My Neighbors / Stories of the Welsh People

ding-place and spoke jestingly to Anna and enticed her into Blind Cave, where he had sport with her. In the ninth year of her c

he said. "Give you to me the brown

ry of his work he vowed a vow that he would not keep on at it. He walked to Morfa and into his mother's cotta

elsh masculine for "dear"; "fach

the farmer. "Know you he is the son of Satan. Have I not told how

let him live in Tybach-the mud-walled, straw-thatched, two-roomed house which is midway

ey stirred earlier and lay down later than any honest folk; and they took more eggs a

hese were years of toil and child-bearing; after she

it was gathered and corn before it was reaped; potatoes were smitten by a blight, a disease fell upon two cart-horses, and a h

a grief-livener you are," and all of whom he gave over on hearing of the widow of Drefach. Her he married, and with the money he got with her, and the money he borrowed, he bought Deinol. Soon he was freed from the hands of his lender. He had eight horses and twelve cows, and he had oxen and heifers, and pigs and hens, and he had twenty-five sheep grazing on his moorland. As

s name shall be. The Large Maker giv

and this prayer he recited to the congregation which

he age of seven he knew every question and answer in the book "Mother's Gift," with sayings from which he scourged sinners; and at the

e was with the cunningest men, disputing with the preacher, stressing his arguments with his f

Ben Abel Deinol?" he always answered: "

cher, who said: "Pity quite sinfu

lied Abel. "Eloquent he is. Grand he is

hear the lad's shoutings to God. Once Ben opened h

Capel. Right you hear the Gospel fach. Youngish am I but old is my

he burial-ground, in which there were more graves than molehills in the shire. He cried against the heath

adage-was above that of any student. Of him this was said: "'Whit

rough, now he was the Widow of Nain rejoicing at the recovery of her son, now he was a parson in Nineveh squirming under the prophecy of Jonah; and his hearers winced or longed, rejoiced or squirmed. Congregations sought him to pre

nd, he came to Deinol. His fat

he not strained Gwen for his tithes? Auction her he did a

Saturday Benshamin Lloyd will give mo

, and spoke to the peop

r. Ask Postman. Laugh highly you will and stamp on the floor. Funny is the Parson in the white frock. Ach y fy, why for he doesn't have a coat preacher like Respecteds? Ask me that. From where does his Church come from? She is the inheritance of Satan. The only thing he had to leave, and he left her

taple into her udder. Sunday morning eleven men from Capel Dissenters, with iron bands to their clogs on their feet, and white aprons before their bellies, shouted without the church: "We ar

the railers came to Ben, telling h

oses the key of his house breaks into his house.

urial-ground, and they drew up a tombstone, and with it rammed the door; and they hurled s

ed to him his servant Lissi Workhouse, and her he told to take Gwen to Deinol. The cow lowed woef

the going in

orkhouse," he said,

ale his beast,'

you are,"

ut a creature without blemish he p

rom within the house: "The cow the fu

will I to Vicarage with boys cap

on beholding Lissi's broad hips, scarl

he said. "My father, journey with Gw

; and that night Ben crossed the mown hayfields to the V

n was cut down, and to the women who were gleaning his fat

ed," cried one, laughing

ch pretty innocent you are, Benshamin. Four

bulk might be only the co

large woman, "who the foxer

he Parson?" replied Ben

the roads crying that the enemy of the Big Man had put unbecoming words on a harlot's to

ss and relish of power, a

Abel. "Going am I to London. Heavy shall I be

ur college. No more do I want t

horse too, m

," Abel said. "Fairish I

father? The money of mam cam

young of the day"-Abel obeyed his son, who thereupon departed and came to Thornton East to the

to sell cattle and mortgage Deinol for what it was worth and to give him all the money he received

who worshiped in Welsh chapels, and though he spoiled several in his quest, the abominations which oppressed these workers were made known to him. Shop-assistants carried abroad his f

rries-this is the Enos-Harries who has a drapery shop in Kingsend-sent to Ben this letter: "Take Dinner with Slf and Wife s

use, and told him the cost of

Welshman, and I want to do a good turn for you with a spe

portant enou

speeches. All the drapers and dairies shall

nts," said Ben. "I am prea

speakers shall be there. Come now into the drawing-room and I'll give you an intro to the M

arked. "I would be gl

e you the invite. The Cymrodo

lead, try

u to address this glorious miting where the Welsh drapers will a

aint-he put on him a frock coat, and combed down his mustache over the blood-red swelling

ing. It inspired us one and all with a hireath for the dear old homeland-for dear Wales, for the land of our

h rod having been tamed from heatherland into a manna of abundance. Tamed by human bones and muscles-God's invested capital in His chosen children. Six months ago this land-this fertile and rich land-was wrestled away from the owners.

one who are not Welsh. We have a language as ancient as the hills t

y my mam used to tell me how the chief Satan was caught trying to put his hand over the sun so as to give other satans a chance of doing wrong on earth in the dark. That was the object of these misguided fools. They had no gr

f Aden. That is where commerse be

assical old rafterss. It is the coming of God. And the message He gives

hose whom he had troubled lost courage and humbled themselves before their emp

erine harassed him to recover her house and chattels. To these complainings he was deaf. He married the daughter of a wealthy Englishman, who set

ed himself in public affairs, and soon he was as an idol to a multitude of people, who were sensible only to his well-sung words, and who did

ommended him, crying: "Thank God for Ben Lloyd." Such praise puffed him up, an

d in his vanity. "The basis of my solidity-strength-is

Dull Anna prophesied great things for

whom he professed to serve: in his eagerness to lift himself he planned, plotted, and trafficked with the foes of his officers

been reared by your brains. It has no walls of stone and mortar, yet it is a sity builded by men. We must have no more bickerings. We have work to do. The seeds are springing forth, and a goodly harvest is promised: let us sharpen our blades and clear our barn floors. Cymru fydd-Wales for the Welsh-is here. At home and at Westminster our kith and kin are occupying prominent positions. Disestablishm

e. And it will end strikes, and trades unionism will deservedly crumble. In future these men will be able to settle down, and with

the Cardigan coast-in beautiful Morfa-there is a rock-Birds' Rock. As a boy I used to climb to the top of it, and watch the waters swirling and tumbling about

ame home and he stood at a mirror, a

his wife. Presently he paused. "You're a fine one to be

avors merchants brought their gold, and mothers their daughters. Wint

e earth," he said, "so my fame shall spread over

the dreadful outcry; every midnight he arose from his bed and walked aside the fence, testing the strength o

ht. Then peace fell upon him; and at dusk of a day he came into his room, and he saw one s