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
“Little Jemmy Teague, I remimber, struck a cousin of the Slip's a very
smart blow, that made him dance about the room, and blow his fingers for
ten minutes after it. Jemmy, himself, was a tight, smart fellow. When
the Slip saw what his cousin had got, he rises up, and stands over
Jemmy so coolly, and with such good humor, that every one in the house
trembled for poor Jemmy, bekase, you see, whenever the Slip was bent
on mischief, he used always to grin. Jemmy, however, kept himself bent
firm; and to do him justice, didn't flinch from under the stroke, as
many of them did--no, he was like a rock. Well, the Slip, as I said,
stood over him, fixing himself for the stroke, and coming down with such
a pelt on poor Jemmy's hand, that the first thing we saw was the blood
acrass the Slip's own legs and feet, that had burst out of poor Jemmy's
finger-ends. The Slip then stooped to receive the next blow himself, and
you may be sure there was above two dozen up to be at him. No matter;
one man they all gave way to, and that was Pat M'Ardle.
“'Hould away,' says Pat,--'clear off, boys, all of you--this stroke's
mine by right, any how;--and,' says he, swearing a terrible oath, 'if
you don't sup sorrow for that stroke,' says he to the Slip, 'why Pat
M'Ardle's not behind you here.'
“He, then, up with his arm, and came down--why, you would think that the
stroke he gave the Slip had druv his right hand into his body: but, any
way, it's he that took full satisfaction for what his cousin got; for
if the Slip's fingers had been cut off at the tops, the blood couldn't
spring out from under his nails more nor it did. After this the Slip
couldn't strike another blow, bekase his hand was disabled out and out.
“The next play they went to was the _Sitting Brogue_. This is played by
a ring of them sitting down upon the bare ground, keeping their knees
up. A shoemaker's leather apron is then got, or a good stout brogue, and
sent round under their knees. In the mane time one stands in the middle;
and after the brogue is sent round, he is to catch it as soon as he
can. While he stands there, of course, his back must be to some one, and
accordingly those that are behind him thump him right and left with
the brogue, while he, all the time, is striving to catch it. Whoever he
catches this brogue with must stand up in his place, while he sits down
where the other had been, and then the play goes on as before.
“There's another play called the _Standing Brogue_--where one man gets a
brogue of the same kind, and another stands up facing him with his hands
locked together, forming an arch turned upside down. The man that houlds
the brogue then strikes him with it betune the hands; and even the
smartest fellow receives several pelts before he is able to close his
hands and catch it; but when he does, he becomes brogueman, and the man
who held the brogue stands for him, until he catches it. The same thing
is gone through, from one, to another, on each side, until it is over.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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