The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-02-27
Nemperanre.
What the Beer.shop Did for Mike.

comes when the dew is on the grass. She
hears the morning concert of the birds,
and the CHEEKY interchange of greetings
among the boastful chandeliers.
She stops on her way at my rose bed
and ruthlessly plucks my rarest bud, that
have watched for days, just unfolding,
a marvel of beauty, on that unlucky
morning.
Perhaps have destined that particular
rose for Jacks buttonhole on his birthday
(Jack is my husband, and he dearly loves
rose); but my wash woman lives
roses, too, and 30 she comes in smiling
and complacent with the pet OF my gar
den tucked jauntily behind her ear.
No young and blooming girl is she, my
Mary but old and wrinkled, and ugly
enough to scare away the witches. Still
she has sort of rugged beauty all her
own, and she looks healthy and whole
some.
And oh ! she has the gift of blarney in
remarkable degree, even for one of her
noted race.
"Ive a compliment for yees to-day,
num-" she said to me on one occasion.
Cob have you ?"
"Yis, indade, that have" with an en-
phatic nod of her head. Eye see / was
goin' along the road and l met Mrs.
Jones, a woman / used to wash for, and
says she to me, says she:
"Who are ye washing for the day,
Mary = says she.
"For Mrs. Lane says /, and as nice
| a woman as liver put my hand to the
tub for says l. It's the whole pan O.
milk she gives me to drink, LAWN alone
| tho NJ tbinno oha cap1o IN ho
childer,' says !.
"A.a-h 2 says she.
"Yis, indade; it's the truth for ye,'
says l."
| Now, had never given her anything
like whole pan of milk, but from that
day increased the quantity, as we'll as
the number of cookies and things for the
"childer." So susceptible is the Ameri-
can woman to flattery.
Another time she said:
"There's them that would be glad to git
yer day out o. me, num-"
"What's that, Mary ?"
ooh, Miss Bemis comes to me the
other day, and she says to me MARY, |
wants me washin' done the fust O the
week. says she. Cant ye come O. Chues-
day p 'Oh, get along says l, wild yer
wan sheet and pillowcase,' says /. Il
goes O. Chuesday to wash for a woman
(m'anin' yerself, mum) as has a line full
as long as from here to Main street. says
|, and no scrimpin' in the pay, nayther,
says l."
"Miss Bemis is wan O. thin scrimpin
kind O. wimmin," says Mary, with shrug
of infinite disdain.
"Mary," l asked her Just before the
presidential election, "what are you-a
democrat or republican ?"
GA dimmicrat, num-" was the prompt
reply.
ayes? Aud why are you democrat p
can sure amt all the Oirish dimmi.
Gratis ?"
"But why are they ?" persisted.
"Pll tell ye why" says she, suspending
her rubbing to give force to her words
with her soapy fists. "The republicans
is for the nagurs, and the nagurs is agin
the Oirish, and the Oirish hates the ma
ours like piz en- That's why -
laughed. "Oh, Mary" said, l, "you
are sadly behind the times, fear"
Behind the times, is it i? Well, thin,
l donno; but nagurs is nagurs to-day
just the same as iver-that l do know
and glory be to God that dirty black
divil that lived on our street, wild his
three woolly-hided brats, has had 10 go
We made it hotter than bloody murthel
for him, and he's jst TUX himself off, bag
and baggage. Yis, mum and bad lucR
go long of him WHEREVER he goes !"
once took occasion to reprove her fol
her seeming profanity. Goddlemighty,
I"My God" and Glory be to God |" wert
common to her everyday speech; but she
seemed wholly unconscious of any impro
priety in the use of such language, and
she met my reproof with look of suci
utter incompr ehension-such blank in
quiry-that could not press the matter
/ often went to Mary's house, Liked
to go. 1t was q cheerful sight to SCI
them of an evening, after their day.
work was done-old Mike, her husband
sitting by the fire with his pipe, and thu
nest of "childer swarming about, play
ing pranks upon each other, cracked ant
cuffed or laughed at by father and mother
A ragged, saucy lot they were, at one
the torment and blessing of their poo
parents.
One night went to the house, and a
l approached | heard sounds of festivit,
and saw a light in the best room.
opened the door silently and looked in
| was unobserved, except by one or tw'
near the door, to whom made signs Il
keep quiet, and joined the lookers-on.
There was a row of people, men, womei
and children, sitting round the room, ant
= in the middle of the floor our Mary and
stout, red-faced young man were dancing
:. an Irish jig. They were evidently pas
: the first decorous beginnings of the dance
: and had arrived at the wild and ungoy
; ernable stage. They danced will frenzy
:, their legs flew faster and faster stream
e of persp,ration rolled down their cheeks
/. their eyes shone with wild, excited light
= and at short intervals they uttered tina
t weird, expressive whoop, in which the as
J., sembly joined, and each repetition o
e which seemed, if possible, to excite +
= greater exertion.
" " An Irish jig is like nothing else o.
{ earth, and seeing it for the first time, az
4 sure you it affected me in the most II
markable manner. | felt an almost il
= resistible desire to spring out and thro,
myself into the mad whirl. Fortunstel
l was spared making such exhibition, 70
n suddenly the dance ended, or rather tn
dancers gave out, and sank exhauste
Z into their seats.
] After short breathing spell, Mary