The Purcell Papers — Volume 3Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
General
The Purcell Papers — Volume 3
Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan
Fantasy fiction, English; Ireland -- Fiction
'But he wint out the wrong door, bein' a thrifle hearty in himself, an'
not rightly knowin' whether he was standin' on his head or his heels, or
both iv them at the same time, an' in place iv gettin' into bed, where
did he thrun himself but into the poulthry hamper, that the boys had
settled out ready for the gandher in the mornin'. An' sure enough he
sunk down soft an' complate through the hay to the bottom; an' wid the
turnin' and roulin' about in the night, the divil a bit iv him but was
covered up as shnug as a lumper in a pittaty furrow before mornin'.
'So wid the first light, up gets the two boys, that war to take the
sperit, as they consaved, to Tipperary; an' they cotched the ould
gandher, an' put him in the hamper, and clapped a good wisp iv hay an'
the top iv him, and tied it down sthrong wid a bit iv a coard, and med
the sign iv the crass over him, in dhread iv any harum, an' put the
hamper up an the car, wontherin' all the while what in the world was
makin' the ould burd so surprisin' heavy.
'Well, they wint along quite anasy towards Tipperary, wishin' every
minute that some iv the neighbours bound the same way id happen to fall
in with them, for they didn't half like the notions iv havin' no company
but the bewitched gandher, an' small blame to them for that same.
'But although they wor shaking in their skhins in dhread iv the ould
bird beginnin' to convarse them every minute, they did not let an' to
one another, bud kep singin' an' whistlin' like mad, to keep the dread
out iv their hearts.
'Well, afther they war on the road betther nor half an hour, they kem to
the bad bit close by Father Crotty's, an' there was one divil of a rut
three feet deep at the laste; an' the car got sich a wondherful chuck
goin' through it, that it wakened Terence widin in the basket.
'"Bad luck to ye," says he, "my bones is bruck wid yer thricks; what the
divil are ye doin' wid me?"
'"Did ye hear anything quare, Thady?" says the boy that was next to the
car, turnin' as white as the top iv a musharoon; "did ye hear anything
quare soundin' out iv the hamper?" says he.
'"No, nor you," says Thady, turnin' as pale as himself, "it's the ould
gandher that's gruntin' wid the shakin' he's gettin'," says he.
'"Where the divil have ye put me into," says Terence inside, "bad luck
to your sowls," says he, "let me out, or I'll be smothered this minute,"
says he.
'"There's no use in purtending," says the boy, "the gandher's spakin',
glory be to God," says he.
'"Let me out, you murdherers," says Terence.
'"In the name iv the blessed Vargin," says Thady, "an' iv all the holy
saints, hould yer tongue, you unnatheral gandher," says he.
'"Who's that, that dar to call me nicknames?" says Terence inside,
roaring wid the fair passion, "let me out, you blasphamious infiddles,"
says he, "or by this crass I'll stretch ye," says he.
'"In the name iv all the blessed saints in heaven," says Thady, "who the
divil are ye?"
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