Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-10-06
AN EVICTION.

al
neighbors say-that we are all going to
be evicteds" cried Denis Common, enter
ing the cabin one evening towards the
end of October, and sitting down defect
edly, while Mary. his wife, looked up
from her work in blank dismay.
ssWaat do you mean Dentist" she
asked ''Sure, we don't owe penny OF
rent, and if the Lord spares our health,
we'll remain so.
ssIt's too true, I'm afraid. O Molly,
It'll break my heart to leave the old
place: and whatlI you and Oona do %
and the old man rocked himself to and
fro, and moaned bitterly.
ssWhist, Denis, dear, Mary said, gent
ly placing her hand on her husband s
shoulder, there's some mistake, We
may be certain His Honour could not
mean to turn us out, for sure there's no
decenter poor people on all the proper
ty than the neighbors. 1t isn't like as
if we we're living entirely on the land
and couldn't pay the rent. His Honour
couldn't mean to evict lis, Dennis p
But his Honour did mean to evict
them, as they learned formally few
days after; tue entire village Of Cloona-
beg was 20 be swept away.
It was wild, bleak spot on the west
coast of Ireland, not many miles from
the ancient sc Cite of the Tribes The
village consisted of long, struggling
row of cabins, on the edge of a common
and within stones throw of the ses .
The inhabitants of Cloonabeg were fish
ermen. poor, simple, honest, hard
working people, who had been born in
the cabins they dwelt in, and their faith
ers and grandfathers before them, and
knew little of the world beyond. They
all had the right of the common
the other side of which stood the vii
lage OF CloonamCre. a much mere i'm
portant place, which boosted the posses
sion of 8 police barrack, chapel, and
a national school. There was little init
macy between the inhabitants of the two
villages. The Cloonamore people were
farmers, comfortable as farmers go in
the west of Ireland, where they have to
toll, and toll continually to make the
wretched land produce anything. They
were very jealous of their neighbors
down by the seaside, who paid far less
to work less, but to be more comfort
able.
The fishermen were quiet, proud, re
served people, who lived entirely to
themselves, helping each other in diff
Guilty, consoling each other IN trouble,
and taking little interest in anything
save the coming and going Of the shoals
of fish.
They spent their evenings, when not
out On the bay with their wives; and It
was pleasant to see them sitting out
side their cabin doors, smoking their
pipes, or mending their nets and sails
the men in their rough home-knit blue
guernseys, the women In their scarlet
jackets. They were very poor, but
then their wants were few, and they
were eontented and happy in their sim
pie way.
Denis Connor was considered the
most comfortable man In Cloonaberg.
He had son In America, who often
sent him money, and daughter mar
RED TO fshmonger in Galway, who
was considered almost a merchant. One
other child he had, Oona, a pretty,
golden haired girl, the pet of the whole
village.
In the next cabin to Denis Connor's
lived very old woman named Merrick
poor Judy she was called, for she had
many troubles in her lifetime. Her
husband and only son were drowned
twenty years before trying to save the
crew of a brig which struck on ssMar-
guerite's Rock. Young Merrick left a
wife, who died few months after, and
one sickly little boy. Poor Judy took
the child, and managed to bring him
up and keep O roof overhead by con-
slant work. She assisted the neighbors
in their housework, who paid her in
kind, and made and mended. nets for
any of the men who could afford to pay
her trlfe, just sufficient to pay the
rent. For fifteen years Judy toiled late
and early, and then her grandson Willie
.Vas old enough to take his father Is
boat and nets and earn his living and
support his grandmother. A fine, hand
soRe, manly lad was Willie Merrick,
full-chested, clear-eyed and supple sin
ewed like the majority of the hardy
sons of the sea coast.
In the market every one liked to buy
his nackerel and haddocks, not only
because they could depend CT whatever
he offered for sale being genuinely good
and moderate in price, but they liked
the look of his honest face and clear
hazel eyes and the sound of his hearty
voice.
Mrs. Merrick was proud of her grand
son. and not without some reason, for
he was universal favorite, and deserv.
ed to be-
A few evenings after Denis Conner
had told his wife of the threatened evic-
ton, Oona, his daughter, as sitting with
Willie Merrick on the stone seat outside
Old Judy's cabin. There was no
take" and the men were all about
the beach attending to the drying of
nets, or watching little boat which
was making for the quay against wind
and tide.
She'll never get in, Oona, If they
don't take more to the east ard" Willie