New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-27

remember so well the very first time I saw Mike
Lonnegan- 1t outside a wayside Irish station.
where he had drawn a pair OF III matched. bony
hunters driven during the summer in wagon
ette) with great ourish-indeed. in reckless style.
for the bony hunters resented this unusual flip
pancy on Mixes part. and pranced and OF the
pathway with indignant hoOfs
My friends whispered to me that Mike had in
tended to impress my English mind. He did; but
not exactly in the way he intended poor old fei-
low! II his head I never saw such head!
All the parts that ought to have stuck out went In
and vice versa Then the marvellous manner in
which he had balanced the shabby cOckaded hat on
the contrary bumps in itself work Of art no.
rather outward and visible sign Of in
ward and spiritual originality worth cultivatng.
They begged me not to laugh at Nike or his ap-
pearance. saying, with sigh: He is so sensitive
poor dear; and really don't know what we should
do without him7' All. what indeedi
I had the pleasure of staying many months In
this genial Irish house, and my Respectfully. awe
for Mike increased daily. =.
He was coaehman gardener; butler and valet
this in itself. to sufficiently astonishing
discovered that Mike ruled it with an iron rod.
gently welded. maybe and with a padded TIP;
Brian Boru (the setter which had reason to re
member Mikes strength Of ARM. no one seemed 70
''Tell me- 1 asked, why do you all bow down
my dear" was told, Mike has been hfty,years
at Ballyknockshannon; ne came 20 my 1dtles ss
Irish landlords, and Mike has gradually drifted
Ms have awe Ro @on RSs and aa5e he oes MY
pretty friends pretty eyes ned how WITH no6d Nike Is
and what he does for US He is nearly seventy
down during the day and only after supper will he
rest SO OF course we must put uP Win ms W S
him at dinner tonight when / refer TO the table
I watched I had already observed silent battles
the immense aggressive bowl cf nowerS tnaI
knockshannon Enter the company VINO take sne '
boars head and trufies instead OF vegetable soup;
enter Brian Boru stoalthiy, making Ior Ine D ~
W Witha under the table with wary eye On .@'
view. Mike. I've told you that we don't Ike tnat
thing, but the little silver vases. why don't you use
Mike fixed the bowl with regrettul but deter deter.
mined eye and murmured deprecaungiy, sure
tits a fOine beautiful thing, yer lRdyship's honor
e end ntfns rs 10 inc y0q 10 e 5 Is
THAT viii do Mike replies her iAdyshiD's honor;
Mike looked at her with anguish then cutehipg
win Ieye b n fo1 tban Tn TO
the side OF the table, and then withdrew hurriedly
Now w. you you watch Whispered my delighted host.
he win never remove that bowl" a.,
''The bowl on the table. Mike. whispered the
Gertone "Gnd is il not the ffsh sauce ne get
ting; would her honor wish the fish without sauce,
and an Elegant English lady there" etc And SO
u Mike. the bowl reproachfuny
wait until until he brings in the fOine figure q duck
stuck snS firmly to his O o2 the had ns
since he could remember. therefore IL should
be used now and for all time
Yielding place new
/ was fncomprehensible heresy Mike
Three or four days after the Battle Of the Bow
trees Of Bailyk INK reading.
1t was a gorgeous. golden afternoon In Septem-
Voices Of the Workmsn and the sursiing OF ttis
stream that ran at the bottom OF the garden
been reading The Idylls OF the King" and thsir
| beauty had sunk deep into my heart. making a
I watched Mike moving the lawn pity1nsly.
fdrt him. no poetry to delight his fancy. no beau
tiful books TO stimulate his intellect-e mere ma
/ the old mans methodcal moving began to irri-
tate what imagined to be my poetic appreciation
Of nature. Mike. can you read. and would you
/ like me to lend you some booksF
care and precision. and came over 10 me. remember
the set fun his quiet old face. with its
so deeply marked on the prominent forehead
d are W a SSHEs %y to 5hsH e and he Ssd Be-
| gun, during the last few days 70 thing that some
| given me a grand library, and the new ones they
are severely. the div1i. begging your pardon.
what DO you read. Mixer asked. patronis-
aAh. we'll my lady. have all Mr.. CarIyle,s
works. and the grand Scotch S 11
William Shakespeare IN fcne nesan5 Soy NIsoS OF
green 6 S5S EBen rns and 1 iEsoW and
and Shelley and Cowper and'- -,.., -
| and pSttinF nv hat straight edo you mean you
have read all these-Carlyle mean. and snake
| speare?'
81 have my lady" said Mike. simply; Then ne
went on 70 tell that Colonel OCaLaehan a
neightSr had a valuable library and had given
Mike permission 20 use II whenever he wished =.
any note that Mike had not read -,
Garl-ie. Thackeray. Emerson. Dumas De gum
/ Macaulay Green. BacOn-Works Wnlcn 4. Win
nv superior ID intellect. found hard OF dlgest9il
he simply revelled in; Scott. Dickens ana Mereoith
were trihes to him 49,.
IN was one OF the mysteries Of Ballyknoc ksnann9n
! n read and how and when ne
had ACQUIRED the extraordinary all around khoWI-
edge ne undoubtedly possessed. for ne was most
tb0roughIv EMPLOYED during the day: In the evening
we often heard him playing the violin. ana GUY OF
his sixtyve odd years he had hardly spent one OUT
OF Observation-Disclosures. -. . ,,,-- -.
T. was horne IN upon me gradually that Mike was
IN himself % a philosopher. 90 a literary cri'i"