The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-04-30
APTLY DESCRIBED.
characteristics And Traits of the
Irish Peasant as Noted by
Justin MCCARTHY.
STORY TELLING AND STORIES
The HeaGiess Horse and That Gun
ming Elf, the Leprechaun,
Not Overlooked.

hing I'LL, inc Lepr9cndun,
Not Overlooked.
In the current number of the YOUTH 's
Companion, MIR. Justin Mccarthy con-
tinues his article on 1.-The Irish Peasant. -
The second instalment reads as follows:
I think have spoken of the Irish peas
ants love for the hearing of stories. It
was, at least in my younger days, a love
as strong and lasting as that of the Ori
entail races; but should sty that then
as now it was not love for the hearing
Of any pews from the ouSer world; the
love of listening and being read to.
/ we'll remember in my boyish days
how the Nation newspaper used to be
read out to groups Of delighted tenant
farmers and la5orsrs. The Nation in
those far off days cost six pence num-
Der, and it YVES not likely that many
laborers could afford to buy it. Sixpenoe!
Why, that was 10 many cases tho reward
of full days work But mon dubbed
together and got the Nation among
them, and some one who could read de-
claimed it's leading articles aud it's
poems to 8 delighted and breathless cir
Gle OF listeners.
Never could there have been listeners
more engrossed and absorbed. Many a
deep breath was drawn, and whispered
murmur Of "Listen to that, now ~
isn't that tine?" went round the group
seated by the peat fire.
In my boyish days L think the Irish
peasants chief passion was for stories Of
esupernatural. I Iremember travelling
down one lovely day and lovely evening
of late summer from Cork to Killarney
! We travelled on the day. coaeh--the
old-fashioned coach with four horses,
not SO good as the regular mail coach,
with it's red color and It's fine team of
horses; yellow coach with somewhat
staggery team, and rather poorly ap~
pointed in every way, but somewhat
cheaper, and bound, if you sat still, to
bring you in at last. =
There was something going on in XII
larney which brought many farmers con-
verging from various points of the South
and West on the region Of bewildering
beauty, where the Lakes OF Killarney
glitter in the sun or darken ir the
shadow.
. There were several men of the farmer
class ON the top Of the coach, and they
began telling ghost stories I was seated
amongst them, and was delighted to
: listen to their weird conversation. Next
me sat an elderly woman; she might
have been farmers wife, or she might
have been the managing WON IN on q
dairy or something of that kind She
sat in silence, except for an audible
shudder which now and again told how
the stories Of the ghosts we're impressing
her.
The evening settled in, and we were
shrouded soon in q soft gray twilig ght
Suddenly, from the back Of the coach
from outside the back of it, from low
down outside the back, where no human
F creature was supposed TO have place
strange, unexpected figure was seen
scrambling to the roof of the coach.
We we're all amazed, but the good
elderly woman WAS more than amazed
she was alarmed. She was more than
alarmed; she was convinced. She threw
her arms up and gave cry.
"See," she exclaimed, "what comes OF
your telling such stories at such an hour
You have brought him up among usv'
! Brought him? Whom did she sup
pose the apparition to be? Satan him,
, self, no doubt. She was for the moment
, fully convinced that by our illomened
talk we had summoned up the prince Of
darkness, and given bim by invitation q
sort of right to take his place among us
I never saw the absolute sincerity oI
superstitious terror more strikingly made
manifest
!, The explanation was soon given-and
; it had something in it which belonged tc
, the realms of superstition, too. The in.
truder was simply a young peasant who
! had been 'sdeadheading" the coach fo1
a few miles of the way. He had clung
on to an iron projection behind, used fol
the lifting of luggage, and had been en-.
! Ejoying ride for nothing. But he had
{ been enjoying more than ride. He had
been listening with a fearful joy to the
stories of the ghosts, and the fetches OIL
, doubles, and the headless horse, and the
] corpse candles, and the banshee and ali
the rest.
Soon, however, the fearful JOY became