about to rain i go out an cross yourselves three times in the name of the four for as the prophecy says â fill the pot â a starts a rare go out both of you an look at the sim t and ye u see the condition he s in â off ay but harry what s that up ia the tail of your big coat out said harry cross yourselves three times in the name of the four an pray the â the sky s fallen iv rob s marriage it was hard to say whether or the wife got out first they were so much alarmed by harry s wild thin an eyes so out they went to see what was in the sky an an in every direction but a thing was to be seen the sun down with great good humour an not a single cloud in the sky an the wife now came in to harry who no doubt was a great wag in his way when he wished bad to you harry they had time to say no more for as they were goin into the door they met him out of it a of smoke out of his tail like a lime â harry shouted my to glory but the tail of your s a fire â you ll be burned t yon see the smoke that s out of it cross yourselves three times said harry or even behind him â cross yourselves three times in the name of the four for as the prophecy says â fill the pot they could hear no more for harry appeared to feel like a man that carried something a great deal than he wished as any one might see by the of his motions and the he was forced to make as he went along what the is he in the skirts of his hia coat asked my to happiness but maybe he has stole the said for its known that many a he does they immediately examined the pot but found that the i was there as safe as an this puzzled them the more to think what it was he could be about him in the manner he did but little they knew what he hu l done while they were sky l thb well anyhow the day passed and the dinner an no doubt but a fine there was to partake of it the priest and the had met the â a stretch of an appetite he had in â on their way to jack s an as they knew they could take the liberty why they insisted on his them for all in times the of all descriptions lived on the best among one another not all as

49William Black

one as now â but no well they had nearly finished their dinner when jack himself for the but as he spoke in it came as big as a mess pot said he â i hope none of you will refuse a bit of s i don t mane the one that took to its travels to day but a good solid fellow that she since to be sure we won t replied the priest so jack put a on them three plates at your right hand and send them over here to tlie an maybe he said â for he was a droll good humoured man â maybe jack we won t set you a proper example a heart an a half yer reverence an in if not a bad example ever any of you set us at the likes or ever will set us i ll go an sure i only wish it was fare i had for you but we re humble people and so you can t expect to meet here what you would in higher places a male of said the where pace is he had time to go no farther however for much to his amazement the priest and the started up from the table as he was goin to swallow the first of the and before you could say jack started away at a lively down the floor at this moment a neighbour s son came in an bob s ob them that the parson was to see the new married couple an wish them all happiness an the words were scarcely out of his mouth when he made his what to think he knew not when he saw the priest ai footing it away at the rate of a he had very little time however to think for before he could sit down up starts the and his two fists in his sides in in great style along them jack says he â and by the way jack was his tenant â what the does all this mane says he i m amazed r the a o me can tell you says but will your reverence taste a o merely that tiie young couple may boast that you at their for sure if you wouldn t who would â well says he to gratify them i will so but jack this says he again the o into his mouth has there been here oh the a says jack for although there s in the house faith it appears the wouldn t wait for it unless they took it elsewhere i can make of this he had scarcely spoken when the parson who was an active man cut a a yard an before you could bless yourself the four were hard at work aâ if for a it would be for me to tell you the state the whole was in when they seen this some were hoarse some turned up their eyes many thought them mad an others thought they had turned up their little fingers a too often â â be it s a shame said one to see in a state at this early hour i an over then at all says others why one would think they re moses the the thb i an father m an who would think he could handle his feet at such a rate i be this an be that he cuts the and does the step to the himself an see bad to the morsel of the an the parson that s not hard at upon a an it of a sunday too the fun s in ail â i more power to the s own they had an no but judge of what they felt when all at once they saw ould jack himself in among them an it away like the best o them no play could come up to it an could be heard but shouts of encouragement and of bands like mad now the minute jack left the chair where he bad been the ould harry comes over and himself down in his place in to d it round of an he was scarcely when who should make his appearance but the by the way had been sent for early in the day but bein firom home when the message for him went he couldn t come any sooner â said you re au y at the work oh blessed â the too i an what does this mane but may care shan t want the music while there s a blast in the pipes any how so he them an after that kiss my lady in his best style in the meantime the fun went on thick an for it must be that harry the ould was at the an maybe he didn t it about in double quick time too the first he helped was the bride and before you could say she was at it hard an fast before the who immediately quit father m aad gave a jolly spring before her that threw them into con s marriage or harry liked this and made up his mind soon to find partners for the rest so he accordingly sent the about like an to make a long story short the an himself there t a pair o heels in the house bat was as busy at the as if their lives on it says harry taste a morsel o this the a bully of a ever you here your a of it â it s beautiful to be sure i will says i m not the boy to refuse a good thing but harry be quick for you know my hands is engaged an it would be a thousand not to keep them in music an they so well inclined thank you harry that is a famous but blood an this for the word was scarcely

49William Black

out of his mouth when he up pipes an all an dashed into the middle of them let us make a night of iti the boys for ever i go it your reverence â turn your partner â heel an toe well done again â here s for an the sky over it bad luck to a set ever was seen together in this world or will again i suppose the worst however wasn t come yet for as they were in the very heat and of the dance what do you think comes in among them but another as an as mc iy as the first that was enough they all had heard the clergy among the rest â an most o them had seen the other and knew that there must be either the or a in it sure enough well as i said in it comes to the thick o them but the very appearance of it was enough off the four danced and off the whole danced after them every one tiie best of their way home but a of them to break out of the step if they were to be hanged for it it wouldn t a laugh in you to see the priest an the parson the down the road on their way home together and the and the as they went along in the opposite direction to make short work of it they all danced home at last scarce a puff of wind in them the bride and bridegroom danced away to bed an now boys come an let us dance the in but you see boys before we go an in that i may make every thing plain i had as good tell you that harry in crossing the bridge of a couple of miles below squire s wall saw the down the river â the truth is he was for it but be this as it may he took it out for the had made it as as a new pin and it up in the tail of his big coat contrived as you all guess i suppose to change it while an the wife were the sky an for the other he contrived to it in the same manner by a fairy to go into it for indeed it was well known that the same harry was hand an glove the good others will tell you that it was half a pound of he put into it but that does nt stand to at any rate boys i have you the adventures of the mad of but i don t wish to tell you many other things about it that br a rf tell a lie this superstition of the dancing or has not so far as i have been able to ascertain ever been given to the public before the tendency to is attributed to two causes both of which are introduced in the tale some will insist that a or fairy woman has th power to a by putting a fairy into it whilst others maintain portion of will make it dance over half the parish s goose om dark doings at was a good natured placid man and never lost bis temper unless as he said himself when he got f he was also strict in attending his duty a which mrs or rather as she was called alley candidly and justly and to which the priest himself bore ample testimony however had the misfortune to be married at me a mystery was abroad women mysteries the im nothing but the of men were then among the in all parts of the country of the nature of t bo i o p it would bo premature now to speak in time ihe â will be revealed it to say that the mysteries of alarm to the husbands and held by them to be a grievous offence their and authority ie domestic manners of my beloved were c in a state of awful and deplorable transition at the time and many a worthy husband s head ached at a state of things which no vigilance on his part could alter or repress many a secret consultation was held among the good men of the respective villages throughout the country at large as to the best mode of checking this disastrous which came home to heir very beds and and many a groan was uttered from hearts that grew heavy in proportion as the evil which they felt but could not see spread about through all directions of the kingdom bark doings at nay to such a height did this terrible business rise that parties had notions of the king to keep their wives virtuous but this upon second consideration waa given up inasmuch as the king himself with reverence be it spoken was at the bottom of the evil and what was still worse even the queen was not ashamed to corrupt their wives by her example how then could things be in a healthy state when the very of which the good broken hearted men complained descended from the court to the people a warning this to all future sovereigns not without good and much virtuous consideration to set a bad precedent to their subjects what then could the worthy husbands do unless to put their hands to their heads and bear their in silence which however the reader they did not after but with great caution injuries they certainly with each other they planned means of sought out the best modes of detection and having entered into a general against their respective wives each man solemnly promised to become a spy and in his own family to come to this resolution was as much as they could do under such circumstances and of course they did it their wives on the other hand were anything but idle tliey also sat in secret council upon their

49William Black

own affairs and discussed their condition with an anxiety and which set the vigilance of their husbands at complete defiance and it may be observed here just to show the obstinacy of women when bent on gratifying their own wills that not one of them ever returned home to her husband from these closed door meetings without having committed the ver act of which she was suspected not that these cautious m omen were after all so successful in every instance as to escape detection some occasional discoveries were made in consequence of the of their s goose or band s and one or two of them were actually caught as the law term has it the that is in the very act of offence now is ever impudent and outrageous and disposed to carry everything with a high hand or at all events with a loud tongue this the husbands of those who had been detected soon felt for no sooner had they proclaimed their wrongs to their fellow than they were by their wives with the vile and trying epithet of and charged home with letting themselves sink to the mean spirited office of the wives of their some of the good men now took fire and demanded an explanation others looked at their wives with amazement and stopped short as if how to act and other some shrugged their shoulders took a silent and meditative blast of the pipe upon the and said no more about it so far then there was no great victory either on the one side or th other now the state of human society is never so bad even in the most times but that there are always to be found in it many persons by the prevailing and it was supposed to be so here as yet hoped in heaven that alley had escaped the which upon her sex so secretly yet so surely for some time past he had held her under strict with such judgment that she did not even dream of being suspected in this manner did matters proceed between them â on the alert and alley on a shrewd look out for means and opportunity when one friday he proposed to â we need scarcely teu our readers that in ireland â stop means a person who becomes king s evidence against his or in some way their crimes if for instance a member of a ribbon or orange betrayed the secrets of the body he would be termed a and a husband betraying any weakness of his wife such for instance as the fact of her being to liquor or i be termed a by his offended partner dark doings at his aunt up in on the next saturday evening and accordingly informed that he would not return until the monday following to this could offer no possible objection but on the contrary highly applauded him for showing such a mark of respect and affection for his aunt who by the way had been very kind to them both since their marriage it s only right said she and your duty besides to go an see her for you an me she has been the best feather in our wing there s the dirty low pack sure indeed they re the same relations to her that we are they d kiss the dirt of her feet if they thought they bone a penny by it an they re no stone to get the soft side of her the dirty o to in for what she has an to cut us out from her so go to her an if you don t her the one o you s worth a pound o goat s wool having then got on a clean shirt and his holiday coat took his in hand and set out to visit his aunt up among the hills of as a most attached and disinterested nephew who ss the song says loved her for herself alone he had not gone many yards from the door however when he returned said he fm goin to to you afore i set out that i d as soon you d keep away from the i mane the women of them both their husbands me not a month o sundays that they suspect them to be not safe so you see you can learn nothing that s good from them god s is i m that they re the same stick that has marked the women o the whole neighbourhood so now that you know this i hope you keep your distance from them what business could i have them low person a term of contempt s or the eye i on one o them this fortnight i have my own on these two the to take care ofl that s a give us a an now till monday please goodness me hadn t yon lie a bit of about poor s neck till that cough him don t you see it there on the stool before the fire that s right now mind my words bad be from me but â so you would she spoke this with an indignant but the reader please to observe that she made no promise whatsoever â i m i m off i know you won t god bless all i and so went to see his aunt up in well it is a sad thing to be a mere of truth which indeed every man who human nature must be because unhappily for him who lives in the world of human na ture there is no fiction at hand it is only those who live out of it that can make fiction available to their purposes this has been forced from us not by however but by his wife he had scarcely been half an hour gone when alley threw a bonnet on her head a blue cloak about

49William Black

her shoulders and after having made a play for the children to keep them quiet and given them a of bread each she locked the door rolled the big stone upon the hole that was under it which the pig had away in order to work himself a passage into the house and immediately ir to visit the two wives of the the was â but it is not for us to it the consequence of it will speak for themselves the two brothers to whom they were united bark d in at in lived next door to each other or what is called under the same roof and she consequently found both their good women at home two or three slips of both sexes who had been amusing themselves in the elder brother s house where the conference from her visit was about to be held were immediately desired to play abroad an not be an through the house that way a that people can t hear their own ears go along an take the on your head and stretch your limbs ye pack o young thieves the moment they bounded away s face assumed an air of considerable importance â a circumstance which the others instantly noticed for nothing is so observant of symptoms that indicate its own discovery as a consciousness of error said one of them alarmed you ve heard something what is it are we found put if you re not found out replied in the same low guarded tone you re strongly suspected but the devil may care for that is away up to his ould aunt s at above an won t be back till monday so that the coast s clear till then any way all you have to do is to slip up about dusk for there ll be nobody but ourselves an i ll put the to bed not that they dare tell him any thing they d see so thin we are said the other with much it s truth dick an harry confessed it to an he me an we ll them if they ten times as sharp replied mrs dick or as she was called indeed i knew myself that he was for a good while past and about as if he expected to find a or a mare s next an faith sure enough he was s goose r an ace of us but as luck would have it he didn t search the bed and i suppose that s them in all this observed harry or as we shall call her bid you may swear that replied his wife an warned me strongly afore he went to the aunt s to from both for he said ye with the same stick that has marked all the rotten sheep in the country the three audacious instead of expressing either regret or repentance at the conduct which had justified tlie well founded suspicions of their husbands burst out on the contrary into one united and harmonious chorus of which lasted at least five minutes i well said alley hastily getting up and throwing the cloak about her i can t stop a for there s no one at but the that i locked in and i m always when i lave the that way for they might go too near the fire or that that of a pig ud work the stone from the door an get in so as the coast s clear you ll both slip up about dusk this they promised and accordingly when darkness had completely set in the door of s house was closed and inside with all possible security and this was necessary for truly a surprise would have been on awful though perhaps a just winding up of their what peculiar mysteries or rites took place there on that night it is not our province good reader to disclose but of this you may rest assured that each fulfilled the old and excellent that stolen are the sweetest with what feelings and bid faced their husbands they themselves know but that each was received with suspicion and severely cross examined upon the cause of their absence we can inform the reader dark doings at but what did that avail the on their way home had a story â and they are never good that possess a facility at stories â to which both were determined to with most they had ran up to see little for had been down to tell them that she was it was the but it was but a small rash that came out upon its breast the though bid her sister in law thought it was the an indeed after all she didn t herself but it was but god send it safe over it was poor thing this night now who would think â but no matter there is still worse to come i the reader will not believe our word when ave assure him that these two women and bid did not scruple though loaded with the just suspicions of their husbands to kneel down and say their prayers on that very night before they went to bed the next day being sunday and their husbands having more leisure it is scarcely necessary to say that the two good men kept a sharp eye upon their who found themselves in every motion several times they attempted a stolen visit to s but were detected just in the act of putting on their and in fact they were so completely that they resolved at length to brazen it out having lost temper considerably by seeing that all their designs were fairly and that whatever must be done as to reaching the scene of their must be done with honest open defiance they once more therefore had recourse to the and and were in the very act of setting out when their husbands who sat

49William Black

smoking each a pipe after having coolly eyed them for some time calmly inquired where are bound for good women up u s to see the child poor thing deed g s or it s a that we didn t as s not at home her she may want something an has no one to send out for it well dick addressing his own wife all that isn t one o ye enough to go plenty replied his sister in law bid but some notion of goin up as r as my mother s while s by the sweep harry taking the pipe hastily out of his mouth and casting a keen indignant glance at the last speaker â are enough to down the patience of a saint how can you look us in the ye o the devil goin to see s child indeed i why i was up this very an there s not a blast o wind wrong either of her not as much as a hair turned on them i what have to say now an ye came both home last night a lie in your mouths that s child was the says one it has a ra a says the other but sure send it safe over it has poor thing be the mortal man i won t bear this there now to show i won t as he spoke the last word he took the pipe out of his mouth and shivered it to against the opposite wall his brother seeing this energetic display resolved not to be in the vigour of his indignation yes be me nor i he exclaimed his in an direction and immediately kicking the stool on which he sat to the lower end of the kitchen that s to that ye won t have your tongues in your cheeks at he added an be this an be that for three i d not lave a s worth on the but i d to an i ll tell what it is he proceeded raising his voice to its highest pitch and stamping dark doings at furiously on the hearth i tell what it is must put an end to this work for all our substance isn t to go this way we ll have no among no between you an the other black sheep o the neighbourhood don t think but we know what s goin on an what brought you both up to s last night too well we know it an now i tell again that must avoid that woman she s not a safe neighbour an her own husband her to be as bad as the worst among them ay an he catch her yet known as she thinks herself be the book i ll turn another pin in your nose my lady said harry addressing bid never fear but i will til you that you won t have yourself the talk o the neighbours an me too that doesn t it the curse o on me if i don t now i why thin now said bid calmly turning to in the name of all that s beautiful what are these two at are they mad or is it only they are no replied but goin to us i suppose ay very returned the other any how they may be proud o themselves to join two women as if we fit to fight them i m glad their own s not to the re to see their fine behaviour come are you tip tp alley s the child s sick or not the t w â home an if s d charity to sit awhile in are you no nor you the a one toe said her husband the them that says to the come ay you like or not dear the wan o me â ill be stopped by you this day â to fall to attack s b or â you won t i won t now never heed her harry dick let her go to ould her own way ay both o them off you now but you ll see what come of it at the long run where s the said harry â take my book oath this minute that for a month to come hi not let you on the one side of the house me any how will no one tell me where the is an is that to vex me harry why don t you make it twelve months while your hand s in it wouldn t be worth your while to the for a bare four weeks man be me so l it s you ought to be instead o the â very well replied his and provoking i suppose the next thing you ll do will be to us sure enough â but sure we can t help it only it will be a fine story to have to tell the neighbours you ll look well af ther it you may then up your head like a man i oh ye but i won t let myself down to ye come no said ty i wouldn t be them about goin it s to one way or the other so we ll sit here oh thin god he knows but we re the well matched women at all sure if we the worst that ever this day â ay if we so bad that the very dogs wouldn t lap our blood we couldn t be worse than we are by two men â i say again observed harry seeing his wife somewhat that if you go your breath won t come near me in â oh your tongue man bid â i seen the day you thought enough about my breath faith an that was i didn t then as well i do now dark ik ing at not what you thought or what you said

49William Black

when i was ill last harvest and goin to die sure you about the house like a calf that has lost its mother your two eyes as red as a pair of â never heed her said his brother you know she d both of us at the tongue she s now in her glory bid addressing her sister in law in a voice exceedingly calm and quiet that is to say in the voice of a woman whose contempt alone prevented her from continuing the go out an cut me a bit o to put down that bacon for the dinner after that we ll ourselves up an be in time for the twelve o clock mass but what if somebody would run away us said laughing â oh sure said the other s all they d want they d thin get shut of the two as we are and never mind them â they re not worth our breath little as they think about it a sunday they ve made us â but no â god forgive them for us as they re i their two husbands did not go to mass that day having in fact devoted it to the purpose of out evidence against their wives their exertions however were fruitless although we are bound honestly to state that they left no stone to procure it the children were taken to task and severely but they could prove nothing except that their mothers were sometimes out for a considerable time and that they themselves were oft en sent to play and that on returning of an odd time sooner than was expected they found the doors bolted and heard strange voices within of these however the good men had been before so that the sum of all they obtained was nothing more than an accession to their uneasiness without any addition to their knowledge both men indeed were unusually the whole day m s or especially after the hour of dinner for each of could observe that her husband often put his hand quietly oyer to the hole of the and finding that his pipe was not there his upon the cat or dog if either came in his way and not even upon his own children at length dick got up and was about to go out when asked in her turn where he was goin p not far he replied i ll be back in a of an hour â too soon for you to have an opportunity of bein at your ould work if you re o that she replied hadn t you not go at all to this he made no reply but putting his hands over his brows he stalked gloomily out of the house almost precisely similar was the conduct of his brother who after exchanging a random shot or two with bid out soon after dick but each evidently attempted to conceal from the of the other that he had gone out â a circumstance that was clearly proved by dick declining to pass harry s door and harry dick s alas j and must i say it â i must â â unhappily the interests of truth compel me to make the disclosure the two men were no sooner gone than their wives had an immediate consultation â where s dick t asked bid why sure i thought i replied to see him the heart out of himself after his pipe the be in me but it was a most too much for me to look at him die every five minutes for the he broke upon the wall in his this i know he s away over to s to buy one twas the same harry said bid he didn t know which end of him he was on he s off too to the same place for i watched him through the windy an now that the dark doings at clear let s be off to ae two comes back or in the never a lie in that the ham ir thej found us out but wasn t lost their temper and broke pipes st had kept co d we would have jf and so to j s and again the and bolted and as before the w been were re and e vigilance and terrors of their husbands became the subject of open ridicule and much mirth went forward as might easily be from the hearty but somewhat suppressed laughter which an experienced ear might have heard through the door we say suppressed for their mirth was expressed notwithstanding the high enjoyment through it in that timid and cautious that discovery as their object was now to reach home before the return of their husbands so was the period of their on this evening much more brief than on the preceding they had very little time to spare however for scarcely were the and thrown aside and an air of the most and composure assumed when the good men entered but that s a long of an hour you stayed said where on you all this time i was upon business returned dick to keep me cool against your behaviour hand me a double out of the bed there till i light my pipe you out since was i out since returned his wife with the look of a offend d woman hut ay to be bid an myself up at s an you saw such a piece o fun i s we had sure we re only come in this why upon my dick you d vex an angel from heaven was i out â don t i look very like a woman that was out s goose or well well rejoined her husband away rather placidly from his new pipe don t be ont at us like bid i m not you out i so your about it no but to tj ink

49William Black

â the one â very well â enough â be done and so the wife grumbled gradually into silence the between harry and bid was of a and more animated description but we need not say on which side the victory settled the pipe however soon produced something like tranquillity and after a hard bout at a united prayer in the shape of a between the and the deceived both went to bed on very good terms with each other as indeed after all did dick and not any more than the others forgetting their the next morning was that on which our absent friend was expected home and about ten or eleven o clock alley was in conversation with a upon the kindness and generosity of aunt and the greater warmth of affection which on all occasions she had manifested towards her and than ever she had to that pack of the when who should appear but the himself bearing under his right arm a fat grey goose alive and kicking what is this exclaimed alley as her husband laid the goose down on the floor why he replied good don t you see it s a o mutton that aunt sent for our dinner on sun day next what s that indeed i the goose was immediately taken up â handled like a â balanced that they might guess its weight â felt that they might know how fat it was and examined from to with the most minute inspection i he children approached it with that eager but fearful curiosity for which childhood is doings at they touched it retreated with apprehension took fresh courage patted it timidly on the back and after many of terror and delight the eldest at length ventured to take it up in his arms this was a disastrous attempt for the goose finding him unable to hold it firmly fluttered its and the young hero threw it hastily down and ran screaming behind his mother where his little sister joined the chorus and his wife then the neighbour we spoke of with a history of aunt s wealth assuring him that they themselves were down for every l and penny s worth belonging to her pointing to the goose at the same time as a triumphant illustration of their expectations no sooner had their left them than having given a faithful account of every thing respecting aunt said he hoped she had not forgotten his parting advice on saturday that she had kept aloof from the of the and neither or with them in his absence â afore i d lead this life an be at every hand s turn i d rather go out upon the world and aim my bread honestly my own two hands as i did afore i met you the wives o the why what ud i be the wives o the or what ud the wives o the be me it s little or their me â i have my house an to look an that s enough for any one woman i m well but sure you needn t be angry me for you on your guard it s not to say that i m angry you â but sure to say a thing ought to be enough â but here you keep an at me about the wives o the i s s wish to the wires o the out o the for they re the heart to me anyhow well alley to the but about another thing we do this goose whether is it to roast it or boil it if we d not kill it at all but keep it on rear a flock ourselves there s an for them about the you re ri t come or go what will we had not kill it the we won t i don t stand blood well myself an rd as soon to tell you the you d not ax me to kill this one i don t think it ud me very well said her husband j yielding to her suggestion with singular good humour as it is your the the drop will lave its this bout â so let it be settled that we ll rear a flock ourselves an as you say who knows but the same goose may be sent to us for good luck it was arranged but as a solitary fowl of that species is rather an unusual sight about a s house they soon procured it a as they had said which they went to bed every night anxious to dream that all its eggs might turn out golden ones to them and their children now perhaps the sagacious reader may have already guessed that the arrival of the goose whatever it might have been to honest was an excellent apology for a capital piece of by play to his wife the worthy fowl had not in fact been twenty four hours at their place when in came the two wives of the this visit was an open one and paid in the evening a little before the men returned from their daily labour great was s astonishment then when on reaching home he found bid and dark doings at in conference with and what appeared to strange if not rather hardy on their part that they carried on the conversation without slightest consciousness of offence it is true this jt hitherto been actually proved but it is needless to j that the suspicion entertained against them was nearly to proof their were so difficult to be accounted for and the situations in which they were found so critical that it was impossible even for their friends to assert that they were as altered the house they addressed him with singular good humour and kindness but it was easy to infer from his short replies that they had in his case a strong prejudice to

