Stories and Legends of Travel and History, for ChildrenGreenwood, Grace
General
Stories and Legends of Travel and History, for Children
Greenwood, Grace
Great Britain -- Juvenile literature; Ireland -- Juvenile literature
The young lord knelt reverently to receive her blessing, and after she
had ceased to murmur the fervent words, he still kept his place, for
her large hand yet pressed heavily upon his head. After a moment's
silence, she recommenced speaking, but rapidly and wildly, for her mind
was wandering. It seemed to have gone back to the night when she had
taken the heir of Howth from his nurse. She began railing against the
old Earl's churlishness, and vowing she would teach him a lesson in
hospitality Then she called out in loud, stern tones to her mariners to
set sail for Connaught, and laughed fiercely over her prize. But soon
her mood changed; she began to stroke the head of Tristram, and comfort
him by gentle words and kind promises. She did not seem to perceive
that the firm, manly face now before her, was not the smooth little
face all wet with tears, she once caressed. The young lord was again a
baby-boy to her; and presently she drew him closer, and began singing
that same nursery song with which she used to soothe him to sleep.
It was a strange sight to see,--that dying woman, rocking herself back
and forth, and singing that wild lullaby, with her staring servitors
and grim old fighters grouped around her, hardly able to believe that
this was indeed their haughty mistress, their brave leader, their bold
sea-captain.
At first, her voice rang out clear and full, but soon it faltered and
failed, and sunk lower and lower. And lower and lower sunk the head of
the old chieftainess, till her long white locks mingled with the dark
curls of the young lord; then her voice ceased altogether, and her
forehead lay heavy and cold against his, and he knew that Grace
O'Malley was dead.
Donnybrook
THE LITTLE FIDDLER.
A mile or two south of Dublin is Donnybrook, the place where a famous
annual fair is held. We happened to be in the city at the time of
this, and one pleasant afternoon we drove out to see this great
gathering of the Irish peasantry. The fair-ground presented a busy,
gay, and curious scene. A large enclosed space was covered with booths
and tents--horse-markets--cattle-markets--buyers, sellers, and crowds
of spectators. There was almost every thing one could think of, for
sale; there were all sorts of games, and sports and shows going on;
there were Ethiopian concerts, plays, exhibitions of Punch and Judy,
little circuses and menageries, jugglers, tumblers, hurdy-gurdy
players, ballad singers, pipers, fiddlers, and dancers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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