The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-11-21

lShed tribes which women are IN every
grade of life hoard with sort of ami
NAL instinct. In every one an up
turned saucepan was used for seat
when squtting on the earth became too
tiresome. In all the practice is to
sleep with your head under the shelf
(thus gaining some additional pro-
lection from the wind) and your feet
to the turf fire, which is kept burn
ing all night near the doorway. Here
the use of perforated saucepan be-
comes apparent. 1t is placed over
the burning turf when the Wrens dis
pose themselves to rest; and, as there
is no want of air in these dwellings,
the turf burns well and brightly un-
der the protecting pot. Another re-
membrance of a decent life is seen in
the fact that the women always un-
dressed themselves to sleep upon their
serving to cover them. 7os1..1 q
While I was making the peculiar
observations which were afterwards
expanded into the above escribed
generalities, [ was not allowed to re-
rnain silent, Of course. However, by
dint of management [ contrived to
con6ne the conversation to tobacco
and whisky, my pouch and flask (weH
filed in expectation of a call upon
them) furnishing the primary subjects
of discourse. Both topics were hand
led with such freedom and dexterity
that in less than fifteen minutes they
were fairly exhausted. | thereupon
proposed to take leave, and was not
opposed by anything like the cojolery
or the solicitation for money that
expected to encounter. The women
were quite sober, and therefore we'll
behaved; which [ found to be com
mon characteristic. / verify do be-
lieye that the whole world contains
no spectacle of degraded humanity
men presented when they came home
in roaring groups from their hunting
grounds, drunk. Their flushed faces,
their imbruted eyes, their wildly flow
ing hair, their reckless gestures, and,
above all. their strong voices COM
peting In the use of the most hideous
language depravity ever invented,
make such scene as [ believe can be
matched nowhere. under the sum- But
the same women who in such condition
seemed to be possessed with determ-
ination never to be outdone in vio-
lence or blasphemy or obscenity, are,
when sober, of civil conversation aud
decent demeanor. This is true not of
one or two, but of many of them. So
l had no more difficulty In getting
out of No. 5 Bush than if | had been
making morning call at home. The
person who was washing her clothes
in the saucepan baGe me good day
with an expression of her assurance
that | had a good heart, while Miss
Clancy simply hoped | would keep
my promise to come again when
they u were less occupied with
domestic cares. When [ got outside
[ found that Jimmy Lynch had been
less fortunate than the Saxon stranger
whom he had conducted to the
strange place. He was still engaged
In wordy conflict, and was so, COM
pletely beaten that he retreated upon
the car upon my first appearance, and
started,otf before | was fairly settled
on it. Did any one liver hear the
like of them diyils?" he reared. It's
disgusting intirely!' =
But, ready as Jimmy was to call -
upon the energies of Scottish Queen,
/ insisted upon his going slowly
through the bush village, and then I
was enabled to see on first visit that
its inhabitants at any rate were all of
one kind and looked all alike In
the first place every woman is Irish.
There is not a single Englishwoman
now in the nests, though there were
two of our countrywomen there late
ly: these girls, however, went away
with a regiment ordered elsewhere.
Then the wrens are almost all young,
the greater number Of them being
from seventeen to fve-and-twenty
years old. Then they almost all come
out of cabins in country places, and
seem still to enjoy-most of them
some remains of the fine strength
and health they brought from those
wretched cots. Then there was a
common look, shocking to see, of
hard depravity-the look of hopeless.
miserable, but determined and defiant
wickedness. Fine faces, and young
ones, too, were marred into something
quite terrible by this look, and the
spirit of it seemed to move in the lazy
swing of their limbs, and was GER
talnly heard in their voices. And
lastly they are dressed alike. All day
they lounge in half-naked state,
clothed simply in the one frieze pet
ticoat, and another equally foul cast
loosely over their shoulders, though
towards evening they put on the de-
cent attire of the first girl I met there.
These bettermOst clothes are kept
clean and bright enough; = the fire.
quency with which they are seen dis