49William Black

overcome how are you at the present time not comfortable this was accompanied by a quick suspicious glance from them to his wife why there s wrong you we hope maybe that s more than i can say not sure â no said the wife bid an came up to look at the goose an the one o them but says it s the greatest they seen this many a day this was meant as a â for himself to use the words of was as proud as e er a one o the out of the same goose his brow cleared a little at this appeal to his vanity and he sat down with a look of more why thin a nice present all out it s more than the would get from aunt any way said for s her favourite â is that by way of news asked whose vanity s or was highly notwithstanding his assumed every fool knows i was always that it s no secret observed who as well as bid knew hi here an it s only a proof of her own into the bargain they re a mane pack oh the o the exclaimed bid why would you an a man in the one day come said the other my goodness we haven t a minute now the good men ill swear we re about no good if they find ns out when they come home hut said sit a while can t you can do no harm here any how nor an else i hope said bid but indeed you don t know the men they are or you d us home like bag don t be them to stay thin said what they say i believe is enough an for my part i wouldn t wish to have our little place one way or other in any dispute that may have said bid i don t they d think us safe in a chapel an god forgive them for it come if we wish to avoid a battle we have not a minute to spare oh thin it s you that has the good d husband that doesn t keep you night and day in a state of heart you re a happy woman may d spare him to you i not that he s to the fore himself rejoined his i ll say this that a husband never drew breath this day a word he turns on me in the twelve months we believe it they replied the man s above it he wouldn t himself by about an and his nose into every hole an comer the wa y mane does be till we can t bless ourselves for them dark doings at no the thing o the kind he does sure must tell the truth any way well god be we must be off sure you can bear witness for us this bout that i can bid an will too god bless i as they apprehended their husbands on returning from their work were once more in a on finding the good women absent r said dick is it a fair question to ax where war fair enough said bid you at the ould work observed harry but i tell you what by the holy st we won t suffer this much longer â that s one piece o truth for i where war i say asked his brother sternly no now tell us plump an at where war why then if you want to know replied we up s goose s goose i exclaimed harry with a look as puzzled as ever was visible on a human s goose repeated dick with a quite as the two looked at each other for nearly a minute but neither could read in the other s countenance any thing like intelligence what are they at asked dick why that they have their tongues in their cheeks at us to be sure replied the other why where else would we have them said bid it is nt in our pockets you d have us to carry them i to they any where but where they are returned her husband what do you mane what we say that we up a look at s goose why the curse o the upon you don t you know that never had a goose in his life s he has one now then replied bid ay added her sister an as fine a bully of a goose as ever i seen my two eyes sure said bid if you wont believe us can t go up an see this after all was putting the matter to a very issue and the two men resolved to take her at her word each feeling quite satisfied of the falsehood wives had attempted to make them swallow come dick said harry put on the step further we ll let this go till we see it out an all i can say is he added addressing the women that yon had not be here before us when we come if we find you out in a they had not gone yards from the door when the laughter of the two women was loud and vehement at the scene which had just occurred especially at the ingenuity with which bid had sent them abroad and thus got the coast clear for their purposes out and play awhile â an is it ever an always your over the fire are away out o this an don t come back till we call when the children were gone they brought in two neighbours wives who lived immediately beside them shut and bolted the door and again did the mysterious rights of which we have so often written proceed as before on this however there was much caution used every now and the door was stealthily opened and a face might be seen

49William Black

peeping out to prevent a the conversation was carried on in a tone unusually low and the laughter which was and principally at the expense of their husbands could be heard through the door in due time however the parties dispersed and when dick and harry they their wires each dark doings at engaged in the of the household which indeed they went through with an air of offended dignity and a ot temper that contrasted strongly with the and somewhat crest fallen of their â bad luck to you for a dog an lave my way you dirty crooked cur you exclaimed bid to the dog that innocently crossed her path lives we lead one way or other we have enough dear knows to our temper you us â ha i you s limb i out you well she added after a short pause you see we re here before you for all your big threats but i ll tell you what it is harry upon my you must turn a new leaf or i ll lose a if you or dick have any thing against us why don t you prove it at and not be about the bush the way do the of us will lie your low mane thoughts any longer i hope you seen s goose on your upon ye i you ought to be ashamed to rise our head this month to come ay now you re at it exclaimed harry rising and on his hat but for my part i ll lave you to the walls till your tongue all you want some one to jaw back to you just to keep the ball goin for a while outside the door he met his brother i was goin to sit awhile you said dick i can t stand that woman s tongue good or bad faith an i was goin in to you replied the other bid s in her glory there s no her let us go an sit awhile bad luck to s goose any how i u be a long day till we hear the end of it â the curse o on it but its the unlucky bird to us this u sure enough re echoed his brother come g g e ob an let us have a while s till these women settle they went and ere a lapse of many minutes their wives were together again for the purpose of comparing notes and of indulging in another hearty laugh at their husbands s goose now began to be a goose of some eminence in short it was much talked of and had its character and qualities pro and con one thing however was very remarkable in this business and that thing was that the male portion of the neighbours hated it a cordiality which they could not disguise whilst their wives on the other hand defended it most against all the attacks of its enemies the dreaded change to which we have before alluded was now going on and it somehow happened that scarcely a family connected with it took place within a certain of s house in which his goose was not either directly or indirectly concerned himself whose suspicions had been for a long time by the interest he took in a bird of his own at length began to look queer at certain which he caught of what was going forward said he with a good deal of what brings up them o the that i spoke so much about v why i thought there was something wrong the poor goose an i sent down for them by the man i wish replied â that i had never brought the dirty of a about the place why if all you say about it is true it never had a day s health since it came to us an yet my oath as fat a goose this minute as ever â an right well it got delicate it dark doings at p came to us an it stands to â the fretted them it left behind it n confusion to the fret it had no in life when it got a comrade to keep it company be me it s i that an i but i m the greatest goose o the two for not it s head off an a stop to a crew o women to the place on the head of it what s wrong it now why i didn t know myself till bid me i thought it was sick but it s not sure the poor thing s goin to clock an i must set the eggs for it to morrow i hope you ll keep your word then said for although it would go against me to harm the still i tell you that if the crew i m of does be about the place pretence of it be the tu be apt to give it a dog s knock sometime an take care that more than one won t come in for a knock in this instance however it so happened that had truth on her side the fact indeed was and enabled the good women of the neighbourhood to keep their angry husbands quiet for a considerable time afterwards with some of the latter the report gained ground very slowly but on that it was a fact many of them felt considerably relieved the reader already sees that s goose was really a goose of importance whose out and in whose health or illness or woe involved the ease and comfort or the doubt and anxiety of a considerable number of persons in the surrounding district himself however felt that her was rather a matter of discomfort to him than otherwise for had she been up and stirring he knew that she might be liable to all the influences that are to now however had no apology

49William Black

arising from her to receive visits from the black sheep of the an let us have a women settle them either in his they r much but still their wives he knew she seldom went notes an believe that his own house husband c t f i those private meetings a j i or others stiu farther â l abroad â â f fr e for whilst gravely ho il iâ prospect that presented itself in tlie v j t on was crowned by the birth of a to eleven out of twelve every l j to be healthy and to give promise iu at the full proportion of a goodly goose i g made as usual for te and w aw now to suppose two things first that the i reared and secondly that the mysterious but vice of the neighbourhood is increasing i f had promised himself a return fix m the sale f the and hoped in a year or two to be able fix m the f to buy a cow or a and never besides to be a good fat dinner at all this was creditable and becoming an industrious man in the meantime he thought that somehow the flock appeared lessened in his eye that is to say that they looked as a whole to be rather diminished in number the thing had struck him before but in that feeble and indistinct manner in which in easy i leaves not an impression behind it which ever leads to the following up of the suggestion but on this occasion great wan his dismay and astonishment when on reckoning them he found that three were most missing here was more mystery and this discovery was made at a time when he had every reason to suspect that had at length been drawn into the the fact was that many secret and guarded movements had been of late dark doings at â noticed by him of which from motives of deep and sagacious policy he had determined to take no open being resolved to allow to lull herself into that kind of false security which is usually produced by indifference or stupidity on the part of the husband here was a matter however that could not be overlooked and accordingly he demanded an explanation but this in a manner so exceedingly sage and cunning that we are sure our readers cannot withhold from him the mark of their approbation said he without appearing to labour under any suspicion whatsoever you had look them o this there s three o them i can reckon only eight not the bad to your curiosity you re as bad as a woman so you are the go to heaven no a foot said her husband starting up in a passion an be the holy if you don t tell me on the nail what of them i won t lave a goose o them alive in an more than that take care an don tâ take care i say â don t me i tell you well this is good afore your own e too an now if you want to know i did wrong in regard that i knew well enough you d bring me over the coals about it ay did i you gave me two an six pence to pay my an i met my aunt and my an her bachelor an i in an them your money an of i had to sell one o the to make it up then of too you your â send you news whether i did or not i ll tell you what sooner than i d lead such a life i d you d what you d what but i ll myself to c s or morrow s market day now i tell you out you ll step for step myself an be the man two o the same must go afore you the town at your elbow i ll stay till they re an every market day till they re gone a pair o them must go why then you mane spirited wi tf is it to sell â what ll you come to at last you blanket you sure if i did wrong can t you beat me so you u stand at my elbow till i sell my be me if you do i ll bring a blush in your face if there s such a thing in it which there s not or you wouldn t make an ould woman â a â of yourself as you re upon my i you didn t sit on the eggs yourself but sure i ll say you did to morrow an then they ll bring three prices i above but i m a happy life you an your i bad luck be from them every day they rise but they have been a to me from the sure yourself an them s a common by word can either of us go to mass or market that the neighbours doesn t be a grin how is s goose it would be acting rather the dignity of a historian were we to dwell too on the bitter which followed the sale of every goose until the last of the clutch was disposed of the truth is that in spite of all his authority and and conscious wisdom to boot was never able to lay a finger upon a single penny of the proceeds nor could he with all his of scent smell out the purpose to which applied it no we are wrong in this he did find it out and as we have said strongly suspect it too but he was hitherto able in no instance to detect so as perfectly to satisfy himself and bring the proof home against her a circumstance however now occurred which brought the whole dark secrecy of this proceeding to light one day

49William Black

while searching in some comer for a which he dark doings at wanted stumbled upon a smooth round vessel with a handle on one side a pipe on the other and a close fitting lid on the top or would have enjoyed the grin of malignant triumph which played upon his features as with one hand stretched under the bed he lay curiously feeling and examining the vessel in question very fortunately for him was cutting some in the garden for then dinner and was consequently totally ignorant of the discovery the opportunity was too good to be lost and who although he knew not the use to which the vessel was applied having never seen one before yet suspecting that it was part and parcel of the wicked system which prevailed resolved now that the coast was clear to carry it to those who could determine its use and application he immediately whipped it out took a hasty glance and hiding it under his big coat stole off by to consult the two here however was no chance of the mystery the never having any more than himself seen to their knowledge any vessel of the kind before long and serious was their deliberation respecting the steps necessary to be taken upon this important occasion one suggesting one thing another mother at length it occurred to them that their best plan would be to consult an old woman who was considered an authority accordingly once more putting this under his coat set off to s house with something like a prophetic assurance of success in this again he was doomed to be disappointed in truth was the very last person with whom had he known as much as his wife he would or ought to have expected information she it was who had chiefly the good wives of the village both by and example and on her head of course did the original sin of the whole neighbourhood lie found her at home and took it for granted that the difficulty must now be solved further trouble n ob god god yon kindly how is end the au as tight news any or abroad ay an to the odd o the man â why thin i ie light shines an the wind blows the will still be goin but yon an me is it thai acre a a o bad work on among i so yon men good i mane women tm one of them what die ou i to be god where the man or that is as they to be to ten the tm my own wife s not much than the rest faith if she s as good man yon have no t to isn t she good ton anyhow is it a lady yon want cock yon up indeed there s eleven the ie gone now and not a â ever i touched of the price of any one o than only two i got to help to leather few a pair of well but i say it s not well now where did it go to â answer me that i tell yon she s as bad as the an of the three worse i can t keep them and the lies they tell us is belief an not only that but when they get together we re sport and an you know that very well no nor you don t don t i i tell you i them dark doings at them at what down churches eh any way i as good as them an here s a piece o their he added producing the mystery from under his coat now give you share of half a pint if you tell me the right name of this why replied did you never see one o these before an is it possible you don t know the name of it no but i suspect an so you came here to know the name of it an what it s for a thing else brought me an you expect me to turn against the woman to satisfy your curiosity i get out you mane spirited how dare you come to me on a business if s a salt you ought to have tied to your tail an be turned out before a drag hunt you out o and grieved he returned home almost despairing of ever the purpose for which the mysterious and strangely vessel was employed now it so happened that the priest of the parish father held a station that day in the next and thither did honest repair that he might have his reverence s upon the vessel which he carried under his coat he accordingly bent his steps in that direction and arrived just as the priest had concluded the business of the day â â well said the priest â i hope there s nothing wrong shook his head witli a good deal of solemnity and replied â it s hard to say your reverence i d be glad to have a word or two in private md you if it s agreeable the priest brought him into the room where he had been and inquired what was the matter c s goose or first sit said he and how is the wife and children tin much obliged to you sir replied but it s not to me to sit in regard of what tm â the s all well sir thank god and your reverence an too sir as far as health is but why don t you sit down man the a one of me can sir as i said i ve a thing here that i want to ax your reverence s opinion on for to tell you the truth sir i suspect it to be nothing more or less than a piece of the s where did you get it why sir i was about to

49William Black

day looking for a an i stumbled on it by accident as he spoke he slowly unfolded the skirts of his and produced the mystery of to the priest the priest who was a bit of a in his way on seeing what carried with such secrecy laughed heartily and commenced a or two of the old song familiar by the name oh tea pot arc you there oh for tl e muse of old or that tenth lady from i who the poetic elbow of our own mark i oh for â but this is useless â one line of will paint honest bi on from the priest that the he re about with all the apparent importance and caution of an vas after all the of his worst and the of his wife s guilt an t â ok et his dismay r could scarcely be painted he s j if ho had seen a spirit his fingers spread his eye v and his eyes out of dark doings at their his very hair as the poet says stood upright and speech for nearly a minute was denied him â but this of s on discovering what the mystic actually was demands a few words of explanation we believe it is pretty well ii to most of our aged readers if it so happen that any old lady or gentleman wiu condescend to us that about half a century ago or even later ere civilization had carried many of its questionable advantages so r into the remote recesses of humble life as it does in the present day there existed among the lower classes a prejudice against tea drinking that was absolutely it is to be sure difficult properly to account for this but the reader may rest assured that so it was in the time of which we speak any woman especially a married one suspected of was looked upon as a marked sheep and if detected in the act she was considered a disgrace to her sex and her name a reproach to her many circumstances went to create this not prejudice and we shall mention a few of them in the first place tea at that time was by no means so cheap ft it is now and besides it brought still more luxuries in its train they could not use tea without sugar and it was found that a loaf of white bread and butter were a decided improvement this costly indulgence was naturally and justly looked upon as an act of domestic altogether on the part of the poor and struggling classes who must have distressed themselves and wasted their means in striving to procure it nor was this all it was too frequently found that wives and daughters did not scruple to steal or otherwise make away with the property of their husbands and fathers rather than live without this fascinating which had then the zest of novelty to recommend it neither did its injurious consequences in a moral point of view end here wives and daughters have b or been known to still deeper disgrace upon their in order to obtain it the sons of half rs and of independent farmers might have been less successful in their among the females of their ther were it not the silly weakness which often yielded to temptation in this shapes these ot of were to create an against tea among the male portion of the lower classes and to render it almost in my for any woman to be known to it our catalogue of prejudices however does not end even here it was reported by the husbands we presume â that tea was every way unlucky about a house and that no poor in which it was drunk was ever known to â and for this reason that the devil was worshipped in the country from whence it came and that it was consequently the plant but of this did not they all know the wickedness that took place in the high when men and women married and single from the lord lieutenant to the squire met in the middle of night and in the pitch to drink every two of that is man and woman â their pot of i sure it was well known that the devil was always present and made the himself and as most of the lords arid gentlemen were members of the hell fire club it stood to reason that the devil and they were all in their now all this came of and how then could it happen but that the old boy must have had a hard grip of any woman that took it our readers we trust can now understand not only our s horror on discovering that the vessel he carried about with him was nothing more nor less than an tea pot but also the distress and indignation aiid jealous vigilance with which he and the kept watch upon the motions of wives indeed much of the simplicity of character which then existed is now gone and we have every reason to regret it although not more dark doings at tl than the unhappy people it was amusing to witness the harmless but covert which went ot the husbands and wives of a village who assailed other as if from whilst â firm and du knit the individuals on each side thus joining themselves into a most league for the purpose of the opposite party later time when tea was at least once a week â to wit on sunday morning â it was highly to witness the resorted to by the good wife or her daughters in order to have a cup of it more frequently sometimes they the made for st so that there was nothing for it but the cup o f sometimes the was to break st with them and when the strongest and most fragrant was

49William Black

ready drawn and awaiting it was discovered that the whole matter was a got up by the females of the that they might secure it to themselves at alas i those good innocent days are gone and we fear for ever iâ but to return â heaven and earth your reverence i exclaimed when he had recovered himself what s to be done fm a ruined man an my wife s worse now nobody living understood the nature of s grievance better than the priest to whom the subject of drinking many a sore complaint heaven knows had been carried why said he pretending ignorance what is wrong wrong i by the man your reverence â god pardon me for in your presence â she s at it hard and fast for the last nine months nine months i how is that what do you mean the devil s plant the sir my wife s to the back bone into it she an them two rotten sheep the s goose or wives ay are they an the the naked truth is sir that they re all the same a thing but truth fm you tut you re dreaming how could your wife afford to drink tea where could she get the money for it you have none to spare i believe and if you had i don t think you d allow it to her for such a purpose it all along out of a â heaven forgive me for its name afore you sir â out of a goose got from an aunt o mine and may all the of light upon her an on the of a that s along why what has the e to do with your wife s â thing and be cursed to her â the dirty fowl made me a stock to the neighbours in the and now my wife has made me worse only knows what she has made me a your reverence knows will do any thing but the goose i can t connect the goose your wife s tea drinking an sir â the same goose brought us a of eleven as fine fat birds as ever you tasted in your life an confusion to the one of them but she drank in tea two shillings she gave me to buy leather for a pair o when my heels were on the stones is it the goose or your wife you re speaking of my wife the thief you don t mean that it was she brought you the of no sir replied with a grin which he could not suppress nor be me it wasn t the goose drank the but what s to be done your reverence is the goose fat now dark doings at faith sir squire s a to her she d want an arm chair to be rolled about in well to get out of trouble send me the goose and and make your mind easy i ll cure the or at all events undertake that your wife won t taste a single cup without you knowing it you shall have them sir but faith i say it s a undertaking god grant you may succeed in it â always that it may nt be too late so far as m for they say that a has no scruples good or bad oh god pity the man that has a wife an to rear i m nothing but a to them i ll tell you what you ll do says the priest take this same tea pot back to your own house and leave it unknown to your wife exactly in the spot where you got it after this keep singing tea pot are you there during the remainder of the day and you may throw out a hint to that you have lately seen such a thing then watch her well and in a day or two let me know how shell act come now put it under your tail and be off i have given you proper instructions thanked the priest rolled it up in the tail of ins great coat as before and mad towards home but not without a determination first to see and consult with the this indeed was a bitter meeting no sooner had his two neighbours satisfied themselves that it was a tea pot than they solemnly pledged themselves heart and hand to support in any plan that might enable them to put an end to tea drinking for ever they then separated having as good as sworn an oath that they would sustain and back one another in severe and it was very fortunate for that had gone to bring in a of water for the supper when he reached home as by that means he had an opportunity of n by s the tea pot without the possibility of her seeing him however was her astonishment or rather consternation when on entering the house she heard o tea pot are you there in a tone so jolly and full of spirits that she knew not in what light to consider this unusual inclination to melody â whether as the result of accident or design dear said she with more affection than usual where you in several my honey i seen many strange sights to day what they darling tell us one o them why i was about to day for an article i wanted â a it was to mend a gate â and upon my i found a tea pot in anything but company o tea pot are you there c ac and he gave her very a second of the same melody this melodious system of bitter he continued like a man on the rack for two or three days during which period he observed that several secret took place between and the wives of her neighbours as was evident from her occasional absence

49William Black

and the rapid expresses that passed from time to time between them the fact was that the finding of the tea pot proved a very fortunate discovery and was attended by a no less important result than the breaking up of the tea drinking that existed in the village we have now solved and explained this great mystery â and like all other mysteries discovery put an end to it made humble and sufficient apologies for having been drawn into the grievous of tea drinking as a token that the wickedness was for ever the was brought out and smashed with all due ceremony father too was induced to issue from the altar so severe an against the forbidden as suppressed the practice throughout the parish ob the defeated young was descended from a long line of private and of course exhibited in his own person all the practical wit sagacity cunning and of invention which the natural genius of the family sharpened by long experience had created from generation to generation as a standing capital to be handed down to son there was scarcely a trick plot scheme or that had ever been resorted to by his ancestors that had not at his finger ends and though but a lad of sixteen at the time we present him to the reader yet be it observed that he had had his mind even at that age admirably trained by four or five years of keen vigorous practice in all the resources necessary to meet the vigilance and stealthy of that animal â the in feet s talents did not merely consist in an acquaintance with the hereditary tricks of his these of themselves would prove but a miserable defence against the ever varying ingenuity with which the skill of the still hunter his approaches and his on the contrary every new plan of the must be met and defeated by a equally novel but with this in the of both that whereas the s devices are the result of mature deliberation â s from the very nature of the circumstances must be necessarily and rapid the hostility between the parties b ok being as it is carried on through such varied on both sides and by such and able by so many quick and unexpected turns of incident â it would be utter in either to rely upon tricks and stale their relative position and occupation do not therefore merely exhibit a contest between law and that mountain liberty or between the board and the â it presents a more interesting point for observation namely the struggle between mind and mind â between wit and wit â between and it might be very amusing to detail from time to time a few of those keen of practical cunning which take place between the and his eyed foe the they are curious as throwing light upon the national character of our people and us evidences of the surprising readiness of wit of invention and irresistible humour which they mix up with almost every actual concern of life no matter how difficult or critical it may be nay it mostly happens that the character of the peasant in all its fulness rises in to what he is called upon to encounter and that the laugh at or the upon the keeps pace with the difficulty that is overcome but now to our short story two men in the garb of gentlemen were riding along a remote by road one morning in the month of october about the year or not certain which the air was remarkably clear keen and a frost for the few preceding nights had set in and then lay upon the fields about them melting gradually however as the sun got strength with the exception of the sides of such hills and valleys as his beams could not reach until evening chilled their influence too much to the whiteness which covered them our had nearly reached a turn in the way which we should observe in this place skirted the brow of a that lay on the right lu point of fact it was a the defeated t inclined plane or slope rather than a but be this as it may the flat at its foot was studded over with bushes which grew so close and level that a person hi almost imagine it possible to walk upon their surface o coming within about two and fifty yards of this a the noticed a lad not more than sixteen on towards them with a upon his back the eye of one of them was immediately lit with that sparkling of habitual sagacity which marks the practised among ten thousand for a single moment he drew up his horse an action which however slight in itself intimated more plainly than he could have wished the obvious interest which had just been excited in him short as was the pause it betrayed him for no sooner had the lad noticed it than he crossed the ditch and disappeared round the angle we have mentioned and upon the side of the to gallop to the spot cross the ditch also and pursue him was only the work of a few minutes we have him said the we have one thing is clear he cannot escape us â speak for yourself replied his companion â â â as for me not being an officer of his majesty s i decline taking any part in the pursuit â it is a fair battle so fight it out between you â i am with you now only through curiosity he had scarcely concluded when they heard a voice singing the following in a spirit of that hearty which a cheerful contempt of care and an utter absence of all apprehension oh she you are my true lover you are all the riches that i do i solemnly swear now i ll ne er have my

49William Black

heart it is fixed to never love more the music then changed to a joyous whistle and immediately they were confronted by a lad dressed in an old red ob coat patched with grey who on seeing exhibited in his features a most air of natural surprise he immediately ceased to whistle and with e ery mark of patting his hand to his hat said in a the tones of which spoke of kindness and d â god save ye i say my said the where is the with the k on his back he crossed there this moment where dr said the lad with a stare of surprise â where when why this and in this and was it a sir sir i am not here to be examined by yon rallied confound me if the rascal is not sticking me into a cross examination â â i say red coat where is the boy with the k or sir had â hadn t he a grey dr he had and wasn t it a bit the skirts your honour â again he s at me unless you tell me where he is in half a second i shall my whip to your the a i seen dr â tiie i seen â did you see a boy without the answering to the description gave you you gave no description of it sir â but even if you did when i see it how could i teu your honour any thing about it â where is the you the where is he gone to you admit you saw him as the it cannot be from us â but where is he boy coal him ill is the road there below and down the other side of that ditch this was too palpable a me to stand the test even of a glance at the ditch m question which was nothing more than a mound that ran down a long field on which there was not even the appearance of a the looked at his companion â then turning to the boy â come come my lad said he you know that lie is rather cool don t you feel in your soul that a rat could hot have gone in that direction our seeing it p an i saw him returned the lad a grey coat upon him that was a little too short in the tail â it s better than half an hour the boy i speak of you must have met said it s not five minutes â no not more than three since he came inside the field that my feet may grow to the ground then if i seen a boy in or about this place the time the eyed him closely for a short space and pulling out half a crown said â my lad a word with you in private the fact is that during the latter part of this dialogue the worthy observed the cautious distance at which the boy kept himself from the grasp of him and his companion a consequently began to dawn upon him that in defiance of appearances the lad himself might be the actual on re considering the matter this suspicion almost amounted to certainty the time was too short to permit even the most ingenious cheat to render himself and his invisible in a manner so utterly unaccountable on the other hand when he reflected on the character of the boy s song the capricious change to a light hearted whistle the surprise so naturally and the respect so expressed joined to the of dress he was confounded or again and scarcely knew on side to even the lad s reluctance to approach him might proceed from of the whip he felt resolved however to ascertain this point and with the view of getting the lad into his hands he showed him half a crown and addressed him as already stated the lad on seeing the money appeared to be instantly caught by it and approached him as if it had been a he could not resist a circumstance which again staggered the in a moment however he seized him come now said he his coat you will oblige me by and why so said the lad with a ce which might have furnished a painter or with a perfect notion of curiosity perplexity and wonder why so replied â we shall see â we shall soon see â surely you don t think hid the about me said the other his features now into such an appearance of utter simplicity as would have certainly made any other man but a give up the examination as hopeless and the boy from any whatsoever in the transaction no no replied the by no means you young rascal see here he continued addressing his companion â the my precious again turning to the oh no no it would be cruel to suspect you of any thing but the purest of simplicity look here having stripped the boy of his coat and turned it inside out there s a coat â there s â there s economy for you â come sir on on instantly here i shall assist you â up with your arms â your neck it be both straightened and stretched yet my what think you now did you ever see a in your life so quick complete and unexpected companion was certainly astonished in no small decree on seeing the red coat when turned become a comfortable grey one precisely such as he who bore the had on nay after surveying his person and dress a second time he instantly recognised him as the same the only interest we should observe which this gentleman had in the transaction arose from the mere gratification which a keen observer of character gifted with a strong relish for humour might be supposed to feel the in the

