The Poor Scholar: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume ThreeCarleton, William
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The Poor Scholar: Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of; William Carleton, Volume Three
Carleton, William
Ireland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
“Ay,” he went on, “an' 'tis the parish of Ballysogarth that has the
name, far and near, for both, and well they desarve it. You won't see
the poor gossoon go to a sthrange country--with empty pockets. He's the
son of an honest man--one of yourselves; and although he's a poor man,
you know 'twas Yallow Sam that made him so--that put him out of his
comfortable farm and slipped a black-mouth * into it. You won't turn
your backs on the son in regard of that, any way. As for Sam, let him
pass; he'll not grind the poor, nor truckle to the rich, when he gives
up his stewardship in the kingdom come. Lave him to the friend of the
poor--to his God; but the son of them that he oppressed, you will stand
up for. He's going to Munster, to learn 'to go upon the Mission:' and,
on Sunday next, there will be a collection made here, and at the other
two althars for him; and, as your own characters are at stake, I trust
it will be neither mane nor shabby. There will be Protestants here, I'll
engage, and you must act dacently before them, if it was only to set
them a good example. And now I'll tell yez a story that the mintion of
the Protestants brings to my mind:--
* In the North of Ireland the word black-mouth means a
Presbyterian.
“There was, you see, a Protestant man and a Catholic woman once married
together. The man was a swearing, drinking, wicked rascal, and his wife
the same: between them they were a blessed pair to be sure. She never
bent her knee under a priest until she was on her death-bed; nor was he
known ever to enter a church door, or to give a shilling in charity
but once, that being--as follows:--He was passing a Catholic place of
worship one Sunday, on his way to fowl--for he had his dog and gun with
him;--'twas beside a road, and many of the congregration were kneeling
out across the way. Just as he passed they were making a collection
for a poor scholar--and surely they that love the larning desarve to be
encouraged! Well, behold you, says one of them, 'will you remember the
poor scholar,' says he, 'and put something in the hat? You don't know,'
says he, 'but his prayers will be before you.' (* In the other world.)
'True enough, maybe,' says the man, 'and there's a crown to him, for
God's sake.' Well and good; the man died, and so did the wife; but the
very day before her departure, she got a scapular, and died in it. She
had one sister, however, a good crature, that did nothing but fast and
pray, and make her sowl. This woman had strong doubts upon her mind, and
was very much troubled as to whether or not her sister went to heaven;
and she begged it as a favor from the blessed Virgin, that the state of
her sister's sowl might be revaled to her. Her prayer was granted.
One night, about a week after her death, her sister came back to her,
dressed, all in white, and circled round by a veil of glory.
“'Is that Mary?' said the living sister.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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