The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-03-26

of her, and ss'Tis you have the kind
heart, Bridget me dear. - still, that pro-
priety forbid 1t.
He was afraid to look at her as he
spoke. Bridget was purple
What a misfOTtnlt ould 0madnaun
] the likes OF that?'' she cried.
+ 81 know, know said Peter (this is
pet phrase of his and usually means that
he does not know, 81 know, / know,
but tbs because ye're lone woman, tell
me now are We listening to me? If ye'd
been married now, 'twould have been
another thing
''Marrledl'' cried Bridget, with infinite
scorn-s' Married? If that's all, I'll marry
the craythur tomorrow
! And SO Dark Andy was married to the
richest woman in Moher. He seemed in
different; as for Bridget, she had made
up her mind to shelter him. and there
was an end of it, she took pleasure in
astounding her neighbors.
There was never such excitement IN
| Clare as when those banns were read.
Everyone saw that poor Bridget McCaura
-Hdacint woman''-had been bewitched.
All the old stories about Dark Andy came
| to life, there was no room for doubt now,
and the bravest uubelievers trembled be-
| lore him. There was many woman
would never hear his name without cross
ing herself, and he got the credit of every
misfortune between Kilkee and Kinvarre.
though some doubted whether blind
man could have the evil eye. 1t was felt
that he should be asked to give up his
post by the crossroads, since it was in
convenient for the neighbors to have to
climb two stone walls to avoid passing
him. However, no one could be found to
suggest this to him, so he still sat there
daily, for he liked to feel that he was
earning his own livelihood.
! His dog still took coppers because no.
body dared withhold them. But l have
been told that he made no use of this
grudged tribute, and buried the coins
under the trees.
One rough afternoon during my first
visit to Clare 1 was caught in storm of
rain, and took refuge at the Liscannor
CROSSROADS under thick clump of trees
that are stunted and bent eastward by
covering from the sea-wind. As / reached
them | heard shrill cry, 'sRemem Der
the Dark Manl' Then l saw the blind
beggarman sitting huddled in ragged
great-coat SO much too big for him that
till he stood up did not see how tiny he
was. He had doleful peaked face, set in
a shock of grey hair. BY him sat little
brown dog-the queerest of mongrels-
with a tin can tied round his neck.
Andy was friendly that day, and talked
eagerly in shrill, stammering voice.
found later that he was wretched in still
weather and loved the malicious rush of
the rain; he was happiest when the wind
ratified IN his ears and the rain whipped
his face. ''Call that ramp he said,
'tsure tn air is flooded, an ye might as
well swim as Walk
s'Many times after that I went out of
my way on my long solitary walks to
pass the cross roads, but as often as not
he was glum and silent, and then Bona
parte, sharing his mood, would growl like
a small thunderstorm. The seat was well
chosen, for the covering trees are like
shade over it and there is a pleasant land
scape in front Though that mattered lit
tie to Andy, a landscape of dim green
moore-wiUh brown stains on them where
bushes huddle in clefts-chequered by
gray net of low walls, dotted with the
white gables of cabins, and framed by
wavering line of hills.
Sometimes l found him playing his
fiddle to keep himself company, but he
stopped when he heard me, and, to tell
the truth, WAS glad of it, for his playing
was uncanny. Sometimes l met him
stumbling along the brink OF the cliffs-
grotesque little figure, with his old,
| shapeless hat, his huge coat Tapping be-
hind him, and the mighty blackthorn he
carried-he knew the ground so well he
walked as if he could see (indeed, he saw
more than L could, for while to me the
breakers were only streaks OF light, he
spoke as if he was close to them on the
wet weedy rocks), or came on him lying
! by the edge listening to the squeaks OF
the gulls or to the grumbling OF the
breakers, that monotonous chorus.
| No one knew more about folk lore-I
think that he had believed he was a
changeling and found comfort in the
thought OF that former life when he was
one of the merry little good peo-
pie" = and sure old Mike Loner-
gan and his wife ought to have
known best. He knew the ways of every
ghost in the county, and it was well
known that he was on speaking terms
with the headless man who haunted Lis
cannon. OF course he knew all about