49William Black

matter and the trail ot the was now in his glory and certainly when met by so able an opponent as our friend for it was indeed himself a very rich treat to his friend now he continued addressing the boy again â lose not a moment in letting us know where you ve hid the the bit of it i it fell off o me an i lost it sure i m it myself so i am and ke moved over while speaking as if pretending to search lor it in a thin hedge which could by no means conceal it said the did you ever see any thing perfect as this so ripe a rascal â you don t understand him now here you there must be no playing the with me back here to the same point we may lay it as a sure thing that whatever direction he takes from this spot is the wrong one so back here you sir till we survey the premises about us for your traces the boy walked back and appeared to look about him for the with a kind of earnest stupidity which was altogether i say my boy asked don t you look rather foolish now can you tell your right hand from your left â can replied holding up his left there s my right hand and what do you call the other said ok â my how an s true but it s the thing ft little too or odd he in the let us hear how you prove it enough i am â this up the left is the li it hand whatever yon may say to the s expanded after he had into a grin so broad and full of grotesque sarcasm that and his both found in ite of them get rather under its what the v exclaimed the are we to be here day bring us at to the he was here by a from so loud and hearty that he looked at him with â hey he exclaimed the matter the matter what new joke is for some minutes however he not get a from the other whose laughter appeared as if never to end he walked to and fro in bending his body and clapping hb hands together with a quite what is it man the other you what is it â replied i am sick you have it to yourself at all observed and shall keep it to myself said â for if your sagacity is over reached be contented to sit down under defeat â i won t interfere now in this contest between the and even â o a thing as one of an eye by the latter might have a cue to an c f so sharp as during the whole dialogue preserved the most and in the thb defeated matter of his between right and and who watched his eye with the vigilance could make nothing of it not so was it between him and for during the closing of his mirth caught his eye fixed upon a certain mark barely visible upon the fix st which mark extended down to the bushes that grew at the foot of the slope where they then stood as a old hound lays his nose to the trail of a hare or fox so did the pursue the trace of the down the little hill for the ct was that having no other resource it off towards the into which it settled perfectly to his and with all the quickness of youth and practice instantly turned his coat which had been made purposely for such this accomplished he had barely time to advance a few yards round the angle of the hedge and changing his whole manner as well as his appearance himself as the reader already seen that he could have carried the k down to the cover then conceal it and return to the spot where they met him was utterly beyond the reach of human exertion so that in point of fact they never could have suspected that the lay in such a place the triumph of the was now complete and a sense of his own sagacity sat visible on his features c s face on the other hand became considerably lengthened and appeared quite as and as the other s was joyous and confident who s now my knowing one said he who is the laugh against as matters stand between us the give you good of it said what is your name inquired s my name replied the other an i m not ashamed of it nor to tell it to you or any man of the of ay of the of i know the said they are decent ix tray â bat come my lad don t lose your and answer me another question where were yoa bringing this t to a man than ever stood in your shoes rallied in a tone of absolute defiance â to a any way with a peculiar on the word but what s his name mr s his name â the shrewd stood and fixed his keen eye on for upwards of with a glance of such piercing scrutiny as scarcely any of could withstand on the other hand stood and ed him with an open yet angry glance never but appeared by the detection of his to hare altogether the line of cunning policy he had adopted which had over and art he is now speaking truth thought the he has lost his temper and is completely off hb guard well my lad he continued that is very good so but who sent the to do you think said with a of strong contempt at the for him so utterly as to tell him do you think that you can make me turn there s none of that blood in me thank goodness

49William Black

do you know how could i know the man i never seen replied still out of temper but one thing i don t know that is whether you have any right to take my or not as to that my good lad make your mind easy â i the defeated you sir said with well feigned yes replied the other i m the very man you were bringing the to and now i ll tell you what you must do for me proceed to my house with as little delay as possible ask to see my daughter â ask for miss â take this key and desire her to hare the put into the cellar shell know the key and let it also be as a token that she is to give you your breakfast say i desired that to be placed to the right of the five one i seized on thursday last that stands on a little under my of said who a to have on the matter i suppose i must but somehow â why what do you now for still eyed him with suspicion â and sir said he after having once more mounted the am i to get nothing for such a weary as had it but my breakfast â here said throwing him crown take that along with it and now be oft â or stop â will you dine with me to day and let us the i ll its excellence for this is not the first i have got from the same quarter â that s with all my heart replied upon the terms you say that of a then my lad said say to my daughter that a perhaps a friend or two will dine with me to day â that is enough they then mounted their horses and were proceeding as before when addressed the as follows â do you not put this lad in a capacity to you yet no replied the other the young rascal spoke the truth after the discovery of the for he lost his temper and was no longer cool â for my part me if trust him or i should to do so myself replied the but as i said these â notorious fellows by the way â send me a or two every year and almost always about this very time besides i read him to the heart and he never yes decidedly the was for me of that i have no doubt whatsoever i most positively would not trust him not that perhaps i ought said on second thought to place such confidence in a lad who acted so in the beginning let us call him back and re examine him at events now had during this conversation been discussing the very same point with himself bad for ever attend you he exclaimed for there s surely something over you â a lucky shot from behind a hedge or a break fall down a cliff or something of that kind k the ould boy hadn t his hard and fast in you you wouldn t let me walk away the any how it s well i thought o the for sure enough i did hear say that he was to send a in to him this week some day and he didn t think i knew him it s many a long day since i knew the sharp j u â of him an eye like a hawk but what if they folly me and do up all any way i ll them from having suspicion of me before i go a toe farther the ugly he instantly wheeled about a moment or two before and had done the same for the purpose of him still more thoroughly â so that they found him meeting them said he how do i know that of is mr or that the house you directed me to is his i know that if the doesn t go to him i may lave the you are either a deeper rogue or a more stupid fool than i thb took you to be observed â but what security can you give us that you will leave the safely at its destination if i thought you were mr i d be very glad to lave you the where it is and even to do my break st â tell me the truth i d only be out of the face why you idiot said the losing his temper and suspicions both together can t you go to the town and inquire where mr lives thin enough i never thought of that at all at all but i beg your pardon an i hope you won t be angry me in regard that it s and td be if i let myself be made a fool of by any body do what i desire you said the â â inquire for mr s house and you may be sure the will reach him thank you sir i might have thought of that myself this last which was spoken in a would have deceived a saint himself now after they had their journey are you satisfied i am at length said if his intentions had been instead of returning to make himself certain against being deceived he would have made the best of his way from us â a rogue never puts himself in the way of danger or detection that evening about five o clock and two others arrived at the house of the worthy g to partake of his good cheer a cold frosty evening gave a peculiar zest to the comfort of a warm room a blazing fire and a good dinner no sooner were the discussed the cloth removed and the glasses ready than their generous host or desired his daughter to assist the servant in the that my dear he proceeded which the country lad

49William Black

who brought the key of the cellar left here to day a repeated the daughter with surprise yes my love a i said so i think but papa there came no here to day the and both groaned in no said the â no echoed no indeed re echoed miss â but there a country boy with the key of the cellar as a token that he was to get the five â oh i groaned the tm knocked up â bought and sold added go on said the i must hear it out â as a token proceeded miss that he was to get the five on the little under the for captain and he got it yes su he got it for i took the key as a sufficient token but â hell and fury hear me surely he brought a here and left it and of course it s in the cellar no indeed papa he brought no here but he did bring the five one that was in the cellar away with him said send round the bottle the rascal ejaculated the we shall drink his health and on relating the circumstances the company drank the lad s health that bought and sold the a of the heart the trial it may appear to many persons that the life and death of idiot boy can present very few facts or incidents sufficient importance to interest readers in general or to touch those which are apt to shrink from rather to any sympathy with such a subject i doubt ver whether there is a object in the wide of nature that is not bound by some tie latent or obvious to that incomprehensible origin of our happiness and misery the human heart so manifold are its changes and and so endless the variety of the situations in which it is placed that it becomes impossible for the most successful into its mysteries to discover the inconceivable of the impulses that guide it the secret power of its associations or the new states of feeling into which the infinite of external circumstances added to its unconscious experience during the progress of general life may throw it would when with the hopes that such a brilliant outset in life promised him have deemed it possible that any variety of fortune however strange could have taught him the sympathy which may between a man and a mouse no and for my part i candidly admit that i would look with contempt upon the individual who would himself incapable of entertaining sympathy with any human being no matter how a mortal bein j o a of the absolutely vicious or has never lived nor can there be found a character which does not exhibit something either to avoid or imitate and consequently to with â et a me â is an as full of truth as it is of affection and endless honour upon the noble minded heathen whose heart conceived a sentiment almost worthy of the humane beauty of christianity alexander was a young man of very respectable character in the upper ranks of middle life that is to say he filled that most important position in society which lies between the wealthy and the country gentlemen he kept his car and drove his but at the same time managed his own property his workmen and for the most part bought and sold his own cattle he was possessed of a small fee simple estate worth better than three hundred a year but besides this he four acres of excellent land to which was attached a considerable tract of the latter at nearly a rent had been designed for the church and received a education but as his disposition became gradually inclined towards the active pursuits and healthy amusements of a country life he ultimately gave up all pretensions to that profession took the farm i have alluded to and in a short time had the reputation of being a most promising and intelligent when about to determine his pursuit in life eminently handsome and certainly became a great favourite in the drawing room on his return from college his manners were gentlemanly and his complexion possessed of that delicacy which study and protection from the elements both bestowed upon it thereby creating that character which young ladies who incessantly read novels understand by the term sentimental in a short time however the sentiment and study which after all was little else than tho ths trial of san and wind began to disappear and bis features to assume the firm and manly tone of health and exercise relish for the sports of the field was sufficiently keen for ail the purposes of rational amusement without bringing him to the pitiable condition of those who suffer them to become the business of life and who appear to consider themselves created for no other purpose than as it â many of a class who look upon health to be with their idea of beauty â now began to think that ho was getting quite coarse and vulgar and were frequently heard to exclaim dear me what a pity it is that so interesting a young man as should allow himself to sink into the rustic pursuits of a mere and unquestionably it was true that a very remarkable change did certainly take place not only in his appearance and person as we have said but also in his general manners and his dress though respectable and well made was not so decidedly fashionable nor of such exquisite materials as before his and conversation were more frank and open and a great deal less ambitious of polish and sentiment than while he had the church in view he no longer spoke to the other sex in that small voice of which they relish so much in young men of decided piety he had now ceased to be that sweet of the drawing room

49William Black

a divinity student and as a natural consequence be had ceased to make himself remarkable by discussing no other topic than a religious one or to look upon the tendency of general conversation in a mixed company as a proof how much vital was disappearing from the world instead of never permitting the muscles of his face to beyond such a serious smile as was sufficient to a well brushed set of teeth and a horror of profane mirth he could now laugh out from the heart like a a record or thb or man he had given up the custom of discussing with pious old ladies and their daughters or the comparative merits of the most popular and of his own to the utter condemnation of all others the white hand the still handkerchief and the gilt bible well dog so as to the faithful text hunter were no longer with that grave air of sincerity which though real is on the other hand too frequently assumed under any circumstances this sober of seriousness in mixed company is to say the least of it offensive to good taste as well as to the interests of true religion which never hangs out a black flag to tell the world where she is to be found as well as the colours she is known by at all events the change that i have mentioned in was quite obvious to all who had known him he was now a stout fine looking young man with an open and handsome countenance tinged into the brown hues of robust health by activity and employment he also contracted what i may term a courteous of manner by which it was easy to see how readily the wealthy farmer and the man of education may meet in the same person and form a model of gentlemanly ease and independence which it would be well to see more frequently by the class to which he belonged it was very natural under these circumstances that a young man at s period of life should begin to feel the inconvenience of not having some person to manage the domestic arrangements of his house and to bestow that happiness which can never be in by a solitary heart added to this the natural of an affectionate disposition determined him with as little delay as possible to marry nor was it difficult for a highly educated j handsome young fellow as he and very independent besides in his circumstances to select a suitable companion from among classes even higher thb parents trial than that in which he moved with equal good sense and good feeling he paid his addresses in a quarter where both prudence and affection justified his choice jane was a lovely and accomplished girl somewhat in her manner as almost every girl possessing tender and profound feeling is she was not one of those who parade their accomplishments before society or who take delight in them upon the attention of both strangers and friends until their exhibition becomes not merely common place but painful on the contrary she might be passed by as one of those who appear to be bom only to fill a place in the crowd were it not that her beauty was by no means of that description which could be overlooked to a eye her silence and modesty instead of being the result of were soon discovered to proceed firom observation and reflection indeed the slightest opportunity of conversation disclosed the reluctant of a mind far beyond the common order and a taste equally cultivated and just she was the only daughter but not the only child of a captain who a long and not life had retired on full pay and an honourable some reluctance was certainly manifested by himself and his family against the proposed alliance but s manners good sense and circumstances were really so that it was deemed more advisable to unite them than to sacrifice miss s happiness to that parade and wealth could neither purchase nor restore it s union with her was indeed a happy one the residence to which he brought her was every way suitable both to their taste and education it was situated on the brow of a small hill which swept easily down to a very sweet lake that lay a few hundred below it and whose green margin contrasted beautifully with the summer of its waters behind it rose a sweep of fine old a of thb or timber by a and in every direction the eye was gratified by a rich in cultivation and luxuriant scenery about a quarter of a mile to the left from among the in which it was rose the spire of the parish church and a little to the right of that could be seen through a natural vista in the trees the white and modest house of the directly opposite a rustic bridge quite in character with the scenery a quiet stream whose waters as the light of the sun fell upon them from different quarters of the heavens altogether it would be difficult to find a summer landscape on which lay a spirit of greater tranquillity and beauty in this sweet spot with all of rational enjoyment which ufe can to persons of regulated and his wife passed for a few years a calm and serene existence three girls had blessed their and as the children were l it is almost unnecessary to say that their fond parents absolutely them now however commenced that secret yearning of the heart which under such is naturally felt from the absence of a son their attachment to each other was in no degree diminished but on the contrary softened into a of greater tenderness by the three beautiful of their love notwithstanding all this their affection tender as it unquestionably was gradually became by a latent melancholy which each endeavoured to conceal from the other many

49William Black

a secret prayer did they uttered too ia a spirit of pious timidity that shrank back at the idea of to the almighty â that if it were to his divine will their most anxious wishes might be gratified by the birth of a male child in this beautiful hope of a parent s heart did they both live until the eve of a fourth still quickened their expectations into an anxiety that became actually it passed and another daughter was welcomed to their heart with an tub for the time was absorbed in a stronger of disappointment and regret it soon became evident that they were not happy and that however their lives to the will of god in this matter was not among their virtues they secretly but as yet did not venture openly to murmur against the hand that withheld the earnestly blessing a perceptible chill too somewhat cooled that exquisite spirit of which up to this period their affections they felt uneasy restless discontented and if for a moment a contemplation of the good bestowed upon them unconsciously lit up their hearts into momentary gratitude and hi the quick memory of their want startled them back into anxiety and gloom a fifth event passed â and added another innocent to the number of their its mother wept and the ther whose fine understanding had so to the weakness of his heart as to fall into a superstitious belief in dreams â which but resemble the wishes that create experienced upon this last occasion such a of feeling that he actually to kiss his babe nor could he for some days be prevailed upon to see either its mother or itself ills good sense however and the impulses of a heart naturally generous and soon occasioned him to feel ashamed of thus visiting upon his helpless infant and innocent wife a displeasure which was both and he took them back however rather to his pity than his affection for his heart began to lose the power of loving with its and to feel a general and a growing towards every thing about him that had once been dear to it from this period his mind began to his principles became and the providence of god no longer shone before him in its visible beauty and order in short was a complete a record of thb heart or illustration of a truth has not been sufficiently observed that our feelings in many circumstances and positions of life or altogether change our principles much more than the world or we ourselves are apt to imagine his mind at once dissatisfied and was now incapable of seeing the moral relations that between god and man except partially or imperfectly for indeed his growing prejudices every object which he looked on or examined the result unhappily was that ere properly aware of it found himself the slave of doubt and for true it is that the power of the judgment soon becomes clouded by the errors of the heart for some months he remained in this painful and gloomy state seeking throughout all nature both physical and moral for arguments to justify the very opinions which constituted his own and he soon found that with characteristic every new objection against truth whilst it flattered the pride of his intellect disturbed his soul with an impatient sense of his own condition as well as of the general disorder which he thought marked the great mass of human opinions so that whilst he advanced in his new doctrines he found that his system instead of soothing his mind into peace and comfort was only another name for distress and misery this often induced him to say that he thought it better to believe a wholesome error than to fix his faith upon one of those philosophical doctrines which the morals whilst they raise the mind into a vain and empty pride in its own powers to such a and unsettled state of and feeling was reduced when his wife had the unspeakable transport of presenting him with a sou few men can say what they are and still fewer what they will be â argued narrowly and the consequence was that feeling for reason he thb parents trial not because it was truths but because he had no son there are thousands who reason on the subject of religion in this way and who when the feelings upon which their opinions have been formed pass away or happen to be changed by some ev it which fills the heart with what it wished for fall back into truth â less from conviction than from a complacent of gratitude and are therefore excellent christians merely in compliment to the goodness of providence be this however as it may the birth of a son wrought an and we might say a change in to him whose moral conduct had never been by his opinions nothing remained but to his speculations he looked upon the face of his infant son as an index of truth a of god s providence in the distribution of good and evil but above all things as a living argument the of man in drawing general firom particular states of feeling it is true that bad not his mind lost much of its force he might have perceived that this mode of reasoning himself back into truth was very much akin to that by which he had reasoned himself out of it as few however hold their principles from pure reason man cannot without much presumption sit in judgment upon hb fellow creatures as if he himself were free firom the same weakness it is enough to say that on the birth of his son repented his errors and deeply regretted the day that he ever dared murmur against providence or to question those truths which like the stars of heaven are visible by their own light to him and his

49William Black

wife it was truly an event fi with happiness their affection now revived into all its original tenderness and warmth the babe which was called alexander father â for mrs would allow it no other name â became from the moment of its birth the idol of its parents and its sisters the theme of every little o a of the heart or tongue and the topic of incessant admiration and delight with young and old in the family this love of its parents was right or wrong it is not for us to say it is sufficient to inform our readers that increased it to such a degree that they had already become the ridicule of all those who had an opportunity of witnessing their extraordinary and attachment an attachment which resembled rather the impulses of instinct than the but elevated affection of religion and reason a change of new delight however soon came over their spirits in the birth of another son s happiness absolutely became quite tumultuous indeed so much so that both himself and his wife who after all were naturally disposed to be contented acknowledged they had nothing now to wish for between the birth of their two sons there elapsed only the space of twenty months so that to their delighted parents they promised to grow up like or as has been often said and from its beauty may be often said again like two upon the same stalk their hearts however felt that a charm lay upon their first born which in consequence of what they had suffered gave to their love for him a tenderness that no language could express he was also his father s name sake and his image and none of our readers who are parents need be told how slight are the circumstances which occasion the affections to incline to one child even where both or all are much beloved there never was a family bom in which there has not been a favourite nay the very animals are known to single out a particular object of affection among y and although it is to allow this to be seen yet when we feel that it exists by some mysterious principle of nature we can do nothing more than it in such a manner as becomes those who know that however it may exist it is recognized neither by reason or justice tub trial in this case the over fond parents were no exception to the existence of such a feeling towards the son not heaven knows that the other was either neglected or for dearly was he cherished by both the however was so evident that their other children as well as the servants have been often known to play upon it in a manner which anyone not totally might have easily seen through the parents themselves of course were not sensible of this nor of the ridiculous of weakness which the folly of their conduct presented to others the principal burden of their conversation ere a year had closed on little was the of which already began to bud in him many a time have they talked themselves asleep whilst indulging in all those happy hopes and to which the s heart loves to turn looking into the darkness of the future for the of their oâ they would send him into the army â for his mother he would be brave like his father saw as indeed any body might by his forehead that he would possess genius or what if he entered the church who knew but he might become a bishop here mamma kissed his and then papa should have a kiss too but there was the army where he might rise to be a general here the little general was kissed again with as much enthusiasm as if an had foretold it but said his father what would you think of the law my darling you would not be sorry to see him a judge would you to the mother again this new point was transport â her eyes sparkled and once more was the little judge devoured with kisses by the fond but weak parents when the child had reached his second year his father observed that sometimes for a moment the serene brow of his mother would become shaded as she contemplated him this where he knew the fulness of her happiness to be equal to his a of thb heart or own surprised him considerably and he could only account for it by supposing that it was one of those pauses of the heart as it were which are occasioned by the excessive of a mother s love rendering it necessary for nature itself to demand as it were a moment of rest to revive its moral energies sometimes he thought that it might be one of those gloomy which in spite of hope and love will intrude themselves on the parent s imagination in a thousand shapes and are anxious in proportion to the force and of affection having thus satisfied himself by attribute ing what he had observed to causes which we must admit were very natural he felt very little disposed to pay attention to them especially as his wife in conversation made no allusion whatsoever to her feelings week however after week only appeared to increase her discomfort and to those unaccountable pauses in her happiness sometimes he observed her to get deadly pale after a long and earnest contemplation of her child and he remarked also that whatever the source of this occasional melancholy might be she felt extremely anxious to conceal it from him of course as the child was clearly the object of this secret solicitude her silence as to its origin only increased his anxiety to know it â and one day as she pressed it to her heart and burst into a fit of grief which even his presence could

49William Black

not restrain he ventured to inquire why she wept â do not ask me said she indeed i scarcely know i think â i am sure â that my is at all events do not at least for some time longer press me upon it you know my dear that there are a thousand matters to disturb a mother s heart which will not occur to any one else but you appear jane to be unhappy no no how can i having him â but say you will not press me â for some time at least certainly not my dear at the same time you must admit the parents trial that i cannot but in your anxiety whatever it may proceed firom a little time i trust will wholly remove it â and then the moment i find myself mistaken i will let you know what it was that occasioned me to feel as i do thus ended the conversation not at all to the satisfaction of who now doubly anxious to solve the mystery of her grief that the child was in some degree if not solely the cause of it he had little doubt and for this purpose he resolved to try by observing it closely whether he could not ascertain the cause of her distress two or three months now elapsed during which from time to time felt that his own spirit was beginning to experience intervals of darkness even deeper than those which obscured the joys of the mother neither however at this period had the slightest anticipation of the terrible discovery which the progress of another year was to make he now resolved te have a communication with his wife upon the subject at the same time he felt peculiar difficulty in introducing it in consequence of not knowing exactly in what language to express the novel and unintelligible sensations which depressed him so much jane my love said he one evening as they sat alone i feel that there is something about our darling child which i cannot understand his wife immediately clasped the infant to her breast whilst a torrent of tears fell down her cheeks â my child my child she sobbed from the moment of his birth he has never smiled upon his mother and oh why is this so the husband paused his lip quivered and a like that of death his temples it is true said he nor on me hb father he knows us not a record of the heart râ he rose wrong his and in deep distress about the room what can be the cause of it inquired the mother whilst her streaming eyes were tenderly fixed upon the child i know not replied her husband yet how have we seen him laugh yes she returned but it always appeared to be at some inward thought as it were of his own â his eye is dear and mild enough but i have never met the in it that me as yet he has recognized nobody replied the father and perhaps after all we attach more to the circumstance than we ought the intellect of some children is of slow development indeed this has been the case with many who have become the most brilliant ornaments of society afterwards how easy it is to give hope or to receive comfort where affection is sanguine for the heart is ever willing to believe in what it wishes the mother as she surveyed the baby appeared to be much relieved by this and himself drew consolation from what he had said you will he added â that in a little time the light of individual love will begin to beam from these sweet blue eyes of his indeed i entertain perhaps greater hopes from him than if he knew us it is quite dear that he is not a child and believe me if god almighty him the event will prove it â otherwise i have little penetration he then took the sweet and serenely passive boy in his and whilst the mingled fire of hope and affection flashed from his eyes â which having explained to his wife the conversation terminated much more to their satisfaction than either had apprehended it would have done thb trial our from what we have will naturally that those most earnest aspirations of the parents were not to be gratified and that the smile of recognition was never to light up the innocent countenance of their first bom son if so tliey are mistaken the of having an object always before the eye will gradually impress such a habit of attachment to it as sooner or later will not fail to manifest itself in many ways when the little innocent had reached the age of two years and a half his mother received a visit from a mrs st john a young cousin of hers who had been recently married it was about the middle of september and her husband was somewhere in the yard preparing to go out to shoot mrs st john very naturally took the child in her arms and was about to caress him when he turned from her and stretching his little hands towards his mamma cried to get to her the quick eye of the mother perceived it all and the suddenness of joy caused her to give a short scream but in a moment she her feelings lest the child might become she stretched out her arms â the child stretched out his to meet her and as he did it he looked into her face and smiled it was too much for her and this of her hopes came too unexpectedly upon her heart the next moment she sank upon the sofa where she had been sitting with the child clasped to her bosom and for a short time lay insensible to the utter of her cousin on recovering she rallied as

