Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-05-16
The Irish Post-Boy Of 1885.


In the Irish post-boy we are not presented
with the white; jacketed, silk-hatted, top
booted, and bright-spurred gentleman We
are accustomed to in England, as trim as his
own horses, and as silent, till he touches his
hat to get his fee for driving you. The Irish
post-boy is as scanty in his attire as he is
abundant in his intelligence, having always
something to tell his passenger of the locali-
ties they pass through. as though he took
him for book-maker, who was taking notes
upon the way. He fulfls double function
he is guide as well as driver, and his humor
often lies as much in what he does as in what
he says. He will commence something in
this fashion:
''Do you see that house, yer honor, yon-
der? l suppose you know that's Mr..
d'Arcy's.''
Eyes 1 do. Mr. darcy is very rich,
believer
"Well, sir, maybe he is and maybe he
isn't,
why, / thought he was a man of for
tune?"
swell, you see, he was purity well off, sir,
till he got howld of the property"
"Till he got it What do you mean?"
"Why, sir, when he was heir to the prop
erty he had great expectations, and so, on
the strength of that, you see, he got what
ever money he wanted"
"Well, so he ought, when he was heir to
900 year."
"That's true, yer honor, that's true, sir !!
But then, you'll understand, that he was
heir to $4,000 year that was spint.'
"Oh, seep'
$50, when he got the property, of course,
the gintleman was ruined'
"Hillo take care-you were nearly in
the ditch them
"Never fear, sir; it's that BLACKBOARD
mare that is always shyin' !-Hirrup!"
Chow close her ears are cut"
''Yis, they are, sir-oh, they're close
enough; but nothing will cure the vii
LAIN
"Cure her How do you mean?"
"Why, sir, persaved that whenever she
started she always cooked her ears up, so
| cut them off, you see, to make her lave
off the trick of startin', but badluck to the
yagabond, she's just as bad as ever she
was"
In particularly dangerous part of the
road, with a precipice on one side of you,
you observe the post-boy keeps an inquir-
ing glance towards his vehicle.
whats the matter?" you inquire ;,
''rather an awkward bit of road here,'
"Oh, it is nothin', sir /; it's grand pros
pect,"
'Yes-of going over. Why, it is some
hundred feet to the bottom"
"Well, it may be-but look at the pros
pect, sir; them mountains-oh, they're
grand, sir; they beat the world for dignity.
You'd never see their likes again if you was
to 60 over twenty precipusses."
After many other tales and difficulties you
reach your journeys end, and then the post
COY as you have surmised, expects gratu-
ity. You give him what you consider to be
handsome reward for his services, but still
he is not contented.
Sure he says, yer honor wouldn't
mind another shillin' %
''No," you reply, 81 think I've paid you
literally
''But, you'll consider the way druv you,
sir?n
''Not a pleasant one, by any means"
"And the power of stories told your"
''Some of which, have heard before.''
''Well, then, give me another shillin',
sir, an I'll tell you somethin', which I will
undertake to say you never heard before"
Every good, then, there's shilling.
Now, what's the story have never heard
before %
"Well then, of course your honor remem-
bers the three miles we came along with the
cliff upon one side of us?"
Remember It'll shall never forget it
'.Well then, you don't know, sir, that l
drove you them three miles without Inch
min y,