Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-22
WHERE FALLSTHE irish Dew
"Talcs of Ten Travellers" Series.
by Edgar L. Waterman.
A MOUNTAIN STILL.


drear, mountains around which ever fit
gray spectors of the mist, and here and
there silent old ruins, lordly modern
castles almost as lone and lifoless, and
hut and cabin with just enough Of the
old Irish race left in them TO intensity
the desolation brooding upon the count
less deserted habitatlons Of o once
happy peasantry.
This is Connaaght, once o kingdom
under the ancient Irish heptarchy; and,
since the visit of Cromwell, universally
known as that portion Of Ireland, geo
graphically west of the law" The pict-
uresque old city OF Galway is its
metropolis; the outlying Arran Islands
and Connamara are its widest and most
dcsolatc districts; and among the count
less shore.girding islands and islets and
in the mountain regions of the latter,
are the houses Of the fisher folk, the
kelp and turf gatherers, the knittars,
weavers, "nappers" and "tuckers" of
the famous West of ireland woolens,
and of those who deem it no sin TO
crack the pate of any nutherin' excise
man, whose undue vigilance in the
search Of gently simmering potheen
stills lures him too close to mountain
eeries where falls the Irish dew.
High up there above ancient Toom-
beola, upon mighty cliff side over
hanging an almost soundless Tough,
whose waters were blue-olack as burn
ished steel, floated out upon the stiffness
of this early spring morning the unmis-
taxable notes of Irish song.
1t was not tune of oven flow, but 1t
came in bits and breaks as il some
sterner thing than song let out the bars
and slaves in spite of, rather than on
account of, the weightier immediate I'M
pulse. II was the voice of a woman, of a
maiden, too, pitched with daring for the
melodious voice that it was, and now
and then explosive with the vigor of
some earnest conviction behind:
"Ye iasslos and bucks lave on yer sly looks
While sing OF one Thady o'Brady-
M m. m--yeogh-h-h- Eh-am-m-m = O.
ho-Bradyl An me toes peepin' DER
at tn soles O. me shoes tn bitter winter
long, an me hair aiten by rats, slapoin'
outside an watchin' tn DEVILS own
gauger's, an tn dear auld mother con-
SUNNI tn poreens an all, buyin' masses
fur tn dear father that fell out tn
curragh beside Arran Isle wild all that
Jewel o. brew, may tn saints light his
path in glory tn day =
Who couried Miss Reilly go snug an so slyly--
an it's so snug an so slyiy I'm thramp-
in 4 Roundstone an Galway wild tn
first shots an singlin's O. potheen, agin
tn law, an sittin' among tn fishwives
Claddagh shammers the whole day fur
tn matter q thruppence tn journey,
widout food passin' my lips, like goat
attn trees an air.
Determined to make her his lady;
Just before he'd begin to commit that great
sin,
an Dan Madigan, TIL heartsome lad he
is worritin' me life in and out agin
wild his love-makin', but he's a brave
one, thin an his warnin's 9th gaugers
sayzin' TIL sthil1 an layin' TIL dear auld
mothers bones in Galway jail, sure it's
warmer bed amy day than these wei
rocks until me hearts broke wild trouble
entirely -r
Which the clargy they call matrimony-
tn divil take Ireland an thin that's
holdin' fur it, when daycent girl finds
no honest labor but marryin' d kape
soul an body together
His furniture all he would tell at one call,
That ned give TO his own darn' honey
an so would Dan Madigan, if could
behave his swate blarney Oh, it's great
lady he'd make o. me in his Elegant inn
which he lays oath he's got alone fun
tn love O. Ellie Dreen-that's me, OF
what's left o. me; wild TIL beggarly life
I'm leadin' wild tn nappin' an tuckin
an shtill tn dear auld mother says she
an Nora an Maureen III niver be lawn
--Howly mother o Moses whats
that ?"
A 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 vigor.
ously beating or "tucking the flannel oi
Connamara, while singing her song
about Thady O'Brady and innocently
relieving her troubled heart.
After her first moment of surprise the
girl simply gave the fallen rock quiet
glance or TWO, grasped an old horse shoe
that lay upon the tucking table, and
after giving few sharp strokes to the
rock beneath her feet which sent back
hollow, ringing sounds, glided out Of
the hut to speed swiftly up the noun
tain side above t
1t was tho oldest Irish cabin that man
ever entered. The little structure wa.
built against an almost precipitous rocl
of the upper mcuntainyheights; the rooi
of shell-liko, shingly rNck, being lait
above raftcrs OF lareh- tree trunks, run
ming from holes chiseled in the ledge, Il
the single side.wall of rudely pileo
stones. The light entered at doors il
the ends and from tiny side windows
A fireplace was built against the ledge
d hole in the roof above served as chin
ney; and beyond the chimney, against {
dark corner, were few hunks whert
the hardy women slept, fearless of all
harm save that from prowling gaugers
eyes.
A narrow boreen, or mountain path
in front of tho cabin wound along Q
projecting shelving of the rock, which
rose straight and gray as giant, centur
ies-old wall hundreds of feet above thu
shadowy Tough below. Across this path
which became almost a roadway fur
ther down the mountain side, directly
in front of the hut, little rivulet raj
singing for moment and then fell in
tiny, feathery veil of spray over thu
jagged edge Of the precipice, Curiously
too, 1t triclSled from the crag above
within the cabin itself, and found it.
way across the stone floor and beneath
the side wall along sinuous little run
let, cut for 1t out of the solid rock.
To even practiced eyes the curiou.
place was only a Connamara "tuck
mill' where the wondrous flannel o
the region is shrunk, thickened o
tucked" by pounding, while wot, with
hugh wooden hammers or mallets in tn,
hands Of brawpy Irish lasses AMI
women. But II was more than this; TO
suddenly from beneath where Eli
atond a thip clio n IF ptnno mn = ~ =, tt,,,,I,