The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-12-10

snOwballs OF the baffied ana disappointed
mendicants
Our progress was necessarily very slow,
but it did not require much power Of
observation to discern that the horse was
of that description known as a "garron,"
and that in addition to constitutional
weakness it was endowed with con-
siderable amount of the wellknown
characteristics of the mule. 1t also pos
sessed a peculiar habit of stopping with
out any premonitory symptoms, which
produced the unpleasing effect of sending
me forward with a jerk that threatened
to fling me headforemOst into the snow,
as though were about to take header
into fOaming plunge-bath.
"It's conthrairy he is" observed Mr..
Michael Delany, upon being remon-
strated with; "it's cOnthrairy; devil
ha'pOrth else."
Contrary! What do you meanT
He has quare ways, yer, amer;
What wud ye think av baste that wud
do the likes av this? Wan day he swal-
lied half soverin, an all we cud get
him to give up was sivin-an'-six, all
through conthrairiness."
"Do you ever give him drop Of
whisky, Mickyw
al did wanst, and mebbe din't suffer
for it'll" This was uttered with so much
JUNCTION that my curiosity was awakened,
and asked him to enlighten me.
"Story-tellin' is dhry work, sir"
"Did you have drink before you left
WestportY
al will, sir, an its plain to ye," was
the prompt respOnce,
Having mutually partaken, of amod-
est quencher, Mr.. Delany proceeded:
"Well, sir, there was wan night last
| winther, and a murtherin' wet night 1t
was, when wan O. themilitia sint for me,
to dhrive him beyant Leenawan, this
very road, for to 60 to party given by
gentleman's family. But l didn't
care for the job, but as all quollity was
gOin', there wasn't yoke for love or
money but the very car yer sittin on:
So we KEN to terms aisy enough, for l
never fall out wud gentle Ian, an
shure enough just all as wan as yerself,
sir, he had sup in flask, an bestowed
it wud an open an divartin' hand. Well,
yer amer, just as we got about Railways
tn axle gev, and left US rOarin' murther
| in the middle O. the road.
"What am to do now, ye villyinT
says he.
We walk, says l.
"Pm bet,' says he, be raisin av my
dhress boots, says he.
But there was luck in store for him,
for up comes shay bound for the same
party, that gev him a safe. He ped me
| honest, and it was only whin he was
mile off thatI found the flask on the safe
that you're sittin' on. now. dhrank
his helth, and made the baste dhrink it
too, and somehow Or|another, begorra,
the next time / reminder was me
dhraggin' the car, an that baste there
sittin' up in me safe as unconsarrled as
the Chief Baron chargin' for murther,
and beltin' me wud the whip as hard as
he could lick"
"And what then, Micky"
"I never Civ him taste O. the sper-
rits from that night to this, yer amer"
"Pm greatly afraid that you were
drunk, Micky."
"I wasn't dhrunk."
"Were you sOberY'
"I wasn't sober"
"Well, If you were neither drunk nor
sober, what were you"
He pulled up the too-willing steed to
give emphasis to his reply. =.
"I was upon the difinsive, yer amer"
This happy condition between the
Scylla of intoxication and the Charybdis
of sobriety was one which struck me as
being 50 exceedingly novel, from the fact
of its being delivered with the gravity OF
conviction, that burst out laughing.
"Troth, thin, / was much the same
way the night went for to ketch the
salmon for Father Myles Donovan, may
the heavens be his bed this blessed an
holy night'-here Micky crossed him.
self most devoutly-"an' If yer amer
has sketch O. sperrits contagious, la
tell ye all about it." =, :,
Having promptly complied with Mr..
Delany's request, and politely asked him
i If he would like another sketch, he re-
Piled -,
"No, Pm thankful to .ye, sir; that's
hapes, as Mrs. Murphy remarked whin
she swallicd the crab"
"Well, sir" he continued, after a
ringing smack of the lips, like the crack
of a whip, "whcn was likely lump av
gossoon, / lived over beyant, ut Leen.
avn, an was powerful fisher. There
was nothin to bate me. med me own
flies, and invented the choisest av bait,
an sorra fish that ever lept could take
the consate out o. me. Well, sir, tn
ould ancient Myrtins was dhruv out o
Ballenahinch by rasin av the hard times
and set Of naygurs, called the Great
Life Assurance-the curse o. Cromwell
on thin! tux the roof from over the
heads of the lawful owner. TrOth, we
had plinty av law, plinty Of assurance
but dickens bit NV life in the country
scnce they ken in it. Twas put out o
me shcelin' an sint over to livcon bog
thet was half the year undhcr wathel
and tn other half sthrugglin' TO dhrry
No Christian Mt all cud live in it, barrin
he was say gull or dispinsary dhoc
thor; the very snipes was bet up vic
the newralgy. Well, sir, poor Father
, Myles Donovan, rest his sowl, come tt
me one evenin' at tn ind o. September
, an says he
"Are you there, MickyT sayshe.
"I am, yer rivirence,' says /.
"I want to spake to ye particular an
' private, sayshe.
"Troth, you're welkim, your rivir
3 ence, says /, an out we walked up th'
bog.
a "Me Lord the Bishop is coming t
Derrymalooney tomorrow says he.
"Och, murther, but thatll be grea
day for yer rivirence an the Hol.
I Church av RoomP says j.
I "It will,' says he, but he has tn
{ me short says he. only got his LEI
a ther tin minutes ago., says he, AN te
G morrow Is black fast says he.
t Murther, an shure 1t is,' says ]
what's to be done at all, at all
a "Father Myles looked very hard q
a me, 'an' says he. Mick says he, your
J, good fisher. !.
. "Divil finer in Ireland saysI, fo
a I was proud O. me talent In that wa,
e don't ye see?
v {" Av don't get salmon for me Lor
; the Bishop for tomorrow, Micky,. say