Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-11-08
HID IN A TURF-RICK.
An Irish EpisOde-By 4. Preston
Rattersby, Lieutenant Royal
Artillery.

Artillery.
From London Society.
"The Irish are fine race =
That's your opinion, is 1t -
The speakers were myself and Ellers-
lie, captain OF the Royal Engineers, OF
the "Sappers," as we called them in pop
ular phraseolOgy. Place, the smoking
room of the X. A. mess at NOolwich.
Time. anywhere in the small hours.
When | say that Of the above sentences
the first was spoken 10y me, shall be
i'm position 10 plunge ut once az H'edid'
res.
After uttering the above oracular
answer, Ellersle pulled away silently at
his long Havana for while. did not
interrupt him, for | saw twinkle IN his
eve. and knew there was something
coming presently. Hewas one OF those
men whose thoughts it is not well to
hurry, for fear OF losing their thread al
together
At last il came, As | anticipated.
Il don't think / ever told you, did l.,
of my adventures in that lovely cOuntryf
I'm fact, the story Is 50 much against my
sell that thought it just as well to keep
il dark. However, ii you will swear sol
emily to be silent as the grave don't
mind telling YOU now. At all events, II
is not a bad joke as itturned out, though
il might have been a serious one.
OfcOurse promised inVlOlable secrecy,
however good the story might be, and
having fortified himself with brandy
and soda, Ellerslie began:
Il dare say YOU know that IN the
spring of lS7- was sent 10 Ireland on
special service 10 see about building
new barracks in two or three places
where they are needed, especially at
I.ongiord, where the government had,
al that time, an idea OF quarterlng a
whole cavalry regiment, though now l
believe they have come down To one
troop of Scott Grays. | was rather
pleased with the commission, for | had
never been % the Emerald Isle before,
and saw my way % a pleasant little eN-
cursiOn at government expense. Oi
course. as all my disbursements en- route
were to be paid by me by the liberality
OF my country, chose the most conve-
nient way Of getting 10 my destination,
and travelled via Euston and Hulyhead,
bv the night mail, the Wild lrishman, |
believe they call l..
eve left Euston at S.25 P. NJ. | did
not feel much inclined % sleep, and you
know / am great smoker, so l turned
into compartment sacred 70 the con-
SUMPTION of the soothing weed. There
was only one other occupant beside my
self. a man of about forty, well dressed,
but not % my mind a gentleman. In
dee 4. at first sight put him down to be
what he is. well-tO-dO Irish farmer re-
turning from a business trip to town,
and INDUCING himself in the unwonted
luxury of tirst-C.aSs carriage.
"Whatever other faults those Irish
have, they are certainly a most friendly
race. By the time we got TO Rugby /
had told nv fellow. traveller all about my
projected plans for seeing his native
country, and found that he reJoiccd IN
the name of CJrmack, and lived IN the
county WcStmcath, not far from the
LoUgiurd boundary. Before We reached
Chester We were sworn friends, and by
tine time We arrived at llolyhead | had
promised 10 pay him a visit during our
visit IL was which gave me such taste
OF Irish customs aS | could nave very
we'll dispensed with.
'Not 10 DELAY too long, | shall pass
over all the incidents of my first FORT
night or so in the Emerald Isle, they
bciu.. no doubt, exactly what any one
else would have experienced under like
circumstances. At length | reached
I.ougfori. got through my work there
and determined 90 call on my new-madc
friend. Tor which purpose | took train o.
a little station called Eiceworthtown,
and there obtained an outside car with a
lean horse and q very ragged driver, who
undertook for the sum 0t eightgeupeuCe
per double mile Irish 70 convey me TO
nv destination. As 20 the name of the
said destination. dare not venture ON u.
n began with the usual 'Hally,' ended,
/ think. with q " and had, fancy,
aho1t four Svllables between, OF mature
utterly unprOuOunceable 20 English lips
suffice 20 saw that We got there at length,
and pulled up at the door of Il respecta-
hle slated farmhouse. with thached out
buildings and wcll-kept grass field, on
Of slimuvsS of limb and beauty OF
make that proclaimed their owner q
racing man.
"ThC said owner met me at tine door
with an ELUSIVE welcome, and asked me
into wcll-iuruiShed Varlor, the taste of
whose ornaments COutraSted tIvOrably
with what | should have expected IN the
house at an English farmer of the same
rank. Presently the mistress OF the
house and pretty, trcsh-looking daugh'
ter entered and shook hands with me
with native pOlitcnCrS. / expressed q
wish % see the farm, and COrmack read
ily offered TO show 1t to me, first, how
ever saving few words in low tone To
his wife. who went out OF the room. \
moment after | heard wheels driving
away outside.
"'Onlv the car, yer honor, said Cor.
mack. I'm answer tO my look Ot inquiry
4 made free % send 10 away for We II 5
with us ven be stopping now, phase
God
1T was true enough. Ny faithleSs
Jehu having been paid IN advance 10y
me had been only too ready to depart,
and unless chose 10 walk back 10 Edge
YORKTOWN, which / did not feel inclined
% DO, I was 10 all intents and purposes
a fixture. Al first | was inclined TO be
ANNOYED. but tte exquisite nalvenesS OF
the whole proceeding amused me, and l
was really battered 10y the SOhcitude OF
my wOuld-be host; So, after few hall
remOnstrances, | was induced 10 write a
telegram for my baggage, which Cor
mack condded to Young imp who ap-
reared to be doing odd Jobs about the
place, bidding him run over 10 the post
office and give It 70 Mr.. Moran himself,
and tell him its Immediate
81 stayed some little time at the Cor
mackS', seeing the country in company
with my host, and forming my ideas OF
Irish political economy as it is, and as il
should be-, which being rather s hobby
of mine / won't trouble YOU now with.
There was gentleman 5 family living
in'thc ueiyhbUrhoOd, which | soon made
the aesGai,pt9nse p, as N that S9gaStj9ii
was as great an event as that Os foreign
potenate in London. Several afternoons
fspent pleasantly at the big house, play
inc lawn-tennis with the young ladies
Of the place, whom ! found to be more
proficient in the art than their English
sisters, probably from the solitude o.
their country life having obliged them
TO concentrate their energies on that par
ticular form Of amusement.
zone day that had been spending in
the above manner, and on which l had
accepted a kind invitation to dinner en-
familie, noticed that Mr.. NJ seemed
more absent than usual, and tritie
quick-tempered, as though he had been
ANNOYED by something or somebody
When the ladies' had left us, and we
were sitting over the usual post pran'