49William Black

well as she could and dropping hastily on her knees held her boy up as it were to heaven but the fulness of her gratitude was such that language was denied her she sobbed aloud however and wept for many minutes until she felt that thb delicious luxury of tears relieved her she then rang the bell and inquired from one of the servants if her master had gone out who pointed to him just as he was in the act of passing from the gate that opened into the avenue and lawn pen ink and k record of the heart or paper were immediately got and in a few minutes she despatched a messenger after him with the following brief but touching communication â may the name of be praised for ever my dear â return immediately â our child s eyes have smiled upon its mother â he knows oh he knows me am too â happy â and the tears that blot this are tears of gratitude and delight tour own jane it is unnecessary for us to detail the s return or the scene which immediately took place inasmuch as our readers we feel assured can much better conceive than we could describe it jn due course of time the father was also recognized and subsequently the sisters and his little brother what a happy family at this period was that of which we write not a wish had they without ambition pride or the sordid spirit of this vile world they lived together in peace and love and harmony it is true felt a certain degree of vanity touching the prophetic penetration he had â displayed with reference to little â i told you love he would often say to his wife that he would in time recognize ue all and that the intellect of many children destined to become eminent is of slow development you see the first part of ray prophecy came true and take my word for it so will the last that child is to be an uncommon child and will be heard of yet where are the hearts that can quarrel with such language when proceeding from the lips of a father if there be any such we do not envy the coolness of their philosophy nor that superiority of wisdom which what after all has in it more of virtue than of weakness in the meantime month after month followed until the child had reached the close of the third year for about three months preceding this however the parents were occasionally startled by thb parents many vague impressions that were caused by hb very singular manner and habits his character was marked by an that they could not at all understand he manifested for instance the utmost indifference to the quality of his food and was often found eating which even the instinct of childhood itself at his age would avoid he could utter also only a few indistinct words from the of which it was quite clear that hb organs of speech were either of slow growth or imperfect in their formation but he wa at the same time so mild and gentle and that every one loved him and his parents neither could nor would receive into their hearts the dreadful which some of the servants and many strangers now began to entertain concerning his mind it could not however be long concealed that the stamp of reason was not upon him day after day the withering truth became more clear and though his parents felt many a hope and many a wish that time would by degrees from his mind those principles of reason which had not yet appeared in their first elements yet alas time only confirmed the frightful fact that their mild and sweet and harmless the principal hope of their house and of their hearts â was an idiot from his birth what pen when this fearful discovery was made could the grief and agony of his distracted parents for many weeks their sorrow was like that of those who are without hope medical advice was immediately procured and everything done that could in the remotest degree be supposed capable of rendering the harmless creature any even the peasant doctor with his list of and the wise old woman reported to be equally successful were au tried but in vain the hopes of his at all becoming rational were gone for ever there are circumstances in which many persons hesitate not to consider the death of those who are dear to them as a relief a of thb or for some after the heart breaking ct was proved and his wife ned that they would rather see their sod dead than live through life a idiot an attack of however soon taught them how httle they knew of their own hearts it was then that the pain he felt but could not express drew about him a brooding tenderness that trembled or we might rather say shrank back into agony at the bare contemplation of his loss â let him but be spared said his mother what is it after all but to lead for so many years as god may him a harmless and happy life of childhood if he is denied the use of reason he is saved from the responsibility of sin and crime are we not taught that of such as he is the kingdom of heaven indeed it is very difficult to know the depths to which affection reaches in the human heart mrs had thought it impossible that any circumstance could have increased that which she felt for her boy previous to the discovery of his infirmity the love of a mother however becomes strong in proportion to the claims of its object which indeed a beautiful economy in the arrangement of our moral feelings a child for instance is loved with an affection peculiarly and

49William Black

because its absolute dependence on the parent renders this description of attachment not merely necessary but in proportion however as it grows up into manhood the attachment which is felt for it though losing none of its strength ceases to be by the of tenderness and which are upon innocence and infancy so was it with mrs who now aware that the helplessness of the poor boy was she said to extend through life began to feel a new principle of love spring up towards him which was by the malady of his mind and hb utter upon her care and aâ thb trial from little s birth until he waa seized by the he had a da s illness but now there was something in the and pain which the poor child felt so that yery few could look on his sufferings or hear his an heart what then must not his parents whose love for him was such as the reader knows have the doctor attended him every day but as for his mother she never was from beside his bed day or night and if she only herself from the room even for a short time his mild but languid eye would keep searching about and exploring every comer with an expression in it so full of sorrow and an affectionate longing for her appearance that nothing on earth could present a more affecting object of pity and attachment one day when he happened to be left accidentally alone by the who had charge of him his mother stole lightly to the room door as she was in the habit of doing lest should he be asleep the noise of her footstep might awaken him on looking in she perceived that there was no one in the room and paused a moment to by the manner of his breathing if he were asleep the child neither saw her nor could he have heard her foot however while listening as we have said the words mamma come â mamma come fell faintly on her ear for the poor thing was not able from illness to utter them above his breath she immediately went over and laying her head down beside his spoke to him tenderly he immediately raised his little feverish hand and placing it on her neck said as if to himself now his a having her beside him it is unnecessary to say that the of the mother s grief were opened or that her tears fell in showers upon his cheek another incident equally affecting took place he been for some days on the recovery his ther notwithstanding that he had the concerns of his to manage went a of the heart or into the nursery several times every day to see him on one of those occasions the child expressed by his feeble gestures a wish that he would stoop down to him he did so and the poor boy s eyes expressed happiness when the however was about to withdraw himself and leave him the child looking about him uttered one word which went to the depths of his heart â stay i he stooped again kissing him not without tears at this pathetic instance of attachment and in a few minutes the affectionate innocent was asleep if this illness of the boy made his parents feel what a deep his death would have been to them his recovery on the other hand filled them with a which in a great measure reconciled them to his melancholy henceforth he was watched and cherished and by his sisters as a brother whom they ought to love and tend the more in consequence of his to take care of himself and to render them their due it is but just to say that nothing could the attention which they paid him he was the helpless one of the family â the centre of all their â the innocent being whom every one was to please and none to offend no matter what accident he might have been the cause what little he broke or what command he one word was sufficient for all â it was poor his parents felt it as one great comfort that in his there was nothing whatsoever that could be termed repulsive or disgusting on the contrary it was marked by a serene and mild spirit that breathed a melancholy beauty about his sweet and character his face was pale but his skin clear and of health his hair fair and his blue eyes remarkable for that innocent which found often to mark the expression of those unhappy beings who are born with so faint a portion of th light of reason but though thb parents trial healthy the poor boy was of a slender make and the of his physical frame still knit him more closely into the hearts oâ all those whose affections prompted them to guard him against accident and danger of all the members of his however there was none perhaps so beloved by him as his little brother companion and nor any i might add who loved him well they were inseparable â rising and down eating sleeping and playing together though younger soon became his guide and his champion and an affecting thing it was to see the little fellow resent and punish the injuries rendered by their thoughtless or wicked to his innocent and peaceful brother a sense of this gradually wrought itself into the of gratitude which lay at the sweet boy s heart and brought out a trait of attachment to his little brother which perhaps was not felt for any other person whatsoever he therefore learned to depend upon him for indeed without him he could do nothing and would scarcely venture any where many a time have their parents watched them â their hearts overflowing with affection towards both as with their little arms round each other s necks

49William Black

they walked about the lawn â a perfect ig picture of love and affection indeed both parents were now we might say as much resigned to the condition of their child as it was possible under circumstances to be every little incident connected the boy and indeed with both filled their hearts with that enjoyment which love like that bore them can extract from such details if their father or instance happened to be absent even in the fields the moment they saw him approach the house both would run to meet him and looking up to him with happy faces each would thrust a little hand into his and in this manner all would return to the house the delighted parent listening to their oi a record of thb heart or attempting to answer which would often pose philosophy herself to solve or little s utterance had now become so distinct that he could pronounce enough whilst at the same time every word was marked by those which hang about the accents of childhood and which also cling so frequently through life to the imperfect which is found to natural weakness of intellect this defect is almost always apparent in the language of those who are born without the faculty divine but it acts at the same time as the of their innocence reminding those who might ridicule or harm them that their hearts are as as their accents such as we have attempted to describe was the gentle of his happy life which resembled in some degree the beautiful strain of wild and melancholy music which one hears in a dream not that it passed without those that are always by the heart and which when death those dear objects of our love come back to the memory with a that gives such a bitter and abiding character to our sorrow we shall a few of those little records of innocence and if they may appear unimportant to our readers let them reflect that they were not deemed so by the hearts to whom our boy was dear and let such as have been of some beloved little one â perhaps the very star of their once happy hearth whose joyous voice is silent among them for ever â let such we say ask their memories whether or not the slightest incident that ever occurred to the departed one becomes not a matter of deep and cherished recollection to the bruised heart there is scarcely any thing more likely to induce a belief in the doctrine of guardian spirits than a consideration of the many almost miraculous escapes which may be witnessed in the lives of children one of those which little we thb parents trial shall mention the on which it occurred was warm and the time being about the middle of june he and had been out playing from about one to two o clock when his brother brought him home for both got hungry and wanted bread and butter in a time his manly little guardian overcome by heat and exercise fell asleep and the poor boy sauntered out to amuse himself in a little solitary as he had been in the habit of doing only when any slight or c i se prevented his brother from him on his way to a pasture field behind the house he met one of the serving women who wore a red on her neck the boy was struck with it and pointing up to his own neck asked her to put it on him every member of the household felt a pleasure in with the harmless wishes of the gentle creature and she accordingly took it off her own neck and pinned it around his just as she her had worn it he immediately felt it with apparent curiosity and giving her a look of the pride and delight of a child held out his hand to her which he never did unless when highly gratified is good said he and as he spoke he looked about exclaiming where is is good said he and when she grows big me will buy her a watch â a promise which his father was in the habit of making to himself he lingered about the lawn for some time ad the gaudy colour of the and feeling its texture when passing through a gate which was accidentally and left open he entered an adjoining field and sauntered along murmuring to himself or addressing his little brother and then starting with surprise on perceiving that he was not with him now it so happened that anxious to improve the breed of his cattle had a few days before purchased a very fine bull which he ordered to be turned into the field in a record of the heart or tion this animal one known to entertain a fierce against the colour of red immediately on seeing the child pass him began to growl forth those low terrific which indicate his rage and to the ground which h also tore up with his thick strong horns his furious but downcast eyes glaring with actual fire whilst the hot smoke rolled out in blue volumes from his expanded nostrils the of such as and indeed of all children with respect to their are at the very moment when the enraged beast started at speed for the child s destruction and when to a spectator his life was absolutely beyond hope or relief he pulled off the and throwing it from him walked away without being even aware of his danger the animal still attracted by the glare of the hated colour his rage upon the which he and and trampled on with a degree of fury that was appalling when we consider the helpless being from whom the providence of god through the of so slight an incident had averted it the screams of the female servant the sole of this occurrence

49William Black

for she had been sent out to seek him were so loud and long that the whole family ran with horror to the gate which opened into the field where the animal was kept she had presence of mind however instantly to them by saying he was safe and his own appearance at the gate calm and placid as if nothing had happened gave them full assurance that with him all was well in half an hour afterwards the animal was shot and was watched with a vigilance so close that out of his father s house he was seldom or never afterwards suffered to be alone there were other instances of what might be termed in his behalf equally striking but it is not our intention to dwell upon them as especial arguments from which to draw particular for we are well aware that however the hand of god be visible in such occur thb e they may by very plausible reasoning be also to the which arise out of the innumerable of incidents that meet and together or clash like principles in life the next record therefore of the gentle boy which we shall put down is one of a different and much more pathetic his mother s love for him as the reader already knows was in and glowing tenderness of heart beyond the ordinary love of mothers sweet and beautiful as thai most affectionate and divine principle is she it was who with her own hands washed her helpless son and down his fair and silken locks and having done this she looked upon the innocence with which he held up his lips for the kiss which rewarded his patience as her most delightful it happened however that this mother whom he loved with an affection so wildly fervent and habitual became ill and having struggled for two or three days against a slight attack of fever was forced to her labour of love and allow her darling child to be washed and by his eldest sister whom next to mamma and he on he submitted to this it is true but it was with a countenance in which could be plainly read the fact that his gentle spirit missed that tenderness of the mother s hand which it is vain to seek for in any other â that mysterious charm which in life and when that mother is in dust comes over memory like a fragrance and brings the heart back from present sorrow and calamity to those days of innocence and happiness which make a mother s love shine as the only star that can light us back through the darkness of the past in those days which the bitter present turns into happiness by the contrast this attack which confined his mother to her bed for a few proved to be one of no serious to p a of thb heart or the physician who attended her or to her oi friends nothing in life however could present a more affectionate touching and melancholy proof of loneliness and sorrow than the conduct of this pitiable child his daily amusements his nay even his brother â all â all were forgotten and the thing went about and speaking to himself and evidently unhappy his pale face was shaded with care and marked by a wild anxiety which when the cause was known scarcely any one could look upon with an insensible heart no matter to what part of the house he might be brought he was ere long found either in or near her sick chamber stealing to her side or when gently from it watching about the door or sitting speaking to himself outside upon the on one of these occasions had gone up after breakfast to inquire after her health and finding her better was about to depart when he and his wife heard his quiet and gentle tread coming up the stairs having been previously forbidden however he to enter the sick room lest he might disturb her but sat do vn upon the and began as usual to murmur to himself the parents listened and in a little time heard from him the following words and what heart much less that of a parent could withstand them â me would give any ting any ting â me would give the whole world if my mamma was well the mother started up and extended her arms sobbing out â bring him to me â bring him to me the father did so and after having pressed him to her heart and his pale face with tears she exclaimed my darling our helpless one â our delight â our treasure i am well your mamma my blessed boy is well then won t you wash and comb me mamma yes darling to morrow i shall be able i trust and you will kiss me mamma too thb trial â tea my heart yes then me will go and tell that mamma will wash me he exclaimed and as he he passed gently oat of the room to seek his brother and communicate to him the removal of the care which had for the last fe days pressed upon his innocent spirit many a bitter tear did these words cause that mamma to shed long after his beloved oe and fair shining head had been removed fit m among the circle which his affection had round him it was also on an occasion similar to the last â that is a of his mamma â that the circumstance we are about to relate occurred his either until her slept in another i and as a gratification to the two boys he proposed that they should sleep with him alternately he also made this concession a privilege and told them that if either of them did wrong or were guilty of any the should be the right of enjoying it as the eldest had

49William Black

his first granted and a singular delight it seemed to give the child he kissed his papa â laughed often â murmured little words and fragments of short sentences that nobody understood but himself and his brother and finally fell asleep singing a little nursery song which one of his sisters had a few days before taught him on the following day he asked his mamma â fi r during her he was always either in her room or near it â if she would give him a penny what do you intend to do with it darling she inquired it s about papa he nodding with a smile which seemed to indicate some little plan or mystery well i will not inquire added his mother but you shall have it my life she accordingly rang the bell and desired a servant to get him the penny which he could not be prevailed upon to take unless in two a of the or when time arrived his ther was not a little surprised to see the poor struggling with a degree of haste to anticipate his brother in claiming his right of sleeping where he had slept the night before the ther was struck with this and knowing that in point of fact the child was wrong he began to reason with him as well as he could it is not your night my dear â this is s night no papa me bought it â has the o two what my darling but ere the ther or his little brother could speak he got into bed and me bought it papa and has them and he put his little arms about his other s neck the father was anxious to understand the principles upon which the child acted and consequently asked his brother if he understood what said when the little fellow replied at once that he did not me bought it papa said the child and he clasped his father still closer me paid it in s pocket what did you pay my darling said the father without actually knowing the poor bo s meaning me paid two little papa â not a big penny â into s pocket â he buy powder for his cannon me sleep with papa upon examining the pockets of his little brother it was found that the innocent creature thought he had gained his point by slipping unawares into them what he considered to be an equivalent for the privilege of sleeping with his father â that is the two which he had asked for that especial purpose from his mother the affecting plea succeeded on that occasion for his little brother had been taught to make every concession to him and his father clasped him with a more fervent pressure to his heart in consequence of the trick through which the dear child attempted to his brother by a bargain which his want of â only rendered thb trial with moral it was quite evident that the poor by putting without his brother s knowledge the two into his pocket had accomplished upon his own harmless and innocent system the bargain which experience and common sense would manage in a different manner such was the reasoning of a head but who could avoid being touched by the motives of the heart thus was it that a calamity so distressing as that to which the serene and harmless child was bom by degrees changed its character so much in consequence of the love his parents and and brother bore him that it almost ceased to be looked upon as such the quiet child was emphatically the pet of the whole and not a day passed that had not its loving records of what he either did or said in this manner not only did time pass happily but we may add that the very existence of the boy had now become fix m the habits of their strong affection for him essential to the happiness they felt we have now arrived however at the period when all the hearts that loved him were to be by his loss â when the lengthened childhood of their gentle and innocent boy was to dose â and his murmuring voice and quiet smile and head were all to be seen and heard no more no more were his little plans of love to be or his little with his brother to take place and never again was his timid step to be heard stealing in sorrow and sympathy to the sick bed of his mother whom in his innocence he thought his kiss might cure at the beginning of spring about his eighth year the malady which took him off appeared in the family this was the or red devil as it ought more to be called at first it came upon all the children except himself whom it seemed to spare this was however a treacherous indulgence and its subsequent attack on their favourite just when all had got over it was felt with the greater a of thb heart or in consequence of their that he had escaped it his mother at the time was confined to her bed but hearing that her boy had caught it and that he declined receiving attendance from any hand but hers she rose up as if she possessed the power of checking or shaking ofi the complaint she under and from that moment until her beloved breathed his last â a of eight days and e ht nights â she lay not on a bed closed not an eye even fer one moment nor ever once complained of or symptoms of her illness all her â very thought and feeling of her heart were absorbed in the of her gentle child such was and such is the love of a mother there she sat or stood bending over his bed his pain as as she could

49William Black

his medicine and holding the drink to his feverish soothing bim in short all the devices tion and fighting against this most malady for four days die doctor a man felt justified in affording them hope but on the fifth their clear was the e our of the doctor shook his head recovery it is true if the child s physical strength were greater m ht be possible but in this case he feared for the result still he would not absolutely give him up though at the same time he considered it his duty to bid them at all events to hold themselves prepared for the worst language could not describe the sorrow and despair that settled upon the whole family when they heard this opinion of his medical attendant the fact of the other children having been so slightly prevented his parents who had never seen the complaint before from entertaining any serious apprehensions of on the contrary they imagined let no one this for it it tub parents trial that as in tbe cases it would come to a crisis then and in the course of a few days altogether disappear â leaving their guarded treasure it is true and helpless for a time but still with a constitution not seriously injured by hid nay they not without some hopes â and how were these hopes â that it might be possible for the child s intellect to be developed by that change in the brain which sometimes results from violent and temporary disease in such a manner as to restore reason after its exercise had been even for a considerable time suspended after two days more it was quite dear that the doctor entertained no hope of him and terrible did this heart breaking announcement come upon them all not that they absolutely of him for truly may it be â as it was felt in instance that love wiu hope when the very quiver of death is trembling in the heart of those it loves nothing however which we can write can give the reader such a dear and affecting account of this innocent death bed as the short journal written at his bed side by his mother of his sufferings and of the affliction into which the certainty that he was to be taken away for ever plunged them all this affecting record of the innocent s last moments commenced on the very day the doctor told them to be prepared for the worst just forty eight hours before his death it is an one and the of the details will be easily overlooked by those who have lost or who fear to lose any child that is dear to them as the ruddy drops that their hearts april ten o clock a mâ â the doctor has this day forbidden us to hope but we know that god of his infinite mercy can restore our innocent child if it seem good to him i have since the appearance of the complaint among us heard of children recovering r a more malignant attack and more symptoms than his but lest it should be the a record of tub or will of the almighty to remove bim i am resolved to mark down a register of our darling s pains and sufferings and of everything connected with him that when he is gone we bring him back to our memory during the most affecting period of his brief but happy life may god support me and sustain us all but surely when we feel that he is about to be withdrawn from us this grief is natural the doctor says the worst symptom about the dear one is the heavy feverish look that is in his eyes heavy indeed is the look of my beloved and loaded with sickness yet has he moments when he wishes to talk with his brother and to have him about him his eldest sister to whom he is so much attached is now that she has heard the doctor s opinion weeping bitterly in her own room kissing his little coat and pressing every part of his dress to her heart she told that his brother was going to die and asked him whilst she sobbed aloud what would he do after his little the innocent child replied that he would not let him die alas my darling she returned i fear that in spite of papa and mamma and all death will take him â but i will kill death said the manly little child his sister kissed him but only wept the more twelve o clock â is awake and seems a little easier he is now arranging his little play things about his pillow and has two small tops one his own and the other s which he made a present of to him yesterday there is also his whip three ence and a little thin bottle in which his brother put some that he might be able to see their colours through the glass â a sight in which he takes great delight there the beloved child lies arranging as well as he can whilst ever and anon his heavy eye turns round to see that am with him he then calls mamma and when ask him what he wants he looks at me and smiles feebly saying do not leave me rub l â oh how will my heart part with him how can i give liim up am i not his mother i â sustain me o god two o clock p m â his has come to his bed side and he seems pleased to see him he has given him his little top saying keep my top sure you wouldn t die and leave me said the innocent child no he replied but he knew not what either the question or answer means oh this is too much for my heart

49William Black

at first none but his eldest sister was told that he must die but her affectionate heart was too full to keep the secret â alas fear it cannot be long one â firom the rest they have all come in one by one to kiss him and are now weeping bitterly together in the parlour with the exception of his brother who is incapable of understanding what is meant by dying but hush i hear his father s cautious step upon the stairs and oh how i tremble on thinking of the love which that ther bore him but our sweet one is awake and is always glad and happy when he sees him the visit to his child has been paid and the fathers appears alas i we never lost a child before and grief is new to us his father appears to be utterly without comfort he cannot eat nor attend to the concerns of his nor to any business whatever but i knew it would be thus for i knew how he loved him he to restrain his grief as much as he could but it occasionally burst forth in spite of him the dear child who never saw him weep before looked at him with an expression of wonder that him to be unconscious of the cause of his father s sorrow â a circumstance that only increased it the more it would appear however that in some measure the beloved child feels as if his present situation were connected with the affliction of the family for when asked how he is he uniformly replies better p a record of the heart or â indeed the natural gentleness and kindness of his disposition were always remarkable his fathers who thinks of a thousand ways to please him put into bis little hands a silver sixpence fresh and glittering from the he gave a smile as he looked upon his father and said in a low and feeble voice thank you papa he examined it a good while much pleased and has it still in his hand his when about to leave the room turned to me his countenance beaming for a moment with unexpected hope â what he exclaimed if he should still live i care not if all my worldly substance be taken away provided that he and they are spared to me would rather beg with him â he could add no more for he caught the heavy and expression of the child s eye and rushed out of the room the poor child is quiet as he always was and gives but little trouble nine o clock at night â his ther has caused a consultation to be held and the opinion is that he will not pass twelve o clock to morrow night i can scarcely keep his sisters from weeping over him and him with their kisses my darling s utterance is so low that he can scarcely be heard and so that he speaks when he attempts to as a child of two years old life is fast and he can do little more than moan lowly and make signs to express his little wants when i give him a drink he turns his eyes up into my face with and then lays down his head so quietly and upon the pillow that my heart is sorely tried to look upon it midnight â his father has just looked in for he cannot sleep and stood over his bed the child is sleeping â oh who can tell what this short sleep may do for him should he after all recover but this is a hope in which i fear to indulge because of what we must suffer should it prove ill the parents trial founded still it looks well for he has had no sleep for the last three days and nights god after all can prove a safe physician when all human aid no i i will not despair â while there is life there is hope his me in this and is in much spirits i have prevailed upon him to go to bed on promising to call him should any change lor the worse take place two o clock a m â i have heard an account of a about our beloved from the children it appears that a few hours before he was seized with the first symptoms of his illness he was out in the garden playing with his and brother the day was calm and bright and the sky unusually clear the dear child looked up into the sky for a minute during which he mused in silence and at once appeared to forget the play in which he was engaged at length he said addressing them and pointing upwards with his finger isn t there heaven to which they replied in the then said he me will get wings and fly up and go to heaven and me will never come down any more in less than two hours after this my child was obliged to go to bed is it possible that god in some cases an unconscious but prophetic intimation of death to escape firom the lips of innocence in order to prepare the hearts of others for its k ss i cannot tell but i feel that there is something peculiarly awful and holy as well as heart and sorrowful about the death bed of a child children leave behind them no sense or conviction of guilt or crime to check our nor any other remembrance of them in our souls than such as are associated with purity and innocence their loss therefore is never properly appreciated until we either lose or are about to lose them for ever one of the most affecting passages in the new testament is this suffer little children to come to me for oi such is the kingdom of heaven a record

