, 1885-03-06
THE B~LACKTHORN.


veen and was going to Killarney. Pat Ryan
was the driver. one OF the bost and 5ollisst
car drivers ia all ireland. Toward dusk wed
stoppcd at a little hut, whore Pat got of and
went In to get the mail There were three
Others besides myself on the car and they
went In to get drinks l sat ON the car. A
bent old woman came up 10 see me with q
bundle OF canes In har arms and said:
Fur dho luv ave Cad, yer amer, wud ye
buy a good blacktarn shtick from a poor ould
cratur dhat hasn't tasted bite nor sup dhis
dayfr
aaow much are theyr'
"Only thrcepince aich. yer amer"
IAN right; pick ms out a good ONE
She did SO, and handed me a tough, knotty
blaekthorn cane with spikes bristling all
along 1t, a most formidable looking weapon.
l gave the woman sixpence. and this unex-
pected generosity ON my part brought down
on my head more blessings than ever had
fallen to my share before. She blessed the
cane and blessed myself until the benedic-
tons became positively embarrassing.
When we reached Killarney l took tho
train for Dublin, which place l was anxious
to reach, as my cash was getting short l
had stayed a week longer in Ireland than l
had intended, and although l had tickets
through to London, yet l knew IL I
fingered much longer In the Green
Isle / would not have the wherewithal TO
work the railway lunch counter on my way
home. The next evening after l bought that
cane Istood on Saokville street with the
blackthorn In my hand wondering what /
had better do. The wine was blowing a
hurricane down tho broad street, and 1t
whiried around Nelson's tall pillar in a ter
rife manner that showed mo 1t would DO no
fun crossing the channel that night. l was
afraid TO cross. had been pretty sick oom-
ing over and the breeze that rkght wasn't a
circumstances to the gale that was raging
now, yet l had not the money to stay at a
good hotel, for good hotels In Dublin are
rather expensive, as / had found on my pre-
vious visit three weeks before. Just then a
man touched me on the arm and said, as II
h. had been a thought reader.
Are ye looking for a nice quiet lodging
the nightf'
~Tm not looking for anything but this
wind to go down. l answered.
-ltl be worse before it's better" said the
man casting a look at the tall top OF tho
monument Yer not thinkin' nv going
away from Dublin the nightTp
I'm thinking Of crossing the channel"
~Ohi wurra, wurra," cried the man, with
a despairing gesture. ait would be a case Of
life or death wud take a man out to sea a
night like thi-."
That was about my own idea OF the mat
ter, and as the wild blast gave an extra
swoop that seemed to blow out every lamp
on Sackville street we drew closer into the
dark shelter of the side t~horohghfare.
ado you know Of a good lodging that Is
cheapl / asked.
The best In Dublin, kept by a dacent
wildly woman, and troth If the price don't
pla 20 We there's no obligation 10 sthay. Just
slip there wild me and LUX at the rooms,
and If tie price and room don't plaza ye-
shure there's no harum done at all at ALI
as it far from hereir
Just a sthep.p
Everything is just a step in Dublin.
@Al right" l said, an go and soc the
place"
YEN be PLACED wild 1t, sor,p he replied as
he led down the side street.
1t WAS quieter as we walked along this
street and my partner talked In a soft, insin-
uating, d~epracatory sort Of way. He struck
me as a man whom life had completely
crushed all ambition out OF.
~Ye,re a stranger in Ireland, SORT"
YES / said; Sim from America"
AMI have ye seen much Of this poor coan-
try, sort"
"pve been three weeks in Kerry"
"Ahl u wild country that, sor, a wild
country. Nc mans safe there
~Oh, l didn't find It so. was delighted
with Kerry and the people"
@Ahl thin that's we'll armed have little to
fear wheriver they 60
IL never carry weapons" l said, and |
often have thought since how long a man
may live in this world without acquiring too
much sense. It had been always a sort Of
idiotic boast of mine that / had been in all
kinds of places unarmed and unframed. We
went through a maze OF streets and at last |
said:
See here, Pm going no further. We must
have come a mile already"
ats the next street" said the man, hurry
Ing me on
1t was in the next street He knocked at
a door, which, after We waited a long time,
was cautiously opened. / looked at my
watch In the interval and saw | had stin an
hour to catch my boat at the North Wal II
the place didn'ts suit The man said:
"Here's a gentleman that wants to look at
the big room. Is 1t occupiedf'
didn't hear what tho answer was, hut the
man said. "Shtip up the stair, sor," and /
followed him up The hall was quite dark,
and the stair rather steep. At the first land
ing he pushed open a door and the light
came out on the top Of the stairway.
See IL 1t suits ye, sor," he said, IN sind
In the l~andlady."
The room was large. In a corner was a
bed that was neat and clean. A sofa and
comfortable chairs comprised the furniture,
with the exception of a big solid square table
that occupied the center OF the room. over
which hung a large lamp with a huge shade
ON it. This lamp threw a brilliant light on
the table and the shade allowed a mellow
haze to pervade the room. A large, we'll
framed steel engraving hung on the wall,
and the subject was that familiar picture of
the play scene in @Hamlst"-the original OF
which Il In the National gallery. The whole
interior Of that room is indelibly photo
graphed on my memory. l can see as l write
the eager face of the Danish prince as no lay
at the feet of Ophelia. scanning the half
turned countenancs Of the king. Hamlet's
answer to the inquiry about the name of the
play-"The Mouse Trap"-has seemed to me
since singularly applicable to my own case
at the time.
l put my vaHse and waterproof on the sofa
concluded to take the rooms IL the terms
were reasonable.
The door opened and a big, muscular
woman showed In as IL some one had besn
holding the door against her. She shovel
1t shut with a slam by leaning
back against il. One hand was CON
cealed behind her. the other held the
handle of the door. She was young and her
face had -once been comedy, but was now
blotched by drink and dissipation. Her eyes
were red and watery. She wasn't strictly
sober then
She began in q loud voice as if l were a
mile away. Her first uttsrance was a tor
rent of the most fearful oaths l have ever
heard from human lips. She ended by com
manding me to lay my watch and money on
the table. under penalty Of having my
Hskool" crushed In.
With a calmness thatI regret there were
no impartial witnesses to, l picked up my
waterproof and threw 1t over my left arm
In my right l took my b~lackthorn, grasping
Mr.. s.. B. Walker. a leading citizen
and druggist of Calamus, Iowa, who buys