The Emigrants Of Ahadarra: The Works of William Carleton, Volume TwoCarleton, William
General
The Emigrants Of Ahadarra: The Works of William Carleton, Volume Two
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
A shebeen-man, named Parra Bradagh, father to Barney, whom the reader
has already met in the still-house, brought a cask of poteen to the
stable, where he disposed of it _sub silentio_, by which we mean without
the knowledge of Gerald Cavanagh, who would not have suffered any such
person about his place, had the circumstance been made known to him.
Among the rest, in the course of the evening, our friend O'Finigan the
Philomath made his appearance, and as was his wont very considerably
advanced in liquor. The worthy pedagogue, on inquiring for the queen
of the kemp, as he styled her, was told that he might know her by the
flowers in her hair. “There she is, masther,” said one of them, “wid the
roses on her head.”
“Well,” said O'Finigan, looking about him with surprise, “I have, before
now, indulged in the Cerelian juice until my eyes have become possessed
of that equivocal quality called the double vision, but I must confess
that this is the first occasion on which the quality aforesaid has been
quadrupled. Instead of one queen, wid Flora's fragrant favors in her
lock, I think I see four.”
Finigan indeed was right. Dora, on being presented with a simple chaplet
of flowers, as the heroine of the night, in a spirit of true magnanimity
generously divided the chaplet among her three rivals, thus, like every
brave heart, resting satisfied with the consciousness of victory, and
anxious that those who had approached her so nearly should also share in
its honors.
It is not our intention to enter into a detailed account of the dancing,
nor of the good humor which prevailed among them. It is enough to say
that the old people performed minuets and cotillions, and the young
folks, jigs, reels, and country dances; hornpipes were performed upon
doors, by rural dancers, and all the usual variations of mirth and
amusement were indulged in on the occasion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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