Middletown transcript., 1894-09-01
QUAINT IRISH STORIES.
Aubrey de vere's Recollections of
| Childhood.

| Aubrey de we're, the lrlsh poet, hao
written series of recollections, Which
will be publishsd in two parts inThe
Century. The first portion, dealing
with his childhood and boyhood, is
printed in the September number, and
is full of quaint stories of the oiden
days in Ireland. Mr.. de We're says:
My earliest recollectione are of our
Irish home, Curragh Chase, and al
ways see it bathed as in summer sun
shine. 1t was not once, however, as IL
is now. At the bottom of the lawn
there now spreads lake, but at that
time il was rich meadow-land, divided
by slender stream, with fair green
hills beyond. The pleasure ground now
blends insensiby with the lawns ana
woods; but it had then wall around IL,
which, as my fathers Oil friend and
school-fellow, Sir Thomas Ackland,
said on visiting us, when both had lett
youth behind, gave it look of menas-
tic seclusion. It was then divided into
four grassy spaces, as smooth as velvet,
and bright with many flower-bed 1
can still see the deer park, and the deer
bounding from brake to brake OF low
spreading oak and birch; the gathering
of the poor on Sunday evenings at the
gates of the long ash avenue for their
rural dance; and the gay, though half
bashful, confidence with which some
rosy, pretty peasant girl would ad-
vance and drop a courtesy before one OF
our party, or some visitor at the "big
house" i" that courtesy being an invita-
tion to dance. There was also a little
open in the woods in which the neigh
bors danced, nor have yet forgotten
the vexation with which | found my
self once snatched up and carried home
to bed by one of those 'merry maids.
whose tresses tossed in light, 'and who
lost little time in returning to the
revel.
1t was time at which opposites of
all sorts oddly combined. The couu-
try gentlemen were then looked up to
as SO many little princes, and the poor
would gladly have adopted them as
chiefs, like those of old, had they cared
to accept th at position; yet there was
great Familiarity in the intercourse of
classes. 1t was all strangely mixed
with simplicity of life. My grand
mother drove about the park with her
four grays and an oGtrider, while my
father, with whom she lived, had his
four blacks and an outrider; yet dinner.
which was at five O'Clock, would have
been far from satisfactory to diner
out of the present day. What a stran-
ger would have thought ostentation
was often a necessity, for the roads
were generally carried over high hills.
| we'll remember my grandmother's
beautiful but melancholy black eyes,
her ways at once au!hori!ive ard aft
ectionate, and the reverence with VIII ch
she is regarded by all. Nor have for
gotten her goodnight to lis children:
"God bless you, child, and make good
man Of you''; nor the loud laugh once
when he youngest Of Us, not to te out
done in civilty, responded God bless
you, grandmother, and make a COED Wo-
man OF YOU"
Ny grandfather always gave the sag
est advice to a friend, but generally
acted himself from whim. Once, when
walking in London street, he passed
a room in which an auction was going
IN, and attracted by the noise entered
it. The property set up for sale was
the Island OF Lundy in the British
Channel. He knew nothing whatso-
ever about it, but when the auctioneer
proclaimed that it had never paid eth
er tax or tithe, that it acknowledged
neither king nor parliament, nor law
civil or ecclesiastical, and that its pro-
prietor was pope and emperor at once
in his own scanty domain, he made a
bid, and the island was knocked down
to him. 1t turned out good specula-
tioD. It paid its cost by the sale of
rabbits; and whenever its purchaser
chanced to have picked quarrel with
England and Ireland at the same time,
1t was hermitage to which he could
always retire and mediate. He planted
there small Irish colony, and drew up
for them very compendious code, in
a quaint law of divorce in case of mat
rimonial disputes. In money matters
he was adventurous and unlucky. He
lost about e15,000 by cards, and then
renouDced them, He is also said to
have lost about half the family prop
erty through some trivial offiense given
to his father. My grandfather was the
most popular of country-gentlemen be-
cause he had great love for the poor,
and always helped them at pinch. A
very old tenant once told me many sto-
ries illustrating this side of his char
acter.- Here is one of them. A young
man was tried for murder, having kill
led member of rival faction in fac
tion fight. The Judge, reluctant to
sentence hi m to death on account of
his youth, turned to him and said /: "Is
there any one in court who could speak
as to your character?" The youth
looked around the court and then said
sadly: "There is no man here, my lord,
that know" At that my grandfath-
er chan ced to walk into the grand-jury
gallery. He saw at once how matters
stood. He called out: "You are
queer boy that don't know friend
when you see himl'' The boy was
quick-witted; he answ cred: "Oh, then
tits meself that is proud to see your
honor here this dayl' ''WeH," said
the judge, ''Sir We're, since you know
that boy, will you tellus what you know