The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-02-17
[From Harper's Weekly
An Irish Lear.
Gerald Grinn's Story Boiled Down by
Charles Reade.

There is legend almost as old as Lear, O
a father whom his children taeated as Con
eril and Regain treated Lear: but he suffered
and survived, and his heart turned bitter in
stead of breaking. OF thrs prose Lear The
story is all over Europe, and like most ole
stories, told vilely. To that, however, there
happens to be one exception. and the readers
Of this collection shall have the benefit of it.
In q certain part of Ireland, long time
ago, lived wealthy old farmer whose name
was Brian Taafe His three SONS, Guillaum
Shamus and Carrot, worked on the farm.
The old man had great affection for them
all, and, finding himself grown unfit for work,
he resolved to hand his farm over to them, and
sit quiet by the ireside. But as that was not q
thing to be done lightly, he thought he would
just put them to their trial. He would take
the measure of their intelligence and then o.
their affection. Proceeding in this order, he
gave them each hundred pounds and quietly
watched to see what they did with it.
Well, Guillaum and Shamus put their hun
dred pounds out to interest, every penny; but
wnen the old man questioned Garret where
his hundred pounds were, the young man
said: II spent 1t, father"
''Spent it?" said the old man, aghast. SIS
1t the whole hundred pounds2"
''Sure I thought you told us we might lay
it out as we plaised."
SIS that a raison ye'd waste the whole of it
in year, We prodigalT cried the old man
and he trembled at the idea OF his substance
falling into such hands,"
Some months after this he applied the Sec
ond test. He convened his sons and ad-
dressed them solemnly: "Pm an old man,
my children; my hair is white on my head,
and it's time / was making my sowl," The
two elder overlooked with sympathy. He
then gave the dairy farm and the hill to Sha-
mus, and tbs meadows to Guillaum. There
upon these two wed with each other in ex-
pressions of love and gratitude. But Carrot
said never word; and this, coupled with bis
behaviour about the hundred pounds, so
maddened the old man that he gave Carrots
portion, namely, The home and the home
farm, to his elder brothers to hold in COM
mon. Garrett he disinherited on the spot and
in due form. That is to say, he did not over
look him nor pass him by; but even as spite
full testators used to leave the disinherited one
q shilling that he might not be able to say he
had been inadvertently omitted and it was all
a mistake, old Brian Taate solemnly pre-
scented young Carrot Taafe with hazel staff
and small bag. Poor Carrot knew very
well what that meant. He shouldered the
bag and went forth into the wide world with
q sad heart, but silent tongue. His dog,
Lurcher, was for following him, but he drove
On the strength of the new arrangement,
Guillaum and Shamus married directly, and
brought their wives home, for it was large
house and room for all. But the old farmer
was not contented to be quite cipher, and
SO he kept finding fault with this and that.
The young men became more and more i'm
patient Of his interference, and their wives
famed the flame with female pertinacity.
So that the house was divided, and very
home of discord. This went on getting
worse till at last, one winter afternoon Sha-
mus defed his father openly before all the
rest and said: "Pd like to know what would
plaise ye. Maybe ye'd like to turn US all out
as We did Garrett"
The old farmer repRed with sudden dignity,
"If did I'd take no more than gave"
What good was you giving it?" said
Guillaum; 1--WE get no comfort of it while you
are in the house.''
"Do you talk that way to me?' said the
father deeply grieved. "If it was poor Gar
ret had he wouldn use me So"
"Much thanks the poor boy ever got from
you," said one of the women, with venomous
tongue. Then the other woman, finding she
could count on male support, suggested to her
father-in-law to take his stick and pack and
follow his beloved Carrot. "Sure he'd find
him begging about the coupthry."
At the women's tongues the wounded
parent turned to bay.
81 don't wonder at anything hear ye say.
Ye never yet heard of anything good that a
woman would have hand in-only mischief
always. If re ask who made such a road, or
built bridge, or wrote great histhory, or
did great action, you'll never hear it's
woman done it; but if there is jewel with
swords and guns, or two boys cracking each
others crowns with shillaahs, or didly
secret let out, or character ruined, or man
brought to the gallows, or mischief made
between father and his own flesh and
blood. then I'll engage you'll hear a woman
had some call to it. We needn't have re
coorse to histhory to know your doin,s. tits
two burned Throy, and made the kiuo ~
Leinsther rebel against Brian Boru''
These shafts of eloQuence struck home.
the women set up q screaming and pulled
their caps off their heads, which in that part
was equivalent to gentlefolks drawing their
swords.
ooh, murther! murther! was it for this
married you, Guillaum Taafe?"
"Och, Shamus, will ye sit an hear me
compared to the likes? Would 1 rebel
against Brian Shamus, ara gal9"
r., "Don' heed him avourneen," said Shamus;
she is an ould man."
But she would not be pacifed. sob vo!
vo! Ii ever ! thought the likes 'ud be said
OF me, that I'd rebel against Brian Boruv'
As for the other, she prepared to leave the
house. "Guillaum," said she "Tn never
stay day undher your roof with them as
would say I'd burn Throy. Does he forget
be ever had mother himself? All! its a
bad apple, that is what it is, that despises
the tree it sprung FROM"
All this heated Shamus, so that he told the
women sternly to sit down, for the offender
should go; and upon that, to show they were
OF one mind, Guillaum deliberately opened
the door. Lurcher ran out and the wind
and the rain rushed in. 1t was stormy
night