49William Black

of thb rt or four o clock â my child is awake and eternal glory be to god i he is much much better appears refreshed and asks for some food the whole are asleep even to the poor nurse who sits up to prepare the drinks which he will take no hand but mine i will not disturb them yet my heart is bursting to communicate to them the good tidings of this change for the better oh if he should still be spared to us i thou o god of all goodness that the tears i now shed are those of gratitude for the change which is on my beloved is he to live â oh the thought is too much â i cannot â six o clock morning â they are all up his papa has been in and kissed him and is in the darling child has never let the little bright silver sixpence out of his hand since he got it they have all kissed him and all are in a tumult of joy and hope my own heart between hope and fear but indeed is the stronger why should he get better now unless the change was that of a crisis which will bring him by degrees out of the danger in which he has been he is actually amusing himself once more with hid little â has s top in his hand and asks to see his ther he is now turning the little silver sixpence and looking upon it with a kind of novel delight when our darling speaks however we are obliged to put our ears to his lips for his voice and are gone he wants something but still looks upon the bright sixpence what is it my heart s treasure papa â i have sent for him sweetest life oh may god pity that papa if any thing happens you my darling love i his is bending over him what is it my own sweet and darling child did you not wish for papa my own heart s delight the parents trial o the child held up the little sixpence to him with something nearer a smile than his the last four days would allow him he held it up and spoke but his father was still obliged to put down his ear to his mouth in order to hear what he said it was as before glancing from the to his ther thank you papa â â â twelve o clock noon â all glory be to god the doctor has been with him â says he is decidedly better wine a little is ordered as our darling s physical constitution though healthy has weak he can however taste nothing and will taste nothing but two milk his father on his recovery has expressed his intention to bestow a large sum for the support of who of course have none but strangers to attend them tn their illness there is something now tells me however â for say what they will and think what they may â i see that my beloved s strength is wearing away but why should i deprive them of a glimpse of happiness but something tells me that the last sands of our beloved are nearly run evening nine o clock â am to hope joy is among them all but am with him every moment and i fear â yet am not altogether without hope â watching and sorrow may have naturally depressed my spirits more than theirs â i am not without hope â eleven o clock â o god that has happened which almost if anything could reconcile me to his death would the child turned round his head and observing our bible â the bible in which the of all our children are â expressed by signs a wish to his father that he would bring it to him and with intense delight did he with this intimation of the darling boy the child on getting it into the bed signed to us to raise him and his ther put his arm round him and kept him easily up with a record of the heart or difficulty he got his feeble hands to the book but could not from weakness open it his father opened it for him and he put his slender finger to the print and moved it as if he were reading then tried to turn over a leaf which was instantly done for him and he went on still moving his blessed lips as if reading he then turned up his eyes towards heaven as he had seen us do and fell back â â â the mother â the patient but heart broken could carry her little register of love in which there is not one allusion to her own suffering no farther but we who happened must complete it for her their beloved one fell back but did not immediately pass away he attempted many little words among which were uttered those of papa and with great every moment however brought him nearer and nearer to his dose his mother s arms were about him and all the family surrounding his bed when at one o clock of the mom for it was the gentle the loved one the bright and fair haired the cherished the guarded the innocent the in a word the dim but ever star of their hearth and what is still more th idol of his s heart and yet stronger of his mother s â laid back his head with a gentle motion as if going to sleep â but one or two that heaved up his little chest more than usual passed away and there was a silence they waited a time â they raised his it fell back they felt his pulse â there was none they laid him down they looked upon his motionless and

49William Black

placid face â â â you are â you are his mother i watching him and tending him and want of rest have overcome you for a little â you fainted but you know he is in heaven my darling do not ask it you know he cannot speak to you now alas i he knows no mother now â no father â no sister â no brother all the ties of his life are dissolved for ever thb parents trial at length her grief exhausted itself and nature sorrow the she had off together with wont of sleep for eight days and eight nights â all overcame her and she slept soundly some hours on that melancholy night his ther had caused all the family to retire to bed except the servants and was pacing in utter distraction through the room when one of them entered and related the following with in her eyes â for dear indeed was the boy to individual who knew him she said that at the moment he breathed his last she and another servant together with his eldest daughter had been in the parlour where a pair of candles were burning the parlour door was open â when visible to the three persons a snow white dove or pigeon flew in and crossed the room to one of the windows through which it passed like a shadow without let or although the window was closed subsequently heir fellow servant on being questioned the as did his daughter who solemnly assured not only that she saw it most distinctly but went immediately to the window to ascertain whether any part of it were open and upon examination found that it was shut this is no fiction conceived merely for the of effect to an imaginary narrative but a literal ct which was proved by the evidence of three persons who witnessed it at the same time and in the same place was then plunged in affliction too violent to pause upon a circumstance so singular except only as it served to increase his grief having ordered the servants to seek rest he indulged in all the vehemence of sorrow over his child but alas there was no eye then to turn up in affection upon him â no faint smile to move those innocent lips â no little hand to thrust affectionately into his â and no soft sweet voice of joy to â an fact and was witnessed as above by the three mentioned we give it without comment a record of the heart or utter or to call his name and deep and t was the grief which stunned his head and shook his heart as if both it and his brain would burst in pieces my son i my son he exclaimed whilst his sobs almost choked liim for this one night we will sleep together â no bribe to your brother is necessary now next your papa s heart and in your papa s bosom you will rest this night â the last my angel boy we can ever sleep together it is literally true the next morning about five o clock the servants and subsequently his wife and daughters found him asleep with the body of his lifeless boy in his bosom their two cheeks against each other as they lay but perhaps the most trying scene of this melancholy little narrative was that which occurred soon afterwards when his brother came into the room and saw him â dead he paused and started and got pale then went over and putting his hand upon him said speak to me i to those who looked on the utter silence the solemn stillness of death which succeeded this heart question constituted perhaps the bitterest moment of their sorrow he said again and the child s lip began to quiver with emotion won t you speak to me â to your own but there in the calm repose of the dead lay the serene face of his now unconscious brother and play fellow the affectionate child could bear no more â and the wail of bis grief as he kissed him and called loudly upon lis name had in it a of spirit which smote the hearts of his parents beyond the power of language to express and of many hearts to conceive thus passed and closed the life of a happy but child such also were the last moments as was read with bitterness upon his coffin â alexander aged eight years and what the gentle reader may inquire became of the the parents trial little which he always kept in his hand ever since the day on which his body was committed to the darkness of the grave it has lain next his other s heart nor could the wealth of the universe purchase this precious from him in the n at parish church there is at present to be seen a small white marble monument on the top of which as an emblem at once of his unhappy and his innocence is a dove underneath which there is nothing but his name and that of his parents about a week after his death his observed to a friend during a conversation of which the departed was the subject â my mind was in a sinful and state for some time before the dear boy s birth well â i am punished alas my friend the truth i am about to utter i now feel deeply there can be no greater act of towards god in a rational mind than a condition of faith such was not s whose child was spared to him in consequence of his obedience ao lor me â but here his grief overcame him and he burst into tears exclaiming â i am punished â gone r the three wishes an irish in times there lived a man called du and he was known

49William Black

to be a great rogue they say he was descended from the family of the which was the reason suppose of his carrying their name upon him in his days was the best hand at doing nothing in all europe devil a mortal could come next ar him at idleness and in consequence of his great practice that you may be sure that if any man could make a fortune by it he would have done it was only son of his father two daughters but they hm e nothing to do with the story i m telling you indeed it was kind father and grandfather for to be handy at the as well as at the idleness for it was well known that not one of their blood ever did an honest act except with a intention in short they were altogether a and a credit to the name as for all the of the family both plain and ornamental came down to him by way of for it so happened that the father in spite of all his cleverness had nothing but his to lave him to do him justice improved the fortune he got every day advanced him farther into and poverty until at the long run he was on all hands to be the and the poorest vagabond in the whole parish t ax vi lâ i an irish s ther in his young days had of been forced to acknowledge the of not having a trade in consequence of some nice point in law called the act that sometimes troubled him on this account he made up his mind to give bill an occupation and he accordingly bound him to a blacksmith but whether bill was to live or die by was a puzzle to his â though the neighbours said that bath was most likely at all events he was put to a smith seven years and a hard card his master had to play in managing him he took the proper method however for bill was so lazy and that it would vex a saint to keep him in order bill says his master to him one day that he had been himself about the instead of his business my boy i m vexed to the heart to see such a bad state of health you re very ill with that complaint called an however says he i think i can cure you nothing will bring you about but three or four sound every day of a medicine called the oil the take the first dose now says he and he immediately him with a until bill s bones ached for a week were my son said his master i tell you that as long as i could get a piece of advice growing convenient in the hedges td have you a different youth from what you are if working was a sin bill boy ever broke bread than you would be good people s scarce you think but however that may be i throw it out as a hint that you must take your medicine till you re cured whenever you happen to get in the same way from this out he kept bill s nose to the grinding stone and whenever his complaint returned he never to give him a hearty dose for his improvement in the course of time however bill was his own man and thb his own master but it would puzzle a saint to know whether the master or the man was the more precious youth in the eyes of the world he immediately married a and devil a doubt of it but if he kept her in and sugar she kept him in hot water bill drank and she drank bill fought and she fought bill was idle and she was idle bill her and she bill if bill gave her one black eye she gave him another to keep herself in countenance never was there a blessed pair so well met and a sight it was to see them both at break st time at each other across the basket bill with his right eye black and she with her left in short they were the talk of the whole town and to see bill of a morning staggering home drunk his shirt sleeves rolled up on his arms his breast open and an old tattered leather apron with one comer tucked up under his belt singing one minute and fighting with his wife the next â she beside him with a eye as a dirty ragged cap on one side of her head a pair of bill s old slippers on her feet a on her arm â now and dragging bill and again kissing and him i yes it was a pleasant picture to see this loving pair in such a state this might do for a while but it could not last they were idle drunken and ill conducted and it was not to be supposed that they would get a candle on their words they were of course to great straits and faith they soon found that fighting aiid drinking and idleness made them the laughing sport of the neighbours but neither b food to their put a coat upon their backs nor satisfied their landlord when he came to look for his own still the never a one of bill but was a funny fellow with strangers though as we said the greatest rogue an irish one day he waa his own completely in a brown â brought to his end how to make out a break at for the the wife was scolding and cursing in the house and the naked creatures of about her knees for food bill was at an and knew not where or how to turn himself when a poor withered old beggar came into the tottering on his staff along white beard fell from

49William Black

his chin and he looked so thin and hungry that you might blow him one would think over the house bill at this moment had been brought to his senses by distress and his heart had a touch of pity towards the old man for on looking at him a second time he clearly saw starvation and sorrow in his god save you honest man said bill the old man gave a sigh and raising himself with great pain on his staff he looked at bill in a very way god save you kindly says he maybe you could give a poor helpless ould man a of something to you see yourself not able to work if i was i d scorn to be to any one faith honest man said bill if you knew who you re speaking to you d as soon ask a monkey for a staff as me for meat or money there s not a in the three so on the as i am for both the one and the other the wife within is sending the curses thick and heavy on me and the s playing the cat s melody to keep her in comfort take my word for it poor man if i had either mate or money i d help you for i particularly well what it is to want them at the present an empty sack won t stand neighbour so fir bill told him truth the good thought was in his hearty because he found himself on a footing with the beggar and nothing brings down pride or the heart like feeling what it is to want the why you are in a worse state than i am said the old man you have a to provide for and i have only myself to support you may kiss the book on that my old worthy replied bill but come what i can do for you i will plant yourself up here beside the fire and i ll give it a blast or two of my that will worm the old blood in your body it s a cold miserable snowy day and a good heat will be of service thank you kindly said the old man cold and a warming at your fire will do me good sure enough oh it is a bitter bitter day god bless it he sat down and bill blew a rousing blast that soon made the stranger edge k firom the heat in a short time he felt quite comfortable and when the was taken out of his joints he himself up and prepared to depart now says he to bill you hadn t the food to give me but what you could you did ask any three wi es you choose and be they what they may take my word foi it they shall be granted now the truth is bill though he believed himself a great man in point of wanted after all a full quarter of being square for there is always a great difference between a wise man and a bill was so much of a rogue that he could not for the blood of him ask an honest wish but stood scratching his head in a puzzle three wishes said he why let me did you say three f ay replied the stranger three wishes â that was what said well said bill here goes â â let me alone my old worthy i â faith til the parish if what you say is true i ll cheat them in rich and poor old and young let me alone man â i have it here and he tapped his forehead with great glee faith you re the sort to meet of an irish a when a man wants his breakfast and i m sorry that i have neither money nor credit to get a bottle of that we might take our morning together well but let us hear the wishes said the old man my time is short and i cannot stay much longer do you see this hammer said bill i wish in the first place that whoever takes it up in their hands may never be able to lay it down till i them lave and that whoever begins to with it may never stop till it s my pleasure to release him secondly â i have an arm chair and i wish that whoever sits down in it may never rise out of it till they have my consent and â that whatever money i put into my purse nobody may have power to take it out of it but myself you devil s i says the old man in a shaking his staff across bill s nose why did you not ask something that would you both here and hereafter sure it s as common as the market cross that there s not a in his majesty s stands more in need of both â oh by the said bill i forgot that altogether i maybe you d be civil enough to let me change one of them the a wish ever was made than i u make if you ll ve me another chance out you said the old fellow still in a passion your day of grace is past little you know who was speaking to you all this time i m st you and i gave you an opportunity of doing something for yourself and your family but you neglected it and now your fate is cast you dirty trotting sure it s well known what you are i aren t you a in every body s mouth you and your of a wife by this and by that if ever you happen to come across me again i ll send you to where you won t you villain the he gave bill a rap of his over the head laid him

49William Black

at his length beside the kicked a broken coal out of his way and left the in a fury when recovered himself from the effects of the blow and began to think on what had happened he could have himself with vexation for not asking great wealth as one of the wishes at least but now the die was cast on him and he could only make the most of the three he pitched upon he now him how he might turn them to the best account and here his cunning came to his he began by sending for his on pretence of business and when he got them under his roof he offered them the chair to sit down in he now had them safe nor could all the art of man relieve them except worthy bill was willing s plan was to make the best bargain he could before he released his prisoners and let him alone for knowing how to make their there wasn t a wealthy man in the country he did not the parson of the parish heavily so did the lawyer and a rich attorney who had retired from practice swore that the court of itself was paradise compared to bill s chair this was all very good for a time the fame of his chair however soon spread so did that of his in a short time neither man woman nor child would his door all avoided him and his as they a spring gun or man trap bill so long as he his neighbours never wrought a hand s turn so that when his money was out he found himself as badly off as ever in addition to this his character was fifty times worse than before for it was the general belief that he had dealings with the devil nothing now could exceed his misery distress and ill temper the wife and he and their children all fought among one another like devils everybody hated them cursed them and avoided the people thought they were acquainted with more an irish legend than christian people ought to know for the they said was very like one that the devil drove all this of course came to bill s ears and it vexed him very much one day he was walking about the fields thinking of how he could raise the wind once more the day was dark and he found himself before he stopped in the bottom of a lonely covered by great bushes that grew on each side well thought he when every other means of raising money failed him it s reported that fm in league with the devil and as it s a folly to have the name of the without the profit i m ready to make a bargain with hue any day â so said he his voice nick you sinner if you be and willing why stand out here your best leg here s your man the words were hardly out of his mouth when a dark sober looking old gentleman not unlike a lawyer walked up to him bill looked at the foot and saw the â morrow nick says morrow bill says nick â well bill what s the news devil a much myself hears of late says bill is there any thing fresh below t can t exactly say bill i spend little of my time down now the are in office and my hands are consequently too full of business here to pay much attention to anything else a fine place this sir says bill to take a constitutional walk in when want an appetite i often come this way myself â hem i feeding is very bad w exercise high feeding come come bill you know you didn t taste a morsel these four and twenty hours you know that s a nick i eat a breakfast morning that would put a stone of flesh on you if you only smelt at it no matter this is not to the purpose what s that you q the wi were muttering to yourself awhile ago if you want to to the here i m for you nick said bill you re you want nothing a pair of o s breeches bill in ct was bent on making his companion open the bargain because he had often heard that in that case with proper care on his own part he might defeat him in the long run the other however was his match what was the nature of s garment inquired nick why you know the song said bill â o had no breeches to wear so he got a sheep s skin for to make him a pair with the side out and the side in they pleasant and cool says a cool pair would you nick you re mighty to day mr du and good right i have said bill i m a man snug and well to do in the world have lots of money plenty of good eating and drinking and what more need a man wish for true said the other in the meantime it s that so respectable a man should not have six inches oi unbroken cloth in his apparel you are as naked a as ever laid my eyes on in full dress for a party of scare william that s my own fancy nick i don t work at my trade like a gentleman this is my dress you know well out what did you summon me here for said the other you may as well speak out i tell you for my good friend unless i ou do shan t smell that i smell more than that said bill and by the way i ll thank you to give me the windy side of you â curse all i say there s what call an improvement in my condition but as you are

49William Black

so stiff says bill why the short and the long of it that â hem â you see i m â tut â sure you ah irish know i have a trade of own and that if j like i needn t be at a loss but in the i m rather in a kind of a so â don t you take f and bill winked hoping to trick him into the first proposal â you must speak above board my friend says the other i m a man of few words blunt and honest if you have any thing to say be plain don t think i can be my with such a pitiful rascal as you are well says bill i want money then and am ready to come into terms what have you to say to that nick i let me see â let me look at you says his companion turning him about now bill in the first place are you not as finished a scare crow as ever stood upon two legs i play second fiddle to you there again says bill there you stand with the s coat of arms under your eye and â don t make of i says nor of your own crest why what would you bring you rascal if you were put up at faith i d bring more than you would said bill if you were to go off at to morrow i tell you they should bid to come to your value we have no coin small enough to purchase you well no matter said nick if you are willing to be mine at the of seven years i will give you more money than ever the breed of you was worth done said bill but no to my family in the meantime so down with the hard cash and don t be a j the money was accordingly paid down but as nobody was present except the ver and the amount of what bill got was never known thk â wishes won t you give me a luck penny said the old gentleman tut said bill so prosperous an old fellow as you cannot want it however the devil s luck to you with all my heart and it s rubbing to a fat pig to say so be oft now or ru commit suicide on you your absence is a co to most people you infernal old you have injured my morals even for the short time you have been with me for i don t find myself so virtuous as i was is that your gratitude is it gratitude you speak of man i wonder you don t blush when you name it however when you come again if you bring a third eye in head you will see what mane the old gentleman as bill spoke across the ditch on his way to street where of late tis thought he possesses much influence bill now began by degree to but still wrought a little at his trade to the neighbours in a very short time however he became a great man so long indeed as he was a poor rascal no decent would speak to him even tne proud serving men at the big house would turn up noses at him and he well deserved to be made little of by others because he was mean enough to make little of himself but when it was seen and known that he had of money it was wonderful to think although he was now a greater than ever how those who despised him before began to come round and court his company bill however had neither sense nor spirit to make those friends know their distance not he â instead of that he was proud to be seen in decent company and so long as the money lasted it was hail fellow well met between himself and every fare who had a horse under him a decent coat to his back and a good appetite to eat his dinners with riches and all bill was the same man still but an irish legend or there is a great between a pi and a poor one and bill found it so to his cost in both cases before the seven years was passed bill had his carriage and his was hand and glove with my lord i liis and my lord that kept hounds and hunters was first at the every he could pick up and night and day on cards and horses bill in short should be a blood and except he did all this he could not presume to mingle with the fashionable of his time it s an old proverb however that what is got over the devil s back is sure to go off under it and in bill s case this proved true li short the devil himself could not supply him with money so fast as he made it fly it was come easy go easy with bill and so sign was on it before he came within two years of his time he found his purse empty and now came the value of his summer friends to be known when it was discovered that the cash was no longer flush with him â that and carriage and were going to the hammer â off they went friends relations pot companions dinner black legs and all like a flock of that had smelt down bill soon went week after week and day after day until at last he was obliged to put on the leather apron and take to the hammer again and not only that for as no experience could make him wise he once more began his tap room his quarrels with and took to his high feeding at the dry potatoes and salt now too came the cutting tongues of all who knew him like

49William Black

upon him those that he scorned because they were poor and himself rich now paid him back his own with interest and those that he measured himself with because they were rich and who only him in consequence of his wealth gave him the hardest words in their cheeks the devil mend him he deserved it and more if he got it s wishes bill who a hardened sinner never himself down an of flesh by what was said to him or of him not he he cursed and fought and swore and away as usual taking in every one he could and surely none could match him at of all sorts and sizes at last the seven years became expired and bill was one morning sitting in the sober aud hungry the wife cursing him and the as before he was thinking how he might de aud some neighbour out of a breakfast to stop their mouths and his own too when who walks into him but old nick to demand his morrow bill says he with a sneer the devil welcome you says bill but you have a fresh memory a bargain s a bargain between two honest men any says satan when i speak of honest i mean yourself and bill and he put his tongue in his cheek to make game of the unfortunate rogue he came for nick my worthy fellow said bill have you wouldn t do a shabby thing you wouldn t disgrace your own character by putting more weight upon a falling man you know what it is to get a come down yourself worthy so just keep your toe in your pump and walk off with yourself somewhere else a cool walk would you better than my company bill it s no use in said his friend your tricks may enable you to cheat others but you won t cheat i guess you want nothing to make you perfect in your way but to travel and travel you shall under my guidance no no â fm not to be my good fellow i have rather a â a â better opinion of myself mr d than to think that you could one tie esq â you may sneer you sinner replied bill but i tell you for your comfort that i have men who could buy am u sell you to your face despair you when i tell you that attorney could stand before me satan s countenance got blank when he heard this he and about and appeared to be not quite comfortable in that case then says he the sooner i deceive you the better so turn out for the low countries is it come to that in earnest said bill and are you going to act the rascal at the long run v ton honour have patience then you sinner till i finish this â the last of a set i m one of your friend the s horses and here nick i hate idleness you know it s the mother of mischief take this hammer and give a dozen strokes or so till i get it out of hands and then here s with you since it must be so â he then gave the a puff that blew half a of dust in club foot s face whipped out the red hot iron and set satan away for the bare life â faith says bill to him when the shoe was finished it s a thousand ever the should be out of your hand the great was a child to you at you re such an able now just exercise yourself till i bid the wife and good bye and then i m off out went bill of course without the slightest notion of coming back no more than nick had that he could not give up the and indeed neither could he but was forced to work away as if he was for a this was just what bill wanted he was now compelled to away until it was bill s pleasure to release him and so we leave him very employed while we look after the worthy who him in the meantime bill broke cover and took to the country at large wrought a little journey work wherever he could tub it and in this way went from one place to another till in the course of a month he walked back very coolly into his to see how things went on in his absence there he found satan in a rage the perspiration pouring from him in torrents with might and main upon the naked bill calmly leaned his back against the wall placed his hat upon the side of his head put his hands into his breeches pockets and began to whistle at length he says in a very quiet and good humoured way â morrow nick i oh says nick still away â oh you double villain may the most refined ornamental double extra and original collection of curses that ever was gathered into a single of ill fortune i shine in the hole of your conscience i while your name is bill y i you as a double villain a finished hot pressed in comparison of whom all the other i ever knew included are honest men i brand you as the pearl of a tip top take in i you i say again for the treatment i have received at your hands in this most and unfortunate transaction between us for unfortunate in every sense is he that has any thing to do with such a prime and finished you re very warm says bill what puts you into a passion you old sinner sure if it s your own will and pleasure to take exercise at my w not to be abused lor it upon my credit you ought to blush for using language so your grave character

49William Black

cannot say that it was you a at the empty you however as you are so industrious i simply say it would be a thousand to take you from it an hush i nick i love industry in my heart and i always encourage it so work away it s not often you spend your time so tm afraid if you weren t at that you d be worse employed bill have said the you wouldn t go to lay more weight on a falling man you know you t disgrace your character by such a piece of as keeping an gentleman advanced in years at such an and job as this generosity s your top virtue bill not but that have many other excellent ones as well as that among which as you say yourself i reckon industry but still it is in generosity you shine come bill bright and release me the terms you you re above terms william a generous fellow like you never thinks of terms good bye old gentleman i said bill very coolly til drop in to see you once a month â no no bill you â a â a â you excellent worthy delightful fellow not so fast not so fast come name your terms you â my dear bill name your terms seven years more i agree but and the same supply of cash as before down on the nail here very good very good you re rather simple bill soft i must confess well no matter i shall yet turn the â a â hem you are an exceedingly simple fellow bill still there will come a day my dear bill â there wiu â do you you another word and i double the terms william â is latin for a seven years more of grace and the same measure of the needful that i got before ay or no â d g the â c f grace bill ay ay ay i there the accept the terms o blood i the rascal â of grace i bill i well now drop the hammer and vanish says but what would you think to take this while yon stay and me a eh why in such a hurry he added seeing that satan withdrew in double quick time f he shouted come back you forgot something i and when the old gentleman looked behind him shook the hammer at him on which he vanished altogether now got into his old courses and what shows the kind of people the world is made of he also took up with his old company when they saw that he had the money once more and was it about him in all directions they immediately began to find excuses for his former extravagance say what you will said one s a spirited fellow and like a prince he s as hospitable a in his own house or out of it os ever lived said another â his only is observed a third that he is if any thing too generous and doesn t know the value of money his fault s on the right side however he has the in him said a fourth keeps a capital table prime and a standing welcome for his friends why said a fifth if he doesn t enjoy his money while he lives he won t when he s dead so more power to him and a wider to his purse indeed the very persons who were themselves at his expense despised him at heart they knew very well however how to take him on the weak side praise his generosity and he would do anything call him a man of spirit and you might him to his face sometimes he w ould toss a purse of guineas to this another to that a third to a bully and a fourth to some broken down â an h and all to convince them that he was a sterling friend a man of and liberality but never was he known to help a virtuous and struggling family â to assist the widow or the or to do any other act that was truly useful it is to be supposed the reason of this was that as he spent it as most of the world do in the service of the devil by whose aid he got it he was prevented om turning it to a good account between you and me dear reader there are more persons acting after bill s fashion in the same world than you dream about when his money was out again his friends served him the same game once more no sooner did his poverty become plain than the began to be troubled with small fits of modesty such as an to come to his place when there was no longer anything to be got there a kind of virgin prevented them from speaking to him w hen they saw him getting out on the side of his clothes of them would turn away firom him in the prettiest and most delicate manner when they thought he wanted to borrow money firom them â all for fear of putting him to the blush by asking it others again when they saw him coming towards their houses about dinner hour would become so confused from mere gratitude as to think themselves in another place and their servants seized as it were with the same feeling would tell bill that their masters were not at home at length after travelling the same as before bill was forced to himself a last remedy to the in other words he found that there is r all nothing in this world that a man can rely on so firmly and surely as his own industry bill however wanted the organ of common sense for his experience â and it was sharp enough to leave an impression â ran ofi

