The Black Prophet: A Tale Of Irish Famine

few assembled; and these few, as may be guessed, consisted chiefly of those gay and frolicsome spirits whom no pressure of distress, nor anything short of sickness or death, could sober down i

h meetings. It was, besides, owing to the severity of the evening, but thinly attended. Such a family had two or three members of it sick; another had buried a fine young woman; a third, an only son; a fourth, had lost the father, and the fifth, the mother of a large family. In fact, the conversation on this occasion was rather a catalogue of calamity and death, than that hearty ebullition of animal spirits which throws its laughing and festive spirits into such assemblies. Two there were, however, who, despite of the gloom which darkened both the dance and the day, contrived to sustain our national reputation for gayety and mirth. One of these was our friend, Sarah, or, as she was better known, Sally M'Gowan, and the other a young fellow named Charley Hanlon, who acted as a kind of gardener and steward to Dick o' the Grange. This young fellow possessed great cheerfulness, and such an everlasting fund of mirth and jocularity, as made him the life and soul of every dance, wake, and merry-meeting in the parish. He was quite a Lothario in his sphere-a lady-killer-and so general an admirer of the sex, that he invar

t kind of wild, indomitable affection, which is as vehement as it is unregulated in such minds as hers. For instance, she made no secret of her attachment to him, but on the contrary, gloried in it, even to her father, who, on this subject, could exercise

home," she replied; "but I'

ckens are you goin

lied. "But come-you can come wid me as far as the turn-up to the house;

gravely, "the Grey Stone that's

re that's where the carm

n. "Well, I must go tha

where I turn off

we'll be togeth

t far only,

er; but go I must, an' go I will. At all events, I'll be company for

; although," she added, musing, "I think he's sometimes timorous for all that. But I kn

eceding part of the evening full of mirth and levity, could scarcely force

the shadow of the hill at whose foot her father's cabin stood, and which here, f

ight, that if I'd come this night to the Grey Stone, I'd

onlight, thank goodness, such as it is. Dear me, thin, but it's an awful night, and the win

d as you're here stop wid me for a while, although I don't see h

m her dark shrine of clouds, but merely with that dim and feeble light which was c

it, and taking off his hat he blessed himself, and muttered a short prayer with an earnestness and solemnity for which she could not account. Having concluded it, both stood in silence for a short ti

l, and seemed to the eye so dark that nothing but the huge outlines of the projecting crags, whose shapes appeared in the indistinctness like gigantic spectres, could been seen; while all around, and where the pale light of! the moon fell, nothing was visible but the muddy gleams of the yellow flood as it rushed, with its hoarse and incessant roar, through a flat country on whose features the storm and the

to see you at your prayers like a voteen this night at any rate. Is it fear that makes you so pio

of you. I am very much disturbed, I acknowledge, a

ive me the white pocket-handkerchy that you say Peggy Murray gave you. Where is it?" she proceeded, taking it out of his pocket. "Ah, ay, I have it; stoop a little; tak

e-but she didn't make me a present

it for you out of her own pocket. I know that much. She

n the gust of jealousy which he saw rising,

ers did she

plied, "the two first

f your name, but of her own; there's no M in Hanlon. At any rate, unless y

o get rid of a topic which at that moment came on him so

willingly,

may tell the whole world t

the ould tobaccy-box I found in the hole of the wall to-day were fo

Hanlon eagerly; "a to

the wall in our house to-day; it tumbled out whil

Hanlon, with apparent carel

t's all rusty, an'

was almost breathless with anxiety; "an'

n your handkerchy," she

this possible! Heavens! What

enquired. "Why do you

nothing?" he

night! Listen how the wind an' storm growls an' tyrannizes and rages down in the glen there, an' about the hills. Faith there'l

and once more offered up a short prayer, appar

at you're bent on your devotions this night; and t

before you go, promise to get me that tobaccy-box you found; it'

thraneen; you couldn't use it even if you

Peggy Murray wid it, so as to have a good laugh against her-the

I'll secure it for you." After a few words more of idle chat they separated; he to his master's house, which was a considerable distance off; and this extraordinary creature-unconscious of

tality observed on the occasion, of which the two classes I mention partake. Sally's absence, therefore, on that night, or for the greater portion of the next day, excited neither alarm nor surprise at home. On entering their miserable sheiling, she fo

r divil's grin an' your black prophecy to thim you don't like. I wondher you're not afeard that some of

rovidence, you hardened jade, or you aither, whatever puts the word into your purty mouth. Providence! oh, how much we regard it, as if Providence took heed of what we do. Go a

ou, wid your swelled face an' blinkin' eye. Arrah, what dacent man gave you that? An' you," she added, turning to her step-mother, "wid your cheeks poulticed, an' you

father, angrily. "Instead of stealin' into the house thremblin' wid fear, as yo

ed, sturdily; "I did nothin' to be af

. Hanlon on you

, "to be sure I did; it was to meet him th

a good end yet, I do

eard of Providence, any

; "if you're not off out o' that to get me someth

idence that you laugh at, I'll take care that the same roof won't cover the three of us long.

her, Sally; eh, ha! ha! ha! Before you lave us, anyhow," he added, "go and get me some Gaiharr

" replied Nelly, taking up an old spade as she spoke, and proc

arkable when it suited his purpose, turned to his daughter, and putting his hand into his waistcoat

," said he, "isn

taking the tress into h

ss-"what can it brag over that? eh," and as she compared them her black eye flashed, and her cheek assumed a rich glow of

o affection as he contemplated her; "and indeed, Sally, I think y

wid it?" she asked; "is it

d, we'll lave the country, you and I, and as for that ould vagabond, we'll pitch her t

dence?" asked his daught

ares," he replied, with indiffe

e said, pausing-"if ther

a sorrowful and meditative beauty, that gave a new and more attractive

aybe-an' maybe they don't. I only wish she'd come back with the caaharrawan. If all goes right, I'll pocket what'll brin

s daughter's countenance passed away, and with it probably the moment in wh

om think of looking for herbage at all. Here she found a little, soft, green spot, covered over with dandelion; and immediately she began to dig it up. The softness of the earth and its looseness surprised her a good deal; and moved by an unaccountable curiosity, she pushed the spade further down, until it was me