[Illustration: Music sheet for THE RISING OF THE MOON THE RISING OF THE MOON O, then, tell me, Shawn O’ Far-rell, where the gath’ring is to be. In the old spot by the river, Right well known to you and me. One word more, for signal token whistle up the march-ing tune, With your pike up - on your shoulder at the rising of the moon.] [Illustration: Music sheet for GAOL GATE GAOL GATE Caions. _Tempo, ad lib._ What way will I be the Sun-day And I going up the hill to the Mass; Ev’ry woman with her own comrade And Mary Cush-in to be walk-ing her lone. {_Spoken_.} What way drive the furrow? {_Sings_.} The sheaf to be scat-tered before spring-time that was brought together at the harvest! {_Spoken_.} I would not—an estate. {_Sings_.} But my grief your name to be blackened in the time of the black’ning of the rushes Your ... name never to rise up again In the growing time ... of ... the year.] NOTES AND CASTS SPREADING THE NEWS The idea of this play first came to me as a tragedy. I kept seeing as in a picture people sitting by the roadside, and a girl passing to the market, gay and fearless. And then I saw her passing by the same place at evening, her head hanging, the heads of others turned from her, because of some sudden story that had risen out of a chance word, and had snatched away her good name. But comedy and not tragedy was wanted at our theatre to put beside the high poetic work, _The King’s Threshold_, _The Shadowy Waters_, _On Baile’s Strand_, _The Well of the Saints_; and I let laughter have its way with the little play. I was delayed in beginning it for a while, because I could only think of Bartley Fallon as dull-witted or silly or ignorant, and the handcuffs seemed too harsh a punishment. But one day by the sea at Duras a melancholy man who was telling me of the crosses he had gone through at home said—“But I’m thinking if I went to America, its long ago to-day I’d be dead. And its a great expense for a poor man to be buried in America.” Bartley was born at that moment, and, far from harshness, I felt I was providing him with a happy old age in giving him the lasting glory of that great and crowning day of misfortune. It has been acted very often by other companies as well as our own, and the Boers have done me the honour of translating and pirating it. HYACINTH HALVEY I was pointed out one evening a well-brushed, well-dressed man in the stalls, and was told gossip about him, perhaps not all true, which made me wonder if that appearance and behaviour as of extreme respectability might not now and again be felt a burden.