The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1857-10-23

At tHat tine hathcormac though 'tiS but
village now, was borough, and sent two mem
bers to the Irish Parliament. Was not the
great Curran, the orator and patriot member for
Bathcormac, when he was younr man Did
not Colonel Tonson get made an Irish peer, out
OF this very borough, which his son William is.
to this day, by the title of Baron Rverdale Of
Rathcormaca Does not his shield bear an omen
hand between two castles, ard is not the motto.
'Manus haze lnimca, tyrannis' which means
that It was the enemy oftyrants? Did not the
Ulster King OF arms make the TonSons grant
OF these lands III the time of Cromwell? But
here have left poor little Con mounted on his
donkey all this time.
E'Con O'Keefe was not worth his keep, for
any good he did but, truth to say, he had the
name OF being hand and glove with the fairies;
and, at that time Corran Thierna swarmed with
them. They changed their quarters when the
regiments from Fermoy barracks took TO firing
against targets stuck up at the foot of the noun
au. Not that ball could ever hit fairy
Except silver one cast by girl in her teens,
who has never wished for lever, or widow
under forty who has not sighed for second
husband-so there's little chance that it will
ever be cast but they hate the noise OF the
firing and the smell of gunpowder quite as much
as the devil hates holy water.
s'Fis reckoned lucky in these parts 10 have
friend Of the fairies in the house with YOU, and
that was partly the reason why Con O'Krefe
was kept at Barry's fort. Many and many
one could swear 10 hearing him and The ''good
folk talk together at twilight on his return
from Ralhcormac with the letter-bag. My own
notion is, that if he tad anything 10 say 10 them,
he had more sense than to hold conversation
with them on the high road, for that might have
led 10 general. discovery. Con was fond of a
drop. and when he took it (which was IN an al
gebraic way, that is, any giUen quantity he
had such famous spirits, and his tongae went 50
glibly, hat in the absence OF other company,
! be was sometimes forced to talk to himself, as
he trotted home.
"One night, as be was going along, rather
the worse for liquor, be thought he heard con-
/ fused sound of voices in the air, directly over
bis head He stopped, aud sure enough It was
! the fairies, who were chattering away Ike a
/ bevy OF magpleS but he did not know this at
/ the time.
/ sAt first he thought it might be some OF The
neighbors wanting 10 play him a trick. So, 10
show that he was not afraid flor the drink had
made him as boid-as'a Hon,l when the voices a.
bove and around him kept calling ont, High
| up high up" be put in his spoke, and shouted
| as loud as any Of them, High up! high up,
with We, nv adsn No sooner said than done.
! H.. was whiskpd of his donkey in twnkIing,
and was high up IN the air IN the very middle
of crowd Of good peopIr'-lor it happened TO
be one of their festival nights, and The cry that
poor little Con heard was the summons for gath
rring them altogether. Although Con had the
reputation at Barry'S fort Of fbeing we'll acquain-
ted with them all, you may we'll beiirve that
there was not single face among the lot that
he knew.
"In less than no time, off they went, when
/ their leader-a little morSrl OF a fellow, not
! bigger than Hop-o'-my- y-Thnmb-ba wied out,
High for France high for France. nigh over!'
! Off they went, through the air-quck as II
thev were on a steeple chase Moss and moor
mountain and valley-grern field and brown
bog-land and water. were all left behind, and
they never once halted until they reached the
coast of France.
"Thev immediately made for the house
/ uher. il is called the ctateau) of great lord
one of the Srigneurs of the Court and boit'd
through the key-holp into his wlne-ceiIar, with
out leave or license. How little Con was
| squeezed through | never could understand, but
il is as sure as fate that hp went into the cellar
with them. They soon got aStride the casks,
and commenced drinking the best wines with
on, waiting 20 be invited. Con you may be
sure. was not behind any Of them. as far as The
drinking went. The more be drank the better
relish hp had for their iiPpIr. The good Peo-
plp.' somehow or other, did not appear at all
surprised at Cons being among them, but they
did wonder at his great thirst, and pressed hlm
10 take enouch-and Con was not the man
who'd wait to BE- asked twice. 30 they drank
on until night slipped away, when then me
sun-Gke proper gentleman as he 49, sent III
one of his earliest beams, as sort OF gentIe hht
that if was time for them to return. faey tidsi
\ nartinr-glass, and in half an hour or 50 had
crossed the wide sea, and dropped little Con
rnrettv we'll thank you, By this hme) on
fh, nrpcise spot he bad left on the evening be-
fare. He had been drinking out of beautiful
Golden cup in the cellar, and, by some mistake
or other il had slipped up the sleeve OF the
lor,,a loose coat he wore, and so he brought II
hon,a ,oth him. Not that Con was not honest
enough, but surely man may oe eNc"Se1 'o'
taking "a cup too much IN wine cellar
e.Con was soon awakened by the warm sun,
beams PLAYING upon his face. At first ne thonsh'
ba had been dreaming, and he might nave
thought 90 TO his dying day, but that, when he
90, On his feet. the golden cup rolled on me
road before him, and was proof positive 'i'a' al
was a reality. -.
ale said bis prayers directly, between h,n n,
and harm. Then be put up the cup and "alN' <
ed home. where, as his little donkey naa re-
,nrnrd on the previous night without hi"' '''S
family had given him up as lost or oro~n.o,-- .,--
fn4osa. s54eof them bad sasaci21'ls Z. s172 ~,
l'.,'. .,.so.Itv otHs having gone oil. for goo,