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"Ay!" said Edward; "and scandalous it is, that the abuses of the seventeenth century should be perpetuated in the nineteenth.* While those who govern show, by the means they adopt for supporting their authority, that their rule requires undue force to uphold it, they tacitly teach resistance to the people, and their practices imply that the resistance is righteous.”

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"My dear Master Ned," said the doctor, "you're a patriot, and I'm sorry for you; you inherit the free opinions of your namesake of the hill' of blessed memory; with such sentiments you may make a very good Irish barrister, but you'll never be an Irish judge-and as for a silk gown, 'faith you may leave the wearing of that to your wife, for stuff is all that will ever adorn your shoulders."

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Well, I would rather have stuff there, than in my head," answered "Let

Edward.

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Very epigrammatic, indeed, Master Ned," said the doctor.

us make a distich of it," added he, with a chuckle; "for, of a verity, some of the K. C.'s of our times are but dunces.-Let's see-how will it go?"

Edward dashed off this couplet in a moment—

"Of modern king's counsel this truth may be said,

They have silk on their shoulders, but stuff in their head."

"Neat enough," said the doctor; "but you might contrive more ating in it;-something to the tune of the impossibility of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear,' but the facility of manufacturing silk gowns out of bore's heads."

"That's out of your bitter pill-box, Doctor," said Ned, smiling.

"Put it into rhyme, Ned-and set it to music-and dedicate it to the bar mess, and see how you'll rise in your profession!-Good-b'ye— I will be back again to see the fun as soon as I can, but I must go now and visit an old woman who is in doubt whether she stands most in need of me or the priest.—It's wonderful, how little people think of the other world till they are going to leave this; and with all their praises of heaven, how very anxious they are to stay out of it as long as they can!"

With this bit of characteristic sarcasm, the doctor and Edward separated. Edward had hardly left the hustings, when Murphy hurried on the platform and asked for him.

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"He left, a few minutes ago," said Tom Durfy.

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Well, I dare say he's doing good, wherever he is," said Murtough; I wanted to speak to him, but when he comes back send him to me.-In the mean time, Tom, run down and bring up a good batch of voters -we're getting a little a-head, I think, with the bothering I'm giving them up there, and now I want to push them with good strong tallies -run down to the yard, like a good fellow, and march them up." Off posted Tom Durfy on his mission, and Murphy returned to the court-house.

* When Strafford's infamous project of the wholesale robbery of Connaught was put in practice, not being quite certain of his juries, he writes that he will send 300 horse to the province during the proceedings," as good lookers-on"

Tom, on reaching Murphy's house, found a strong possé of O'Grady's party hanging round the place, and one of the fellows had backed a car against the yard gate which opened on the street, and was the outlet for Egan's voters. By way of excuse for this, the car was piled with cabbages for sale, and a couple of very unruly pigs were tethered to the shafts, and the strapping fellow who owned all, kept guard over them. Tom immediately told him he should leave that place, and an altercation commenced; but even an electioneering dispute could not but savour of fun and repartee, between Paddies.

"Be off," said Tom.

"Sure I can't be off till the market's over," was the answer.

“Well, you must take your car out of this."

"Indeed now, you'll let me stay, Misther Durfy."

"Indeed I won't."

"Arrah! what harm?"

"You're stopping up the gate on purpose, and you must go."

"Sure your honour wouldn't spile my stand!"

"Faith. I'll spoil more than your stand, if you don't leave that." "Not finer cabbage in the world."

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"Go out o' that now, while your shoes are good,'"* said Tom, seeing he had none; for in speaking of shoes, Tom had no intention of alluding to the word choux, and thus making a French pun upon the cabbage,--for Tom did not understand French, but rather despised it as a jack-a-dandy acquirement.

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'Sure, you wouldn't ruin my market, Misther Durfy!"

"None of your humbugging-but be off at once," said Tom, whose tone indicated he was very much in earnest.

"Not a nicer slip of a pig in the market than the same pigs—I'm expectin' thirty shillin's a piece for them."

"Faith, you'll get more than thirty shillings," cried Tom, "in less than thirty seconds, if you don't take your dirty cabbages and blackguard pigs out o' that!"

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'Dirty cabbages!" echoed the fellow, in a tone of surprise.

The order to depart was renewed.

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Blackguard pigs !" cried Paddy, in affected wonder.-"Ah, Masther

Tom, one would think it was afther dinner you wor."

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What do you mean, you rap ?-do you intend to say I'm drunk?" "Oh no, sir!-But if it's not afther dinner wid you, I think you wouldn't turn up your nose at bacon and greens."

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Oh, with all your joking," said Tom, laughing, "you won't find me a chicken to pluck for your bacon and greens, my boy; so, start!—vanish! -disperse !-my bacon merchant!

