The Irish standard., 1886-11-13
BY FAR-FAMED BLACKWATER
4 Correspondent OF the Now York Times
Takes a Pleasant Trip Across the
Maeldowna Hills.
HOW IRISH lASS'ES TAKE THEIR

Bes-Hves to Market hat the Small
Farmers in Ireland Hope and
Fear This Winter.
There was much shaking OF heads
when we announced at Cahir that we
proposed to "cross the mountain,' y
writes a correspondent Of the New
Y ork Times The Maeldowna hills do
stand up squarely from the plains on
the southern edge of Tipperary, but We
had seen Switzerland and the White
Mountains, not to mention any ridges
more, and thought that If there were a
road across the purple dream Of those
Aills we would make bold to use it. The
resolve was wise, only we ought to
have used bicycles. For the road
through the pretty hamlet of Clogheen
to the hills, and up the lins that parts
the many acres OF the Duke Of Devon
shire from the few of the Earl OF Lis
more, was such as your bicycle would
revel in. When the ascent began, there
was but little climbing before we
reached the line Of moorland i'll minai-
ture, with it's wee loch Of unrufled
water, it's heatherbells. sheep, and way
side shelter for beast and man, con-
tanning On diminutive scale all the
characteristics of Scotland that one
finds in innumerable pictures and bal
lads without end. AS almost every
where about the island, the road was
faultless; indeed, lest the beast of
araught, which in these parts are more
cherished than human beings, should
find the ascent steep, the old road has
been abandoned and new causeway
has been practised in two enormous
zags with SO gentle rise that Yer
mont pony would not have known that
he was spn a bill till he got to the top.
Near Clogheen we overtake two cOun-
try lasses jogging along On a home
made cart behind rusty nag. As we
approach we see that they are envel-
oped in aswarm of horse flies, and since
insects are as rare in Ireland as rocks
are plenty, we marvel greatly: They
are bees!'' exclaims the lively professor
OF romance languages from Columbia
College, who is visiting the home of
ancestors many generations remote.
And so they are; placidly and with q
joyful laugh for the jolly tourists the
peasant girls continue their journey,
with bees on all sides OF them, Now
one seems about to settle on the russell
coils OF hair of this girl, and there are
two walking about the big cloth cloak
Of that. AS we pass, the mystery re-
solves itself. They are not witches,
nor, like Melusine in the fairy tale, do
they end in mermaid eXtremites; but
under the board which serves them for
seat are two bee hives, which these
stalwart yirgins-bee mothers without
miracle--are taking to the small fair
at Clogheen. While we wait in that
little place they come up, the hives are
unceremoniously hitched from under
the seat, so that buyers can examine
them, a number of purchasers and idlers
gather about, and one, who means bus
mess or has a sweet tooth, calmly
raises a hive, takes a dab Of honey out
with his forefnger, and tastes. Of the
store. I remember that Cir; ldus de
Barry said that there were no bees in
ireland, and thereby aroused unquench-
able fury in patriotic Irish breasts for
centuries, until learned 1rishman
crammed that and many more innocent
lies down his throat in the fercest,
most indignant Latin prose. II there
were none in the twelfth century the
present age has repaired the omission
and also taught the angry bee passions
not to rise. Opinions were divided
whether or not the insects were Of q
stingless variety, or, if equipped with
stings, whether the smell Of peat, which
is inseparable from Irish peasants, had
the effect Of discouraging the use of
their natural weapons. even when
jolted for hours in a springless cart.
One thing was agreed upon, that the
soothering swains of Clogheen wonld
not bother those girls with any rustic
attentions while they were able to let
loose upon too familiar admirers their
bees of war. In talk with the country
people hereabouts a gentle melancholy
is observable, and likewise no great
building of hopes on the change of gov
ernment advocated by their representa-
tives at W estmins.er. The common
est expression is ''Poor Ireland! Any
thing would be better. Things could
not be worse than they are!' They
seem grateful for little favors, and
those who do not seek their fortune
abroad have very modest ideas OF what
would make them happy. The oppon-
ents of the n Nationa.ists. have alwaYs
understood this. and the policy Of DOL t1fl:s
ing alitle relie Ina king some I'll 1l ling