Connecticut western news., 1882-03-01

had taken tea before my arrival, and Mrs. Collins gave ne some milk. She and her husband had been to Cork, where, she said, they had Q cup of tea and 8 penny buu at 8 bakers, Remem- Der that their penny is more than our cent. In the evening we had good talk. I commenced on the nice hen house standing in the corner, and Mrs. Collins told me that they had lost sev eral chickens by the fox. "And do you still have foxes in Ireland 2" asked, in some surprise.
 "We do," she replied.
 "And that is what the gentlemen hunt ?"
 "It is," she said.
 "And can you kill the foxes?" l in- quired.
 "No, ma'am," was the reply.
 This afterward thought must be an error, as foxes are vermin; but 8 gentle man born in the north of Ireland told me that they would be evicted for kill ling foxes. Sometimes hunting clubs pay for poultry killed by foxes.
 In the evening spoke of the suns setting so late and our being so far north and asked the eldest son, @ youth of IA, whether he had studied geography. He said he had, but his mother told me that he had been obliged to leave school at II, and her manner seemed sad and disap. proving. There are no free schools in Ireland like ours. The poorest citizens need not pay in the national schools, but others must. A gentleman in Dub- lin, who publishes school-journal, told me that he doubted whether these schools would ever become entirely free to the public, like those in my own State. He had never heard that such a movement was contemplated.
 In further conversation Mrs. Collins told me that they had lost seven COWS in eighteen months, and that they were nearly bankrupt. They had to incur some debt to replace them, and they must meet the rent or be thrown upon the world. Their lease would expire in about six years.
 About 10 o'clock in the evening the wooden table was put before the fire place. The old aunt had gone to bed. Collins sat in one end of the fireplace, a boy was asleep in the other, and the eldest slept on the settle. Mrs. Collins made tea and put bowl of white sugar on the table. She told me that sugar cost about five cents a pound (23 pence). They cut pieces off the great cake baked in the Dutch oven, and ate their suppers without any butter. Lit tie Norah gave low laugh when her mother handed her bit of the warm cake without anything spread on it. Mr. and Mrs. Collins had milk in their tea. The tea cost about forty cents a
 pound. Collins helped himself quite freely to the cheap and nutritious sugar, oue of the blessings which the poor
 m n owes to free trade.
 Collins and his wife gave up theil
 own room to me. It was the other
 room on the ground floor. It also had an earthen floor with the addition of g |
 There slept, and here were set my
 simple meals, more luxurious, however,
 than their own. Some of the dishes
 were of china, which belonged to Col.
 lins's grandmother. I had plenty ot
 milk, eggs, butter, tea, and bakers
 bread. They gave me goats milk, richer than cows milk, for tea. Flo,
 me especially Mrs. Collins procured meat, bit of jowl, but was mot par tial to it. They did not, however. ge
 to the extravaganza of eating 1t them , selves. I was told of farmers family who had jowl and cabbage for Sunday dinner. A watch was set for the agent
 lest, seeing such evidences of prosper , ity, he might raise the rent. Collin and his wife seldom ate meat. He tol' 9 me that he had two eggs in the morn f ing and the mistress one. They raise' @ turkeys. Twenty-four were runninl a with one hen. The servant fed ther A with mixture of nettles, corn mush A and thick milk, but she said that the IF scarcely ever ate 8 turkey even q !. Christmas.
 f. In the morning, at breakfast, Mrs e Collins had some cold mush or stirabou h cut up and boiled in sheep's milk. Thi ,e saved bread and tea. I observed on a day within the back door, and by tn t. chicken coop, little trough with cor b. meal. There seemed to be always foo Id there. The chickens came in and helpe " themselves, but the pig was out of plae r. when he appeared. Seeing fowl ca ,e ing, I said to the aunt: ''That roosts 10 ought to be fat" She did not unde G. stand me, and I tried again: Of "That cock ought to be fat, he ca he so much.''
 a "He do ate dale, God bless him el she said. She meant "prosper him, " a think. Some neighbors visited u to family one morning, and from my roo of I heard earnest talk. They spoke Id the rumored arrest of Father Murph,
 and seemed greatly excited. One ms e. came in who was full of reminiscenc ;e, of the Cork races on the preceding da le. Mrs. Collins allowed him to think tn IT, they were present, but they were not. ls- The girl swept the earthen floor wi ok bunch of twigs without handle. ne mention little things to show the DO he erty of the country. They had ] ,st almanac at Collins's and no clock, @ he cept Connecticut one, which did n ed run. Collins once intimated that it W oft painful to have such poor harness f .es his horse.
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