49William Black

him like water off a duck he took to his employment sorely against his grain but he had now no choice he must either work or starve and the three wishes is like a great doctor nobody tries it till every other remedy fails them bill had been twice rich twice a gentleman among but always a among gentlemen for no wealth or acquaintance with decent society could rub the of his native vulgarity off him he was now a common in his a drunken bully in the tap room ing and brow beating every one as well as his wife of how much money he had spent in his day about the high doings he carried on telling stories about himself and lord this at the the dinners he gave â how much they cost him and attempting to credit upon the strength of his former wealth he was too ignorant however to know that he was his own disgrace and that it was a mean spirited thing to be proud of what ought to make him blush through a deal board nine inches thick he was one morning engaged in a quarrel with his wife who with a three legged stool in her hand appeared to mistake his head for his o vn he in the meantime paid his addresses to her with his leather apron when who steps in to his memory about the little agreement that was between them but old nick the wife it seems in spite of all her exertions to the contrary was getting the worst of it and sir willing to appear a gentleman of great gallantry thought he could not do less than take up the lady s quarrel particularly as bill had laid her in a sleeping posture now satan thought this too bad and as he felt himself under many obligations to the sex he determined to defend one ol them on the present occasion so as rose he turned upon the husband and him by a clever you villain said he is this the way you treat your wife l on honour bill you on the spot i â it is almost unnecessary for us to acknowledge the little ir the above an irish li c end could not stand by a spectator of such conduct without giving up all claim to gallant the word was divided in his mouth by the blow of a who no sooner saw bill struck than she nailed satan who once more what you villain that s for striking my husband like a murderer behind his said and she suited the action to the word that s for interfering between man and wife would you murder the poor man before my face eh if ae me you shabby dog you who has a better right i m sure it s nothing out of your pocket must you have your finger in every pie this was any thing but idle talk for at every word she gave him a remembrance hot and heavy backed danced and she advanced still him with great perseverance till at length he fell into the arm which stood exactly behind him bill who had been putting in two blows for s one seeing that his enemy was safe now got between the devil and his wife a situation that few will be disposed to envy him tenderness said the husband i hate cruelty go put the in the fire and make them red hot you have a nose said he satan began to rise but was rather surprised to find that he could not says bill how is your pulse you don t look well that is to say you look worse than usual the other attempted to rise but found it a mistake ru thank you to come along said bill i have a fancy to travel under your guidance and we ll take the low countries in our way won t we get to your legs you sinner you know a bargain s a bargain between two honest men meaning ro f and me are the hot satan s face worth looking at as he turned his eyes thb three v from the husband to the wife and then listened them on the now nearly at a furnace heat in the fire at the same time that he could not move out of the chair said he you won t forget that i rewarded your generosity the last time i saw you in the way of business faith it fails me to remember any i ever showed you don t be i want to see what kind of stuff your nose is made of and whether it will stretch like a rogue s conscience if it does we will flatter it up the with the red hot and when this old hat is fixed on the top of it let us alone for a weather cock il k q l fellow feeling j mr you know we ought not to dispute drop the matter and i give you the next seven years we know all that says opening the red hot very coolly mr said satan if you cannot remember my friendship to yourself don t forget how often i stood your father s friend grand ther s and the friend of all your relations up to the tenth generation i intended also to stand by your children after you so long as the name of r and a respectable one it is might last don t be blushing nick says bill you re too modest that was ever your failing up your head there s money bid for you i ll give you such a nose my good friend that you will have to keep an before you to carry the end of it on his shoulder mr i pledge my honour to raise your children in the world as high as they can go

49William Black

no matter whether they desire it or not â that s very kind of you says the other and i ll do as much for your nose he it as he spoke and the old boy sung out bill pulled and the nose went with him like a piece an irish of warm wax he then transferred the to got a ladder resumed the ascended the chimney and stoutly at the nose until he got it five feet above the roof â he then fixed the hat upon the top of it and came down there s a weather cock said i defy ireland to show such a beauty faith nick it would make the for a church in all and the old hat fits it to a in this state vith his nose twisted up the chimney satan sat for some time the novelty of what might be termed a peculiar sensation at last the worthy husband and wife began to i think said bill that we have made the most of the nose as well as the joke i believe it s long enough p â what is said why the joke the husband faith and i think so is the nose said what do you say yourself satan said bill nothing at all william said the other but that ha i ha i â a good joke â an excellent joke and a goodly nose too as it stands you were always a gentlemanly man bill and did things with a grace still if i might give an opinion on such a trifle â it s no trifle at all says bill if you of the nose very well it is not says the other i am decidedly of opinion that if you could both the joke and the nose without further violence you would lay me very heavy obligations which i shall be ready to acknowledge and repay as i ought come said bill shell out once more and be off for seven years as much as you came down with the last time and vanish the words were scarcely spoken when the money was nt his feet and satan invisible nothing could the the three wishes mirth of bill and his wife at the result of this they laughed till they fell down on the floor it is useless to go over the same ground again bill the money went as the devil s money always goes bill and but could never turn a penny of it to a good purpose in this way year after year went till the seventh was closed and bill s hour come he was now and had been for some time past as miserable a as ever a shilling had he nor a shillings worth with the exception of his his cabin and a few articles of crazy furniture in this state he was standing in his as before straining his ingenuity how to make out a breakfast when satan came to look after him the old gentleman was sorely puzzled how to get at him he kept and about the for some time till he saw that bill hadn t a cross to bless himself with he immediately changed himself into a guinea and lay in an open place where he knew bill would see him if said he i got once into his possession i can manage him the honest smith took the bait for it was well gilded he clutched the guinea put it into his purse and closed it up ho ho i shouted the devil out of the purse you re caught bill ive secured you at last you you why don t you despair you villain when you think of what s before you why you unlucky ould dog said bill is it there you are will you drive your head into every hole tliat s set for you faith nick i never had you till now then began to swell and and struggle with a view oi getting out of the purse but in vain he found himself fast and perceived that he was once more in bill s an irish legend mr said he we understand each other til give the seven years additional and the cash on the nail be you know the weight of the hammer that s enough it s not a with feathers you re going to get any how just be mr i grant i m not your match release me and i double the cash i was merely trying your temper when i took the shape of a guinea faith and i ll try your s before you lave it i ve a notion he immediately commenced with the and satan sang out with a considerable want of firmness am i heavy enough said bill lighter lighter william if you love me i haven t been well mr â i have been delicate â my health in short is in a very precarious state mr i can believe that said bill and it will be more so before i have done with you am i doing it right beautifully william but a little of the heaviest strike me light bill my head s tender â oh heads or tails my old boy exclaimed the other i don t care which it s all the same to me what side of you is up â but here goes to help the impression â i bill said is this gentlemanly treatment in your own respectable shop do you think if you dropped into my little place that i d act this part towards you have you no i know replied bill away with vehemence â â that you re notorious for giving your friends a warm welcome an ould youth more so but you must be in bad coin must you however good or bad you re in for a sweat now you sinner am i it

49William Black

â lovely william â but if possible a little more delicate oh how delicate you are maybe a cup o would you or a little small to compose your stomach the three mr said the gentleman in the purse hold your hand and let us understand one another i have a proposal to make hear the sinner anyhow said the wife name your own sum satan only set me free no the may take the toe you ll till you let bill off said the him hard bill he sets you dear of your engagement there it is my said bill s the if you don t give me here s at you once more â and you must double the cash you gave the last time too so if you re of that say ay â leave the cash and be off oh murder groaned the old one am i to be done by an irish i i who was never done before keep a tongue in your head nick said bill if you re not done by this time you must be the devil s morsel for tm sure you re long enough at the fir e you villain do you agree to the terms ay ay replied the let me out â and i hope i have done with you the money again immediately appeared in a glittering heap before bill upon which he exclaimed â the ay has it you dog take to your now and weather after you you but â nick â here â here the other looked back and saw bill with a broad grin upon him shaking the purse at him â come back said he i m short a guinea the other shook his fist in return and shouted out looking over his shoulder as he spoke but not stopping â oh you villain keep from me â i wish to have done with you â and all i hope is that i ll never meet you either here or hereafter so saying he disappeared it would be useless t stop now merely to inform our readers an irish that bill was beyond improvement in short he once more took to his old habits and lived on exactly in the same manner before he had two sons â one as great a as himself and who was also named after him the other was a well conducted virtuous young man called james who left his father and having relied upon his own industry and honest perseverance in life arrived afterwards to great wealth and built the town called james which is so called from its founder until this day bill at length in spite of all his wealth was obliged as he himself said to travel â in other words he fell asleep one lay and forgot to awaken or in still terms he died now it is usual when a man dies to close the history of his life and adventures at once but with our hero this cannot be the case the moment bill departed he very naturally bent his steps towards the residence of st as being in his opinion likely to lead him towards the berth he could readily make out on arriving he gave a very humble kind of a knock and st appeared save your reverence bill very be off there s no here for so pure a youth as you are said st he now so cold and fatigued that he cared little where he went provided only as he said himself he could rest his bones and get an air of the fire accordingly after arriving at a large black gate he knocked as before and was told he would get instant the moment ho gave his name in order that they might find out his berth from the taking it for granted that he had been for them as is usual in such cases i think your master is acquainted with me said k he were not you d not come here said the porter there are no visits made to us what s your name â he replied o tub the porter and several of his companions gave a yell of terror such as bill had never heard before and immediately every bolt bolted every chain drawn tight across the gate and every available weight and bar placed against it as if those who were inside dreaded a siege off instantly said the porter and let his majesty know that the rascal he so much is here at the gate in fact such a and tumult were never heard as the very mention of created among them oh said bill with his eye to the bar of the gate i doubt i have got a bad name and he shook his head like an innocent man who did not deserve it in the meantime his old acquaintance came running towards the gate with such haste and consternation that his tail was several times nearly up his heels â don t admit that rascal he shouted bar the gate â make every chain and lock and bolt fast â i won t be safe â none of us will be and i won t stay here nor none of us need stay here if he gets in â my bones are sore yet him no no â you villain â you ll get no entrance here â i know you too well could not help giving a broad malicious grin at satan and putting his nose through the bars he â you ould dog i have you a aid of me at last have r ue had scarcely uttered the words when his foe who stood inside instantly him by the nose and bill felt as if he had been by the same red hot with which he himself had formerly the nose of well said he that s not the way

49William Black

treated t ou once a time you re â but you know what it is to get s reckoning â to be paid in advance â so i owe you nothing for bill then departed but soon found that in of an the materials which strong drink had thrown into his nose that organ immediately took fire and indeed to tell the truth kept burning night and day winter and summer without ever once going out from that hour to this such was the sad fate of who has been walking without stop or stay from place to place ever since and in consequence of the flame on his nose and his beard being tangled like a of hay he has been by the country folk will o the while as it were to show the mischief of his disposition the knowing that he must seek the and in order to cool his nose upon that opportunity of the and night travellers from their way just that he may have the of still taking in as many possible the the character of an irish is one which has not to my knowledge at least ever been yet properly described â a circumstance which can only be accounted for by the difficulty probably of so many traits of temper and modes of life into one harmonious picture the irish may indeed be said to contain within himself the various which the wide field of society presents for observation many a single p int of character for instance exists in other individuals sufficiently marked and in its own nature to constitute their moral and social individuality but of these single traits as it were from a vast number of eccentric men sufficient as each of them is to make but one person the whole being of the is composed in words all that makes other men remarkable meets in him he is a kind of whose facility of changing his shape his go where you will he is sure to be there before you in a new aspect like the air he is every where and among the young of both sexes there is no breathing without him every one knows him and he knows every one he can tell you as if by the name of tne farmer wife in the parish who was last confined and whether her little one was a boy or a girl no earthly fun or can go on properly unless he it the fellow appears to possess the power of his person and of being for the good of his fellow creatures in several places at the same time if two occur in neighbouring ho the irish mil certainly be present at both he is in fact a kind of wandering jew upon a small scale for although you find him in every possible direction you turn yet no one knows how or when he himself from place to place at wake wedding funeral â at fair at market â in the fiction and party fight â at mass at patterns at places of pilgrimage â at cock fights bull when they matches home â at the in short never did such an exist as the irish who as the fellow says in the play is a perfect here and a stranger no where of the s and means of living no one tell perhaps indeed once in seven years a grey headed beggar will inform you that he remembers his father and mother who lived in a distant county that they have been long dead and that he had a brother hanged in the time of the the will probably go on to say that he also remembers the s marriage when he was not more tha i sixteen to a pretty creature not older than himself that he took away firom her parents up in such a place she is still alive he will say but the marriage didn t turn out well for they lived but a short time together the is always well dressed and sets the fashion to all the districts through which he passes he is in fact a beau in his way â a wit a wag and the most accomplished man in all rural sports and nor is he ever without money for no man is more willing to stand his treat as the phrase is than he nay he will often lend to others but his system always is to borrow thrice the sum from the person he obliged and never to repay it this however is not all his means of support for with shame and sorrow i say it both on his account and theirs he in a sense any thing but to constitute himself a heavy to the â what the scotch call the â i e the home of a vi fe the irish softer sex to all love affairs his first principles are the cup board but he to take care that they shall not end there like consumption of which he is a healthy representative he eats his way into their hearts and what can be expected afterwards but that which usually follows he is the only man that can borrow money from servant maids with a grace but it has never been known that he consented to sail a meeting of his which probably arose from the consciousness of the utter that they could agree no one has ever seen him carrying a bundle of any kind such as might contain a change of linen yet has it been observed that his shirt is at all times well washed up and remarkable for its whiteness this however is brother mystery between himself and the other sex which it is n t within my to as a he stands no man being a match for him at spoil five or five and which games he teaches to all slips of

49William Black

boys in the parish each of whom feels great pride in of his in addition to all this the lake finds it necessary to be accomplished and he accordingly like a and often of a winter s night or summer s evening the young country folk find him a tolerably good substitute for a he also on a pair of i e jew s with both fingers â and plays with great skill on an ivy leaf â a comb â or a s reed through which he blows in a manner wonderfully melodious he is also the terror of whom he never fails to challenge and overcome in the presence of their own scholars and were it not that to suffer defeat by a of such skill can scarcely be termed disgraceful â it being possible for many of excellence to exist beneath his â they would feel it necessary to remove out of his range if such a thing were practicable thb irish the frequently expresses strong intentions to with the of his admirers and set up a for himself this however he ultimately knowing from his habits of transition and that such an active employment would necessarily keep him much too stationary the is also a devoted and this indeed of all his accomplishments is the worst and most of the peace of the country did he not become a of that bad system his and vices all considered could amount all to nothing more than the and vices of a private low bred vagabond but here he absolutely becomes a public character gifted with the evil power of the subjects of his sovereign and of them into the guilty secrets of by their in which they not only tie up the hands and the efforts of those who would serve them but they are in hundreds of instances or into crimes of the die and are thus led step by step and by the cruel tyranny of the system to an death with the bitter reflection thai instead of having served either their church or their country they have in addition to their own punishment brought sorrow and ruin and misery and shame upon their own as a cunning and selfish therefore of principles every way so the irish is not only a curse to the hundreds whom he but a public curse to the country no human being knows the cut of a better than he does for in consequence of his tendency to fighting that worthy and many of his class are seldom if ever without having in their possession a certain document for his especial use regularly sworn before a neighbouring magistrate by a man having his head bound up in a red spotted cotton hand the property of his wife connected with this the is foimd to be very useful in and for beat thb irish ing or who may happen to be to his and by whom their persons be known if they the task which the kindly to give him a treat is all is necessary the but just to say that in such matters he is by no means the is not the only person by whom be is anxious to be met the is he seldom remains in a neighbourhood or parish until some young woman with a child in her arms comes to seek out it always happens however that he has left the place two days before her arrival and no one can tell to what part of the country he went she then relates to some honest or s wife a story of how her little oi money was first lent to tbe and of the return ihe received for her kindness winding up all by a picture of her present she then looks with a breaking heart upon her babe bursts into a fit of weeping and after having satisfied her hunger through the kindness of tne good woman a miserable and care worn picture of foolish and trust betrayed the is also a kind of doctor in his way and knows the use of cut finger robin run the hedge ground ivy and house better than any old woman in the country nor is he ever without a certain cure for the tooth ache or nay he can not only tell when the o the breast is down â a common complaint it is said among young girls in the country â but he can also raise it by a little burnt spirits a and half placed upon the seat of the disease so as by the miraculous power of the and spirits absolutely to raise the heart of the sufferer there is always one person in whatever parish he may reside for the time with whom he never wishes to come on speaking terms â and that is the priest between whom and himself there is at all times a enmity so many thk irish complaints against him ar usually hid before the tha his reverence feels it to be his duty to put his p on their guard against his arts such however is the of spirits by which the is and so easy and good humoured is his that his countenance as it usually does with mirth and renders it impossible for any one to the good father s sure into execution the people in ct cannot look upon anything the either says or does in p serious light and as he is himself quite sensible of this so do his powers of humour and his wit increase and appear to the best advantage by the confidence that there is no possibility of his failing and that whatever he to be considered as humour whether in word or will be laughed at whether it may possess that quality or not another quality for which this character is remarkable cannot pass over in silence there never j has been an instance

49William Black

known of the exhibiting any degree however slight of parental attachment to his offspring whether le or otherwise he pays them no more attention than if they were not his tis true he will speak to them with a light a heart and as pleasant a as he would to the children of his neighbours but this all the solicitude he ever about them neither advice nor aid do they experience even the most pressing difficulty at his hands but on the contrary if any of them should happen to get together by their industry and labour a few shillings or it may be pounds the never stops until he it out of their hands and leaves them to struggle on in new difficult ties whilst he as usual and away through life is laugh as loud and his joke as ready at these upon his own children as if he had practised them upon strangers or rendered them a service the irish the s end is also in complete keeping with the life of a man of whom every body speaks much and after all knows little he is always and feels no inclination unless you should hear it firom another channel to let you or any one else know where he was bom who was his and stoutly that his brother was hanged for the be it known wishes to pass himself off as a man of consequence among the females this causes him to affect mystery which more or less to him wherever he goes as indeed is but natural in the case of one who like him lives at the same time every where and no where in accordance this it found that although the may disappear he is never known to die even by his most intimate acquaintances a s death in ct is as rare an event as a dead ass or a s funeral a space of time longer than that in which he has been accustomed to â he is expected by the for a while but he comes not again and thus does he pass away few knowing how when or where he died or in what part of the world the bones oi this rustic but lie stories of second and apparition i beg to assure my readers that i am neither superstitious nor visionary on the subject of dreams or but on the contrary little disposed to place reliance on them if not well the difficulty certainly rests in the means of proof but i would no more reject one history of a genuine apparition because ninety nine tales of deliberate have been upon human than i would to give charity upon the heartless principle that out of one hundred miserable ninety nine of them may be i would look with scorn upon the man who could refuse to assist even an when in a state of and distress with nearly a similar feeling would i contemplate your philosophical who have neither the grace nor imagination to put faith in a good ghost story whether it be or not such men be assured of it are in more points than ghost ship i myself as i have already said am not superstitious except where i have good grounds for being so but nevertheless i never will be the man who would keep faith with such on any subject they are for every kind of spirits to proof and if you offer them a glass of weak the refuse to swallow it until it be rendered perfectly philosophical by the addition of another glass to give it what they have they will hear of apparition after apparition and drink but i could never stories cf observe that a round dozen of either one or t other made any impression on their brain in these cases they usually have the assurance to walk home sober and such fellows are great for and love all kinds of machinery but the supernatural they never read poetry â or if they do it is only to see where the logic lies like the worthy man who after with great attention closed th book exclaimed all very well language and accurate enough but what does it prove v these men make excellent fellows of and are remarkable for bearing especially choice matter oâ ct let one of them hear of a patent for opening or stockings and he the advantages of mechanical they have too for everything but that which is supernatural love and the philosophy and are deeply devoted to more tables than the some of them will undertake to resolve you the miracles of the bible by the aid of german philosophy concluding that because they cannot understand the philosophy they ought not to believe the miracles you might as well pull one of them by the nose as mention seriously in his presence â indeed better for the bear the pull with much more patience than they do the they conclude too that because they are no themselves there never must have been such persons in the world in fact they have usually a great deal of the sheep in them especially after dinner and any man who has had an opportunity of seeing them with a leg of mutton will easily believe me one of this class reminds me of a being slow fat heavy and contented under the shell of ignorance and which covers him and truly have them when dressed and cut up afford a very rich al several tables of my acquaintances in hall the fat headed gentleman who like a pursued second sight and apparition the same joke master mon was one of these widely from the thin lively little gentleman so fond of the â and whose head on one â de had a look like the wing of an old mansion long by the what a luxury to sit on the side of the little

49William Black

fellow s head and come with a history of the who was discovered by the of his sweetheart and by her after seven years in a court of justice it was one night in the middle of december the tempest along the sky like a cabinet leaving office the thunder sir was of the description and the lightning peculiarly brilliant â tut i excuse me gentle i was about to disclose the murder to the little fellow who i is dreadfully disappointed i have seen men however who were of far stronger in the supernatural than he i commend me after all to a man who like him was haunted on both sides of his head nay for the m of that his head was the monument of half the parish his eye by the mere dint of faith in his own stories had become cold and his ce was worn away into the hue and hardness of a that apparently wanted only the inscription and as for his voice nothing could be more decidedly he was also afflicted with what is called a church yard cough â but that made an excellent accompaniment to his indeed owing to the force of his own imagination and the ct of his having had a leg and buried in the grave of his was frequently at a loss to know whether he should class himself with the living or the dead sometimes it is said he used to identify himself with his own for the time being and mentioned himself and the hero of ms story by the epithet we they may talk about the of spirits but i deny that doctrine and ard to it the s stories of truth is no ghost could escape him if there was one at all any where in the neighbourhood detected it and immediately informed the whole parish as sure as you became acquainted with him so certain was he to see your fetch in a fortnight in had not only the ft of second sight but of third right or fourth right if i may say so will o the death watches white women black men and all the variety of the genuine supernatural were to him no man living was so well acquainted with the other world and with good reason for he spent as much and more of his time in it than he did in this some young in the village wanted to get a placed over his leg and to the expense of which they offered to contribute for some time he refused to embrace the proposal but at length he was pressed into compliance the was got and the following furnished to by an of a who owed him many supernatural obligations â underneath this marble stone â villain it was common lies i i except a single leg and and all the rest of his body poor i he appears before me this moment but whether living or dead is a point as doubtful to me as it often was to himself god bless your coffin face i it is longer i think than usual and i very much fear that you have to the grave where you became a more perfect man than you had been for many a long year out of it if you he dead i take it as an un thing in you who were my old not to have come and informed me of the time and manner of your death that at least was due to me second sight and apparition there are men indeed whom it would be a species of small to doubt on any subject i allude especially to your and yet it is amazing to think with what they are treated by the dull portion of society i would rather for my own part my dinner through the bars of a tavern railing in company with an able liar than eat and drink champagne with a villain who speaks as solemnly as if he were giving evidence on a case of life and death in a court of justice if be a settlement on this earth it is to be planted at the elbow of such a person like the mentioned by the he those whom he touches for he is not only dull himself but the fruitful cause of in others a glance from his bullet eye comes about you with something like the comfort of a wet blanket in december enter into a contest with him and in five minutes you will not know on what side of the contest you are neither will he all the of conversation which i hold to be pure lying ho is wicked enough to off the man has no more poetry in him than a black is a most disagreeable companion and only fit for death bed conversations or evidence at a s yet notwithstanding the power he possesses of communicating his to others i am bound to state that i never knew him to succeed in or in the slightest degree affecting by his the genuine and liar no that respectable character always rises above all opposition and indeed in fiction the better for it the lie is always by that which he tells to defend it your thorough liar be it understood is never malignant â never or de on the contrary he benevolent and sometimes by the dint of lying in enemies who would otherwise meet each other with good temper or kindness then his lies are always of such a description that they cannot be stories of even by those who feel that every word is invention these men are ornaments to society and possess a power to that which is ascribed to where a story from a common man appears nothing but a rude and ragged cave or a barren rock â they by your eyes with the oil of fiction present

49William Black

it to you as a palace with light the most of this class that i ever had thej luxury of m was the late george mâ de esq was the walter scott of the table in i never knew a mm who could ue with such grace ease and dignity he too never told a lie to ii mortal george could ve you a romance in the style of in which he himself always bore a leading part or relate a novel of the new street school with surpassing effect ry of bis hunting and an of the he won at play are the best things of kind if he won a thousand pounds for it wa certain to be a thousand pounds thirteen and five pence three thus always introducing the broken money in order to preserve the keeping and to show you that the circumstances must have happened how else could he have remembered them so the man however who wished to hear george in all his glory should have been present when he began to give his account of the irish rebellion of which he was well acquainted with from personal knowledge never have i heard anything in the way of historical narrative either on or off paper at all to be compared to it in brilliancy and power one too might have been clearly and justly drawn from it by the audience which was that the government must have treated him badly and with base ingratitude because in point of fact had it not been for george the whole fortune of the campaign in that sad business would have gone against the then george s second sight and apparition manner of relating his adventures was always equal if not superior to the matter there he sat bis thread bare ce and lively dark eyes beaming with something between an expression of complacency and a positive smile both probably produced by the novelty of his and which though described as having come within his personal knowledge had on the contrary all been created at the moment no fiction ever flowed on more freely or there was no putting him out of story or out of countenance indeed so much had his the air and of truth that i have known men who themselves very much on their penetration to have often been taken m by them not the thing about george was his readiness to charge several of his friends with invention one in he lying but upon perfectly fair grounds tis true was what a is to a wit when compared with george himself he was at a short lie could invent a single feet at one flight but his wing soon tired and down became he gathered himself again and another incident in which no being except the could feel any concern if you met for instance he would tell you that he had just with my lord n and was asked to dine with him to morrow this was a lie george was notwithstanding his happiness at fiction an honest man who in the intercourse of but especially in the practical transactions of business was strictly bound by to be sure he had one but that was more than by his talent at lying â he gave bad of this i am myself a living proof and never wiu the man who gives bad receive at my hands â but what was worse a good glass of punch i never drank at his t ble tis true i might overlook the indifferent supper bad never on of both these subjects often remonstrated with him in a so earnest that it must haye him the deep interest i took in his george s standing supper was of which he was enough to serve up five i now i ask who could stand that f i grant are very good in their place but on george s table no such as a decent ever made its appearance the ct was that the children and servants always out the below stairs and when you sat down it soon became evident that you were digging in vain among a magnificent pile of empty shells this was monstrous and deserved exposure to a man like me who am no and love a good supper it was altogether a bitter disappointment george when about forty five joined a society that had been got up by a set of young fellows who were anxious to improve themselves in he was of course admitted by having been well known to most of them the first night on he spoke i was present by his express tion they him into the chair after which he arose and said â in rising up to express without fear favour or affection having proceeded thus far he was greeted with a hear hear by some one in the comer of the room george turned hastily about and shouted with something of alarm where where in a moment all present were in and ii his speech still addressing mr as if he himself had not presided it was however a vile effort â that is the truth indeed he felt it to be such for pursuing his own meaning through a of empty words as if he had been hunting a stray through a dish of shells he exclaimed â gentlemen eloquence is â but no matter â sit down and give you the he accordingly took his seat and firom the moment he got on his until he the his audience were bound as if by the second sight and apparition of an poor george he died after a of eaten in town whilst his were out at his country residence lodge he made lying his in a little church yard beside the lodge he now lies buried and what is not considering his character an old sun dial stands beside his grave which to tell

