GALWAY STORIES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143550, 15 July 1911, Page 3

GALWAY STORIES.

Some agreeable Irish stories are told by .Miss or -Mrs. J. Callwell, who ivrites in the Coruhill about that rather indefinite period “when 1 was young.” Galway Hay was even then a famous watejmg-place, to which people of all ranks came crowding in summer-tiino and it was the pride of one good landlady, “I’m not one of them that crowds their houses. I'd uiver put thim to sleep more than three in a bed.” Equally considerate of numbers was the bathing-woman who gave a hard slap to anyone who “kept the box so long whin others were wantin’ it.” Under her control were the shower-baths, arranged in little shanties on the sand. But an English lady puzzled her one day by asking, for a “tepid” shower, “An’ what might that be?” she wondered. “Tepid? Why, half hot and half cold,” was the reply; but ;wlieu this unfortupatc client pulled the string, down came a deluge of scalding water. “Let me out, let. me out, it was tepid 1 asked for!” “Sure, ye said it was half'hot and half could,” said the woman, inexorable, “and' here’s the could for ye,” as more watqr. came down. Lisdoonverna was another summer resort where the one hotel had to turn even its tables into double beds, one underneath and one on the top.; “What’s keeping breakfast?” asked a discontented tourist, “I ordered it overnight.” “Ye can’t have breakfast yet,” it was explained, “his reverence is not off the table.” A famous IU.E.H,, whose couch was the kitchen tabic, was awakened at dawn by a truculent fellow directing a gleaming knife towards his throat. There was nrofuse apologies. “Sure, the house' was out of pillows entirely, and wo put the side of bacon under yer honour’s head. 1 was just contrivin’ to get a few rashers off for the quality’s breakfast when ye woke,” This M.F.IT. was not a man to he disturbed by an eccentric pillow. During a storm one night, the chimney tumbled down on him, but the master did not trouble to change his couch, hut only turned on his side and slumbered peacefully on. He felt hard, however, that the Hunt complained of his late appearance next morning. “Bedad, boys, it’s easy for you. to be early. If" you’d been lying with the weight of_tiio chimney on you half the night you’d not he' so full of talk.” The Irish Church mission to the peasantry is another good theme for anecdote. Sally Sweeney had hoard a fervent and eloquent inissloner, hut was not edified. “That was the qnare preaching.” she said, “What wns’t all about, would yez think; hut an ould sheep that wint astray as if no one hut himself iver had a sheep goin’ astray on thim afore! An’, maybe, if he’d gone to look in .the pound, ’twas there all the timet”