St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-03-03
Irish HHIIiOI..

oEc who secs them on their native soil
can doubt. They are the only peasant
ry in Europe who can lay any claim to
qualities that are usually rcckoncd intel
leclual. They have more Of the mental
attributes OF ShakSpearc's clowns-thc
least natural OF his wonderful creations
than any living morials unblcst Of ed
ucation. The English, Scotch, German,
Italian, and even French peasants are
tie vcriest clods in comparison with the
Irish, who say bright and sharp things
without effort or generalization. Their
ready wit and power of repartee arc ex-
traordlnary, and improve as one journeys
toward the south. have frequently
heard scntillations from "gorsoons' and
porters and car-drlvcrs that would have
been applautel in the Academy, and
have created envy in the most exclusive
drawing-rooms. They never lack for a
word or Il phrase, and have verbal
knack of getting out Of aquandlry pecul-
iarly their Own, as respects both the
knack and the quandary. 1t is COM
mon SAW over there that an IriShman
has the privilege Of speaking twice; and
| can see the justice Of it. lie first
makes a blunler, as if 10y design, and
then makes the blundcr bright by illum-
mating it with a Joke.
| remember 4 colloquy like this in
Sackville Street between IN English tour
ist and n car-driver:
81 say, Pat, what are those fiIurcs up
there !7
can shurc, yer honor, thim's the
twilve apostles"
Twelve apostles, indeed, Why,
there are only four
''Och now, yc wouldn't have thin all
out at once, would ycl That's the
po>ht-oilice, and the rist is inside, yer
honor, sortin' letthers.''
Driving through County Wicklow,
and commenting on what seemed to be
the irrcg"larity OF the milcstoncS, my
carman remarked:
'.Bc gorrah, an they're not miIe-stoncs
at all. This is Il graveyard of the Miles
family, an there was SO miny of thin
all, an 50 they numbered thin, an bur-
ied thin whcrivcr they could find shpot.
And his eye twinklingly inquired if the
canccit were not good enough for Il drink
OF whiSkcy at the first haltlng-place.
Giving bar-maid a crown at LINER
ick for a mug of ale, the price OF which
was but threc-pcncr, she smiled all over
her face. and said:
AN may yer worship niver walnut
for a pound until | give yc the change
and | wish yc sch luck that know ye
wouldn't be aiihcr askin' for pinny of
it,"
Annoyed by a strapping girl. who in
sisted on acting rs guide ut the Gap OF
Dunloc, gave her 4 shilling on condi-
ton that she would follow me no farther.
Before had zone another mile she reap
pcarcl, when | reminded her of her
promise.
"Will," she replied, 81 lo>ht the shiI-
lin that ye WIS 50 gouhd as TO give a
poor curl the likes O me and | thought
Id come back TO see ii yc hadn't just
found it
OF course | hanIcd her another, with
the words,
'lou know, Norah, you are not tel
ling the truth, but this time you must
keep your word.''
''An' will yc make Il poor gurl who's
lo,ht her heart to yc confess in yer virry
face that shes run two miles over desc
rough rocks to cit anuthrr look at yer
han'Som' eyes -
\ porter ut a Galway hotel had with
much trouble prevented an Americans
trunk from %oing 10 Belfast instead OF
Queenstown, and the owner rewarded
him with Il sovereign. The slrcwd icl-
low held the coin rapturously in his hand
IA few moments, and then said to the
gentleman, 'llavcn't ye 4 bit o silver
about yc! Ye wouldn't have me shpcnd
in the likes of this bayutiiul gould TO
drink yer health wild d? Give me a shil-
lin, yer honor. ana I'll kapc this to re-
mimbcr yc by"
In the Valley of Glcndalou2h a native,
pecring out from one of the ruins of tn
tiny Seven Churches, accosted n guide
with, "Dinnis, did ye come here think
in they was sayin' mass this mcrning ,"
Il might have behaved so, ye spalpeen.
if | hadn't sane the divil lookin' out of
the windy
''What makes your horse so slow ?"
| asked one day in the Glen Of the
Downs Of my Celtic Jcau.
"It's out Of RESPECT to the bayutitul
~ancry, yer honor he wants ye TO see it
all All thin he's an intelligent basic,
and appreciates good company, an wants
to kape the likes o ye in beloved ould
Ireland as long as lie kin."-From 'Pic-
turcs of Ireland" by Junius Henri
Browne, in Heuper'S Wlgacine for .Mu'ch.