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While this dialogue was going forward, several cars were gathered round the place, with a seeming view to hem in Egan's voters, and interrupt their progress to the poll; but the gate of the yard suddenly opened, and the fellows within soon upset the car which impeded their egress, gave freedom to the pigs, who used their liberty in eating the cabbages, while their owner was making cause with his party of O'Gradyites against the

* A saying among the Irish peasantry,—meaning, there is danger in delay.

outbreak of Egan's men.

The affair was not one of importance; the numbers were not sufficient to constitute a good row-it was but a hustling affair, after all, and a slight scrimmage enabled Tom Durfy to head his men in a rush to the poll.

The polling was now prosecuted vigorously on both sides, each party anxious to establish a majority on the first day; and of course the usual practices for facilitating their own, and retarding their opponent's progress, were resorted to.

Scatterbrain's party, to counteract the energetic movement of the enemy's voters, and Murphy's activity, got up a mode of interruption seldom made use of, but of which they availed themselves on the present occasion. It was determined to put the oath of allegiance to all the Roman Catholics, by which some loss of time to the Eganite party was effected.

This gave rise to odd scenes and answers, occasionally ;;-some of the fellows did not know what the oath of allegiance meant; some did not know whether there might not be a scruple of conscience against taking it; others, indignant at what they felt to be an insulting mode of address, on the part of the person who said to them, in a tone savouring, of supremacy" You're a Roman Catholic,"-would not answer immediately, and gave dogged looks, and sometimes dogged answers; and it required address on the part of Egan's agents to make them overcome such feelings, and expedite the work of voting. At last, the same herculean fellow who gave O'Grady the fierce answer about the blunderbuss tenure he enjoyed, came up to vote, and fairly bothered the querist with his ready replies, which, purposely, were never to the purpose; the examination ran nearly thus:

"You're a Roman Catholic ?"

"Am I?" said the fellow.

"Are you not?" demanded the agent.

"You say I am," was the answer.

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Come, sir, answer-What's your religion?"

"The thrue religion."

"What religion is that?"

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Come, now, I'll find you out, as cunning as you are," said the agent, piqued into an encounter of the wits with this fellow, whose

baffling of every question pleased the crowd.

"You bless yourself, don't you?"

"When I'm done with you, I think I ought."

"What place of worship do you go to?"

"The most convaynient."

"But of what persuasion are you?"

"My persuasion is that you won't find it out."

"What is your belief?"

"My belief is that you're puzzled."

"Do you confess?"

"Not to you."

"Come! now I have you. Who would you send for if you were likely to die?"

"Docthor Growlin'."

"Not for the priest?"

"I must first get a messenger.'

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"Confound you're quibbling!-tell me, then, what your opinions are your conscientious opinions, I mean?”

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They are the same as my landlord's."

"And what are your landlord's opinions?"

"Faix, his opinion is, that I won't pay him the last half-year's rint; and I'm of the same opinion myself."

A roar of laughter followed this answer, and dumb-foundered the agent for a time; but, angered at the successful quibbling of the sturdy and wily fellow before him, he at last declared, with much severity of manner, that he must have a direct reply. "I insist, sir, on your an

swering, at once, are you a Roman Catholic?"

"I am," said the fellow.

"And could you not say so at once?" repeated the officer. "You never axed me ?" returned the other.

"I did," said the officer.

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Indeed, you didn't.

You said I was a great many things, but

you

never axed me—you wor dhrivin' crass words and cruked questions at me, and I gev you answers to match them, for sure I thought it was manners to cut out my behavor on your own patthern."

"Take the oath, sir!"

"Where am I to take it to, sir?" inquired the provoking blackguard. The clerk was desired to " swear him" without further notice being taken of his impertinent answer.

"I hope the oath is not woighty, sir, for my conscience is tindher since the last alibi I swore."

The business of the interior was now suspended for a time by the sounds of fierce tumult which arose from without. Some rushed from the court-house to the platform outside, and beheld the crowd in a state of great excitement, beating back the police, who had been engaged in endeavouring to seize the persons and things which had offended O'Grady; and the police, falling back for support on a party of military which O'Grady had prevailed on the sheriff to call out. The sheriff was a weak, irresolute man, and was over-persuaded by such words as "mob" and "riot," and breaches of peace being about to be committed, if the ruffians were not checked before-hand. The wisdom of preventive measures was preached, and the rest of the hacknied phrases were paraded, which brazen-faced and iron-handed oppressors are only too familiar with.

The people were now roused, and thoroughly defeated the police, who were forced to fly to the lines of the military party for protection; having effected this object, the crowd retained their position, and did not attempt to assault the soldiers, though a very firm and

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