Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-10-30


the i've shillin'" say they. -, 49,, :, :,
"Wi' that the ould fellow down wi
his awl, and the brogue he was cobbling,
an into clump O bushes that was
about q hundred yards of the knowe
where We found him.
"sHe wasna three minutes in the wood
till q big hare ran out, an the hounds
aftet it, an ava over the country. Weel,
we had the best run o. that season, but
the hounds couldna get up wi the hare
ava; and at last it brung them back to
the knove fornenst the wood, and ran in
amang the trees, Just where it ran out in
the morning. The hounds lost it there,
an the ould fellow stepped out o the
wood an I'D to the huntsman. An
whar's my 5 shillin'7' says he. Weel,
he got the money, an then he smiled up
in the gentleman's face, an Wasn't that
weel run for an Guild smaN7' says ne.
Now, my lady, that's IS true as gospel.
1 ha seen quare things in my time.
Will l tell you about the black pig that
I found in the potato fieldT"
"Please do; I should. like to hear it."
These Wild fancies suited the sur.
rounding landscape. Witchcraft seemed
to have fitting home among the noun
tain lakes and rugged hills of Donegal,
and fairyland might still exist in the
dells and slopes, and bowers of eglantine
where Titania could have slept.
The farmers stories had, for the mo-
ment, all the effect of truth; no had left
"boastful youth very far behind him,
and We rejoiced to have made his &C.
quaintance in his narrative old age.
any father" he began, was yard
man to his honor Sir William Francis,
of Castle Francis, in the County Derry,
when one summer evening him and me
se en- a wee slip O. black pig running
along the potato ridges in his honor's
home park. was brave runner, an |
after the little pig, l caught it, an
held it till my father came up, and be-
tween us we got it into the yard at the
castle, and shut it into a sty to itseP.
His honor, Sir William, made inquiries
far an wide to find out if any one had
lost wee black pig; in troth | wilma
lust cav. for fear ia tell lie, but do
think he had it printed in the news
papers; but naebody wad own the pig,
and dell ane wad take present OF.
$50 there it stopped, an it ate an
ate, till it was that heavy it couldn't get
in an out at the door O the sly, an a
bed had to be made for it in the cart
shed.
cit cot on to be November, an the
butcher came to look at the masters pigs.
wCome, Gallagher, an look at the
pig that dropped frae the Clouds says
Sir William.
"Those was his honor's very words,
an nv father an the men in the yard
looked at each other when they heard
him.
"'Thon's the best pig O them al,
says Gallagher; he's seven hundred
weight if he's pound
"S Well, you can kill him the first
thing to- morrow morning." says SIR
William, turning ava, careless'like, frae
the door O. the cart shed.
"We didna wish to kill him, becase O.
the quar- way he come to the place; but
the masters bidding had to be done; 30
we got q big vat o boiling water ready,
for we knowed the carcage would be
heavy; and then we went to the cart
shed. Was the water boiled when we
went to the cart shed? I'll not just say,
for fear I'd tell lie, but, anyway, Pm
sure my father had the fire made to boil
it.
"Weel, your ladyship, when we went
to kill the pig, there was ma pig in the
shed, an there was ma pig to be seen
anywhere, though we searched the
country far an wide.
ellis honor said we be to ha' left the
door open; but put it to you, how could
pig weighing seven hundred weight ha
disappeared SO that ma track o hin
could be found7 an who could ha' stole
a rig n thnn size?"
"What do you think really harpen
ed?'
II think the pig heard the talk abou
killing him, an he went ava
"But what was he? Was he fairy
4 warlock, or what7'
eff l know, my lady! but this I d.
know-all luck left Castle Francis from
that day. His honor lost lawsuit h
was engaged in, and his big bull tina
was brung over frae England, an wa
worth twa hundred pounds, choked him
ser wi turnip. Troth it's dangerou
thing to despise luck that comes to you
dOorp'