Morning journal and courier., 1894-03-17
TALES 0FTEN1TRAVELERS
WHERE FALLS TIE IRISH DEW

WHERE FALLS THE IRISH DEW.
 BY EDGAR L. wAKKhAN.
 Copyright, 1894. All rights reservsd.l
 I.
 MOUNTAIN STILL.
 Between the upper waters of the Shan non and the Atlantic ocean are desolate boss, reaches of hideous, verdureless rocks, lakes of silence and mystery, tarnf dark and gloomy and drear, mountains around which ever Ait gray specters of the mist, and here and there silent old ruins, lordly modern castles almost as lone and lifeless, and hut and cabin with just enough of the old Irish race left in them to intensity the desolation breeding upon the countless deserted habitations of 6 once happy peasantry.
 This Is Connsught, once 6 kingdom un- der the ancient Irish heptarohy; and, since the visit of Cromwell, universally known as that portion of Ireland, geographical. ly west of the law" The picturesque old city of Galway is its metropolis; the ont. lying Arran Islsnds and Connamars are its widest and most desolate districts; and among the countless shore-girding islands and islets and in the mountain regions of the latter are the houses of the Hshsr folk, the kelp and turf gatherers, the knitters, weavers, "nsppers" and "tuckers" of the famous West of Ireland woolens, and of those who deem 1t no sin to crack the pate of any murtherin' exciseman, whose un- due vigilance in the search of gently sim mering potheen stills lures him too close to mountain eeries where falls the Irish dew.
 High up there above ancient Toombsols, upon mighty cliff side ovsrhspglng an almost soundless tough, whose waters were blue black ss burnished steel, aoated out upon the stiffness of this early spring morning the unmistakable notes of Irish song.
 It was not tune of even flow, but 1t 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 weighter immediate impulse. It was the voice of a woman, of a maiden, too, pitched with daring for the melodious voice that it was, and now and then explo- sive with the vigor of some earnest con- viction behind:
 "Ye lasses and bucks lave oR yer sly looks
 While sing of one Thady o'Brady- N m-m-yeogh-h-h-Eh- m-m-m-O-ho ho- Brady An me toes peepin' OCT ct tn coles O me shoes tn bitter winter long, an me hair slten by rats, slspein' outside an wstchin' th' divIl's own gsuger's, an tn dear auld mother consumin' tn poreens an all, buyin' masses fur tn dear father that fell out th' curragh beside Arrsn Isle wid all that jewel O brew. may th' saints light his path in glory tn dsyl-
 Who courted Miss Reilly so snug an 50 slyIy- an It's go snug an 80 slyly I'm thrsmpin' t Roundstone an Galway wid tn first shots an singlin's O potheen, agin tn law, an sittin' among tn fshwives an' Clad dsgh shammers tn whole day fur th' mat ter O thruppence tn journey, widout food passin' my lips, like e goat aitin' trees an air
 Determined to make her his lady;
 Just before he'd begt7 to commit that great sin an Dan Madigan, tn heaftsome lad he Isl worritin' me life In and out agin wid his love maxim, but he's brave one, thin! an his warnin's O th' gaugers cay zin' tn sthill an lsyin' tn dear auld mothers bones in Galway jail sure its warmer bed amy day than these wet rocksi until me hearts broke wid trouble entirely
 Which the clargy they call marrimony- th' divil take Ireland an thim that's hold in' fur 1t, when 6 dsycent girl finds no honest labor but msrryin' t kspe soul sn' body together
 His furniture allne would tell at one call,
 That he'd give to his own darlin' honey an so would Dan Msdigsn If could be- lave his swate blarneyI Oh, its 6 great lady he'd make O me in his Elegant inn. which he lays oath he's got alore fur tn love O Elie' Dreen-that's me, or what'f left O me; wid th' beggsrly life Pm leadin wid th' nsppin' an tuckin' an sthin tn dear auld mother says she an Nora an Msureen I'll nivir be lsvin'-Howly mother O Nosesl-whst's thsti"
 A rock as big as File Dreen's pretty head had come crashing through the cabin roof and fallen upon the huge stone slat where she had been vigorously beating or s'tuckipg' the flannel of Connamsrs, while singing her song about Thsdy O'Bra. dy and innooently relieving her troubled heart.
 After her first moment of surprise the girl simply gave the fallen rock a quiet glance or two, grssped an old horse shoe that lay upon the tucktpg table, and after giving few sharp strokes to the rock be meath her feet, which sent ack hollow, ringing sounds, glided out of the hut io speed swiftly up the mountain side above.
 It was the oddest Irish cabin that .man ever entered. The little structure was built against an almost precipitous rock of the upper mountain heighte; the roof of shell-like, shipgly rock, being laid above rafters of larch tree trunks, running from holes chieeled in the ledge to the single side-wsll of rudeiy piled stones. The light entered at doors In the ends and from tiny side windows. A fireplace was built against the ledge; hole iu the roof above served ss chimney; and beyond the chimney, against dark corner, were few hunks where the hardy women slept, fear lees of sll harm save that from prowlipg gaugers' eyes.
 A narrow boreen, or mountain path, in front of the cabin wound along @ project ing shelving of the rock, which rose straight and gray as giant, centuries old wall hundreds of feet above the shsdowy lOuQh below. AcrOee tnls path, Wnlcn De- came almost e roadway further down the mountain side, directly in front of the hut, little rivulet ran singing for e mo- ment and then fell in tiny, festhsry veil of spray over the jagged edge of the prec- ipice. Cautiously, too, 1t trickled from the crag above. within the cabin itself, and found its way across the stone floor and beneath the side wall along e simmons Ht- tie ruplst, cut for 1t out of the solid rock.
 To even prseticed eyes the curious place was only Connsmara "tuck-mil" whexs the wondrous flannel of the region if shrunk, thickened or "tucked" by pound ing, while wet, with huge wooden ham, mers or maliets ip the hands of brswny Irish lasses and women. But 1t was more than this; for suddenly from beneath where Ellie had stood e thin slab of stone was cautiously upraised- Hands, srms and the scrsggy head of c woman followed this, while the fumes of peat, of true potheen and of slmmeripg barley mash came along with the thin old locks aad the thin old frame from out the myste rious cavern below. -
 'tNoral-Maureeni Qaick, now, an whist, svicksl" exclaimed mother Dreen, calling excitedly down the dark apsr, ture, ss her frightened eyes discernsd tn. rent in the roof and the rock upon thu tucking table. Up they came peil nell. two e fns and strapping lasses ss ever looked brave ly underneath rsvishingly long laahes out of x~fpunx,a Trfah avao zp tl.t.x,~>.1 onx,