Kathleen could
not speak, although she tried; her sobs denied her utterance; and Owen
involuntarily sat upon a chair, and covered his face with his hand.
To an observing eye it is never difficult to detect the cant of
imposture, or to perceive distress when it is real. The good woman of
the house, as is usual in Ireland, was in the act of approaching them,
unsolicited, with a double handful of meal--that is what the Scotch and
northern Irish call a goivpen, or as much as both hands locked together
can contain--when, noticing their distress, she paused a moment, eyed
them more closely, and exclaimed--
"What's this? Why there's something wrong wid you, good people! But
first an' foremost take this, in the name an' honor of God."
"May the blessin' of the same _Man_* rest upon yees!" replied Kathleen.
"This is a sorrowful thrial to us; for it's our first day to be upon the
world; an' this is the first help of the kind we ever axed for, or ever
got; an' indeed now I find we haven't even a place to carry it in. I've
no--b--b--cloth, or anything to hould it."
* God is sometimes thus termed in Ireland. By "Man"
here is meant person or being. He is also called the
"Man above;" although this must have been intended for,
and often is applied to, Christ only.
"Your first, is it?" said the good woman.
Pages:
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247