Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1884-01-18
4 sflert Etory.
LAST NEW YEARS EN f.


cry flakes, floating gracefully past US
as We drove along the bleak noun ain
road that leads from Gentynn to tht
remote village of Loughbeg. To oul
right in the distance, lay Lough Cor
rib, calm and sullen, Nesting il /
hollow. guarded on all sides by Sart
rugged hills, the Keen north vino
scarcely Mrinkling its surface rs il
swept across it. TO the left, far away
as the eye could reach. lay tie sea
the broad blue Atlantic, fretting it
self against the Wild broken coast
Human hahitstion there was hone
hot n friendly ray of light, not faint
curl OF smoke from "a cottage chimney
nothing but sky and sea, win d
thin gray atmosphere between, IA rug.
ged unsheIter, road winding YEARLY
along the mountain side, stony fields
stunted shrivelled hedges, and Tue
mountains rising grandly in the lis
tance.
| had driven over TO Glenfynn tc
meet my brother-iu law, Henry Scott
who was coming to spend the wind
up Of the holidays with US before his
return to London. My wife and ]
bad been living in Connemara for
nearly year aid, with all its draw.
backs and disadvantages. We did lot
altogether dislike it, In spite of the
fact that | was an agent and repre-.
sentative of non resident landl6rd,
and that my employer had purchased
the Rathbar property in the EncUm-
bercd Estates Court, thereby, in com
mon rarlance of the country, dlspos
sessng u fine. 'ould' family Of their
rights, and thenCeforward mildly in.
sistIng on his own rights in the n At
ter of rent, got on tolerab y we'll
with the people.
They certainly had a deep rooted
aversion TO 'quarter-day, and to m
proving their land or altering their
w,ctched wood cabins; but, with The
exception Of these trifl,ng idiosyncIas-
les and all uuconquerabIe objection to
fresh fair and cold water, found ne
tenants on the Raihbsr estate pleas ut
enough, gentle, warm hearted, quar- IT
Iv humorous, and, In their loose wlv,
industrious. in every respect as difi,r-
ent Ms possible from the fierce, sui IN,
suspicious, lndoleut crS IT,
ures they had been described 10 le
With some misg.UnGsI took k-A
residence in kathtar Loigc: but ! re
crlyed 20 threatening letters, had no
skulls, collins, cross bones, or other
CHASTITY designs painted on my front
door. never had an intmatlon tha,
there Was "A wooden ovvrcoat' awaiting
me, with leadcn buttons L secure II
my garden and farm ward we're unmo-
Tested, and even my Objectionable
threshlrg machine escaped demolition,
TO the establishment Of some Of my
less fortunate ueIghbors
Without being vain, | think NAV
say vas popular both With my oan
on the Rathtar estate and
with the inhabitants Of the village
generally. They always greeted me
with smiles and Kind words. and am
certain they adored my wife but ths,
Is not surprisingly Maggie has way
Of making friends, and keeping them
too. Il very different and much more
difficult matter.
Though an Engllshman by birth
aud education, am Irish BY extrac-
ton: and 10 that circumstance, and
the fact that | speak the language
duently, aud that my wife too can re-
turn salute or u blessing and buy
her butter and chickens in pure coun-
" Galway Irish, attribute much OF
my success III dealing with the people !;
and, nd | been lineal descendant
Of the ruined and 'Srouged' MacC Cos-
graves of Rathbar, they could not
have treated me much better.
1t had been sorely against the wishes
Of my wlfe's relatives that had ac-
cepted the agency; and is during the
preceding months, there had been a
good deal of i'll feeling and open dis,
content in the neigh borhood, they
pressed me. for my wifes sake, to re-
turn to England and seek some less
risky even if less remuneratiye situa-
ton. But Maggie and | were happy
enough, and safe enough too. We
enjoyed the magnificent solitude Of
our billy home, with the Twelve Pins
looking down on us, and the sea laugh
ing in between. We had no wish to
Leave Rathbar, and invited Henry to
come over and see how pleasantly We
were situated. confess | enj oyed the
idea of showing off little before my
cockney relative. How astonished he
would be to see every man, woman
and child greet me as we drove through
Loughbeg, and to find that | trudged
over every acre of the estate at all
hours, without any protector save
Scamp, my setter, and IA STOUT black
thorn, and that his sister went about
alone quite unconcernedly, and much
more securely than she could in Bays
water.
80 you re alive, old fellow, and
looking uncommonly we'll too" Henry
cried, when | met him at the railway
station. DO you know, Tom, | ex-
p cted to find you perfectly gray and
awfully haggard, with a scared look
in your eyes and general nervous
restlessness in your manner"
Nonsense, old boy. replied, laugh
ing heartily. You look good deal
more scared and nervous than | do
And where are the two able bodied
members of the Royal Irish Constabu.
larry" he continued. Surely you
haven't driven all that long way
alonev
yes. What not? There are few
men so unpopular that they think il
necessary to have body guard; but ]
believe there's good deal of that rub
bish,' | said shortly.
But you carry arms, don't you? he
asked uneasily.