The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-07-26
IRISH WAYS OF LIFE.
What the Stranger Sees on Erin's
Green Isle.
Pat Does Not Believe in a Direct Answer,
But Uses Many Words and Long Ones
--FOndness for Naming
the Deity.

of a San Francisco paper says Pat is
not guided in his dealings by the scrip
tural admonition to directncss. His
communication is never yea nor
''nay" He is fond of words. and long
ones. and when these fail he has still
the blackthOrn as an aid to argument
From the beginning to the end of my
1aunt no one answered yes or no" in
reply to any question that required a
simple affirmative or negative. There
is prodigious waste of words in this
diverting country.
did YOU take the letter to the post
Officer
Il did. sor.''
'Have you been to the village this
morning."
81 have not. sOr."
One longs for a straight eyes, OF
mo" and he becomes decidedly weary
of hearing the name of the Deity
dragged into every discussion from the
prospects of home rule to the price of
eggs. cts the best you'll find in the
country, please GOd!'' said IN ancient
Celt who was trying to sell COW at
Dingle market. The beast was sorr--
looking, but ''please God. she'll give
more milk than any other wan in
Kerry"
When Pat exclaims: cts fine morn
ing, thank Cod you are not to sup
pose that his cry comes from devout
and grateful spirit, nor need you be-
lieve that the morning is necessarily
fine. One day, at remote coast settle
I l,x-t1 ,,
tor of the cabin where we lodged.
'"What is the weather." said I. "God
be praised, it's a fine day" said he, 60
ing to the window, throwing aside an
old shawl that served for a blind. and
revealing a landscape soaking under a
steady rain.
An Irish gentleman, who's guests we
were for few days, had been fort
night trying to induce the local carpenter
to effect some simple repairs about the
place. A days work would have been
sufficient, but Phil Finn. who lived in
the village half a dozen miles away,
could not be persuaded to put in an APP
pearance.
iii come Monday, please Cod said
Phil Finn. Monday came but 10 Phil.
Tuesday passing farmer left a mes.
sage: ''Phil Finn says, please Gcd. he'll
come tomorrow. Similar reports pre-
ceded Philip for week. Sunday morn
ing the worthy carpenter turned up in
his best clothes.
"But you can't work to-day. Phil"
''Sure, sor, an it's that I've come tc
tell yer. But it's tomorrow I'll be
here: in Gods name. | will
But another week went by before the
work was begun.
Pat is not thrifty in our Anrlo-Sa Xon
sense of the word. Yet he is rarely as
poor as he looks, and he is often a
great deal richer than you will have
any reason to suppose. His notion of
prosperity is not comfort, but hoard
ing. He has as keen an eye as any
other man for n bargain when trading
is to be done. / have known some old
fellows whose appearance would excite
the commiseratiOn of tourists and sem
timental folk to have bee ~'as owners
of snug fortunes, which -r.5-G slowed
away under their garments or in holes
in their cabin walls. Instances of this
kind are not rare.
y
story about a close-handed old tenant
on his estate. Daniel Sheehan was not
model tenant, but he was in many re-
spects a typical one. He owed several
years rent, and always complained OF
the hard times when he was asked to
pay a trife on the arrears. Excuses
were not wanting-from bad season
to a big family-he had them all at
his tongues end. One day he fell ill,
and when it become evident that he
could not recover he sent for the land
lord, who is a good-natured man and
well liked in the neighborhood. When
his visitor arrived Daniel called him to
the bedside and sent everyone else from
the room.
"Now, Mr.. -" said he, cts a
dyin' request I have to make to We, an
KNOWN it's a good man We are, I'm
that sure yell not refuse me-
''Well, Dan, what is it?''
"'What is it?' We ask. It's yersel1
knows I'm owing yer a trifie av rint.
An how much might We put it at?''
1.-TWO hundred pounds
''Truer word We never spoke. But
it's that same two hundred that's both.
erin me last thoughts. It's wishin' tc
lave the family with roof over their
heads / am. It's a trifle av money ]
have by me foreninst this day, an, for
the sake av the ould woman an the
childer, I'd be askin' yer to take fifty
pounds and give me a recate for the
whole I'm OWN We. It's good man We
are known to be in the country. and
you'll be dom the same for the sake av
the vans lave behind"
The transaction was effected. Two
days later Daniel died. and it was then
discovered that he had left to his family
seven hundred and fifty pounds in cash.
The decoction that passes for tea in
Ireland is wonderful and fearful to be.
hold, to smell and to drink. Good tea
is bought; in fact. the people usually
pay extravagant prices for it, but they
ruin the stuff in preparing it for then
Indiscrimlnating palates. In every
Irish cabin the teal1attlc is forever or
the fire, and all day long its contents
alternately boil stew and simmer &C
cording to the strength of the flame OF
the heat of the peat embers. The
product is as bitter as gall, and as DO
tent as the "mountain dew that come.
from the stills which fail to contribute
revenue to the customs. All day ans
all the evening the tea stews IN its i:et
tie. Liberal draughts are taken from
it in various forms, and when the SUD
ply runs low it is simple matter to asls
more water or moro tea, according Il
the idiosyncracies OF the houselzeepel
.,r the condition of the commissary Gle
partment.