The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-18

rocks, lakes Of silence and mystery, tarns
dark and gloomy and drear, mountains
around which ever fit gray specters oil
the mist. and here and there silent old
ruins lordly modern castles almost as
lone and lifaless. and hut and cabin with
Just enough Of the old Irish race left in
them TO intensity the desolation broodiug
upon the countless deserted nabltatiOns
OF once happy pe4santrT-
This is Conuaught once a kingdom IN
der the ancient Irish heptarchy; and,
since the visit of Cromwell, universally
know as that portion of Ireland geo
graphically west Of the law" The pic
turesque old CITY of Galway is its me-
tropois; the outlying Arran Islands
and Conuamara are its widest and most
desolate districts; and among the count
less shore C.Ttiug islands and lslets and in
the mountain regions Of the latter, are
the houses of The fisher folk, the kclp and
turf patherers. the kuitters, weavers,
''nappers' and truckers of the famous
West Of Ireland wOOlenS, and of those
who deem il no sin 10 crack the pate of
any mutheTju' eNlSemau. whose undue
vigilance in the search OF gently simmer
ing potheen stills lures him too close to
dew.
High upthere above ancient Toombeola,
upon mighty elf side OvcrhanginR an
almost sondless Iougn. whose waters
were hlue-back as FURNISHED steel, fioated
out upon the Stiffness of this early spring
morning the unmlstGka0le notes OF Irish
song.
IL was not a tune Of even flow, but it
came in bits and breaks as If some sterner
thing than song let out the bars and
slaves in spite Of, rather than on account
Of. the Welgntier Immediate impulse. II
was the voice OF a woman, of a maiden
too, pitched with daring for the melOdi-
Gus voice that it was. aud now and then
explosive with the vigOr OF some earnest
conviction behind
We lasses and bucks lave OF yer sly looks
While 1 sins OF one lhady o Brad y
M-m-m-yeogh-h-h -Eh-am-m-m-O-ho-
Brady. An me toes peepiu' DER at tn
sOles o. me shoes tn bitter winter long.
an me hair aiten by rats. slapein outside
an watchin' tn diyil's own gaugers, an
the dear auld mother cOusumin tn DO
reens an ali buyiu' masses fur tn dear
father that fell out tn curragh beside
Arran Isle wild all that jewel o. brw, may
tn saints light his path in glory tn
day
Who courted Miss Reilly so snug an so
slyly-
an its so snug an so slyly I'm thrampin'
[ ROundstOne an Galway wild tn frst
shots an singlIn's o potheen, agin tn
law, an sittin' among tn hshwives an
Claddagh shammers tn whole day fur tn
matter o thruppence tn Journey, widout
passin my lips, like a goat attn trees an
air
Determined to make her his lady;
faTH nta'f "a ia hot
sin
an Dan Madigan. tn heartsome lad he
Is wOrritin me life in and out agin wild
his love-makin', but he's a brave one,
thin, an his warninS o. tn gaugers say
Yin tn sthill an laying tn dear aud
mothers bones in Galway jail. sure its a
warmer bed amy day than these wet
rocks. until me hearts broke wild trouble
entirely
Which the clargy they call matrimony-
tn divi take ireland an thin that's
holdin fur il, when a daycent girl finds no
honest labor but margin I kape soul an
body together
His furniture all he would tell al one call.
That ne give TO his own darlin honey
an so would Dan Madigan, if ! could be-
lave his swate barney, Oh. it's a great
lady he'd make o. me in his illigant inn.
which he lays oath he's got alone fur tn
love O. Ellie Dreen-that's me, or what's
left O. me; with the beggarly life I'm
leadin wild tn nappin an Tn tuckin'. an
sthin tn dear aud mother says she an
Nora an Maureen II nivir be LAWN
howly mother o. Moses. what's that"
rock as big as Ellie Dreen's pretty
head had come crashing through the cabin
roof and fallen upon the huge stone slab
where she had been vigOrougIy beating or
"tucking' the flannel of I'ounamara,
while singing her song about Thay
o Brady and innOcenJly relieving her
troubled hart.
After her first moment OF surprise the
girl simply gave the fallen rock a quiet
glance or TWO. grasped an old horse shoe
that lay upon the tucGing table. and after
giving few sharp strokes 20 the rock
beneath her feet, which sent back hol-
low. ringing sounds Cllded out of the hut
TO speed swiftly up the mountain side
above.
1t was the oldest irish cabin that man
ever entered. The little structure was
built agaius- an almost precipitous rock
OF the upper mountain heights; the roof
OF shell-Ike, suingly rock. being laid
Dove raIters of larCh-trce trunks. run
ming from holes cniseled in the ledge. to
the sn7le slde-wall o. rudely piled stones.
The ligat entered at doors in the ends
aud from tiny side windows. A tireplaCe
was oullt against the ledge; hole in the
roof ABOVE served as a chimney. and be
youd the chimney, against a dark corner.
were few hunks where the hardy wo-
men slept fearless of all harm save that
from proving gduEers' eyes
A narrow boreen, or mountain path. in
front of the cabin wound along pro ect-
ing shelving of the rock, which rose
straight ana gray rs a giant. ceuturi es-old
wall hundreds or feet above the shadow
Tough below. Across this path. viii, h
became almost roadway further down
the mountain side, directly in front of the
hut. little riYulet ran singing for n mo-
ment and then fell in q tiny, feathery veil
of spray over the Jagged edge of the prec-
ipice. CuriOusly, too, it trickled from
the crag above. within the cabin itself.
and found its way across the stone floor
and beneath the side wall along a sinuous
little runlet cut for it out of the solid
rock.
To even practiced eyes the curious place
was only COnnamara ''tuck-mill" where
the wondrous flannel of the region is
shrunk, thickened or tucked" by
pounding, while wet, with huge
wooden hammers or mallets
In the hands of the brawny Irish lasses
and women But it was more than this :
Tor suddenly from beneath where Ellie
had stood Il thin slab Of stone was eau
tiously appraised. Hands, arms and the
scraggy head of a woman followed this.
h . la Nan Ga g -