49William Black

the truth is as great a liar as he was for it never points to the right hour a friend of mine was requested to write his who thinking it a pity that such talents should pass into obscurity suggested a simple motto as a hint to his â de this hint was taken but the motto was rather a stumbling block to the although i myself am of opinion that all ought to be written in a dead language the following was added about a year after his death â here lies george m ds no common dust of whom although he died of a it is but just to state for the benefit of those who may come him that he was at truth this to be sure was rather his talents than openly them from â our i easy gentle reader what is all this about i set out with something relative to ghosts and here i find myself describing men who were at fiction the two subjects have certainly no connection as i will prove if you can muster patience enough to hear me away then levity i give you to the winds hush hush let me compose myself i am now returning to a subject which lies on my heart in spite of the world as it is with a solemn tenderness that op touches it at into and i go back to the scenes of my to my and to the and the lakes and the precipice which torn my memory into one dreamy bj the and of joy and why is it that the heart and the eye fills when we think of oar home why is it that every and and how they may be in reality draw back our hei to them with a power so and so melancholy simply they possessed om first affections th were the earliest objects on which om spirits poured forth oar hearts grew into them and the fi r that which was dear to her a a brother a may a new character to hearts that had been knit one think never to be hie mountains however of our native place cannot the river that through the cannot us the is of a crime against the boy who and was on it we naturally love that which has made us happy whether it be a man or a mountain and we love that best which first won us to enjoyment the little story i am now about to relate is connected with the scenes of my early boyhood the â were precisely as i shall detail them and b that the reader will do me the to dismiss all touching the truth of an occurrence which i am able to explain by no other theory than that of second sight it occurred in the month of april i my and seven or eight of our young acquaintances were playing at the game of which being one of pursuit requires of foot the field in which we played was part of a large sheep walk belonging to a respectable named it was one of those level that usually stretch along the margin of a river as thb in did around us swelled the smooth and apparition hills lying in the of spring covered here and there bj flocks of sheep whose and in wanton mirth â now running in circles around their then starting off in mad little performed at the top of their speedy and instantly returning again their swiftness increasing as th approached the mamma thinking that they had actually performed something for the world to wonder at the poor foolish old sheep too who was evidently of the same o blessing her stars all the while that there was not such another lamb in the universe but ther are mostly fools in this respect the evening was an evening which i have never seen equalled from that day to this in fact how it strayed to this country i know not it did not belong to this country a should ta to italy or the south of france to get a glimpse of such an evening and it would be well worth his while to it every step for the express purpose i myself have been through italy france spain resided at for three year on came round with a sweep to where i and killed three for dan o behind his back escaped from that and slipped over to where i â but there is no use in going on any farther at all events i have been in every country under the sky where any thing at all in the shape of a good evening could be come at yet i am bound to declare as an honest man and an that i would match that irish evening any foreign evening in or out of europe the sky was one expanse of blue from the western rim of which that pleasant fellow the sun who was in excellent good humour at the time shot his rays and in a very handsome manner indeed upon the earth it was certainly as genteel sunshine as a man could wish and the whole thing did him infinite credit it was not on the other hand a vulgar evening no there was a freshness and delicacy of light mingling in quiet radiance stories of the still beauty of nature as it gradually developed itself m and blossoms and flowers under the influence of spring like a bottle of champagne or what is better still a good of it was calculated to makes man s heart rejoice within him the golden beams resembling the light of a young beauty s eyes fell upon the with that trembling lustre to which modesty gives a character at once tender and there they lay earth and sky like two young fools silent and blushing ng at each other while

49William Black

their with love both apparently m the eve of a declaration how still how how soft how full pathos to a blue was that celebrated evening the forest to listener the of the to in the hope of down to the left the river ran between two g hills whose sides were covered with now in full flower and up to the right on the banks of that blessed stream stood the beautiful an of m its white walls among the tree and its chimney sending up a straight of smoke undisturbed in its by a breath of air give me after au the sweet secluded of beauty which clothed with the of love the heart can take in at the eye lose itself upon magnificence of the and the be stunned by the grandeur of the â let any man who admire the beauty of an italian landscape as he would the charms of a lovely woman without modesty for me i the soft retreat that lies between the hills every of k bound to the spirit by some early incident or association â in the same that i would a modest female with virtues i am acquainted are women as are second sight and apparition that do not strike the eye or heart at a first glance but who upon a longer intimacy gradually disclose virtue after virtue and charm after charm until before we are conscious ot it we find them fixed in our affections and wonder why we did not at first perceive their loveliness in both cases the object holds its influence with more enduring tenderness over our hearts and indeed generally lasts until they perish together how sweet were the glimpses of the river as it through the meadows that lay between the whereon we played and s house i how calmly did it flow between banks firom which the dipped gently into its stream i ah happy ah pleasing shade ah fields beloved in vain where once my careless childhood strayed a stranger yet to pain i feel the that from ye blow a momentary bliss bestow as waving their wing my weary soul they seem to soothe and of joy and youth a second spring god bless you gray you are worthy if only for having written the in a country church yard to be called â twilight gray while the world lasts as we were engaged at play on the evening i have described light hearted and innocent as the about us each an all intent upon our i at once felt such an soul such serenity of mind such a sense of intense happiness as i have never since even in a comparatively faint degree i thought my physical gravity had been dissolved in to nothing and that i could absolutely tread upon air emotions at first to any object but delightful and ethereal crowded upon me i instantly abandoned my position in the game the range of which i considered to be too limited stories of for my powers i bounded with of rapture and exultation over the field â threw myself into a thousand attitudes leaped a d like a young and in t felt precisely the same of described by sir after having gas â rapture and happiness together an i vivid in my memory of all the circumstances that had affected me the preceding two or three years external i did not notice nor had they any influence over me i waa at away by an so that description in giving ev i a feeble notion of it at length i stood still near who observed my countenance to change surrounded me but i saw not they asked me why i got pale and why my eyes were fixed to this i could make no reply my senses had abandoned me i could neither see speak nor hear for minutes their power however seemed to have withdrawn firom outward things only to give a more piercing and intense to my imagination fi r they into it until it became almost supernatural in this state i remained for a few minutes my ce pale as ashes and my eyes wild and fixed but vague sharp and gleaming a chasm ensued in my recollection occasioned by my having into on recovering i found myself exhausted full of wonder and quite with p john said i to my brother come home our mary is there before us she was a no such thing he ed we did not expect her did you hear she was to come no â but i know she is at home i saw her this moment you saw her i where i then described to him the m i had se i my which was precisely what i now relate it appeared second sight and apparition to me i saw my sister then only about three months married coming down the road which led to our house and what is singular i felt no surprise at this although i knew or ought to have remembered that the road was invisible from the where i stood at first i observed in mind s eye only a female figure which presently became more defined in outline as it advanced the dress however was new to me and i did not for a moment suspect it to be my sister by and bye the features began to develop themselves until they were impressed clearly upon my vision as hers my eye follow h r for about eighty she went down the village street â shook hands with ve an apple to a neighbour s child that she met our door then entered our house â kissed my mother and youngest sister who were the only two of the family at home and having laid aside her cloak and bonnet she sat at the right hand side of the hearth when i related this to my brother i

49William Black

asked him to come home as we had not seen her for a month he only laughed at me however and declined leaving his i replied that what i had said was true that i had seen her and that would go home whether he accompanied me or not on my own mind the impression was so strong as to leave no doubt whatsoever of its truth i remember that on separating from my companions i heard my brother say â something him i see it by his wild looks the boys assented to this and one of them called after me to know why i cried or if any of them had accidentally hurt me for i should have told the reader that after having ed from the state of excitement in which i saw the vision the tears flowed in torrents from my eyes tis true they were not accompanied by sorrow but were evidently produced by st of as they came involuntarily and much to my relief altogether i felt when this singular affection had passed away that no consideration could induce me to undergo it again the impression it left behind notwithstanding the with which it came upon me were decidedly if not i immediately proceeded home accompanied by my brother who fearing that i was really ill overtook me on entering the house judge of what i must have felt when i found my sister on the very seat and in the very dress i beheld in the vision â a dress too which i had never seen on her before i instantly asked her if she had spoken to and shaken hands with mrs thomas she had had she given an apple to little james she had everything in occurred literally as i had seen it now before i speak to the philosophers about this let me inform them for their comfort that it is emphatically no c e n that all the are accurately given and that i could to its truth i next beg to ask the how they would explain or account for it let the scientific men attack it let the and on the one hand all have at it let the fellows of college try it the doctors and ol divinity parish clerks and on the other hand all with it any man within the of his profession firom the state physician and surgeon general to the â any man from a bishop to a who will undertake to solve it by any other theory than second sight is welcome to send in his solution before the eighth day of next month and if it be written in anything like decent grammar and contain one idea not already worn to i pledge myself that mr will give it now proceed to another circumstance equally li the of c w lived a man whose and apparition name was f r who in lost his sight was compelled to retire from business i had lodged in his house for some months before what i shall relate occurred his sight did not fail him in early life so that he was at the period i speak of about seventy years of age one saturday evening in the month of june he and i were sitting in his own garden after the sun had gone down where he told me that he intended in a month or so to go to for the purpose of having an operation performed on his eyes i never saw him in better spirits and as he dwelt with manifest satisfaction upon the pleasure he contemplated by the of his vision i ventured to observe that in case the operation succeeded he himself would be a living witness of the reality of second sight he smiled and replied that he hoped he would live to settle that difficult question we then separated each to his repose the next morning about six o clock i had just shaved and was proceeding to wash when i heard a shriek from f r s wife and immediately in a loud cry she called upon their daughter â your father said she has come up for god s sake i slept on the same floor with this amiable and respectable old couple so that there was nothing but a between us on hearing the cry i hastily wiped my hands and ran to their bed room as i entered the husband half dressed was lying on the carpet his head and shoulders supported by his wife he gave one deep sigh then his under jaw fell and i saw that all was over when the daughter arrived we attempted to recover him but in vain a convinced us that whatever medical skill might do we could do nothing they then begged me to run up and his son with what had happened i did so two or three minutes brought me to his house on at the hall door i found by the delay in opening it that the family had not yet risen it was then about twenty minutes stories of past six of a sunday morning after waiting and three or four times the servant maid with a cloak her shoulders opened the door without it and out rather a frost bitten nose asked what i wanted she recognized me however and without more me into the tell your master said i wish to speak to him on the instant ere she had time to reply her mistress entered the room exhibiting an unusual degree of a oh mr w â â said she he is dead i he is dead i and she immediately burst into tears dead said i astonishment â who is dead you need not conceal it she replied mr f r is dead which of them i inquired is it your mr f r no no she returned but my ther in law i know

49William Black

he ia dead it is not fifteen minutes he was with me the husband now entered the parlour and appeared to under amazement doubts and apprehension what he inquired has any thing happened my father your father i why what could lead you to suppose such a thing mrs f r he replied awoke me about fifteen minutes ago and said that was mrs f said i let me know the circumstances p she then related them precisely as follows â i about fifteen w twenty minutes my in law came to ihe to me and putting his hand upon my pressed it until awoke on looking up i saw him standing over me with a countenance in and affection than otherwise before i had to speak to him he said in a solemn voice â second sight and margaret tell joe to get tip and go down to his mother she and margaret this was his own daughter have none to take care of them now thej ai o alone having said this she continued he stooped down and kissed me adding â god bless you my dear you were ever kind to me i could not understand such a scene said the daughter in aw it was so odd and strange i looked up with an intention of asking what he meant but i discovered that it was only then that i had awoke and on opening my eyes nd rubbing them i found that he was gone i awoke my husband immediately and in truth we were actually discussing this extraordinary circumstance when your knock alarmed us i felt that it was a message to inform ua of his death now tell us truly is he dead it is very strange said i but i fear he is dead let us however get medical yes she replied bursting again into tears he is dead i we procured medical assistance but her dream he had gone to his rest now i was an actor in this melancholy drama myself and i protest as as a man can protest that it is a truth without one of exaggeration come on ye i here i take my stand me this if you are able but i know you are not able ye miserable creatures i defy you in and with my single arm will undertake to crush you in no i eat my words i will be by a splendid array of genius i range myself with and â with and and if that does not satisfy you then you must the oriental and but that is not all here come and an ti again here come de then come scott and henry more of the are you satisfied no i yon by the names of dr sam johnson john and adam but there is no use in my learning upon you i might and a host of others every man of whom could not only beat you on the supernatural but you that on any other subject connected with extensive learning ye are little less than the very title pages of reading â so at least as honest and substantial spirits are concerned i next proceed to my second and concluding history of for i do not look upon the case of my own as one that comes under the character of a ghost story in a certain part then of ireland which for good reasons i shall not mention lived a man named as a farmer his condition in life was respectable as were his character and education he was one of those silent men who pass through the world and without offence his disposition was mild but marked by a firmness of character occasionally to â to honesty he united a stem of manner that caused him to be respected almost at a first glance and although he possessed courage both moral and physical in a high degree one observation more is essential to the completion of his outline he looked upon all accounts of and supernatural appearances with the most profound contempt but he lived to change his opinions such a person in consequence of his integrity and intelligence is always useful at as a in fact ever since the year of his age he had served in that capacity with the reputation of being a shrewd honest and humane man who permitted nothing to sway him from the direct line of his in a word he was respected and esteemed by all classes sight and apparition j had been about five years a when a very delicate and distressing case of came on at the m â the persons charged with the crime were two females of rather respectable station in they were sisters one of them principal the other her the trial which excited deep interest lasted a whole day was and displayed during its progress much and knowledge of character the eldest sister who was the mother and of the child paid the heavy penalty of her crime but the younger though she received the same sentence did not share the same there were strong of in her case for her guilt arose principally from the affection she bore to her unhappy sister and the sway the other had over her she was young beautiful innocent and from the impulse of her own heart utterly incapable of herself to the of such a crime the jury of whom as i said was strongly and with tears in their eyes recommended her to mercy the judge said he would back the recommendation with all his influence but that he must in the meantime pass the sentence of the law upon both never probably was a scene so witnessed in a court of justice every face was and every cheek with tears the judge was compelled to pause several times while he addressed them and on to the specific terms of their sentence his voice

49William Black

utterly him when it was pronounced among the sobs and groans of a weeping court the younger folded her sister in an embrace she exclaimed i will die with you no replied her sister with calmness the innocent must not with the guilty my lord take compassion on her youth and she is guilty of no crime but too much affection for a sister who did not deserve it the next day accompanied by the of these unhappy females set out for to lay the cat of the t b bs ov nâ ter before the d t â r him as of the jury to plead both but i with too strict a sense of he to do â where then le so he â there ought to be he in a for tone was but s heart was broken by the death and of her ed but criminal sister she into and ere the of a year she withered away an flower and her sorrows and her shame the earth and were seen no more fifteen years after the of but sisters their brief and was now or only with e oe which time gives off and the mid respect able with he had set oat in and had become wealthy some to which he was by the death of a had however led him the of and e found it to make a journey n about aa miles from his the grand canal by which sake he to he knew the hour when it was to pass the next house and to bed to be up in time to meet ix on he thai he t as be from the light that in the of his in a jew â â if p he was and as he had ent ra to the on the day he walked forward with a good in h s it in a short time that he had the iv t of the ht and what he t he t de dawn of was tie h t of the moon r h ii r oa the de he felt no second sight and apparition l anxiety but proceeded leisurely along by and least of all by the dread of anything supernatural the night was calm and frosty the moon though rather on the shone with peculiar lustre and shot down her silvery light upon the earth which now lay veiled in her dim cold radiance like a dead beauty in her virgin the whole host glowed afar in the blue of heaven the arch of which presented not a single cloud over to his rose the grey towers of b surrounded by its noble whose branches glistening feebly in the distance in utter stillness the lonely beauty of the hour lay on every object about him the fields as he crossed them were under his feet the faint on the grass shone like new silver and the voice of the streams and as they murmured under the already formed ice borrowed sweetness from the solitude and silence on arriving near the ruined abbey of h he could not help pausing to look at it there it stood by the wing of old romance its windows of the tint of past its partially de and its broken or with ivy that melancholy plant of ruin what a finely tempered mass of light and shade did it present i how admirably contrasted was the wing of its gloomy in the deep shadow with the southern window through which streamed a of clear and lonely light i there too were the old glittering in the grey i monuments at least of vanity beneath which the haughty noble as into dust as the humble peasant who sleeps in the lowly grave beside him there certainly is something grand and solemn in the memory of times when the pomp of the hall was rude but and the imposing splendour of religion swept b ore the imagination in the gorgeous array of pride could not help standing the where husband or and wife appeared to deep before him on the old grey like persons bound by enchantment â d together were d he and my with hands uplifted on the breast in attitude of prayer long d in he with arms and she perhaps there is nothing on which the eye can rest that fills us with solemn an impression of the vanity of life as these rude figures of lord and dame that lie on our old tomb stones i do not mean to say however that they represent the shadowy side of only on the contrary they touch our spirits with sweetness even on the brink of the grave who can look upon the husband and wife stretched out in the decent composure of christian hope their hands clasped in affection or raised in prayer without feeling a crowd of sensations that knit him to his kind nation too wings her way back into the gloom of centuries the that lie before us in the dream of a moment over the path of their existence witnesses their loves and sorrows sees them pace with stately tread upon the terrace of their castle or attended by their sons and daughters sweeping proudly along their halls and galleries on on they go through all the stages of being engaged in the bustle of existence until age and decay lay their bodies side by side in their vault and filial affection places their rude upon the that covers them for my part i think that all these fine old are not only full of nature and feeling but actually constitute the romance of death having once more looked upon the dark ivy covered and windows and probably thought of the times when and priest and filled its now solitary and second sight and apparition deserted walls with those which the whilst thej religion he passed on and in a

49William Black

few minutes came out on the public road which in this place ran parallel with the canal until it entered the village where he intended to meet the packet finding himself on the hard level way he advanced at a tolerable pace not a sound on his ear except that of his own steps nor any thing possessing motion visible except the rapid train of a as it shot in a line along the sky when within about a mile and a half of the station house he began to calculate the exact progress of the night and to consider whether it might not be nearer the packet hour than he imagined at this moment a circumstance occurred which led him to conclude that the approach of morning could not be far distant â this was the appearance of two shadows of females which although they followed him at a short distance yet from the position of the moon necessarily extended in a manner past him just as his own moved rather in front of himself but sloping a little to the left i perceive said he that it cannot be fer from the hour for here are others on their way to the station house as well as myself good manners prevented him from looking back especially as those who followed him were women who probably might prefer avoiding a solitary stranger under such circumstances he accordingly went on at a quicker step but felt some surprise on seeing by their motion that their step quickened in proportion to his he then his pace perhaps thought he they are anxious to have my company and protection into the village this however could not have been their motive for they also their pace how is this he i can hear my own tread but i cannot hear theirs he then stood with an intention of them when they should come up they also stood of and exhibited a stillness of attitude resembling rather the fixed shadow of statues than of human now turned round to observe them more closely but his astonishment may be easily when he found no person of either sex near hun or within sight of him the startled him but nevertheless he felt little if any thing of what be termed fear this is strange â sleep must have my eyes or clouded my perhaps it was my own shadow i have been looking at all this time a single glance soon convinced him of his error there projected his and there appeared the other two distinct from it just as plain as before he turned again and traced both the figures up to a particular spot on the road but substance most certainly there was none visible he rubbed his eyes and examined the place about him with a scrutiny that convinced him there was not a living person present fix m whom the shadows could proceed the road before and behind him for a considerable distance was without hedge or ditch nothing in short could be concealed from his observation fear now come upon him his hair stood and his limbs shook god protect me said he this is nothing natural i will proceed to the station house as fast as i can on his journey at a rapid walk he observed that his shadowy companions were determined not to lose him hitherto they had kept at the same distance from him or their pace according as he himself did but now he saw that they approached him more nearly than before his fear was then terrible though far from being at its height for as he kept his eye upon them he perceived the taller and more robust of the two using angry gestures that an intention to injure him the slender shadow on the other pushed her back and attempted by to divert her from her purpose stood his strength was fi one sight and apparition to proceed was therefore a struggle that was enough to turn his heart into took place between them the fury of the more robust seemed to be boundless fire barely perceptible flashed firom her eyes and her breath he thought passed firom her mouth like something between flame and smoke the persons and features of both assumed a very remarkable distinctness and by a flash of recollection he recognized their features although he could not tell how as those of the unfortunate but beautiful sisters whose unhappy history the reader has no human â no instance of mortal resentment could parallel the rage and thirst of vengeance that appeared to bum in the breast of the elder sister nor could anything human on the other hand approach in beauty the calm but melancholy energy with which the younger attempted to protect the man who was the object of her sister s hate the struggles of the one were fearful intense and those of the other firm soothing and sorrowful the shadow twisted the latter like a slender willow and having removed her from between herself and the object of her revenge rushed towards him as if she possessed the strength of a tempest but before she could reach his person there was the being again calmly and meekly before her for twenty minutes this supernatural contest lasted during which observed that the distance between himself and them was becoming shorter and shorter nevertheless he could not stir no more than if he had been rooted into the earth it was now that for the first time he felt as if he were actually withered by a shriek of rage and disappointment that burst from the shadow of the she stood still as if rendered for a moment impotent by the terrific force of her own resentment and while standing her hands clenched and her arms raised she poured forth shriek shriek so wild and keen that the waters of the canal curled beneath the thin or

49William Black

ng rapid running in running effects of running leaping the high leap in high leaping the long leap in long leaping the deep leap the deep leap backwards from a rest on the hands straight forward leaping with a pole the high leap with a pole the long leap with a pole the deep leap with a pole position and action in turns in carrying weight r throwing the climbing in all its divisions construction of the press of the preliminary and general directions the ordinary run or inside edge forward the forward or outside edge figure of three or inside edge backward outside edge backward the back roll dangers of treatment of drowned persons exercises preparatory instructions place and time for swimming dress ill â entering the water in the water attitude and action in the water in swimming coming out of the water upright swimming treading water back swimming floating side swimming plunging thrusting springing one arm swimming in swimming â in all its kinds sailing with notices of the clubs and c directions u the and mounting and the seat the balance the rein hold the correspondence the action the hand and the walk the trot road riding the gallop leaping critical situations treatment of the horse â driving the road carriages coach horses â harness relative of horses mounting and the seat starting the paces the time the whip passing c â ascending and descending hills the the ranks in town ix stops accidents to accidents to and injuries list of plates plates i extension motions ii to vi indian club exercises viii walking ix running x leaping xi xii xiii pole leaping xiv xv xvi carrying weight xvii throwing the xviii climbing xx attitude list of xx â action of the hands â feet in treading water â back swimming xxv side floating xxvi plunging thrusting fig l beginning of the fig il middle of the xxx fig i end of the â fig il return of fig i s compass â fig ii plan of a vessel s deck fig i parts of a pleasure boat at anchor fig ii boat before a light breeze fig i boat with breeze on beam fig ii boat close to the wind on tack horse fig i parts of the horse â fig ii first view of mounting fig l second view of mounting â fig ii the seat the rein hold fig i the walk â fig ii the stop fig i the trot â fig il road riding xl the list of plates the rise in leaping the fall in leaping four horse harness the rein hold in oa â â â â my ir f m ke if â â â â â â â â â â a â â â â â m a importance of physical exercises is rendered evident by the first tendency of being directed to them by the rapid progress made in them and by the delight derived from them at a period when the body is incapable with real or solid advantage of higher their general utility will be questioned only by those who are not aware that the health and vigor of all the bodily organs depend on the exercise of each in active exertion the member exercised with the more frequent and more copious flow of blood and heat is developed in it with greater abundance and if we repeat the same motions many times after intervals of repose all the muscles exercised become permanently developed a perfection of action in the member exercised which it did not previously possess any by which it is affected is corrected and strength and activity are acquired that man therefore gains the most strength who in muscular exercises that require the application of much power but which are sufficiently separated by intervals of repose it must be remembered however that in particular muscles only the others become weak the strength of was sufficiently great to stop a chariot drawn at speed by four horses by merely seizing the wheel he bent pieces of silver with his fingers made them into boats as he would ith paper and presented them to the ladies count a general broke the shoe of a carriage horse in the same manner and there are innumerable examples of similar of extraordinary strength active exercises at the same time confer beauty of form and they even contribute to impart an elegant air and graceful manners if the exercise of a limb be con importance of i for some time the member a is experienced which is termed and a difficulty of which is the result of it if the motion has been excessive and the elements in the member have been acted upon beyond all laws would take place and its functions be performed with great difficulty if at all such are the effects of exercise on the system to all the functions of animated beings so loi as they are exercised with moderation equality and at due intervals working for their own preservation of course the general effect of active exercises is marked in proportion to the number of parts that share in the motion or are brought into energetic action in general exercise the increase of action is not confined solely to the parts which are the seat of muscular but is repeated throughout all parts of the economy and influences all the functions thus as to the vital or system exercises taken when is not going on excite the faculty taken during its progress they disorder that function the and become more rapid by active exercise and which by giving greater force to the of the heart it is the same with and the same takes place with regard to a function which exercise not only in the muscles in movement as we have just seen but also in the bones vessels and nerves by it the of injurious agents produces a

