Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-06-13
OONE.
A Tale of McCarthy'S Farm, on Shir-
KEY Island, in Far Famed Kerry.


Mike McCarthy's farm extended over
the whole of Shirley Island. He held
it at a merely nominal rent, because,
as his neighbors were fond of remark
ing. "sorra a sowl in Kerry, savin' an
unbelievin' old naygur like himself,
w'ud ha' tuck it at gift" The reason
was not far to seek. 1t was well
known that the place was haunted.
Years ago a Spanish galleon, laden
with treasure from the Indies, was
lured by wreckers to its treacherous
shores and every soul on board per-
ished. The gold for which the wretch
ed islanders had sinned so deeply was
not allowed to fall into their hands.
The ghosts of the shipwrecked strang-
ers buried it beneath a huge rock and
from that day to this guard it jealous
ly. The attempts to unearth it have
been numerous Of one may judge from
the plies of rough granite scattered
round the base of the solid rock, but
all such attempts have hitherto been
fruitless. Frightful looking creatures,
with coal black hair, burning eyes, and
strangely made red garments, swoop
down upon the treasure hunters and
| carry them off in their phantom boat.
Mike, a stranger from the north, was
a widower, with a daughter of ten,
when he first came to reside at Shir-
KEY. He never became popular, though
there was nothing to be urged against
him. There was a rough peremptori-
ness in his speech, a bustling energy
in his movements, that Jared upon
his more languid neighbors, and his
unceasing efforts to improve his poor
holding were not admired by the
Kerryites, who think it true wisdom to
take life easy. and let the world slide
His marriage to Coma Doolan Ga well
thought of girl from Wesht Shneem),
might have made him better liked but
for the significant fact that the
crather moped an pined from the firsht
day she shtepped widin his door, an
more be token, shipped ont OF it on
him before he had been wed twelve
month. lawn a weeny girsha behind.
1t was thought likely that Mike
would now go "courtin" for the third
time. "for how could the crather get
on of his lone wild them two young
vans on his han's?"
Several widows and mature spin
sters came to the conclusion that
tho they w'ud niver care for a single
bone in his ould carcase, it w'ud be
betther. for the sake of them misfort'-
nit childre'. not to give the ould devil
skins the cowld shoulder if he chanst
to come oglin' their way"
But Mike made no further attempt to
obtain matrimonial bliss. IAN ould
ancient crone," who had just been
elected from her cabin "for the trifle of
rint that was OWN" and who had
been about to accept the cold hospital
itv of the Kenmore Union, was only too
glad to look after the childre', the
bastes an the chickens, an to git
ready the bite and sup for himself, for
the sake of a roof over her head an a
grain O. tay tolwet in her pot
When. in the course of nature, this
poor soul moved into the only home
from which the Irish peasant need not
fear to be elected, Mikes Oldest daugh-
ter (ugly Kitty was old enough to be
left in CHARGE 4a
No one could accuse him Of being a
had father: his children were better
housed. better fed, and better clothed
than their companions, but he had
strict notions, and was often heard to
say that the only way to kape girls
out of divilmint was to give them
lashins of occupashun."
But though, in pursuance of his plan,
he kept them hard at work on the
farm. or at an old spinning wheel
which he had unearthed, "the dear on'y
knows where" he did his duty by Kit
ty as soon as she reached a marriage
able age, by letting it be known far
and wide that he wasn't the man to
be sendin' child of his empty handed
into any dacent family; an that the
lad as nd git his Kitty wud be none
so poorly off"
Notwithstanding these pregnant
hints. Kitty was not sought after; it
was not her plain face, and square,
ungainly figure that kept her from
making a good match marriage is
quite as much a business arrangement
| in Kerry as in Franco, but the alarm
ing rumors about "her divil of a tenn
per" frightened would-be wooers;
they were afraid to tackle a "sthrap
who had been known to up wild a
pitaty-pat an heave 1t at a naboIr's
head" and they declared that "sure
the black scowl on her was ugly enough
to fright away the Ould Wan him
self"
So she was left to wither on the
| parent stalk until her sister was near
| " seventeen. and as sweet a little
beauty as eyes could wish to light up
on. The only place where the boys
could get a good look at Coma was IN
chapel. during the Sunday mass and
the distractions of which she was the