The Ned M'Keown Stories: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume ThreeCarleton, William
General
The Ned M'Keown Stories: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume Three
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
“In the manetime, Sally, in his absence, would find herself lonely, and
as she hadn't, may be, seen her aunt for some time before, she'd lock
the door, and go over to spind a while with her; or take a trip as far
as her ould mistress's place to see the family. Many a thing people will
have to say to one another about the pleasant times they had together,
or several other subjects best known to themselves, of coorse. Larry
would come home in her absence, and finding the door locked, would slip
down to Squire Dickson's, to chat with the steward or gardener, or with
the sarvints in the kitchen.
“You all remimber Torn Hance, that kept the public-house at Tullyvernon
cross-roads, a little above the. Squire's--at laste, most of you do--and
ould Willy Butledge, the fiddler, that spint his time between Tom's and
the big house--God,be good to Wilty!--it's himself was the droll man
entirely: he died of ating boiled banes, for a wager that the Squire
laid on him agin ould Captain Mint, and dhrinking porter after them
till he was swelled like a tun; but the Squire berried him at his own
expense. Well, Larry's haunt, on finding Sally out when he came home,
was either at the Squire's kitchen, or Tom Hance's; and as he was the
broth of a boy at dancing, the sarvints, when he'd go down, would send
for Wilty to Hance's, if he didn't happen to be with themselves at the
time, and strike up a dance in the kitchen; and, along with all, may be
Larry would have a sup in his head.
“When Sally would come home, in her turn, she'd not find Larry before
her; but Larry's custom was to go in to Tom's wife, and say,--'Biddy,
tell Sally, when she comes home, that I'm gone down awhile to the big
house (or to Tom Hance's, as it might be), but I'll not be long.' Sally,
after waiting awhile, would put on her cloak, and slip down to see
what was keeping him. Of course, when finding the sport going on, and
carrying a light heel at the dance herself, she'd throw off the cloak,
and take a hand at it along with the rest. Larry and she would then go
their ways home, find the fire out, light a sod of turf in Tom's,
and feeling their own place very cowld and naked, after the blazing
comfortable fire they had left behind them, go to bed, both in very
middling spirits entirely.
“Larry, at other times, would quit his work early in the evening, to go
down towards the Squire's, bekase he had only to begin work earlier the
next day to make it up. He'd meet the Squire himself, may be, and, after
putting his hand to his hat, and getting a 'how do you do, Larry,'
from his honor, enter into discoorse with him about his honor's plan of
stacking his corn. Now, Larry was famous at this.
“'Who's to build your stacks this saison, your honor?'
“'Tim Dillon, Larry.'
“'Is it he, your honor?--he knows as much about building a stack of corn
as Mas-ther George, here. He'll only botch them, sir, if you let him go
about them.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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