The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-06-19

4
shopkeeper, blocking up tradesman's door
with a heap OF stones. Take those stones
away" quoth the tradesman, in fuster. "ls
il the stones I" asks the freshman sis il
the stones Why, thin. whore would you
have me take 'em to Z" "Take them to h."
replies the very angry citizen. "l'll take
EN- TO Heaven, your honor, they'll be more
OUT Of your nay there" was Paddy's reply
Now fancy his under glance of self-satsfac-
ton, the fellows ouUert civility, and covert sa-
tire, his silent chuckle, minated only by the
least twirl Of his mobile mouth, the whole
finished by the never-neglected shoulder
twist as he stoops to resume his labor, and
you have at once picture Of yeritable Irish
humor.
We will only give one more anecdote to
| illustrate the ready-wttedness of Paddy,
| whose humor did not forsake him even in the
presence OF his priest, or beneath the shadow
| of the confessional
Darby Kelly went to confession, and hav-
| ing detailed his several sins of omission and
| commission, TO which various small penalties
were attached, at last came, with groan, TO
the awful fact that he had stolen his neighbor
Kitty Mahony's pig a crime SO heinous in
the sight of Father Tobin that his reverence
could by no manner of means give him abso-
luton for the same. Darby begged, and
prayed, and promised, but to no effect no
penance could make atonement-no repen-
lance could produce effect; nothing, in short,
but restitution that is to say to give back
her own to Kitty Mahony. But a difficulty
arose, inasmach as Darby and Darbys chill
dren had eaten up the pig. Upon which the
priest waxed wroth, and threatened the rogue
with evil here and terrible destiny here.
after. And now hear me, We vagabond
| cheat" said he, when we 60 to stand yer
trial, and find yerself among the goats. TOR
sheep ye are not to get yer sentence, there'll
be tUo witnesses against ye--there'll be Kit
ty Mahony, that ye robb'd, and the pig that We
ate; and what will ye do then. ye vagabond!"
"Och, PLACE yer reverence, and is it true
what We say, that Kitty Mahony herself twill
be there 7" "She will" "And the pig |
ate; will the pig be TO the fore :" He will"
Och, thin, PLACE yer reverence, if Kitty Ma
hony will be there, and the pig will be there,
whal'll hinder me from saying, Kitty Maho-
ny, bad luck to yer soul, there's ger pig
sure won't that be Institution Z"
But examples Of Irish humor are sufficient
ly abundant there is, however, another pre-
dominant quality in the Irish character-and
par consequence in all books about Ireland-as
peculiar, as frequent, and as striking as the
humor which abounds in both; we mean
IRISH PATHOS. There are many melan-
choly aids in the country that give it birth,
which naturally increase its effect; but it does
not need them in the same proportion that Irish
humor does; it goes straight to the heart,
hilo ito ito xuorkc m tho ouin
it follows or precedes the jest with ex,raordi-
nary rapidity-the smile bursts before the tear
is dry, but its sadnessis certainly augmented
by Witnessing the causes that produce it
There is depth Of pure and holy poetry in
Irish pathos which cannos be surpassed; its
metaphors are appropriate, and attack our
reason by the force Of their beautiful sim
plicity.
We remember once passing an Irish cot
tage, on the estate of an absentee landlord,
whose agent had distrained for rent; the fami-
ly were Of the very poor. A mother, whose
husband was only recovering from the "sick-
ness" as typhus fever is always called, stag
gered from beneath the door way, not from any
weakness of her own, but from her efforts to
support the wreck of what had been, three
years before, the finest young man in the
parish. She was followed by two little child
rem, the small remnant of her family-three
had been carried to the grave by the disease
from which the father was recovering. 1t was
beautiful to see how the pale, thin, deep-eyed
woman suffocated her own feelings with the
affection she bore her husband. Don't cry
afther the poor place, childre dear, sure TRIAL
mighty is above us all--and this last throuble
ha. hao ~, rood time 1xh,p fbora'c NJ
so many Of us to bear it. The could earth is
heavy enough on Kathleen and Matty and
Michael, but the throube Of this day would
be heayier--for they were made up OF feeling.
Sure, my darints, if there's power given the
landlord now, he'll not be our landlord in the
world above! The Lord be praised for that
same Don't cry aither the pig, Ellen, avour-
neen, what signifies it May the little boy
take the cat itself, sir?' addressing the half
tipsy man who had taken the inventory Of the
contents Of their miserable cabin. "Never
heed it, my darlint, tho to be sure its only
natural to like the dowsby cat that lay in his
bosom all the time Of his sickness. Keep up,
Michael" she whispered 10 her husband, who,
overpowered by illness and mental suffering,
resisted her efforts to drag him into the high
road he glared upon the bailiff with the glare
Of furnished tiger, so famished that it has
not the power TO spring upon its foe, impctent
in all but the fierce and racking thirst for blood.
''What signifies III sure we'll be happier than
ever, by'n bye,' she added, while the haggard
smile upon her lips was the bitter mockery Of
hope. "Come away, Michael, wonder that
you wouldn't be above letting the likes Of them
without heart, see that you care about them
IN their poinp On OH where's yer pride |
gone that, and the silence together, put many
a throuble over us that's known only to our
selves and the Almighty-blessed He's lie
knows the throubles of the poor, aud Keeps
their secrets. Come away, Michael, ana
don't let them tame nagurs see that its the wo-
man that puts courage in ye !"