Barbour County index., 1910-04-13

truthfulness, or might have meant the
climax of his humor-I could not say
which. You will see there" he said,
'the blood-stains on the flag that new
er could be washed out"
'Blatherskite!" snapped the mater
ialist, with curl of his lip and a
shrug of his shoulders
" 'Tisnt any blatherskite," said the
humorist, turning on his fellow.
Didn't I see it with me own eyes?-
an you did too
"Blatherskite!" repeated the mater
ialist with deeper scorn.
"Wisha, but you're contrairy!" said
the humorist. Then turning to me,
He'll believe nothing, he'll not"
He scraped the moss from flag on
the battle ground to point out the dark
spots that were, he asserted, the
blood-stains; and beggarmar, who
came up while we stood there,
vouched for the truth of this. The ma
terialist, disgustedly turning his back
upon us all, said, That's all dom non
sense"
There We are" said the humorist
resignedly; "sure, 1 tould you he'd be-
ieve nothing"
The men who looked their last upon
the world on that bright, harvest
morning from the boreen in Carrick-
shock, looked far over a pleasant coun-
try, for Carrickshock is on the slope
of the hill, and away below is a vast
plain, and beyond the plain little hills
rise to the horizon, all the area within
being thickly dotted with farmhouses.
The roofs, and the smoke, of some vii
lagos. too, being within the range of
vision.
That's all now," said the material
ist interrupting me, as, looking afar
off, meditated, That's all you've to
see"
'Wisha,' said his companion sympa-
thetically, hasn't he seen plenty?"
'What?" said the materialist, scowl-
ing severely on him, lust bare bit
of bosheen. What's in that?"
1 said: Il am pleased to have seen
it,"
"Troth, you're aisy plalsed," said
the materialist-"A small bosheen
with two stone bitches on both sides
sadly for me.
l smiled at the materialists concern
for my supposed disappointment, and
the humorist laughed. AS both of
them had been very kind and had
walked a good distance with me and
given me a great deal of information,
l handed the materialist shilling,
telling him to get tobacco for the two
of them with it. The humorist, turn
! ing, looked at me lazily from under his
| long lashes, and added, insinuatingly,
An what about victim our throats ?"
l, thereupon, launched out into lee
ture upon drink being Irelands ruin,
and l quoted for him what l consid-
cred some startling facts and figures,
and wound up by saying that l would
a thousand times rather sling my
money from me than give it to any
one for drink.
When 1 finished, 1 f1attered myself
| that 1 had done good afternoon s
work by that lecture alone, anu its eff
| feet upon this fellow. There was a
i
moments silence while l studied its
effect on my victim, and while he
waited politely to make sure that
was completely through. Then diving
his hands deeper into his pockets he
said
"Wisha, an you're the quarest lad
ever came into this bosheen-who'd
give money for tobacky, an wouldn't
give ha'penny for a dhrink to raise
a mans heart!"
AS l would mount my bicycle to ride
away after thanking my companions
and bidding them good day. the ma.
terialist, who had been silent, again
expressed his sympathy. 'Wisha, an
twas little you had to see in bit OF
| a bosheen! An maybe come far to
see, too?"
l said: 81 came nearly 5000 miles
to see it-and would gladly do so
again"
"Bould fella," said the humorist.
But the materialist, as | looked
| hack was grayely shaking his head.