u  <


Ellen,  honey,'  says  she,  '  come  down,  I  have
some  nice  tay  for  ye  both.'     She  waited,  and  there
was  no  answer ;  so  she  went  up  a  few  steps,  '  James,
agra  !  won't  you  waken  for  me  ? '    Still  no  answer :
well,  she  went  into  the  room,  and  stopped,  and  said,
*  why  then  won't  either  of  you  spake  to  your  own
mother,  that  gave  birth  to  one  and  a  wife  to  the
other?  Jemmy,  Nelly,  dear! — get  up  and  look  at
the  morning  that's  so  smiling  and  happy.'     Still
not  a  word  :  so  she  went  and  pulled  the  wisp  of
straw  out  of  the  window  and  let  in  the  light. She
then   looked  on  the  bed,  patted  her  child  on  the
cheek,  and  felt  that  she  was  a  cold  corpse. Her
bitter    shrieks    soon   woke   the   husband ;    and   the
neighbours    came    running    in,    in    crowds. And
black    grief  was   in    that   cabin  where,    the    night
before,  there  had  been  so  much  joy. Many  sus-
pected that  James  Deasy  had  a  hand  in  his  wife's
death,  and  there  were  some  who  told  him  so. 15nt
sobs,  from  the  very  depth  of  his  heart,  were  James's
only  answers. The  evening  came,  and  the  young
bride  was  laid  out  for  the  wake. All  was  got  in
readiness   for   the    'herring,'   which,   according  to
custom,  was  to  be  on  the  third  day. Now,  nobody
took  the  death  of  poor  Ellen  more  to  heart  than
did  Kit  the  piper,   who  wandered  about  the  neigh-


OLD  -FRANK. 22


iii


bourhood  of  her  dwelling',  playing  onh  dismal
tunes,  until  the  night  before  the  funeral,  when  be
was  Bitting,  between  lights,  under  the  corn-rick  that
Btood  in   the  sheltered  corner  of  Jerry  Mahpny's

field,     while    the    mournful    music    made    the    place

more  melancholy. Suddenly  be  t'elr  a  rapid  gush  of
wind  pass  by  him,  and  then  all  was  Mill  :  he  paused
tor  a  while,  and  again  struck  up  the  same  tune,  the
tune  that  poor  Ellen  so  dearly  loved :  then  the  wind
came  stronger  l>\   him. and  again  he  paused:  once

more  he  began  the  air,  and  the  wind   heat  furiously

against  him. 