Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-06-02
FROM COLOONEY.

scqucntly at Il time when fresh hands were
hardly wanted. His approach was leisure
ly and philosophical, his manner as easy
as the flow OF his conversation, his attire
light and picturesque. Diogcncs going
through modern England could not have
maintained one 1.-THE of the quiet semi
cynical self possession typifled in the
bron2ed face and humorous eyes that came
down the lane and shone over the garden
hedge like a new sunburst.
"Thc top of the mornin to ye, sor and
many av thin"
Civility, as the proverb says. is a cheap
commodity. ! returned the salutation the
original purveyOr thereof meanwhile adopt
ing an easy and graceful attitude against
the privct hedge that separated us.
"'I'is foine wither for the harvest, glory
he to God, and it's me own hands that is
Uneasy to be handln fork or rake wild the
colleenq beyant there. Maybe the masther
has a Job of worruk that he can give to a
man loike mesilf."
lie slanted his head over in the direction
of field where half a dozen rosy English
lasscs were engaged in heapng be rakings
of a thick crop Of wheat. The employment
was easy and congcnial. l thought it
would fit well with the disposition of the
traveller The master came toward US at
that moment.
Here is man who wants work"
'Ah, God be good to yer honor so do
indade. It's meslf that has an iligant
hand at harvest worruk. And yer honor'll
give me a job of worruk?"
His honor wanted no more hands, and
aid so abruptly, with certain pointed re-
marks concerning the assurance of people
who 20 idle ut the end of harvest
"Oh, papa And it is not an hour since
'ou said you could not do without anot her
man to take Jobs place. Give the poor
man something to do"
The poor man looked OYER the hedge,
quick to seize the opportunity. Miss Maud,
fresh and dainty as one of her own roses,
1lushed and started under he frank adora-
len Of those wicked lIibcrnian eyes
God be good to We, miss. but its only
alison that swate young thing loike your
elf should spakc soft to Il poor man as is
wanting worruk 50 badly. All, now, your
'onorll give me the wOrruk that the
Dung lady was spakin Of"
His honor gave in, beaten by the touch
# his daughters little hand and the au-
lacity OF the bronzed features before him.
It's onlya waste of money" he said
when the traveller, after a liberal meal,
had wandered away TO the harvest field in
,earch of the much desired worruk. Hell
10 nothing. These wandering Irishmcn
never do
Certainly this one did not kill himself
with oveecXertion. He performed his task
deliberately, if well. There was a ten
lency about him to sit down every few
minutes Ii he had an audience close at
hand lie betrayed a further tendency to
discourse on various topics.
Sure, now" he said, as I stood by him
among the corn, what time the sun WAS
doing its level best to burn US all into rags,
its moighty improvidcnt this spending
of yer strength in the hot sunloight It's
aslape we should be at this mint. Worruk
in the cool and Shape in the hot-that' 5
how we do at Colooney."
And where is Colooncy?"
"Sure, yer honor knows that Colooncy is
in Sligo. am from Colooncy mcSilf."
You seem to have wandered long
way from home"
"Ah, thin, but what good would l dc
and me not havin seen the worruld? Its
the travelled men that makes fortins."
Are You making your fortunei'
"Ah, sure but I'm on the way to that
same, We Should see me at me own trade
Ne hands "A bit out at the harvestin. Did
your honor liver hear tell of Judy McCann?'
lie dropped easily to a convenient seat
amid the shcavcs and prepared to dis
coorSc' at his leisure | moved away, not
wishing to give him an excuse for idlencss
Looking around ten minutes afterward
found that be had not yet risen. He wa.
probably meditating over the story Of Judy
Mccain.
The man from Colooncy staid on. Hi,
sleeping chamber was in the hayloft; he
washed at the pump, dispensing in som'
mysterious fashion with the aid of soap OF
towel. lie lounged easily about the stack
yard o nights, but always retired into tht
| paddock to smoke his pipe-a wise pro
| cceding which ingratiatcd him with thu
master, who had no mind to see his stack!
| burned down.
The women liked him, as they always dt
| like ANYTHING handsome and impudent
lie fetched and carried for them. One da,
| found him laboring under a heavy wheel
| barrow load of manure, which he was tax
| ing from the fold to the flower garden
He was actually sweating heavily anC
working hard without doubt.
| What does this mean" inquired. "
| thought you considered this sort of thins
| improvidcnt."
| The man from Colooney regarded M
with a humorous smile. His eyes twinkle
| and one of them closed itself for an instant
| "Ah, thin, captain dear, sure and wha
can poor boy loiic mesilf do when tn
| sweetest voice in all the worruld axes hin
to do a little at the gardenin? And it
| yerself that knows what a swate voice tina
| is, captain"
l followed him into the garden ant
found that under Miss Maud's instruction
he had cleared a corner previously give
over to waste and weeds and was rapid
bringing it into something like rcspecta
bility. He worked hard that day an,
earned a right to rest and be thankful a
| night.
"Ye see, captain" he remarked conf
dentially to me as l met him washin!
away the marks of toll at the pump, ~
see, Pm that soft hearted wild tho ladies
Divil bit of me that doesn't do me hes
to oblige thin when they come to me will
their murtherin iligant talk and SEES
| Michael, will ye do this" and Michael
will ye do thatY All, it's mesilf that al
ways was favorite wild the ladiesf"
The man from Colooney was perhaps no