The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 36, March 6, 1841 — John Shaqi
The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 36, March 6, 1841Various
History
The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 36, March 6, 1841
Various
Ireland -- Periodicals
“Perhaps you have some _soft goods_ concealed under the sick man,” said
the guager, approaching the car. “I frequently catch smuggled wares in
such situations.”
“The devil a taste _good_ or _saft_ under him, sir dear, but the could
sop from the top o’ the stack. _Ketch!_ why, the devil a haporth ye’ll
_ketch_ here but the spotted faver.”
“Fever!” repeated the startled exciseman, retiring a step or two.
“Yes, faver, yer honour; what else? Didn’t Father Darby that prepared him
say that he had spotted faver enough for a thousand min! Do, yer honour,
come look in his face, an’ thin throw the poor dying crathur, that kem
all the way from Decie’s counthry, by raisin of a dhream, to pay a round
for his wife’s sowl at Tubber-na-Treenoda: yes, throw him out an the
belly o’ the road, an’ let his blood, the blood o’ the stranger, be on
yer soul an’ his faver in yer body.”
Paddy Corbett’s eloquence operating on the exciseman’s dread of
contagion, saved the tobacco.
Our adventurers considering it rather dangerous to seek a buyer in
Killarney, directed their course eastward to Kanturk. The hour of evening
was rather advanced as they entered the town; and Shane, who could spell
his way without much difficulty through the letters of a sign-board,
seeing “entertainment for man and horse” over the door, said they would
put up there for the night, and then directed Paddy to the shop of the
only tobacconist in town, whither for some private motive he declined to
attend him. Mr Pigtail was after dispatching a batch of customers when
Paddy entered, who, seeing the coast clear, gave him the “God save all
here,” which is the usual phrase of greeting in the kingdom of Kerry. Mr
Pigtail was startled at the rude salutation, which, though a beautiful
benediction, and characteristic of a highly religious people, is yet too
uncouth for modern “ears polite,” and has, excepting among the lowest
class of peasants, entirely given way to that very sincere and expressive
phrase of address, “your servant.”
Now, Mr Pigtail, who meted out the length of his replies in exact
proportion to the several ranks and degrees of his querists, upon hearing
the vulgar voice that uttered the more vulgar salute, hesitated to deign
the slightest notice, but, measuring with a glance the outward man of the
saluter, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, and the dissyllabic
response “servant;” but seeing Paddy Corbett with gaping mouth about to
open his embassy, and that, like Burns’s Death,
“He seemed to make a kind o’ stan’,
But naething spak,”
he immediately added, “Honest man, you came from the west, I believe?”
“Thrue enough for yer honour,” said Pat; “my next door neighbours at
that side are the wild Ingins of Immeriky. A wet and could foot an’ a
dhry heart I had coming to ye; but welkim be the grace o’ God, sure poor
people should make out an honest bit an’ sup for the weeny crathurs at
home; an’ I have thirteen o’ thim, all thackeens, praise be to the Maker.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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