The Argosy — page 65: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

52 LARRY’S GHOST. E cousin, Biddy Brady, had an illegant way wid her of tellin’ sthories; she would have ye that ye wouldn’t be wortha rush wid laughin’ one minit, an’ meltin’ away inthirely wid tears, like a tallow candle, the next. Many’s the hour I’ve sat by the light ov the turf fire listenin’ till her. But she’s gone now—may the saints rest her sowl ! an’ it'll be long afore I'll see the like ov her again. The sthory I'm goin’ to tell ye, she tould me wid her own lips; an’ I give it to ye as near as I can mind it. ‘‘D’ye mind pretty Rose Terry ?” sez she. “ Rightly,” sez I. ; “Well,” sez she, ‘‘ Rose married Larry O’Leary, though I own it was sore agin the wishes ov her family; for ye see though Larry was as clever a blade as iver swung a shillalah, he was a gay boy, and greatly given till take a dhrap over often. Ye see it wora clear case ov love at first sight, for they met at the May fair; an’ what betwixt Rose’s black eyes, an’ her nate dancin’, Larry felt that he no longer belonged till himself; while-she, that had had the best offers in the counthry round, an’ had turned up her little nose at thim all, felt her heart givin’ way before Larry’s bold; handsome manner. Well, they wor married: an’ ould Terry did the dacent thing in givin’ thim an illegant weddin’, to which all the boys an’ girls for miles around, wor invited ; an’ they had lashins’ ov aitin’ and drinkin’; an’ Paddy the piper played himself mad, an’ wasn’t able till see his way home, though it wor good break of day whin he left; he said it was the slape that ailed him; but my word for it, there wor a sthronger spirit nor slape at work on Paddy’s eyes. “ An’ the young couple set up for thimselves, in a nate way; an’ there wasn’t man nor woman, far nor near, that didn’t wish thim good luck, for they wor great favourites in the counthry. As I said afore, it wor pure love from the minit they set eyes on other; so ye may guess they wor as happy in their honeymoon as iver wor man an’ woman. Rose had her own way inthirely, as every pretty, smart girl will; an’ she would have been the proudest wife in all the land, but for one thing ; an’ that wor Larry was still given till takin’ a dhrap at times, which wor purty often ; for ye see there couldn’t be a wake nor a fair, but he must be at it; for he bate all for life an’ spirits. There’s many a woman would have been contint to have a gay, dashin’, kind husband; but Rose wor sinsible, an’ she knew that that one fault ov Larry’s would grow till it would cover all his vartues intirely, an’ thin her happiness would be gone. She didn’t rason wid him, for she knew if he didn’t give it up - Gomilecbooks (eo) »