Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-10-01
A hEADLESS HORSEMAN.

GHOST STORY OF THE COUNTY CORK.
"God speed you, and safe journey
to you, Charley" calculated the master
of the little shebeen houss at Bally
hooley, after his old friend and GOOD
customer, Charley Culnane, who al
length had turned his face homewaru
with the prospect of as drearv a ride,
and as dirk night as ever fell upon
the Blackwater, along whose banks he
was about to journey
Charley Culnane knew the country
well, and moreover, was as bold and as
daring a rider as any Mallow boy that
ever ratified four-year-old upon Drum
moy in the morning as well for the pur-
pose of purchasing some ingredients
required for the Christmas dinner hy his
wife, as to crafty his own vanity by
having new reins fitted in his snaffie, in
which he intended showing off the old
mare at the approaching ST. Stephens
day hunt.
Charley did not get out of Fermoy
until late for although he was not one
of your very particular sort In anything
relating to the common occurrences of
life, yet in all the appointments relating
to hunting, riding, leaping, in short,
In whatever was connected with the old
mare, Charley, the saddler said, "was
the devil TO phase" An illustration of
this fastldiousnes5 was afforded BY his
going such q distance for snaff1e bri-
die. Mallow was full twelve miles
nearer Charley's farm (which lay just
three-quarters of a mile below CarrIck)
than Fermoy, but Charley had quar-
relied with all the Mallow saddlers, and
no one would content him in all partic-
ulars but honest Mick Twomey, of Fer
moy, who used to assert-and who will
doubt it? that he could stitch saddle
better than the Lord Lieutenant, al
Though they made him all as one as
King over Ireland.
The delay in the arrangement of the
snaffie bride did not allow Charley
Culnane so long a visit as he had at
first intended to his old friend and gos-
sip, Con. Buckley, of the Harp of Erin.
Con-, however, knew the value of time,
and insisted upon Charley making a
good use of what he had to spare. 81
won't bother you waiting for water, be-
cause think you'll have enough of the
same before you get home +; so drink of
your liquor, man, it's as good Parlia-
ment as ever a gentleman tasted"
Charley, it must be confessed, moth
ing 10th, drank success to Con-, and
success to the jolly Harp of Erin"
with its head of beauty and its strings
of the hair of gold, and to their better
acquaintance, and SO on, from the bot
tenn of his soul, until the bottom of the
Il III IL
at the bottom of the hill on the other
side of Castletown Roche, and that he
had got no further on his road than his
gossip's at Ballyhooley, close to the big
gate at Connamore. Catching hold of
his oilskin hat, therefore, while Con.
Buckley went to the cupboard for an
other bottle of the "real stuff" he reg
ularly, as he termed it, bolted from his
friends hospitality, darted to thestable,
frightened his girths, and put the old
mare into q canter toward home.
Charley cantered gayly. regardless of
the rain, which, as his friend Con. had
anticipated, fell in torrents; the good
old woman s currants and raisins were
carefully packed between the folds of
his yeomanry cloak, which Charley,
who was proud of showing that he be-
longed to the /" Royal MalIow Light
Horse Volunteers" always strapped
before him, md took care to never de-
stroY the military effect by putting it
on.
Notwithstanding that the visit to the
Jolly "Harp of Erin =" had a little In
creased the natural complacency of his
mind, the drenching of his snaffie reins
began to disturb him, and then followed
a train of more anxious thoughts than
even were occasioned by the dreaded
defeat of the pride of his long anticii
pated turnout ON st. Stephens day.
In an hour of good fellowship, when
is heart was warm, and his head not
over COOL Charley had backed his old
mare agaiIst Mr.. Jepson's bay MY
Desdemona, for neat hundred ana ne
felt sore misgivings as to the prudence
of the match.