The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-28
THREE
DAYS
ONLY.
Irish ErcQuette$,


AT the time Of the building Of the White
"A Pass railroad blasting gang was at
work one day. Work had only pro-
crossed short distance from Skagway
at that time. 1t was near noon hour. and
blast was being set Off. The gang had
already scrambled to positions beyond, as
they thought, reach of danger. and. after
the fuse burned down and the accompa-
nying explosion came, they slowly drifted
back to see it's effect All but one, and he
the brightest and cheeriest man of the lot.
For Billy Delaney was a universal favor
lite, always with a song or story to liven up
the leisure hours of his duller companions,
and gifted with the facile Irish habit of
looking at the bright side of everything.
A hurried search led to the discovery
that the immense bowlder under which
he had sought refuge had sagged over
from the force of the blast. and the inev-
liable conclusion was that the poor fellows
body lay crushed beneath, crushed out of
all human sembiance. As they realized
this fact the workmen, who were mainly
Irish, got to debating as to who was the
one to break the news to Delaney's young
wife. He had only been married two
weeks, and in the newly built cabin but
a short distance away his wife was await
ing his coming at noon for dinner.
One old Irishman put a quietus to the
discussion by saying:
Jerry Clancy. you're the best wan. You
knowed the gurl fore Billy married her.
and twill look better, for she's used to
you comm to the house. An want to
tell you wan thing. Jerry Clancy, and
wan thing isn't two things. I don't want
you to go an tell her right up that Billy
is kilt. You want to lade up to that kind
o. sidewaya"
"Well," retorted Jerry, "d'ye think I'm
an ignoramus altogether? You jest lave
that to me-"
So Clancy sets off for Delaney's cabin.
to there find the young wife. with the din
ner set, waiting for her husband. Her
first query was so direct and sudden that
It drove out of Jerry's head all the plans
he had formulated as to breaking the
news.
why" she said, Jerry Clancy, what
In the world brings you here this time o.
day."
Jerry, fiustered as he never had been
in his life before, blurted out:
"Say, Mrs. Delaney, dye know that new
watch thai Billy bought last week-the
wan he paid thirty dollars for, and was
'justed to hate an cold an the radiators.
an everything"
"why, certainly, jerry" she wondering
ly replied.
We'll" burst from Jerry, at got smash
ed into thousand little bits o. pieces!''
How did that happen, Jerry?"
"Twinty ton o. rock fell on your hus-
band" answered jeremiah.
+ r +
Back in California m the sixties there
lived in Inyo county two middle-aged
brothers upon whom the charms
of the gentler sex had had as
vet no effect and who ''bached'
on the ranch which they Jointly owned and
worked. This was before a railroad ever
reached that section, and a trip to Frisco
was made twice year-each taking 1t in
turn--to dispose Of stock. etc. and Incl
dentally purchase and bring back neces-
saries for the running of the ranch This
time the trip was made by Andy, who
was the Junior Of his brother James by
few years, and was accompanied by three
of his men to drive the stock and two
heavily-loaded teams. He reached Frisco
the beginning Of Christmas week, and