The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-07-24
SHE'S ALL THU
WORLD TO ME.
By HALL GAME,
Author Of "I'he Mdnrmd1l," "IRe Deem
StGr," etc.
CHAPTER XVI

beg, the harbor master, and Jenny Quark
Balladhoo had been each TO contribute TO-
ward the curious Manx ritual Of carol or
carval singing, Great had hitherto been
the rivalry between these musical celebri.
ties But word had gone around the town
that tonight their efforts were to be com
bined In "a carol which they were 10 sing
together. A young wag had effected this
extraordinary combination bya plot which
was expected to add largely to the amuse-
ment of the listeners
Tommy Bill-bog, as was well known,
could not read syllable, yet he would
never sing his carol without having the
printed copy of 1t In his hand. Such GU
rious vanity had long been the cause of
merriment and now some capital was TO
be made out of it. Jenny Quark Ballad
hoo, on the other hand, could read, but
he resembled Tommy Bill beg in being al
most stone deaf. Each could hear himself
sing, but neither could hear another.
And now Tor the plot Young Mr.. Wag
had called on the harbOr master that morn
ing at his ivy cottage and Tommy, said
he, ITS mortal strange the way man of
your common sense can't see that you'd
wallop that squeaking ould Jenny Ballad
hoo in jiffy ii you'd only consent to
sing ballad along with him Bless me,
it's then they'd be seeing what weak,
ould, cracked pot of a voice is at him. "
Tommy Bill-begs face began to wear
smile Of benevolent condescension OBJ
serving his advantage, the young rascal
continued: do it at the Oiel Verree to-
night Tommy. He'll sing his treble, and
you'll sing seconds TO him. "
1t was an unhIcky remark The harbor
master frowned with the austerity of a
Malvolio. Me sing seconds to the cray
thur No, neyerr'
1t was explained to Tommy Bill beg,
with a world of abject apology, that there
was sense in which seconds meant flrsts.
The harbor master was modified and at
length consented to the proposal, but with
one idea clearly impressed on his mind
namely, that if he was tC sing carol with
Jenny Balladhoo he must take good care
TO sing his loudest, in order to drown at
once the voice of his rival and the bare no
ton that it was he who was singing sec
Onds to such a poor creature as that.
Then Mr.. Wag walked up the hill to
BalladhoO, and 'Jemmy," said he it's
mortal strange the way a man of your
common sense can't see that you'd WALTON
that squeaking ould Tommy Bill beg in a
jiffy If you'd only consent to sing ballad
along with him. Do 1t at the Oiel Verree
tonight, Jenny, and, bless me, that's the
when they'll be seeing what "a weak, ould,
cracked pot of a voice is at the craythurl"
The gardener of Balladhoo fell an easier
prey to the plot than the harbor master,
and carol was selected. It was to be the
ancient carol on the bad women mention
ed in the Bible rs having, from Eve down
ward. brought evil on mankind. This was
accounted on appropriate ditty for these
notable illustrations of bachelordom
Nov, Tommy Bill-bog always kept his
carols where Danny saw them-plnned
against the walls of his cottage. The
bad Women" was the carol which was
pinned above the mantelpiece 1t resem.
bled all the others in being worn, crum-
pied and dirty, but Tommy knew it by its
locality and could distinguish every other
by Its position.
Young Mr.. Wag had somehow got what
ne called "skute" into his literary mys-
terry, so after arranging with Jenny
Quark he watched Tommy Bill-bcg out Of
his house, crept into it unobserved, took
down the carol pinned above the mantel-
piece and fixed up another in place Of 1t
from a different part of the room. The
substituted carol happened, oddly enough,
to be a second copy of the same carol on
bad Women" with this radical differ.
ence, that the one taken down was the yer.
sion of the carol In English and the one
put up was the version in Manx.
The bells began to ring, and Tommy
Bill-beg donned his best petticoat and
monkey jacket, put the carol in his pocket
and went off to church.
Prayers had been said that night to g
thin congregation, but no sooner were
they done and the parson had prepared tC
leave than great crowds of young men anG
maidens trOoped down the aisles. The
young women went up into the gallery
and from that elevation shot down at theil
bachelor friends large handfuls of peas
but to what ancient spirit of usage, beyond
the ancient spirit Of mischief, the strang'
practice was due must be left as a solemn
problem to the learned and curious anti
quarles
Nearly everybody carried a candle, the
candles of the young women being usual
iy adorned with IL red ribbon and rosette
The brillianc, Of illumination was sucl
as the dusky old church enjoyed only ono
in a year.
When everything was considered to b.
ready and the parish clerk had taken hi
station inside the communion rail, tn
business of the Oiel Verreo began. FRS
enc man got up and sang u carol in Eng
lish; then another sang Manx carol. TIL
latter depicted the physical sufferings o
Christ and described, with an intensity o
"naturalism" even yet unknown to mod
ern literature, how the "skin was torn of
his shoulder blade" But the great even
OF the night was TO be the carol sung b.
the sworn enemies, Tommy Bill-bcg an,
Jenny Ozark Balladhoo,
At last their time came. They ros
from opposite sides Of the church, eye
each other with severe looks stepped on
Of their pews and walked down the aisl
to the door of the porch. Then they turn
ed about in silence and standing side b
side faced the communion.
The whispering in the gallery and tit
tering in the body were audible TO all eS
cept the persons who were the occasion c
them.
"Hush, hush, ma veen; that's him
that's him." BLESS me- look at Tomms
Bill-beg and the petticoat, and the hand
kercher pinnin round his throat" Jaw