The Black Prophet: A Tale Of Irish Famine

der the roof of that worthy individual, especially as she is likely to perform a part of some interest in our tale. We have said already that she started on hearing Mave Sull

y alluded to, which to some of the characters in our n

Grey Stone. A supernatural terror, therefore, was upon him, and he felt as if he were in the presence of an accompanying spirit-of a spirit that seemed anxious to disclose the fact that murder would not rest; and so strongly did this impression gain upon him, that in the fitful howling of the storm, and in its wild wailing and dying sobs among the trees and hedges, as he went along, he thought he could distinguish sounds that belonged not to this life. Still he proceeded, his terrors thus translating, as it were, the noisy conflict of the elements into the voices of the dead, or thanking Heaven that the strong winds brought him to a calmer sense of his position, by the necessity that they imposed of preserving himself against their violence. In th

of the woods, when some large object rose into the air from a clump of plashy rushes before him, and shot along the blast, uttering a booming sound, so loud and stunning that he stood riveted to the earth. The noise resembled that which sometimes proceeds from a humming-top, if a person could suppose one made upon such a gigantic scale as to produce the deep and hollow buzz which this being emitted. Nothing could

ion. Hanlon proceeded to his master's, and peering through the shutters, discovered that the servants had not yet retired to rest; then bending his ste

Oh! my, my! Well, well; sit near the spark o' fire, sich as it is;

nd for some time did not speak, whilst the female, squatted upon the ground, somewhat like a hare in her form, sat with the candle in

hing? And yet, God presarve me, you look-eh!-what has happened?-you look like one

" he replied; "let no one say there's not a P

ould frighten one, an' your voice isn't like the voice of a livin' man. Tell me-and yet, for all s

e the tobaccy box is that he had about him; the same that trans

atory prayer, and again gathered her whole feature

e place you dhram

puttin' my right hand upon it in his name, jist as I did on yesterday; afther I got an

earth, gl

s I was passin' the ould trees at the Rabbit Ban

e his name! What did you hear, avick?-but wait till I throw a drop o' the h

lluded to, sprinkled both herself and him, after

s name. Well, what did you hear comin' home?-I mean at the Rabbit Bank. Wurrah," she a

passed them; an' when I left them far behind me, I could hear, every now and then, a wild shriek that made my blood run cowld. But there was still worse as I crossed the Black Park; som

and uttering a short prayer for protection from evil; "but tell m

M., and the broken

e murdher lie, that's clear. But what I want to know is, how did y

ake towards the subject of the handkerchief, in the first instance; but when the coincidence of the letters were mentioned,

feel there is no doubt now the hand of God is in it,

on to spake about anything else to-night. This is a snug little cabin; but, plaise God, in the coorse of a week or so, I'll have you more comfortable than you are. If my own throuble was over me, I wouldn't stop long in

rything, and had an eye and hand equally quick and experienced. The consequence was, that he soon became a favorite with the father, and a kind of sine qua non with the son, into whose rustic gallantries he entered, with a spirit that satisfied the latter of his capacity to serve him in that respect as well as others. Hanlon, in truth, was just the person for such a master, and for such an establishment as he kept. Dick o' the Grange was not a man who, either by birth, education, or position in society, could entertain any pretensions to rank with the gentry of the surrounding country. It is true he was a magistrate, but then he was a middleman, and as such found himself an interested agent in the operation of one of the worst and most cruel systems that ever cursed either the country or the people. We of course mean that which suffered a thir

terday; and this same point of character was true the other way--for whilst certain that you had him for a friend, perhaps you found him hard at work to oppress or over-reach you if he could. The consequence of this peculiarity was that he had a two-fold reputation in the country. Some were found to abuse him, and others to mention many acts of generosity and kindness which he had been known to perform under circumstances where they were least to be expected. This perhaps was one reason why they made so strong an impression upon the people, and were so distinctly

essed themselves strongly upon their times, and who, whether as regards their position or office, would not find at the present da

ulsively generous, nor so habitually violent as his father. The estimate of his character which went abroad was such as might be expected-many thought him better than the old man. He was the youngest son and a favorite-two circumstances which probably occasioned his education to be neglected, as it had been. All his sisters and brothers having been for some years married and settled in life, he, and his father, who was a widower, kept a bach

servants partook of the same equivocal appearance, as did the father and son, and the "Grange" in general; but, above all and everything in his establishment, must we place, in originality and importance, Jemmy Branigan, who, in point of fact, ought to receive credit for the greater portion of old Dick's reputation, or at least for all that was good of it. Jemmy was his old, confidential-enemy-for more than forty years,

itten and oral, which passed between them, in the shape of dismissals from service on the one side, and notices to leave on the other; each of which whether written or oral, was treated by the party noticed with the most thorough contempt. Nothing was right that Jemmy disapproved of, and nothing wrong that had his sanction, and this without any reference

s called, rung the bell, and Jemmy attended-for we must add, that Jemmy discharged the duties of butler

nlon, Jemmy

matther where he is, an' d

Jemmy, for I want

about him, nor he won't let them know anything about him. He's as close as Darby Skinadre, and as deep as a dhraw-well. Altogether,

