Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-07-05
IRISH WAYS OF LIFE.
What the Stranger Sees on Erin's
Green Isle. e:
'a' woes Not believe in n Direct Answer,
"u' tses Many Words and Long ones
fondness for Naming
the Deity.

""uuess Tor Naming
the Deity.
writing OF the charaCterl,ti -e ~ tho
Irish people the London cnrrr>punirnt
OF San Francisco paper SAYS Pat i
not guided in his dealings hv the Scrip
tural admonition To- dircctnrs>. His
communication is never Yea" nor
nay. lie is fond of words. and long
ones and when these fail hr has still
the blaekthorn as an aid To- argument.
from the beginning to the end If my
1annt no one answered yes or no III
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
Office"
II did, sor."
Have you been to the village this
morning?" /
Il have not, sor."
One longs for a straight Eyes" or
no." and he becomes decidedly weary
OF hearing the name of the Deity
dragged into every disc 'ssion from the
prospects of home rule TO the price #
eggs ats the best you'll find in the
country, please Cod" said an ancient
Celt who was trying TO sell a cow at
Dingle market. The beast was sorr;
looking, but ''please tod. she'll give
more milk than any other wan in
Kerry"
When Pat exclaims: ats fine morn
Ing, thank God" you are not to sup
pose that his cry comes from devout
and grateful spirit, nor need You be-
2ieve that the morning is necessarily
fine. One day, at a remote coast settle
ment, / was awakened by the proprie-
tor Of the cabin where we lodged.
;"What is the weather." said l. God
be praised. it's fine day." said he, GO
ing to the window. throwing aside an
old shawl that served for a blind, and
revealing landscape soaking under
steady rain.
were for q few days, had been a 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 dozen miles away,
could not be persuaded to put in an ap-
pearance.
I'm come Monday. please God" said
Phil Finn. Monday came but no Phil.
Tuesday passing farmer left mes.
sage: "Phil Finn says, please God, he IL
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 to
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 Anglo-Saxon
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 q bargain when trading
is to be done. I have known some old
fellows whose appearance would excite
the commiseration OF tourists and sen.
timental folk to have bee.c. he owners
OF snug fortunes, which we're slowed
away under their garments or in holes
In their cabin walls. Instances Of this
kind are not rare.
A gentleman in Kerry told me good
story about close-handed old tenant
on his estate. Daniel Sheehan was not
model tenant, but he was in many re-
spects typical one. He owed several
years rent, and always complained OF
the hard times when he was asked to
- 4vsA Al@
were not wanting-from bad season
to . 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, SITS 81
dyin' request I have to make to ye, an
KNOWN it's q good man ye are, I'm
that sure yen not refuse me-"
well. Dan, what Is it,"
'"'What is it?' ye ask. It's yerseli
knows I'm owing yer trife av rint.
An how much might ye put it st?"
1.-TWO hundred pounds" r
'"Truer word We never spoke. But
its that same two hundred that's both
erin me last thoughts It's wishin' tc
lave the family with a roof over their
heads am. It's trifle av money j
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 q recate for the
whole I'm OWN ye. 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 stun in preparing it for their
indiscriminating palates. In every
Irish cabin the teakettlc is forever on
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 Is bitter as gall, and as po-
tent as the mountain dew" that comes
from the stills which fail to contribute
revenue to the customs. All day anS
al the evening the tea stews in its ket.
tie. Liberal draughts are taken from
It in various forms, and when the SUD-
ply runs low it is a simple matter to ado
more water or more tea, according to
the idiosyncracies Of the housekeepe,
Or the condition Of the commisssry de
partment
GLORY SURPRISING SOLOMON's
Gn.aa.,s Lord Mayor l. . Gorgeous Crsa-
ture WHEN ArTaysd In His Robes.
The fountain of municipal honor in
England undoubtedly springs from
the Guildhall, London, which justly
claims to be accounted the most an
Gent of our municipal halls, seeing
that the lord mayors Of the last eight
centuries are with justice assumed to
have had prototypes in the Roman
project and the Saxon fortreye or port
grave. For . considerable number of
years, says the London Telegraph, the
robes Of the lord mayor, the court OF
aldermen, and the common councillors
have been settled with precision that
none save the most reckless of inno-
vators would presume to disturb.
The lord mayor himself has his
"Rold" robe for the occasion OF the an
f. h,