49William Black

fresh color in persons who may have become pale through a life and to a certain extent renders the human constitution by means of habit proof against the action of surrounding objects the local effects of excessive action or those which take place in the members themselves are as before of observed of the muscles hke that arising from cold and of the the general of excessive exercise may in the same manner as all physical and moral the vital too quickly communicate too much to the render the vessels bring on destroy the freshness of the skin the flower of youth and produce old age and death before the time ordained by nature ancient writers inform us that it was rare thing to meet with who having themselves from their earliest youth in were of so excellent a constitution as to be able when they had reached a more advanced age to acquire the same honors in for the prize with grown men us that amongst the in the games not more than two or three at the most could be found to whom nature had granted such an advantage in relation to the mental or thinking system every movement says becomes in its turn the principle or occasion of new impressions of which the frequent repetition and the varied character i increase more and more the circle of our judgments or tend to them it hence follows that labor giving to this word the most general cannot but have an influence infinitely useful on the habits of the understanding and consequently also on those of the will this argument is evidently to varied exercise on the contrary the great division of labor so favorable to the of the arts more and more the understanding of workmen exercises moreover inspire confidence in difficult situations and suggests resources in danger their consequent upon the moral conduct of man is such that by a courage which is ot i al i bs well founded because it springs from a perfect knowledge of his own powers he is often enabled to render the most important services to others although the direct effect of exercise is not only to confer power on the muscular and other organs but to external impressions and to occupy with them all the senses at once still minds thus disposed in general occupy themselves rather with objects of imagination and sentiment than with those which demand more complicated operation the sense of muscular power which carrying man perpetually out of himself scarcely permit him to dwell upon impressions to his brain the only action of that organ during these exercises seems to be limited to ordering the movements hence exercise especially taken in the open air amidst new and varied objects of sight is not favorable to reflection â to labors which demand the assemblage and of all the powers of the mind it is on the contrary in the absence of external impressions that we become more capable of seizing many relations and of following a long train of purely abstract reasoning as life spent chiefly in active muscular exercises would leave in a state of repose those central organs that are to the moral qualities and intellectual faculties i agree with and in all such exercises or such degrees of exercise as would the mind and render man incapable of in science polite literature and art the cultivation of bodily strength in preference to every thing else would establish only the right of the strongest as it is found to exist in the origin of society to cultivate the faculties of the mind exclusively would produce only the weakness of sentiment or excess of passion there is importance of exercises for every individual a means of making all these dispositions act in harmony and the due of physical and moral education alone can produce it let it be remembered that young persons will much more easily be withdrawn from the application they ought to pay to the study of the by and trifling games than by the exercises necessary for their development and the preservation of their health which however habit soon renders easy and delightful to what vices do not a life and the of give rise â whilst well regulated exercises excite ambition to and energy in the performance of every duty the philosophers of antiquity such as and regarded exercises as of vast importance and considered a state and badly organized where these exercises were not were therefore established everywhere and by distinguished masters accordingly the illustrious men of the and roman even those who shone in literature and the fine arts received the same physical education the exercises which are here recommended are not intended to produce but to strengthen the human constitution one exercise gives another address and we may even say that the various kinds of exercise are sometimes opposed to each other the strongest peasant is far m being the best and the most vigorous would probably be deficient in strength there is however a mean to be found in the disposition of every individual to preserve both skill and strength and this is what ought to be sought for this purpose it will suffice to practise young persons a few hours every day sometimes at one exercise and sometimes at another directions it only remains for ns to give a few directions as to the time place and circumstances of exercise the best time for the exercises is when the air is cool as even in summer it is early in the morning or after the sun has declined and they should never immediately follow a meal the best place for these exercises is a smooth grass or a firm sandy sea beach stones and are always dangerous at the commencement the coat and all unnecessary clothes should be laid aside and all hard or sharp things should be taken from the pockets of the remaining dress a

49William Black

very light covering on the head as a straw hat is best the should be open the breast being either exposed or covered the of the trousers should not be tight and the boots or shoes should have no iron about them sudden are always bad exercise should begin gently and should in the same manner the left hand and arm being commonly weaker than the right they should be exercised till they become as strong this custom is advantageous not only for all military and mechanical exercises but also for all their operations the being cooled too quickly is injurious therefore drinking when very hot or lying down on the cold ground should be avoided no exertion should be carried to excess as that only and the body therefore whenever the feels tired or falls behind his usual mark he should resume his clothes and walk home the exercise is finished the clothes should always be put on and the usual precautions adopted to prevent taking cold the necessary up of an ground are a leaping stand a horse a bar a climbing stand with poles and ropes which may be seen united as simply and as possible in a subsequent sketch â plate xviii climbing in most exercises a belt or is of utility and it seems in all ages to have been naturally employed the savage who could not follow others in the course without panting would find by placing his hand over his and supporting the liver and other organs which descend into that that he was aided in running and breathed more easily and thence he would make for himself a belt united in societies men would still preserve their belt though it might not seem particularly advantageous except to those whose active mode of life approached a primitive state such as travellers and the put on their before they commenced and many both ancient and modern recommend the use of as being to the whole of the body and to the parts over which they are placed what the exterior or are to the muscles â bands which embrace and keep firm the parts over which they are placed the common belt has and to fasten it an iron ring and a pocket a double for forms a very strong is put on by pupils who are very strong when they these may be made of different sizes for youths of different ages of five or six inches for tall youths and men and of eight or ten inches for their length is in proportion to the size of the person who uses them these are very useful in the region in running and leaping also should furnish themselves with before getting training on to prevent too motion of the of the and the which may result from it the indeed of will by d prove their utility and they will probably be worn even without reference to physical exercises they deserve this the more they give an air of lightness and elegance to the shape and the chest the most thing in existence is dangerous if applied in very young persons the chest and have been compressed by the belt too tight or making it too wide and of and have consequently been caused by pushing in the false ribs this is an that should be avoided if the belt be low it may press too much on the lower part of the belly if too high it may disorder the chest it must therefore be placed on the so as to pass over the and as said before it must not be too tight having given these ideas of the utility of and the manner of using them it remains only to explain the triple use of those adopted for exercises st they by their size and other circumstances all the conditions which render them useful d a pocket serves to the articles that may be wanted according to the class of exercises performing d an iron ring is intended to by means of hooks any thing we wish to carry so as to leave the hands at liberty this is important in relation to various exercises to be described the art of training for exercises or training laborious exertions consists in the body and its powers by certain processes which are now to be described the advantages of it are not confined to or they extend to every one for were training generally introduced instead of medicine for the and cure of diseases its consequences would assuredly life and promote its happiness every knows that all the parts which compose the human body â as well as â are absorbed and deposited hence a perpetual of them regulated by the nature of our food and general habits the health of all the parts and the of their structure depend on this perpetual and now nothing so effectually as exercise at once and it accordingly all the vital functions without hurrying them all the parts and preserves them apt and fit for their offices it follows then that health vigor and activity chiefly depend upon exercise and or in other words upon the of those rules which constitute the theory of training the effect has accordingly with the cause assigned in this view of the subject in every instance where it has been adopted and although not commonly resorted to as the means of restoring to health there is every reason to believe that it would prove effectual in many obstinate diseases such as complaints and the entertained this opinion they were says a popular writer on medicine by no means with or to these instruments of medicine although modem appear to have no idea of removing disease or restoring health but by pouring into the is said been the first who applied the exercises and f the to the removal of disease or the maintenance of health among the this so

49William Black

far that he is said by almost to have the use of internal from his practice he was the of various modes of exercise and in rome in his own person he afforded an excellent example of the wisdom of his rules and the pi of his tells us that in early life he made a public profession that he would agree to all pretensions to the name of a physician should he ever suffer from sickness or die but of old age and wh t is extraordinary he his promise for he lived of a century and at last was killed by a fall down stairs as to the system modem experience sufficiently proves that exercise is the most powerful of the muscles and of every part on which activity depends in its operation on the vital system training always appears to benefit the state of the lungs indeed one of its most striking effects is to improve the wind that is to enable a man to draw a larger inspiration and to hold his breath longer as to the intellectual system sir j that by training the mental faculties are also improved the attention being more ready and the perception more acute owing probably to the clearness of the stomach and better it must therefore be admitted that the most consequences to general health arise firom training the simplicity of the rules for it is assuredly a great recommendation to a trial of the experiment the whole process may be resolved into the following principles â st the which the stomach and training nd the wliich takes off tlie of fat and rd the daily course of exercise which the wind and the muscles and lastly the which and the body to those who are to engage in exercises beyond their ordinary powers it is necessary therefore who are matched either against others or against time and who engage to fight must undergo the training process before they contend the issue of the contest if their powers be nearly equal will in a great measure depend upon their relative condition as effected by training at the hour of trial training was known to the who paid much attention to the means of vigor and activity accordingly among the and certain rules of exercise and were prescribed to the for we are assured that among the previously to the solemn at the public games the and in living were requisite the were at the same time subjected to daily exercise in the which continued during ten months and which with the prescribed constituted the preparatory training adopted by the of greece among the the exercises of the from the rank of a liberal art and became a profession which was embraced only hy the lowest of mankind the of the being bloody and ferocious spectacles which evinced the barbarous taste of the people the however were regularly trained by proper exercise and a strict of pure and air was deemed a chief accordingly the principal schools of their were at and ihe most in italy and previous to entering on this the men were subjected to the process by means of which they preferred to in the more early stages of training their diet consisted of dried new cheese and boiled grain afterwards animal food was introduced as a part of the and pork was preferred to any other indeed that pork contains more real than flesh of any other kind which is used as food by man this fact he adds is decidedly proved by the example of the who if they live but for one day on any other kind of food find their vigor the next the preference given to pork by the however does not correspond with the practice of modern who entirely reject it but in the manner of preparing the food they exactly agree â or being by both preferred to boiling and bread to that prepared by a very small quantity of liquid was allowed to the and this was water they exercised in the open air and became by habit to every change of the weather the of which soon ceased to affect them to exercise their patience and them to bear pain without they were occasionally on the back with the branches of a kind of till the blood flowed by the quantity of the liquid this rough kind of was also considered as the tendency to or of blood to which they were peculiarly liable â a proof if true of the qualities of their food when the daily exercises of the were finished they were refreshed by in a bath where training the perspiration and or filthy â were carefully removed from the of the body by the use of the the skin was then diligently rubbed dry and again with oil if thirsty they were permitted to drink a small quantity of warm water they then their principal after which they used no more exercise that day they occasionally also went into the cold bath in the morning they were permitted to sleep aa many hours as they chose and great increase of vigor as well as of bulk was supposed to be derived from long continued and sound repose f the intercourse was strictly the manner of training among the bears some resemblance to that practised by the perhaps it is because their mode of living and general habits were somewhat different from those of the present age that a difference of treatment is now required to produce the same effects the great object of training for running or matches is to increase the muscular strength and to improve the free action of the or wind of the person subjected to the process seeing that the human body is so capable of being altered and it is not surprising that the art of training should be carried to a degree of perfection almost and that by

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certain processes the muscular power the breath or wind and the courage of man should be so greatly improved as to enable him to perform the most severe or laborious that such effects have been produced is for this rough coarse clothes are adopted bat not with advantage f little sleep is now prescribed but its quantity should depend upon circumstances of fatigue ac they are folly in the exploits of our most celebrated and which are the results of such preparatory discipline the to the state of the the lungs and the skin and he uses such means as will reduce the â and at the same time the muscular fibre the patient js by he is by walking under a load of clothes and by lying between feather beds and his limbs are roughly rubbed his diet is beef or mutton his drink strong ale he is gradually to exercise by repeated trials in walking and running by the fat the substance the muscular fibre and improving the breath a man of the ordinary frame may be made to fight for one hour with the utmost exertion of strength and courage or to go over one hundred miles in twenty four hours the most effectual process for training appears to be that practised by captain which has not only been by professional men but has met with the approbation of we are here therefore almost entirely indebted to it for details according to this method the who may be supposed in tolerable condition enters upon his training with a regular course of which consists of three s are generally preferred and from one and a half to two are taken each time with an interval of four days between each dose after having gone through the course of he his regular exercise which is gradually increased as he proceeds in the training when the object in view is the accomplishment of a match his regular exercise may be from twenty to twenty four miles a day he must rise at five in the training morning run half a mile at the top of his speed up hill and then walk six miles at a moderate pace coming in about seven to breakfast which should consist of beef or mutton under done with stale bread and old beer after breakfast he must again walk six miles at a moderate pace and at twelve lie down in bed without his clothes for half an hour on getting up he must walk four miles and return by four to dinner which should also be or mutton with bread and beer as at immediately after dinner he must resume his exercise by running half a mile at the top of his speed and walking six miles at a moderate pace he takes no more exercise for that day but to bed about eight and next morning he proceeds in the same manner animal diet it will be observed is according to this system alone prescribed and beef and mutton are preferred all fat and greasy are as they induce and consequently injure the stomach the lean of meat contains more nourishment than the fat and in every case the most substantial food is to any other kind fresh meat is the most wholesome and salt and all kinds of with the exception of are the lean then of fat beef cooked in with very little salt is the best and it should be rather under done than otherwise mutton being reckoned easy of may be occasionally given to vary the diet and gratify the taste the legs of fowls are also esteemed it is to have the meat as much of its quality is lost by or boiling it ought to be dressed so bs to remain tender and for it is by these that it will be easily and afford most nourishment and stale bread axe the only of vegetable matter which are permitted to be everything must be carefully avoided in general the quantity of is not limited by the but left entirely to the discretion of the whose appetite should him in this respect with respect to they must be always taken cold and home beer old but not is the best a little red wine however may be given to those who are not fond of liquor but never more than half a pint after dinner it is an established rule to avoid as much as possible and no more liquor of any kind is allowed to be taken than is requisite to the thirst after having gone on in this regular course for three or four weeks the must take a four mile sweat which is produced by running four miles in flannel at the top of his speed immediately on returning a hot liquor is prescribed in order to promote the perspiration and of this he must drink one english pint it is termed the liquor and is composed of one of seed half an of seed one of and half an of sugar with two bottles of and boiled down to one half he is then put to bed in his and being covered with six or eight pair of blankets and a feather bed must remain in this state from twenty to thirty minutes when he is taken out and rubbed perfectly dry being then well in his great coat he walks out gently for two miles and returns to breakfast which on such occasions should consist of a fowl he afterwards proceeds with his usual exercise these are continued weekly till within a few days of the performance of the match or in other words training lie must undergo three or four of these operations if the stomach of the be foul an or two must be given about a week before the conclusion of the training he is now supposed to be in the highest condition besides his usual or regular exercise

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a person under training ought to employ himself in the intervals in every kind of exertion which to activity such as throwing c so that during the whole day both body and mind may be constantly occupied although the chief parts of the system depend upon exercise and feeding yet the object to be obtained by the would be defeated if these were not adjusted each to the other and to his constitution the before he proceeds to apply his theory should make himself acquainted with the constitution and habits of his patient that he may be able to judge how far he can with safety carry on the different parts of the process the nature of the patient s disposition should also be known that every cause of irritation may be avoided for bs it requires great patience and perseverance to undergo training every expedient to soothe and encourage the mind should be adopted the will moreover constantly study the progress of his art by observing the effect of its processes separately and in combination if a man retain his health and spirits during the process improve in wind and increase in strength it is certain that the object aimed at will be obtained but if otherwise it is to be apprehended that some defect exists through the or of the which ought instantly to be by such alterations as the circumstances of the case may demand it is evident therefore that in many instances the must be guided by his judgment and training that no fixed of management can with absolute certainty be depended upon for producing an invariable and result in general however it may be calculated that the known rules are adequate to the purpose if the strictly to them and the bestow a moderate degree of attention to his state and condition during the progress of training it is impossible to fix any precise period for the completion of the training process as it depends upon the previous condition of the but from two to three months in most will be sufficient especially if he be in tolerable condition at the commencement and possessed of sufficient perseverance and courage to submit cheerfully to the and hardships to which he must be subjected the by which it may be known whether a man is in good k r what is the same thing whether he has been properly trained â is the state of the skin which becomes smooth elastic and well colored or transparent the flesh is also firm and the person trained feels himself light and full of spirits in the progress of the training his condition may also be ascertained by the effect of the which cease to reduce his weight and by the in which he one mile at the top of his speed it is as difficult to run a mile at the top of one s speed as to walk a hundred and therefore if he perform this short distance well it may be concluded that his condition is perfect or that he has derived all the advantages which can possibly result from the training process a few words may be here added on the comparative strength of different races of men in order to procure some exact results on this point took with him on his voyage an instrument called a so con training as to indicate on a dial plate the relative force of individuals submitted to experiment he directed lis attention to the strength of the arms and of the making trial with several individuals of each of the races i among whom he then was twelve natives of van s land seventeen of new holland fifty six of the island of seventeen belonging to the f expedition and fourteen englishmen in the colony of new south wales the following numbers express the mean result in each case but all the details are given in a i form in the original â â strength of the arms strength of the van s land new holland french english the highest numbers in the first and second class were and the lowest in the english trials and the highest for the strength of the arms in the power of the the highest among the new was the lowest of the english and the highest these results mr offer the best answer to on the of civilized man the attribute of superior physical strength so boldly assumed by the of the savage state has never been questioned or doubted although we have been consoled for this supposed inferiority by an tion of the many precious benefits derived from civilization it always been felt as a somewhat degrading disadvantage bodily strength is a of good health which is produced and supported by a regular supply of wholesome and food and by active occupation position the industrious and well fed middle classes of a civilized community may therefore be reasonably expected to in this the miserable savages who are never well fed and too frequently depressed by absolute want and all other position before entering into a detail of exercises it is necessary to attend to what is termed position â a standing position is the action by which we keep ourselves up indeed this state in which the body appears in repose is itself an exercise for it consists in a continued effort of many muscles and the explanation we shall give of it will much that of walking every one has observed that during sleep or a fainting fit the head forward and falls upon the breast in this case it is in accordance with the laws of gravity for the head resting upon the which support it at a point of its basis which is nearer the than part cannot remain in an upright position in standing except by an effort of the muscles at the back of the neck it is the of this effort that causes it

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to fall forward the body also is unable to remain straight without fatigue the column being placed behind all the or parts contained by the chest and belly are suspended in front of it and would force it to bend forward unless strong held it back a proof of this may be seen in and women who are compelled in consequence of the part of the body being heavier than usual to keep the column more fixed and position even thrown backward the same observation may be made with regard to the basin or lowest part of the trunk which by its would bend upon the if not kept back by the great mass of muscular that form the in front of the again are the muscles which by keeping the in position are the means of preventing the leg from bending lastly the muscles forming the by are the means of preventing the leg from bending upon the foot such is the general of the standing position it is therefore as we observed a of almost all the extending muscles are in a state of all the time that this position is maintained and the consequence is a fatigue which cannot be endured for any great length of time hence we see persons in a standing position rest the weight of their body first on one foot then on another for the purpose of momentary ease to certain muscles for this reason also standing still is more than walking in which the muscles are alternately contracted and extended a question of importance on this subject is what position of the feet affords the greatest in standing we will not enter into detail of the numerous by which some have defended or the position with the toes turned forward or outward it will be to state the fact that the larger the base of support the firmer and more solid will the position be and to adopt as a one the military position which has been found practically the best by those who have nothing else to do but to walk the equal of the shoulders and body to the front is the first great principle of position the heels must be in a line and closed the knees straight the toes turned out with the feet forming position an angle of sixty degrees the arms hanging close to the body the elbows turned in and close to the sides the hands open to the front with the view of preserving the elbow in the position above described the little fingers lightly touching the clothing of the limbs with the thumb close to the forefinger the belly rather drawn in and the breast advanced but without the body upright but forward so that the weight of it may principally bear upon the fore part of the feet the head erect and the eyes straight to the front â as in plate i fig to these brief directions i must add that in standing the whole figure should be in such a position that the ear shoulder knee and ankle are all in a line that it must be stretched as much as possible by raising the back of the head drawing in the chin the rising on the and extending the legs that the object of keeping the back thus straight is to allow of standing longer without fatigue that it is important to the chest and to throw the shoulders back with the shoulder blades or quite flat behind and that though in military instructions the body is thus inclined forward in standing without arms yet when these are assumed the body is immediately thrown about two inches backward into a nearly perpendicular position this position therefore will be modified in walking and especially in ordinary walking but it is an excellent position and it cannot be too accurately acquired this is the amount of the s instructions as to position though this last part is omitted in the manual describing the field exercise and of the army extension motions extension motions in order to the figure open the and give freedom to the muscles the first three movements of the extension motions as laid down for the sword exercise are ordered to be practised it is indeed observed that too many methods cannot be used to improve the carriage and banish a rustic air but that the greatest care must be taken not to throw the body backward instead of forward as being contrary to every true principle of movement i accordingly here introduce these extension motions adding the fourth and fifth and to each the respective word of command in order that they may be the more distinctly and accurately executed attention â the body is to be erect the heels close together and the hands hanging down on each side first extension motion â this serves as a caution and the motions tend to the chest raise the head throw back the shoulders and strengthen the muscles of the back one â bring the hands and arms to the front the fingers lightly touching at the points and the nails downwards then raise them in a circular direction well above the head the ends of the fingers still touching the pointing to the rear the elbows pressed back and shoulders kept down plate i fig two â separate and extend the arms and fingers forcing them back till they come extended on a line with the shoulders and as they fall gradually from thence to the original position of attention endeavor as much as possible to the neck and chest these two motions should be frequently practised with the head turned as much as possible to the right or left and the body kept tf i jo si y on motions to the this to the o three â the of the hands to the front pressing back the with the extended and raise them to

49William Black

the rear till they meet above the head the fingers pointing upwards with the ends of the touching four â the arms and knees straight and bend over firom the till the hands touch the feet the head being brought down in the same direction plate i fig five â with the arms and easy from the shoulders raise the body gradually so as to resume the position of attention the whole should be done very gradually so as to feel the exertion of the muscles throughout to these extension motions in their instructions add the following one â the are bent upon the arms upward and toward the body the elbows depressed the shut hands touching on the little finger sides and the upward the latter being raised as high as the chin and at the distance of about a foot before it plate i fig two â while the arms are thrown forcibly backward the are as much as possible bent upon the arms and the sides of the wrists are turned forward and outward plate i fig the two motions are to be repeatedly and rather quickly performed a of the same movement is performed as a separate extension motion but may be given in with the numbers following these as words of command three â the arms are extended at full length in front on a level with the shoulder the palms of the hands in contact plate i fig four â thus extended and the palms retaining their indian club exercise position the arms are thrown forcibly backward so that the backs of the hands may approach each other as nearly as possible these motions also are to be repeatedly and rather quickly performed another extension motion added consists in swinging the right arm in a circle in which beginning from the position the arm is carried upward in front by the side of the head and downward behind the object being in the latter part of this course to throw it as directly backward as possible the same is then done with the left arm lastly both arms are thus exercised together these motions are performed quickly the indian club the portion adopted in the army st a club is held by the handle on each side plate n fig â that in the right hand is over the head and left shoulder until it hangs on the right side of the plate ii fig that in the left hand is carried over the former in exactly the opposite direction plate ii fig until it hangs on the opposite side holding both clubs still the hands are raised somewhat higher than the head plate fig with the clubs in the same position both arms are extended outward and backward plate fig they are lastly dropped into the first position all this is done slowly nd from the same position the ends of both clubs are swung upward until they are held plate m i ik indian indian and side by side at arm s length in front of the body the hands being as high as the shoulders plate ii fig they are next carried in the same position at arm s length and on the same level as far backward as possible plate n fig each is then dropped backward until it hangs downward plate ii fig and this exercise ends as the first previous however to dropping the clubs backward it greatly this exercise by a turn of the wrist upward and backward to carry the clubs into a position behind the shoulders so that if long enough their ends would touch plate iii fig next by a turn of the wrist outward and downward to carry them outward plate iii fig then by a turn of the wrist upward and forward to carry them into a position before the breast plate iii fig again to carry them outward and finally to drop them backward as already explained and thence to the first position all this is also done slowly rd the clubs are to be swung by the sides first and then together exactly as the hands were in the last extension motion the new and more beautiful portion now added the indian practice st a club is held forward and upright in each hand the fore arm being placed by the on each side plate iv fig both are thrown in a circle upward forward and by a turn of the wrist downward and backward so as to strike under the arms plate ly fig by an opposite movement both are thrown back again in a similar circle till they swing over the shoulders plate ly fig and this movement is continued as long as agreeable indian b â nd the clubs are held upward in each hand lying on the front of the arms plate iv fig that in the right hand is allowed to fall backward plate iv fig and downward forward to the extent of the arm and as high as the head plate iv fig the moment this club begins to return from this point in precisely the same direction to the front of the arm that in the left hand is allowed to drop backward and to perform the advancing portion of this course in the time that the other the returning portion so that each is at the same time swinging in an opposite direction rd from either of the first positions now given the clubs are by a turn of the body and extension of the arms thrown upwards and plate v fig â make at the extent of the arms and in front of the figure a circle in which they sweep downward by the feet and upward over the head plate v fig and fall in a more limited curve towards the side on which they began plate v fig in such a manner that the outer one forming a circle

49William Black