master; "there is some cursed mystery about hi

e him?" asked Jemmy, w

say; but

ed without contradiction; "but I can say why you don't like him; it's bekaise he's the best sarvint ever was about your place; that's the

old scoundrel, I'd pay you for

God!-and don't be fastenin' your name upon me. Ould scoundrel, indeed!-Troth

"but tell Hanlon I want to speak to

m I will, an' if I don't I won't. Did you put a fresh bandage to your leg, to keep i

of his address to the old magistr

replied his mast

y didn'

r, losing temper. "You had better keep quiet,

thoritatively in his face. "I tell you, and if you don't know how to take care of yourself, I do, and I will. I'm all tha

u villain!"-and, as he spoke, the cane was brandished

in' an' a bad life has left you. Ah! do it if you dare," he added, as the other swung his staff

ou old cancer-what wo

ven an' earth couldn't stand you; an' if I do, it's not me you'll hav

that has been like a blister to

t house. I'll send you to your youngest daughter's or somewhere, or any where, out of this. So now that you know my determination you had betther keep yourself cool, u

as bad a one, for that old vagabond, as the English language can enable you to

-This is Tuesday mornin', God bless the day and the weather-an' woeful weather it is-but sure it's betther than you desarve, an' I don't doubt but it's you and the likes o' you that brings it on us! Ay, this is Tuesday mornin', an' I now give you warnin' that on Saturday next, you'll see the last o' me-an' don't think that this warnin' is like the rest, or that I'll relint agai

, then," said his master, "bu

uldn't; let there be nothing at any rate, but civ

ght to let widow Lear

did

wore I w

Who would doubt t

s, be off now, and let th

o you think I'd let her stay in till the maggot bit you? Oh, ay, indeed! In the mane time, as soon as you are done breakfast, I want you in the study, to put the bindage on that ould, good-for-nothin' leg o' yours; an' mark my words, let there be no shirkin' now, for on it must go, an' will, too. If I see that

a, ha, ha! Wel

is example in anything-in any one single thing, an' then there may be som

at a man whose case, in a moral sense, was hopeless; after which, having uttered a groan that

r a part of the way, evidently holding serious and interesting discourse touching a subject which we may presume bore upon the extraordinary proceedings of the previous night. He closed by giving her directions how to proceed on her journey; for it seemed that she was unacquainted with the way, being, like himself, but a stranger in the neighborhood:-"You will go on," said h

call him the

ppearance, an' partly bekaise he

e anything to do

Black Prophet, or M'Gowan, did not come to the neighborhood till afther the murdher. I wasn't myself cool enough last night to ask his daughter many questions about it; an' I w

if house it could be called, of the Black Prophet, for the purpose, if possible, of coll

eding night, when she met a strange woman, or rather she found her standing, apparently waiting for herself, at the Grey Stone. From the position of the stone, which was a huge one, under one ledge of which, by the way, there gre

here a man lives that they call Donnel Dhu, or th

you, at any rate," replied

other object in life-her previous conversation with Hanlon-the message on which she had been sent-and her anxiety to throw light upon the awful crime that had been committed at the spot whe

do sa

name Pierce-och, what am I s

not ashamed of know

ood opinion o

n of him, but not so

then, migh

an' not to get as white as a sheet, an' cowld as a tombstone, bekaise he hears what he thin

did he hear

, an' I did hear somethin' very like a groan; but what about it? Sich a

ches, but sure there

es what it was? What did

elf that I wa

the full o' your eye you tuck out o

mother

N

she dead, d

taper fingers to her chin-"I think that I do remember-it's like a dhrame to me though, an' I dunna but it is one-still it's like a dhrame to me, that I was wanst in her arms, that I

ther marry a

di

have a ste

have

o you, an' do

to her; but then I have the divil's temper, an' have no guide o' myself when it co

creature spoke, especially with reference to her mother, her eyes flashed and softened with an expression of brilliancy and tenderness that might be said to resemble the sky at night, when the glo

ghing and looking at her affectionately, "

you had me, maybe you wouldn't think so-I'm n

e woman, "bid me ax you for the ould t

sed me a handkerchy

it; "but, then, I'm not to give it to y

w," said Sarah, "how-and-

you can an' will?"

rday," she said, "an' if i

"as soon as you get him the box, he'll gi

hat his bargain; does he think I'd t

er; "I'm only to give it t

eyes flashed in a moment; "it's Peggy Murra

and replied, "I can't-n

but sprang at it, and in a

of fire and glowing cheeks, "and tramp it undher my feet too; only

er features as she spoke; and altogether her fa

sion of countenance; "I wanst knew a face like yours, an' a temper the aiquil of it-at any

n't think he'll see you now. My stepmother's

oin' t

r; a score on her cheek-ha, ha, ha; an' when you see it,

med Sullivan that lives

ter that's the beauty-Gra Gal Sullivan. L

Skinadre's from thi

e; any one will tell

sure enough; but above all things, afore I go, don't forget the box for-for-och, for-

rly mode of expressing it, any term that could indicate tenderness, even in a remote degree. She looked, therefore, at the woman earnestly, and as she did, her whole manner changed to one of melancholy and

nce I heard the voice o' kindness. I'll get the box,

s that in which the reader caught, a glimpse of her in the house of Darby Skinadre, fro