Some Irish Repartees.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 52

Some Irish Repartees.

At the Irish courts, where considerable license of tongue hap always prevailed, Bench and Bar never spare one another

There is a-story told of Chief Baroc O'Grady, who waa trying a. enss in an assize, town where the courthouse 'abutted on to the fair green and affair waa in progress. . Outside the court was tethered a number of asse°. As counsel was addressing the court, one of these began to bray.

Instantly the Chief Baron stopped the speaker. " Wait a " moment, Mr Bashe ; I can't hear two at once."

Tbe court roared, and the advocate grew red. But presently, when 5t came to the. eumtaing up, the judge was in full swing when another *ss struck i\ — whether by the coaoeel'a contrivance or n"t, who shall say?

Arjyhow, up jumped Mr Bushe with his hand to his ear. " Would your lordfhip speak a little louder ? — there's such an echo in the court."

Indeed, in Ireland, where deft use of the tongue is not uiicomrocn, it is a little hard for either judge or counsel ti eppress witnesses, and tales are familiar oi ths guileless countryman who h*s turned the J&ngh on his tormentor ; so familiar, in fttcb, that I avoid them.

One of tbe completeat scores known to me, however, was the achievement of an Irish beggar woman. A friend, not above ' the ordinary stature, was walking one afternoon with a la.<sy whoae proportions were decidedly ample. Without her haft sbe overtopped him ; with it, she towered above him. The pair passed the old woman, and she asked them for a (riifls ; but the lady, whose views on indiscriminate charity were resolute, answered her stsrnly.

Tbe old woman drew herself up, and, eyeing the C3«ple with a penetrating and scornful 1 glance), she summed up in a phrase what one took to be th"c situation—" God help the poor man that couldn'c say no fco ye." Right and left' she had bagged the brace of them, and so she safe down happy and contented.

Anothtr tale ciine from Ireland the other day which Bounds as if it must have bsen a repetition of some old repartee, but was genuine enough, it appears.

Human invention hit* endlessly on thes&me combinations, and a jok« is confirmed by every new discovery. This was tbe gtory :

A passenger in disembarking at Kingstown had the misfortune to slip and fall into the deep water between the pier and the boat. A s&ilor went in and fetched him out with some d'ffieuHy. Ths rescued "man, in the intervals of dep'oring a Gladstone bag, which had gone to fcbs bottom, bethought - himself oi gratitude and beatoifeed upon hia preserver Is. Not contented with ilia look in the sailor's face, he asked if that was not enough. The sailor contemplated him and the coin.

"Enough for saving pour life?" said he; "ib'a a. d-^ — d sight too much." — Comhill Magaaine.