The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-10-23

wards the door with something like demon
siration Of cracking the pate Of the first man
ne met, merely to get his hand in practice for
what was TO come. II is not, however, easy
for man TO escape from four women. and
they hung round him with such a tenacity Of
grasp, that he was literally dragged to 'ihe
settle
Now, my dear Pierce said his aunt,
when the cries and all dos" and an donts'
of The sisters had subsidized, twill you listen
to reason 2
mo ? roared Pierce, with the voice of
stenior,
'Ah, do, aunty Kitty, let him alone for
minute or two,' whispered little Mary, it's
no use now, and he foaming mad alive with
the passion; let him come 10 biz; or put
she added, judiciously, an ould crook or
something in his way for him TO break; that
always softeas his temper
Now. though aunt Kitty saw liale Mary
was right in both cases, she loved her crooks
too well TO attend to the second admonition.
She could not help thinking very truly what
an immensely Of harm is done by the gsggish
and mean Kind of wit which spring from
falsehood. like weeds growing upon rank
and unwholesome soil, their fruit is poison;
the innocent and playful mirh sparkling in
the sunbeams of warm. Imagination, and
both giving and receiving pleasure, is health
ful and inspiring, but in Ireland all classes
are more or less cursed with the spirit OF ex-
aggeration, that, TO my sobered senses, Is no
thing more nor less than unredeemed false
hood there are number Of persons who
have many good qualities, but cannot re-
spect them; they are perpetually lying. If
they have walked mile, they will tell you
they have walked six; and if there is a
crowd, il is magnifed into thousands, like
poor Pierce's people on the race-course.--
You must be, like Michael Cassie, a COON
arithmetcan' to deduct the item Of truth from
the million of falsehood. If you believe
them, they are rude enough to laugh at you;
and if you do not believe them, they are in
clined to quarrel with you. Although have
in this instance made exaggeration peasant
failing, think the middle classes are the
mos, addicted to the vice of what must
call by its own vulgar name, 'humbagging'-
saying what is not true, that they may have
the pleasure Of laughing at those who do
them the injustice TO believe they have spoken
truth.
In England, we have no understanding for
this spurious wit. No country cherishes truth
as it deserves TO be cherished /; it is blessed
and holy thing, but we do not in England
profess to put truth TO The blush. He's a fine
gentleman said cousin of Pierce Seaman
to me, when speaking Of his landlord, he's
fine gentleman the very light of his eyes is
truth ..~
To those unaccustomed to the contradic-
tons of the Irish character, il is extraordina-
ry, that in neighborhood where eight or nine
young men live, all known to belong to the
humbugging class, any should be found weak
or foolish enough to credit word they say;
and yet these very boys will 60 on telling
falsehoods of each other, at which they will
laugh one moment, and about which las in
Pierce Scanlan's CASEY they will quarrel the
next. 1t is very painful to associate with
those who never reflect, that they sacrifice
the moral dignity of manhood when they de-
secrate the temple of truth.
Pierce Scanlan's imagination was very
vivid, and he loved laugh; he had given
himself the habit Of speaking without con-
sideraton and as the iolty Of the many,
stihed the annoyances and pains of the few,
he had gone on until even those who confess
ed he meant no harm became annoyed at
his practical jokes. Eliza Byrne had loved
the match was effec,ually broken of, at least
for time, by her brother, who declared after
what Pierce had said Of Lucy, his sister
should have nothing TO say to him
Now, Pierce had said this for stretch,
sort of desire to "cut dash," by showing
that he had two strings to his bow; but Eliza's
feelings were wounded, and though she had
known that Pierce was stretcher,' she did
not seem TO care for the fault until it reached
herself. This is the way in general-we
laugh at the jes, until it cuts home.
But to return TO the cottage,
Pierce, although not wrought up to the pitch
of being able 10 reason, was brought about by
his sisters to think, though but little time was
given either for that or any other considera-
tion, for the Brady faction had mustered
strong, and, stimulated by strong drink, en-
tered the farm house, to the terror Of his sis
tiers, and almost the death Of his aunt and
taking the law, as they are too fond of doing,
in their own hands, beat the unfortunate
Pierce in way that rendered him dumb for
long time on the subject Of whatever debts the
Bradys might contract. He had only done it
I" for stretch" but what Of that lit had
come home to the Bradys; and although one
and all they were rather sorry the next day
for being so hard on Pierce, pleasant boy !"
still that was but poor salvo for his aching
bones and insulted pride.
Aunt Kitty undertook to talk over old Jem
Graves, and Mary accompanied her aunt to
prevent her "givng him too much English"
| really think that Mary's bright eyes had
more to do with the withdrawal Of torney
DriscoPs instructions touching the bit of a
stretch" which the honest old man imagined
affected his daughters fame, than all aunt