The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1894-11-03


der Barlass Mountain, made us see
through our spy-glass, as she called
it, the huts of evicted tenants, hive
shaped, like the hut of New Zealand
aborigine.
"But, JOANNA" one of us said. show
is it that if your brother couldn't pay
rent to Colonel Poltimore he is able
to pay for the land of this Major
Hannay, who you say is of the old
stock. and a kind landlord?"
For once Joanna's loquacity seemed
frozen. She answered sententiously,
and with vague flush. 1t was an
answer that told nothing, and we felt
that somehow we had presumed.
There was an awkward silence for
quite five minutes.
Agleesh was an ordinary little
place, with tiny patches of fields,
cropped, and in way to prosper.
The house was long and low, house
of three or four rooms, perhaps. The
dunghill was out of sight at the back,
and the place, though bare, as if they
were newcomers, had tidy look. AS
the car drew up at the house door,
pale, pretty young woman ran out.
She had baby in her arms, and a
boy of two hid his shy eyes in her
skirt Following came her husband,
tall young man, happy looking, but
with certain pallor and thinness as
from late privation. We were well
coined with genuine courtesy and
hospitality; but Joanna seemed to
disappear in her term laws en-
braces and the kisses of "young Jem-
ME-" This scion of the house SEEM
ed to be source of pride and embar-
rassment to Joanna.
"Quit hiding your face, you rogue"
she said, trying to disentangle the fat
arms from about her neck. "What'll
the ladies think of you at all, at all,
for an unmannerly rogue?"
1t was new light on Joanna. We
felt little out of it amid the enthu-
siastic affection of which she was the
center. We fingered, therefore, in
the room" to which Mrs. O'Connell
presently conducted us to lay aside
our wraps. A charming room it was,
with the tiny window framing purple
Barlass, the gay patchwork quilt or
the bed, and the perfect purity we
had scarcely looked for. We con-
cluded that we should have to re-
make our impression of Joanna.
When we went down, at last, she
was sitting at the teatable, voluble
as usual, and buttering hot potato
cakes as they came from the griddle.
The father and mother were looking
at her with pleased admiration; the
placid baby lay on her extended
knees; young Jennie was standing
by her skirt with an air of proprietor
ship. We had said to each other up
stairs that the brother and his wife
were of finer clay than Joanna,
Judgment we afterwards thought up
on remorsefully. However, there was
no doubt that the simple refinement
and good will written in the faces of
the pair did not belle them. l have
seldom spent a pleasanter evening
than in that farm house kitchen. 1t
was cold enough to enjoy the big turf
fire; the tea and eggs and cakes were
delicious, and served with cleanli-
ness that left nothing to be desired.
Then James O'Connell, though
slower witted than the redoubtable
Joanna, who often reminded him of
this or that as he painstakingly elu
cidated for us the problem of land
lord and tenant, as shown on the Pol
timore estate, was a man of much in
telligence, and a -mindedness
which came of his extreme gentleness.
He said very little of his own suffer
ings in the bleak winter of eviction,
when the shelter for him and his was
one of those conical huts under the
lee of Barlass.
81 wouldn't live through it again,
ladies" he said, mot for power. We
carry the traces of it still, me an
Mollie, and even little Jennie, the
crature. But, thanks be to God, and
another who'll be nameless!"- he
lifted his eloquent eyes to Joanna
"sure it's in heaven we are now, an
God knows if we'd be as happy if we
hadn't had a taste of the other
place"
The mystery of this speech was
elucidated when Mrs. O'Connell took
us to put on our hats. Joanna had
gone out with her brother to see "a
bit that wanted drainin'." Nothing
had amazed us more in this extraor-