Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-09-03
FLOWERS OF IRELAND.
TOLD BY A POET IN a LETTER
TO A FRIEND.
The IntolerabIe Winters Of the Emerald
1sie-Green Lanes aud Pretty
Primroses-Oli Gravcyards
and Rainy Days
Special Correspondenoe.I


QUEESsTowS, Ju.y 2-If YOU are tempted
10 tell me that spriag IS az oh "A, Slis word.
| can only plead thas Iii al % a new as its
last blossom o. birds ness All snail in
list ON senliny you little boGqueto of spring
flowers from one OF tas love.i,5. Islands of
the SEA.
Here il Irelal1 the winters are, ;h.1k,
intoleraDle. IL is true that I have been
nearly two years in the country and only
seen the ground white with snow twice.
But W have DAYS and DAYS 50 dark that
one nee j. the Light Of candles to show US
that v. ars alive AMI wrescLei, and nights
when the wind ems inclined 20 ta$e up the
sea from is utterInost depths and hurl it
against our windows. Ani Oh. what un-
earthly noises there be among tue chimney
tilesl Then, with ths mud over your boot
tops aud the rain dropping dismally from
umbrellas AMI waterprOois, even walking is
not pleasure.
But must 80 back TO my Irish SPRING
bowers. First, Of course, come those old
loves of the poets, the daisies. You know
As well as l do, "and better, too, | dare
Wordsworth, AMI, for that matter, from the
first English anony nous to Chaucer, they
have all put the daisies in their songs.
About the beginning Of March, Louis,
whose dimples you viii no doubt remem-
Der, brought me few with great rejoicing.
But before April was fairly over he told me
they were getting to Be "just common" And
hon. h.. fol a Ia. fu1l of fbat
they looked in the distance as if a s,ight fall
of snow weie melting away and showing
glimpses of green beneath it. On nearer
view you would see that this snow of f1wers
was family flushed, and when you began TO
gather the daisies you would find that soms
were rose colored and others vivid red.
Some are only pearl white, however, and
all are exquisite. especially before they are
lull blown. One morning | concluded,
though il seemed almost cruel to tear them
from their native soil, 10 bring home a
whole fragrant family that l found in a
crevice Of al old wall by the Lee.
But d.d MT bring home the river and
ky" nor the daisies ether, / fear. For /
found. on, reachiny nv room door, That my
iainty, dew, blushing buds had faded into
staring white flowers.
Next come the primroses. Some OF these
are pink, some white and others purple, but
most OF them are pale moonlight yellow.
On pleasant afternoons, especially on Sun
lays, all the world is oit m search of them.
Then you viii see the lodge women in their
picturesque great cloal1s and bright-ribbOned
white caps; the nursery maids, leading beau
iful children; the withered, dwaTfsh don
5ey men, with their tall, battered and
gloomy silk hats, which look as il they had
been blown and beaten by the storms Of
ages, aud which they hardly ever fail TO
wear ON holiday occasions; the relocated
soldiers and blue jacket sailors. and even the
young ladies and gentlemen, whose families
lad ''boat OF their own at the time of the
food: all, as Cecil has it, dressed up in
1rimro-es." In tact. everybody seems TO
share the late Lord Beaconsfelds affection
'or affectation1 . for this flower No doubs
the greSt ''English-Jew" looks up with salts
faction ON the universal primrose Leaguen
hat keeps his memory green, or rather yell
iow, in tine United King iom.
Then come the violets, just as we have
hem at home, only without fragrance. 1
AN hardly imagine anything more pleasant
han walk through green Irish lane, with
walls. half earth and half stone, perhaps
higher than your head on either side, all
covered with ivy and blackberry vines, and
purple with these same violets, prettily mixed
with fragile milk-white clckoo- flowers, tiny
blue forget-me-nots and clusters of wild
hyacinths. Then there are daffodils, bright
enough to tempt the apron of Persephone,
and buttercups, which last, according to the
superstitions of the dairy, give the cows
hint toward that delicious Irish butter, Of
which one often reads. But must not for
get that Louis pointed out some gray
beaded dandelions," and 1 then saw many
scattered scions of this shinin race of fam
liar flowers whose heads were We, radiant
with the harmless gold" Of youth But
had almost forgotten to gather a few ferns
for YOU. We have them here all the year
round, of course, and in every lovely va
riety.
II you were here we could wander at will
through one Of these pretty lanes. Then il
we glanced beyond the walls we would se,
the most comfortable sheep and lovely little
lambs knee deep in grass and clover, sug-
gesting-nothing hut Paradise. Then if you
looked longer you would see msly fine cows,
discerning well-fed and happy, and evidently
admiring their own charming calves. These
would make you think, doubtless, of glass
Of fresh milk Therefore we would drop in
at a pretty, many gabled farm house near
by, where, from among the climbing roses
that cover it, the birds would be twittering
their hearts out for very gladness. Then
the farmers wife, who looks as if she could
tell you that life is a jest" and that she
had been laughing at it all her days, would
interest you with the usual fluent, sad story
Of landlordism, and remark, no doubt, as
She did To us, that "a monumen. should be
set up to Mr.. Gladstone on every nil in Ire
landn The good woman. in her cozg half
parlor and half-diningroom, in the innocence
Of her hospitality, would point YOU to dark
little siieboard and invite you TO take some
old Irish whisky. You would, of course, de-
cline, and then. surprised and almost offend
ed, she would kindly, as q last resort. bring
you some real cream
You would not fail to see opposite YOU a
most interesting old graveyard, callei Clon-
mel Parish Churchyari. l need not remind
you thss some OF tie happiest hours OK your
life have been spent in q graveyard You