Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-22


discover ii. If any are wives, it is not
known. If any ever loved, or knew
the home as we know II, II cannot be
ascertained. Here they are, as they
have been from generation to genera
tim, wild, tender, savage, merry, law
less, honest mob, dressed, or half
ent from women, rndiantiy indifferent
to either man or woman, hnd iucom-
purably drawer and more enduring than
the stnrdiest, hardest OF men.
And 1t is Ellie Dreen WHO, having
walked all night over the old coast road
OF stone from foombeola heights, with
the endless knitting in her bands and
tho back breaking load beneath her
black braideen, Is now passing from
group to group among them, accom-
panied by tnkllng sounds of liquid
striking glass and smaclting sounds of
long lingering Irish lips, TO keep the
grief and dread Of want from mother
Dreen's heart, away back there in the
grewsome home beside the still, while
"rlsing" the hearts of the Galway fish
wives for their labors of the day.
Over beyond tho ancient city square,
in quiet side street behind where the
drowsy posting stations are, stands u
| two.story, dormer.windowed structure,
quaint and sweet and old On this
March morning its shutters were drawn,
though the brand new sign Of "Madi-
gan's Iun" glittered like gaudy mock
cry in green and goldGbovo its door of
| Irish oak.
1t is because the clergy in tho west of
Ireland are more syppathetically close
to the affairs and the hearts of the peo-
Pile than elsewhere in all the Green Isle,
that after young Dan Madigan had
turned the key in the lock of tho inn
door, having just left the silent hosiery
with the young parish priest, his boy
hood friend, that the two walked away
arm in arm; Dan Madigan's face, re.
nowned for bcaming kindliness, now
overcast with vexatious frowns, and
Father Hobson's, grave enough with
sympathy, and not wholly free from u
rOguish twinkle of the eyes.
"rin year on tn Galway foorce,
lufkin' fur poachers, slatherin' up an
down tn coorts an alleys fur thramps,
soparatin' Claddugh brawlers an bcarin'
thin divils O. fishwives' blisthe erin
tongues, wild scrimpin' an savin' like u
miser, built this nest fur Ellie, dear, wild
| two hundred pound in tn stocks T.
nurse il T. a thrivin' trade, Father Hob
SOM" came us a rueful outburst from
Dan Madigan's lips.
"And Ellie Dreen IL not come to that
elegant home, then? Its Il great pity
for you, Dam" answered Father Hob
son, comfortlngly.
"1ndade an she'll not. I've implored
an entrayted her tn three month gone.
got her once as fur as tn dure. I'll
not go in, Dam says she; I'll not go in.
Ye'd come it DER me entirely wild yer
swate spache an yer flnery. Tn poor
| onld mother nades me woTser nor you,
Danl' An wild that she broke an
scampered away like mad hare. Och,
Father Hobson, I'm done fur, widout
Ellie Dreen
"You might leave off the Father
when we're by ourselves, Dan ?" said
the young priest kindly
us it Teddy, thin, your reverence "
eyes, Dan, and Teddy without tho
'riverence,' besides-just the same US
when, years ago, we poached salmon
together in the Corrib, Dan"
God bliss ye, Teddy, fur thin same
words |"
They mad come to the corner Of the
fish-market square, and stood unob-
served but obServant of the daily scene
upon the Galway quays. The ancient
and picturesque square, with gables
leaning over it, with arches like mighty
hoods opening upon 1t, with wlcket-
windows looking down into it, and
with the Claddagh salls'and spars like u
nd'whipped autumn forest almost
hiding the blue of tho sea beyond, was
alive with startling color, form, move.
ment and sound. The dexterity of the
tishwives in handling and cleaning the
fish; the shrill, wild callings from one
To another; the wordy wars between
them and the fishermen concerning
weight, quality and luck, and again be-
tween them and buyers as to price; the
bedlamitiU ballads that were hurled
upon the air as the cleaning knives
flashed and the fish scales flew like
driven sleet; and the torrents of fierce
though secretly merry, billingsgate and
abuse, with passes of tishknives as If fol
murder, cloutings with conger cells
rushings and drubblngs bestowed upon
innocent strangers or meddlesome in.
truders, were something marvellous, in.
describable, awful; and tho priests face
really grew grave as he quietly regarded
it all.
"She's therein tn thickost, av
coorsel" said Dan mournfully, while
craning his neck for a better of tho
"thickest" of the wriggling throng,
"All right, Dan. Well speak TO Ellie
together. Come along, Dan, like tho
man, now, that you are +" This, as Dan
Madlgan held back rebelllously.
"Beggin' yer pard'n, its not bein' a
man t. get neself an Ellie blackguarded
from the market, thatll ruin her little
trade, I'll not go
you're right, Dan. I'll speak to Ellie
alone"
He stepped briskly toward the dens.
est portion of the crowd, but, catching
sight Of old fishwife Molly Noon emp.
tying glass of the "rale right sort"
just from Flies hand, stopped, turned
his back upon them for moment as il
to leisurely contemplate the quaint
architecture Of the square, and then,
amid wheeling words from tho fish
wives, close and far, of "Buy Eros Err
Rings, tn morn, Father Hobson, dear?n
walked straight to Ellie Dreen, and with
gesture of authority and kindly,
"Come as you are, Ellie. Ill speak with
you of the mother, Nora and
Maureen;" led her, her cheeks suffuscd
and her eyes downcast, out of sight of
the harridans of the market.place, be-
hind the great arch opening from the
square upon tho Spanish parade.
When the two were alone at the
waters edge, Father HObson at once
thrust his hand within the huge basket
beneath her black braideen. Drawing