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
“'Och, och!' says Jack, striving to look, the sly thief, as if she had
promised to help him--'I only wish I was a king, and, by the powers,
I know who would be my queen, any how; for it's your own sweet
lady--savourneen dheelish--I say, amn't I bound to you for a year and
a day longer, for promising to give me a lift, as well as for what you
done yesterday?'
“'Take care, Jack,' says she, smiling, however, at his ingenuity in
striving to trap her into a promise, 'I don't think I made any promise
of assistance.'
“'You didn't,' says Jack, wiping his face with the skirt of his coat,
''cause why?--you see pocket-handkerchiefs weren't invented in them
times: 'why, thin, may I never live to see yesterday, if there's not
as much rale beauty in that smile that's diverting itself about them
sweet-breathing lips of yours, and in them two eyes of light that's
breaking both their hearts laughing at me, this minute, as would
encourage any poor fellow to expect a good turn from you--that is, whin
you could do it, without hurting or harming yourself; for it's he would
be the right rascal that could take it, if it would injure a silken hair
of your head.'
“'Well,' said the lady, with a mighty roguish smile, 'I shall call you
home to your dinner, at all events.'
“When Jack went back from his breakfast, he didn't slave himself after
the filly toy more, but walked about to view the demesne, and the
avenues, and the green walks, and nice temples, and fish-ponds, and
rookeries, and everything, in short, that was worth seeing. Towards
dinner-time, howiver, he began to have an eye to the way the sweet
crathur was to come, and sure enough she that wasn't one minute late.
“'Well, Jack,' says she, 'I'll keep you no longer in doubt:' for the
tender-hearted crathur saw that Jack, although he didn't wish to let
an to her, was fretting every now and then about the odd hook and the
bloody room--'So, Jack,' says she, 'although I didn't promise, yet I'll
perform;' and with that she pulled a small ivory whistle out of her
pocket, and gave three blasts on it that brought the wild filly up to
her very hand, as quick as the wind. She then took the bridle, and threw
it over the baste's neck, giving her up, at the same time, to Jack; 'You
needn't fear now, Jack,' says she, 'you'll find her as quiet as a lamb,
and as tame as you wish; as proof of it, just walk before her, and you
will see she will follow you to any part of the field.'
“Jack, you maybe sure, paid her as many and as sweet compliments as
he could, and never heed one from his country for being able to say
something toothsome to the ladies. At any rate, if he laid it on thick
the day before, he gave two or three additional coats this time, and the
innocent soul went away smiling, as usual.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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