The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-04-16
NUMBER 13.

A woman lay dying in one Of these novels.
Father Lynskey entered to administer the
the last sacrament. As I am not Catholic,
the priest advised me 10 visit the other cabins
while he sought The dying woman. vent
into one Of them. l shall have to grow half
yard or so before I can truthfuily be called
tall man, and yet 1 had to bend nearly
double before l could get through the door.
There was no fireplace. There was only a
hole in the roof at one END Of the room, out
Of which the smoke made its way at its leis-
ure. a little peat fire was buring on the
hearth, or rather beneath the hole in the
roof. There was no ceiling, Of course, for
none Of the cabins have a ceiling There
was no floor but the ground-few % them
have even few fiat stones here or there
There was no window. The rafters and the
furze sticks on which the thatcn rests, and
the walls, and everything in the wretched
room, were begrimmeG with smoke There
was no dresser for the plates and cups
There were no chairs. There was only one
mean Tickt ty little homemade table There
were only two low rude stools for sitting on
A pig was eating out OF kettle on the floor.
Two or three hens were picking up a few
grains Of meal Near the fire there was a
rude bed, covered with two filthy blankets
There was an inner room. I entered it. It
was the childreD's bedroom. It's furniture
consisted Of three little heaps of rags. There
were six persons in this family. The chill
dren were ragged and cold. As ItoOk notes
in this Irish home, the neighbOrs throEged in
until the place was full, and before l could
complete my notes / had to ask them to
stand away from the little door, for there
was no other way OF getting light The vo-
man Of the house was clad in filthy rags
She was barefoOted. She plaintiyely told
me that she could not 90 to mass now, for
she had not decent dress to cover her rags
This was not the worst howell There
were others smaller and more wIetched,
both here and at similar cluster Of novels
called KilenacCG. But II is useless to de
scribe them one BY one Everywhere I saw
cows, calves, pigs, horses, asses and hens
living in the same room with young mothers
and children-in the same damp, dark, slip
perry, smoky novels. half stables and half
home everywhere I saw old men and old
women ragged and barefooted, and hungry
and cold and despairing
At Killenacof the good priest offered 10
eXDend a sum that had been sent for the
twenty four families OF that hamlet TO him.
in paying them wages at the rate Of a shilling
a day TO build a road for their own use 50
that they might earn their scauty meals. and
save their self-respect They gladly accepted
the offer, i is to the credit Of these starving
people that they 90 not want relief. but
work thatthev are anxious to be employed,
and only accept aims because their families
would perish from hunger without It.
I shall tell Of only one more visit As we
crossed the "barIier" Father Lynskey was
some distance behind at the time-I saw two
little children, with bare red feet and blue
lips, sitting at the roadside hear what seemed
TO Ue the roof Of 2 pig-sty or little stable, for
the roof was flush with the road. l noticed
that they were rather more tastcfully clad
(albeit in rags and that they seemed Of n
finer organization than most Of the children
that I had seen. Their faces were clean. 4
slim blonde woman Of thirty or more. whose
face showed traces Of early beauty, stood
with detected countenance near them. AsI
looked a second time at the little creatures
the woman spoke to ne and said that she
hSd not been able to get any relief, and that
her children had not eaten a mouthCul since
yesterday. 1t was now afternoon.
where do you live 2" asked.
There -
She pointed TO 4 house that l had supposed
to be a little stable. It was built between
the barrier and the road She had put It up
with heT own hands, she said. I turned 20
the man who was guiding me
rs that true D" / asked him-ou. Of her
hearing, Of course.
YES" he answered, coldly
made my way down TO where the door
was, followed by the guide and the woman.
l had to bend low to enter the hut L vas
not fifteen feet by ten. There was no hole
in the roof, even, for the smoke To escape,
and only three bits Of tuGf burned on the
hearth. \ little white kitten, singed and
dirty and famished, was crouching near the
/ semblance Of fire. st one end Of the hovel
was rude bed, aud two dirty rags for cover
ing. The straw OF the roof was half-rotten
+ when It rainci hard, the woman said, the
+ rain came through into the cabin. There
+ was no furniture save a kettle and table
and a stool. "Where is your husband ?''
asked. lie IS not here" said the man
/ quickly. gave the poor wretche1 woman
/ half crown to buy food for her children.