The Purcell Papers — Volume 1Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
General
The Purcell Papers — Volume 1
Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
Fantasy fiction, English; Ireland -- Fiction
'Why, thin, 'tis a quare story, an' as thrue as you're sittin' there;
and I'd make bould to say there isn't a boy in the seven parishes could
tell it better nor crickther than myself, for 'twas my father himself it
happened to, an' many's the time I heerd it out iv his own mouth; an' I
can say, an' I'm proud av that same, my father's word was as incredible
as any squire's oath in the counthry; and so signs an' if a poor man
got into any unlucky throuble, he was the boy id go into the court an'
prove; but that doesn't signify--he was as honest and as sober a man,
barrin' he was a little bit too partial to the glass, as you'd find in a
day's walk; an' there wasn't the likes of him in the counthry round for
nate labourin' an' baan diggin'; and he was mighty handy entirely for
carpenther's work, and men din' ould spudethrees, an' the likes i' that.
An' so he tuk up with bone-settin', as was most nathural, for none of
them could come up to him in mendin' the leg iv a stool or a table; an'
sure, there never was a bone-setter got so much custom-man an' child,
young an' ould--there never was such breakin' and mendin' of bones
known in the memory of man. Well, Terry Neil--for that was my father's
name--began to feel his heart growin' light, and his purse heavy; an'
he took a bit iv a farm in Squire Phelim's ground, just undher the ould
castle, an' a pleasant little spot it was; an' day an' mornin' poor
crathurs not able to put a foot to the ground, with broken arms and
broken legs, id be comin' ramblin' in from all quarters to have their
bones spliced up. Well, yer honour, all this was as well as well could
be; but it was customary when Sir Phelim id go anywhere out iv the
country, for some iv the tinants to sit up to watch in the ould castle,
just for a kind of compliment to the ould family--an' a mighty unplisant
compliment it was for the tinants, for there wasn't a man of them but
knew there was something quare about the ould castle. The neighbours
had it, that the squire's ould grandfather, as good a gintlenlan--God
be with him--as I heer'd, as ever stood in shoe-leather, used to keep
walkin' about in the middle iv the night, ever sinst he bursted a blood
vessel pullin' out a cork out iv a bottle, as you or I might be doin',
and will too, plase God--but that doesn't signify. So, as I was sayin',
the ould squire used to come down out of the frame, where his picthur
was hung up, and to break the bottles and glasses--God be marciful to us
all--an' dthrink all he could come at--an' small blame to him for that
same; and then if any of the family id be comin' in, he id be up again
in his place, looking as quite an' as innocent as if he didn't know
anything about it--the mischievous ould chap.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account