The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-03-02

| his eldest son Patrick, and that Turlough was
quite unprovided for, popular opinion yeered
round, and set in strongly Iii favor OF the
Younger brother, oil the dislike due to him
being added to Tie share of Patrick. From
what Peter told me OF the latter man, I do
not think be deserved the opprobrium which
fell upon him; he seems! to, have been kind
enough to Turlough, giving him q share OF
his house and Of the proceeds OF the land;
though declining, perhaps wisely enough. %
make them over5to him by legal document.
Turlough said little, lived in apparent friend
shin with lis brother, and. bided his time. It
came earlier than he expected - '"=e-
Patrick, like most Westmeath men at that
date, was a thorough Fenian ut heart, and
managed to get greatly involved in tho plots
which led to that most abortivs attempt at
q rebellion, in which the government appears
70 have known quite Us much as the conspira-
tors themselves OF the secret councils Of the
81, latter. As q natural consequence, Patrick
was "wanted, = and equally as q matter
Of course, lie was not to be found
by. the police who invaded his domi-
cile. No one was there but Turlough, who
was politeness itself, gave them a glass OF
whisky oil round, and showed them with
some pride a deed Of gift from Patrick,
which, i'll due legal form, made over to his
brother Turlough the formers interest in
the farm. Clearly, nothing was to be done.
ard the disappointed police had nothing for
it but to return to barracks.
In what part of ireland Patrick lay hidden
during the years that followed Peter could
not tell me, hut it was OIL a spring day in
1870 that he came again, attended by certain
friends Of his as witnesses, to claim back the
deed of gift from his brother. The seven
DAYS wonder had passed, Ireland was quieter
than usual, and there was no more talk of
prosecuting ex-Fenians. The farm had only
= been made over to Turlougil that he might
manage it till better times came, and that
there might be no danger of confiscation.
What could be simpler than that the rightful
owner should now reclaim possession? But
he had reckoned without his brother. Tur-
Tough sat unmoved by the passionate in
vective that was poured upon him, and
stolidly reiterated his assertion that he
had given Patrick full value for the
farm. and had III intention whatever OF
giving it up. Words ran high, and doubt
less blows. would have followed, had not
Turlough at last produced an American re-
volver from his pocket, and threatened to
shoot every man in the house-his house-if
they did not at once leave it. Against such
practical argument there was nothing to be
urged. and the men left the hut, carrying
with them the frantic Patrick, mad with
rage and fired with q true Irish thirst for
revenge.
Their road home lay by Tough Galliagh.
As they neared it Patrick broke way from
his friends, rushed across the quaking DEVILS
Scraugh, and plunged into the peaty water
with q scream of his brothers name, mingled
with q ban. The party he had left stood still
a moment in horror, n then hurried eau
tiously toward the margin Of the pool. But
the desperate man never rose again. Some
thought that he must actually have swum
under water till he was beneath the scraugh,
20 as to render rescue impossible and make
sure Of the anathema.
he avoid it, would approach Tough Galliagh
or speak q word to Through O'Brien. The
latter was cut off from all human companion
ship, md driven to subsist on the potatoes he
grew on his farm and tho milk Of q cow
which he kept there. Whether his terrible
penancc did him good or not, Peter could not
say, but I hoped it had done so. A man
whose heart was wholly bad would have left
me to perish in the scraugh.
No one had dared to attempt the finding of
the corpse OF Patrick O'Brien; but, almost
daily for years past. Turlough had been seen
working with his graip here and there along
the margin of the ]ough and III the Devils
Scraugh itself, so the probability was that he
was endeavoring to find his brothers body
whether a hope of avoiding the ban pro-
nounced on the pool, or with the better OBJ
iect of giving Christian burial to the remains
Of his victim. no one could say, though, Of
course, the peasantry inclined to the former
belief. No doubt I had met with my acct
Gent in one Of the holes he had dug In the
pcraugh, which had had time to cover itself
with a treacherous layer Of weed. The pop
ular opinion was that Turlough himself
would some day be drowned in such q hole,
and thus fulfill the weird of the ''wise
wnnan." .r.t 4
We reached Athlone that evening long after
dark, but in safety, to Peters great surprise
and self congratulation. He had been
thoroughly frightened by finding himself in
proximity to the dreaded spot, and for some
time afterward boosted less than usual of his
knowledge OF ''every hole and corner in the
boys from Moate to Athlone."
= =
am al Irishman by birth and education,
and have heard many weird stories in my
native land, but seldom one which impressed
me SO much as that which Peter had told me
1t kept my mind busy and my body wakeful
that night till far into the small hours. I did
not know which to pity the most-thed esper-
ate man hurrying into the presence Of his
maker with anathemas on his lips and a pur-
pose of vengeance in his heart, Or the living
one who "dreed his weird, !" solitary amongst
hso ,.s,I.1~~l c,l ,.,-:ks~ l~ kloun
Ere morning I had resolved that, SO far as
was concerned, the matter should not rest
there, but that I would at once pay Turlough
O'Brien a visit, express my gratitude to him
better than I had been able to do it in the
hurry OF the moment, and try to help him,
at least by sympathy, il in no other way. He
had refused to accept the money; but he
could scarcely decline q few articles, of use to
a man in his circumstances, if brought to
him as a present and not as a reward, and
these might be my excuse for intruding upon
him. Truth to tell, I was rather doubtful as
to the reception I might meet with at the
farm.
"Man proposes, and God disposes." It is a
trite saying, but a practical one. When I
rose in the morning I saw the sky covered
from zenith to horizon by a leaden pail of
cloud, whence descended an unbroken torrent
Of rain, turning the streets to rivers Of mud,
and splashing on. the pavement from
every gutter, as if the deluge were
come again. Bogtrotting was, in such
weather, out Of the question, and | resigned
myself to the inevitable, though reluctantly,
as I knew well that when steady rain begins
in the County Westmeath in November with
a falling barometer, no man can say when it
will STOP, But I was scarcely prepared for
the rainfall Of that November. Ten whole
days it continued without a symptom Of cessa- /
ton; then camea break of sunshine late one i
afternoon, q fine night, and again rain in the
morning. When, 0 the fourteenth day, the
mercury in the barometer that hung in the
anteroom showed signs of rising steadily, in (
place Of Jumping up n down every few !
hours, and the clouds thinned away and let q
watery glimpse of sun come through, we were
all thoroughly tired of inaction and indoor !
confinement, and half the country was under
winter.
Next morning was a glorious one, with q |
cloudless sky; and l started on my expedition /
alone this time. as I did not think it fair to
ask Peter to accompany me, knowing his
feelings on the subject Of my destination. l
found locomotion very difficult, as the boys |
were ankle deep in water in some places, and
once l thought seriously Of turning back; but
my good intentions were too strong for me, |
and I struggled ON. About noon / passed |