Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1906-09-15

shake my feet at We all. Connie Roe,
indeed! Connie Roe for nine an TWEEN
ty ha'pcnce! Who wants Connie Roe?"
''Iveryone!" came the roar.
Then" said Phelim, and pointed
down st his old beaver, rattle in few
more O the brown boys; make them
forty all told, an start. Come! who's
first? Quick now! Ho, no! there
they 60. Keep at It, boys-one after
another, like Paddy's ducks. Och! pity
the poor blind! That's the way! Hur-
roo! Make it fifty and III shout me-
self hoarse. What! all done? Well,
WE'LL" he moaned, and stopped for the
beaver, hope | may die in ditch
an niver see the workhouse! Sure me
jayn!us won't save me. Will what's
there make the number, | wonder?' he
said as he CROPPED among the coins and
dropped them through his fingers. Il
misdoubt; but no odds I'll trust We,
childer, I'll trust ye."
Very skillfully he poured the coins
into his wallet; then drew himself up,
ran bis fingers through his hair, and
in measured sing-song (ntoning you
might say began:
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 her 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
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. see them now. TheeI
in the mud-walled room-its rafters
black wi 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.
And in the middle O. the room is set
a wooden coffin. All plain and rude il
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 fiickerin'
gloom on throngs of Twin ghosts! See
how the weird light falls on shinin'
tins all sparlIlin' 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 sLrouded up, all stark an
grim. All, ah! 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, the
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
helpless crash fell on the bier. The
candles fell; up rose the dead; quick,
like q fash, the shroud and head-dress
blazed-blazed up, fiared out. and
showed to all a shape that sprang like
life, all 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
curses fierce an loud, half blind wi
fear, talf mad WI dread, the wake
made for the door. Look, there they
go! Like beasts they go-brute beasts
and trample one another down. The
door is shut, fast shut. Hear now the
cries of fear turn quick to yells of
pain. Quick, cravens, quick! One fran
tic rush. There, there! the wall goes
down-the beasts are free! Let
then tho flames mount high and give
dead Connie Roe a martyrs burial.
All, heavens, not yet! Back, era
vens, back The roof is down, is all
ablaze Hear there that shriek!-it
comes from one, young fair girl, fast
prisoned in that blazing tomb. Back,
back, We men, and set the living free!
What! Gone? All gone? Oh,
hearts of straw!
BLOW then We winds, blow hard