The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-28

perlence in the soggy fields had taken
the edge off the Joy that winged me
along the leading road to Strabane. l
was now far out into the heart OF the
world and life doomed darkly before me.
The wet day went to crush my dreams
and the ardor of my spirits. Hitherto
had great belief in women, their purity,
virtue and gentleness. But now my
grand dreams Of pure womanhood had
collapsed. The foul words. the loose
jokes and obscene songs of the two
women who were strangers, the hard.
black, bleeding and scabby knees that
Gourock Ellen showed to us at the fire
had turned my young visions into night
mares. The sight of the girls ploughing
through the mucky clay and the wolfish
stare Of the old man who envied those
who fed beside a dungheap were repel-
lent to me. looked on life in all Its
primordlal brutishness and found. 1t
loathsome to my soul
Only that morning coming up the
Clyde. when Norah and l looked across
the water to a country new to both OF
us. my mind was full Of dreams OF the
future. But the rosy tinted boyish
dreams of morning were shattered be-
fore the fall of night. Maybe the old
man who lay by the dungheap came
to Scotland full OF dreams like mine.
Now the spirit was crushed out OF him:
he was broken on the wheel OF life. and
lie had neither courage to rob. sin nor
die. He could only beg his bit and
apologize for begging. The first day in
Scotland disguised me, made me sick of
life. and IL It were not that Norah Ryan
was in the squad l would go back to
Jim MaCrossans farm again.
We seldom stopped longer than one
| fortnight at a time on any farm We
/ shifted about here and there, digging
twenty acres for one farmer, ten for
another. living in byres. pig stys and
barns, and taking life as we found II.
Daily we labored together, the men bent
almost double over their graips, throw
! ing out the potatoes to the girls who
| followed after, dragging their bodies
through the mlre and muck like
wounded animals, and lifted the bas-
kets OF potatoes and filled the barrels
! for market Still, for all the disad-
vantages. life was happy enough to me
because Norah Ryan was near me work.
ing in the fields.
But the life was brutal and almost
] untlt Tor animals. one nlEUt WHEN We
were asleep in a barn the rain came
| through the roof and flooded the earthen
| floor to a depth of several inches. Our
beds being wet through we had to rise
and stand for the remainder of the night
| knee deep In the cold water.
When morning came we went out tc
work in the wet fields.
once when living in pig sty we were
bothered by rats. When we were al
work they entered our habitatlon. ran
sacked the packets OF food, gnawed
our clothes and upset everything in the
place. They could only get in by one
entrance a hole in the wall above my
bed. and by that same way they had &c
go out After a little while the rats
became holder and came in by night
when we were asleep. One night
awoke to And them jumping down from
the aperture, landing on my body ir
their descent. Then they scamperet
away and commenced prowling around
for food. I counted twenty thuds or
my breast, then stuck my trousers ir
the throat OF the opening above my bee
and Weakened Jim. who snored like