Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-03-05
AN OLD TIME IRISH DINNER.
A Brides Experience in Limerick in the
Last Century
From an old letter in The Leisure Hour.

From an old letter in the Leisure Hour
had forgot to tell you that Just when
we first entered the earl's gate we were
stopped by strange, comical looking
woman and her husband, who, it seems
is the earrs wine merchant, and pressed
violently to come in and dine with them.
We refused at first, but the good woma n
vowed we must, for, she said she had
new potatoes for the countess. Well
by much ado we were persuaded to
satisfy her so we went to unload the
coach and returned on chairs. assure
you my dear, | can't express to you the
great distress [ was in to hinder myself
from Growing all the time l was there.
When we sat down she began to roar
out in Irish to somebody in the next
room. / had liked to have shamed my
self, then laughing, but with much pain
| kept it in. AT dinner | was placed
between her and her daughter, and
then Dean Swift's Taller came strongly
into my mind, for every moment she
used to cry out: Mamma, Lady B. has
no stomach; she is eating nothingl" and
them my plate was heaped, and it is
no lie, | assure you my dear X \ X
when assure you that had six great
slices of a leg of mutton on my plate
at once, besides quantities OF roots and
quarts Of melted butter. | stuffed on
to humor them until | was ready to
fling ii in their faces again, yet all the
while they said cat nothing. But |
must do the good woman justice to say
that she was very considerate for my
sutferngs, for after the cloth was taken
away she whispered to me that she was
afraid we were to straight laced and
begged we would let her loosen our
stays, which was really no more than
necessary after all our examining. And
still she kept on saying to the countess:
"Will your ladyship eat bit of this or
of that" and whenever / attempted to
refuse, which | didn't think of doing
for fear of giving oti'ense, until was
dead sick, she would say to me: "In-
deed, Lady b., you must eat more.
Your spouse must let me persuade you
to eat this one little bit more!" And
then she would turn to William and
say: do, Mr.. persuade Lady B. to eat
she is quite starved" this is but very
sliA hit sketch of the feast; were | To tell
you all it would take up two sheets Of
paper. Then tea was called for and
the valet du chambre brought in the
cups carefully wrapped up in dish
cloth, which / am certain had been
wiping the dripping pan ten minutes
before, it looked so greasy and black.
Then there was a pewter teapot, but |
believed was designed for silver and a
pewter dish with bread and butter for
the first layer, and over these three
dozen saffron cakes made in the town,
which indeed, were the best things we
had that day but could hardly eat them
/ was so stuffed before they came. But
it was vain to say nay for | knew if
dropped down | should never be left
alone, so went through with it all; but
what distressed me more than anything
was that | dare not laugh. Then she
went to her store room and brought us
some very good cherry brandy, and
that went down, too, and indeed !
thought it very comfortable. ! had
nearly forgot to tell you of her son, a
boy about twelve years, who marched
into seat at the head of the table, and
he was intro duced to us, and after
had kissed him the mother babe him
say, God bless your ladyship"