Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-09-22
PheIim raised his staff.

Yell get just what we've paid for
Connie Roe!" went the voices
again; give us Connie Roe!"
"Will We whisht there!" roared Phe-
linn. Another cheep from We an I'll
shake my feet at We ALL Connie Roe,
indeed! Connie Roe for nine an TWEEN
ty ha'pence! Who wants Connie Roe?"
Everyone" came the roar
Then said Phelim, and pointed
down at his old beaver, rattle in few
more O. the brown boys; make them
forty all told, an l start. Come! who's
first? Quick now! Ho, no! there
they go Keep At 1t, boys-one after
another, like Paddy's ducks Och! pity
the poor blind! That's the way Hur-
roo! Make it fifty and I'll shout me-
self hoarse. What! all done? Well,
WELL" he moaned, and stopped for the
! beaver, hope | may die in a ditch
! an niver see the workhouse Sure me
jaynius won't save me. Will what's
| there make the number, l wonder?" he
, said as he CROPPED among the coins and
dropped them through his fingers. 81
misdoubt; but no odds I'll trust We,
! childer, III trust ye.'
Very skillfully he poured the coins
| into his wallet; then drew himself up,
ran his fingers through his hair, and
in measured sing-song (ntoning you
might say began:
1.-The sorry word flew round the cOun-
| try side that poor ould Connie Roe was
dead and zone, dead and gone-gone
| home. Big wi years was she-peace
to ner soul!-wi' years o. poverty, an
care an woe. Light lie her bones All
through the weary years she passed
as one whose tongue dropped wisdom,
whose life was pure, whose hand was
ever stretched to give, when givin'
meant the stintin' of herself Her end
was peace. Kind willin' hands were
by to soothe her passin' an send her
softly on her way. Peace to her SOUL"
The old man bowed his head for a
moment in the silence of the market
place; then quicker, less mournful, the
chant went en-:
'An now her neighbor come wi will
lin hearts to sit an smoke, an sing
sad songs, to yell an howl, an glori-
fly the dead WI hideous mockery of the
awe of death. I see them now. Theer
in thee mud-walled room-its rafters
black VII smoke, the floor of clay, the
single window small an dark, the
gloom an smoke-there on chairs, on
stools, on bots of turf, set men an
women, old and young, speakin' tender
O. the dead, now loud an wild an free,
now hushed an still. From the ould
hays, wi faces wrung WI grief, their
barred arms stretched out to heaven,
goes ur a fearful shriekin' wail-a
| wall like spirits passin' through the
night, wall that thrills WI fear ones
very flesh an makes the blood run
cold.
And in the middle O. the room is set
a wooden coffin. All plain and rude it
is the portion of the poor. The hur-
dies stand; rough wood lies loose on
| top, rough wood below; above, the
candles feebly burn; see how they flare
an gutter in the smoke, an throw
| their glimmer through the fickerin'
| gloom on throngs of Twin ghosts! See
| how the weird light falls on shinin'
| tins all sparklin' round the walls. The
kettle Kisses there; the fire jumps and
| falls jumps and falls-ah! jumps an
shows that gruesome thing stretched
out between the candles an the floor
a thing all shrouded up, all stark an
| grim. All, ali! that senseless shape,
| that poor Ould face so calmly restin'
there an peepin' up so still an cold
so cold! Whisht! the fire falls. Back,
back thou gruesome thing! Whisht'
comes once more the merry laugh, thu
sharp debate, the horrid wall. See
| there again the needless groups that
give no thought to life or death, cen
| in the haunt of Death"
The old man paused the ring
pressed closer; silence held the market
place; quicker the chant went on:
''The wake was nearly done; the
pipes were out, the talk grown fiat an
| dull the courtin' pairs at last well sick
| Of love; ould men were fast asleep, the
young a-noddin' as they sat; no more
the hays gave up their wall, but wag-
ged their hairy chins in senseless talk.
"The wake was done; and yet none
liked to go, for out of doors the night
was dark and wild At last one rose.
and kicking DER his stool, cried out,
| Here goes!' then started for the door:
| but goin' stumbled slipped, and wi a
helpless crash fell on the bier. The
candles fell; up rose the dead; quick,
like a fash, the shroud and bead-dress
bIazed-blazed up, Jared out, and
| showed to all a shape that sprang like
life, ali wrapped in Handspring up,
then fell and rolled out on the floor
And all were sure that Connie Roe had
come to life to warn them of their
sins"
Quicker, sharper, went the old mans
| voice:
Then came a scene. A panic seized
them all With shrieks, an yells, an
cursaS fierce an loud, half blind VII