The Portland daily press., 1871-02-23
MISCELLANY.

Jps1,1 u1r,toR-Of the wit and humor OF
the Irish no one who sees them on their ma
tive soil can doubt. They are the only peas
antry in Europe who can lay ally claim to
Qualities that are usually reckoned intellectu-
al They have more of the mental attributes
of Shakspeare's clowns-the least natural of
his wonderful creations - than any living
mortals unblest of education. The English,
Scotch, German, Italian, and even French
peasants are the veriest elods in comparison
with the Irish, who say bright and sharp
things without effort or generalization. Iheir
ready wit and power of repartee are eAliaoi
binary, and improve as one journeys to"1
the south. have frequently heaid sen ma
lions from "eossoons" and porieIo "ue "a"
drivers that would have been aPp'auu ,1 ~ 'no
Academy and bavs created envy in the most
excInsive drswjng-rooms They never lack
for a word or a phrase, and have verbal
knack of getting out OF aquandary. 1t is a
common saw over there that an Irishman has
the privilege of speaking twice; and can see
the justice of it. De first makes a bunder as
il by design, and then renders the b.under
bright by Illuminating it with joke.
remember coloquy like this IN Sackville
street between an English tourist and car
driver:
II say, Pat, what are those figures up
there?"
"An' shure, yer honor, thems the twelve
apostles"
Twelve apostles, indeed! Why, there are
only four"
"Och now, ye wouldn't have thin all out at
once, would ye? That's the posht-ofhce, and
the rst is inside, yer honor, sortin' lethers."
Driving through County Wicklow, and
commenting on what seemed to be the lrreg-
ularity of the mie-stones, my carman re-
marked:
'Be eorrah, an they're not mile-stones at
all at all. This is a grave Yard OF the Miles
family, an there was so miny OF thin, We
see, they hadn't names for them ALL an SO
they numbered thim an buried thin wheriv-
er they could find govd spot" And bis eye
twinklinely inquired il the conceit were not
good enough tor drink Of whskey at the
first haltlng place. Isl ..
Giving bar maid crown at Limerick for
a mug OF ale, the price of which was but
three pence, she smiled all over her face and
said:
AN may your worship niver walnut for a
pound until give ye the change and l wish
ye SIGH luck that / know ye wouldn't be af-
ther askin' Tor plnny of it," F9
Annoyed by strapping girl, who insisted
on acted as guide at the Gap of Dunloe,
gave her shilling on condition that she
would follow me no farther. Before had
gone another mile she reappeared, when re.
minded her of her promise.
will she replied, 81 losht the shilln' that
ye was 80 soohd as TO give poor CURL the
likes O. mer and thought I'd come back to
see II We hadn't just found it," e-r
vi course l handed her another with the
words, You know, Norah, you are not telling
the truth, but this time you must keep your
word"
"An' will ys make poor girl who's losht
her healt to We confess ia yer virry face that
she's run two miles over desc rough rocks to
git anulher look at Yer hanson eyes?"
porter at Galway hotel had with much
trouble prevented an Americans trunk from
going to Belfast instead of Queensto wn, and
the owner rewarded him with sovereign
The shrewd fellow held the coin 1apturously
in bis hand lew moments, and then said 10
the gentleman, Haven't ye bit o. shi.ver
about ye? Ye wouldn't have me shpendin'
the likes Of this ba, uti.ul gould to drink yer
health wild? Give me sbillin, yer honor,
and III kape this to reminder We by"
In the Valley of Glendalough native lpeer-
ing out from one of the ruins ofthe tiny Seven
Churches. accosted guide with, 'sDinnis, did
ye come here thinkir' they was sayin' mass
this morning."
81 might have behaved SO. ye spalpeen, if
hadn't sane the div lootn' out of the win
dy." 1908, 10 =
What makes your horse so slow?" 1 asked
one day in the Glen OF the Downs of my Celtic
Jehu.
ats out OF RESPECT to the bayutiful sanery.
yer honor; be wants We to see it all, An thin
hes an intelligent haste, and appreciates good
company, an wants to kape the likes lo'ye in
beloved ould Ireland as long as he kin. "-From
Pictures of Ireland" by Junius Henri
Browne, in Horper's Magazine for March.