The Arizona sentinel., 1890-11-29

Chatting and Story Telling Around
 the COrpse-The Ubiquitous Pipe
 and Black Bottle.
 The custom of waking" the dead in
 Ireland, says the London Spectator,
 though by no means existing in i.3
 ancient glory and vigor, still obtains in
 modified and sho-n form in many
 country districts. Briefly described, is
 amounts to this-that the neighbors of
 the deceased assemble and spend tho
 night in the room with the corpse,
 chatting and telling stories; in tho
 meanwhile, of course, taking "a blast
 av the pipe" and a drop of the cray
 thure" to sustain them during their
 vigil. The conversation on such oc-
 casions naturally turns, to large ex-
 tent, to the virtues of tho departed, which are duly cmbcllshed with all the natural eloquence of the speakers. No one unfamiliar with Ireland can at all realize what scene ''w2l,o" prcsentc; and we propose to give a set of spoci-
 men of the conversation which prevails on such an occasion.
 "Aa ould follycr" is generally in a sect of honor, close by tho head of tho bed; she has been a nurse, perhaps, il the family, and as she rocks her aged body backward and forward she pours forth with a mellihuous Southern broCue, in a sad, waili=g tone, a long piece of delightfully di3curcive dome5- tic history. ''Ah, wi5ha, wi5ha, lave ne alone, the ma3ther was a grand man; ThaGc Began was the grand man; he rcillccd up to forty cOws." (Chis implies that he was dGiry-fa-:acr whose stock amounted to th2t nUnbcr.) 'Shure it's neself rcni-lbc~s the day av his we'd din; Lard Edward was at home at tho time by tho s2'lc token, an as he wiat by our cabin I heerd me mother to say: By ga-, there's u lard upr An shure enough he was, for he was on his way to Tim HoolahaA's, who was ninding thir- ty hogs for hin. Turn thin out, Tin, says the lard, turn thin out says he. for I want to choose out tT-o av thia,' says he. 'To be ehure, and why not, your hoaor's glory. ne lard?' says Tim, and, whin he had thin out, the lard
 makes chice ay van widout tail, an av anodcr widout an earl An thin he says to Tim, says he: Have thin two bastes kilt says he, 'an' give thcm to tho people that's comin' to Thadc Rcga2's weddin', says he, for their diGncr,' says he. An, wisha, deeling, but the lard was mighty fond av poor Thadc; may ! God be wid thin both! Az don'tI well !. reminder the time that poor Thade, rest ! 41,a bog an how Iattinded at the dinner that same day"
 At this juncture, another speaker, he should have a innings, of- i fers the nurse a drink; and while she is . occupied with it he observes: 'Wisha, awenoch, it was the pocr Easther th2t was fand av his marning drop; Elany'G . the time he'd take me wid hin into Judy Molan's little public, an he'd s&y: Judy he'd say, give Nicholas sonc- thing to warm him, and take the could out av his Stumick this fra3thy morning. An by and by he'd say: Nicholas, rla1, won't ye have a glass?' an I'd tell hin I mad wan; but he'd say: Don't tell me; you had not an av coorse I'd say: It isn't for tiie likes av nc to contradict gintleman like your bOnor,' an Judy would fill it up again."
 A driver of hcarse who was present would add reflections which seemed to him suitable to the occasion: '-I tell yes all that have been a driving a hcarse inan an boy these twinty ycacs al' more. have druv' rich an poor; an whin the wind was an me back, tho smell av them both was just alike; an I didn't lil,e it nather. And Whin comes across a man who has two or three hundred pounds, m sees all his capcrs an antics, I says ,o meself: What a gladiathur ye are; but wait, me boy, until I have yc in the 1ear5e, an then yell be quiet an aicy ,nough.' Shure I wanst druv jodgc to he graveyard; an l saw the yalla clay ,hoveled down on him as well as another an he rotting wid money. God savo lsr' This observation called forth a general exclamation: ''Wcll, Ned, we're l terror" The old nurse-''a charred lnd wrinkled piece of womanhood" being now refreshed, would take up her 2arable again, and offer her snuff-box, or 'ather her snuff, to every one present t was done ii this way: holding the box a her right hand, she poured oGt some f is contents on the p2ln cf her loft. 'Thether you used the saCT or not, t vas considered u1lucl-y and uncivil to etuse to take pinch of it.
 Among the lower classes wakes" arc til very prevalent; beggars have their ,wn wakes" and even Ittle children .-o ''walei." q wake is quite an ex- oen5iva ceremony to poor, struggling voTkiag-rlal or tradesman; but he feels hat he would loss caste without hold ng it, and he has not the moral courage Q break through the custom. The ez oenscs of a wake il the strong" farm ng class are very serious item, indeed. The Roman Catholic clergy nowadays or universally discourage this 'ustom; but it is so deeply rooted that ts eradication must be a question ot inc.
 TAo CAoeL