The Dead Boxer / The Works of William Carleton, Volume Two

of April, a young man named Lamh Laudher O'Rorke, or Strong-handed O'Eorke, was proceeding from his father's house, with a stout oaken cudgel

olor of his hair. These epithets, to be sure, still occur in Ireland, but far less frequently now than in the times of which we write, when Irish was almost the vernacular language of the country. It was for a reason similar to those just alleged, that John O'Rorke was known as Lamh Laudher O'Rorke; he, as well as his forefathers for two or three generations, having been remarkable for prodigious bodily strength and courage. The evening was far advanced as O'Rorke bent his steps to the orchard. The pale,

front, was bound by a dowd cap without any border, a circumstance which, in addition to a red kerchief, tied over it, and streaming about nine inches down the back, gave to her tout ensemble a wild and striking expression. A short oaken staff, hooked under the hand, completed the description of her costume. Even on a first glance there appeared to be something repulsive in her features, which had evidently been much exposed to sun and storm. By a closer inspection one might detect upon their har

s the town, when she issued from an adjoining cabin and approached him. The moment he noticed h

for an old hag," said he, and haying thus given vent to his indignation at

bitterly all out, Lamh Laudher!" she exclaimed, pacing at

" said he, "the word was rash; and the curse did not come from my heart. But, Nell, who is there that doesn't curse you when they meet you? Isn't it well known that to meet you is anot

ou? Wasn't it his hand that disfigured me as you see, when I was widin a week of bein' dacently married? Your f

you know it is said that there was darkness, and guilt, too, about the disappearin' of your child. You never cleared that up, but swore revenge night and day again

ed for two or three minutes in his face, with an appearance of distraction. O'Rorke, who never feared man, shrunk from her touch, and shuddered under the influence of what had been, scarcely without an exception, called the "bad look." The crone held him tight, however, and there they stood, with their eyes fixed upon each other. From the gaze of intense anguish, the countenance of Nell M'Collum began to change gradually to one of unmingled exultation; her brows

isten again-when he tells me what has become of mine, I'll tell him what has become of his, Now go to Ellen-but before you go, let me cuggher

ferrule with which it was bound dashed the fire from the stones, after

ntained an intercourse with the fairies, to be capable of communicating the blight of an evil eye, and to have carried on a traffic which is said to have been rather prevalent in Ireland at the time we speak of-namely, that of kidnapping. The speculations with reference to her object in perpetrating the crimes were strongly calculated to exhibit the degraded state of the people at that period. Some said that she disposed of the children to a certain class of persons in the metropolis, who subsequently sent them to the colonies, when grown, at an enormous profit. Others maintained that she never carried them to Dublin at all, but insi

to vagrants whose history had not been connected with evil suspicion and mystery. She accordingly tempered her manner and deportment towards them with consummate skill. Her replies to their inquiries for news were given with an appearance of good humor; but beneath the familiarity of her dialogue there lay an ambiguous meaning and a cutting sarcasm, both of which were tinged with a prophetic spirit, capable, from its equivocal drift, of being applied to each individual whom she addressed. Owing to her unsettled life, and her habit

e menials of the inn was

on who acted in the capacity of

s on the Esker, looking afther the sheep, poor crathurs, durin' Andy Connor's illness in the smal

inquired Nell;

oing on t

' about that; but I want to see Meehau

n' you know I wouldn't t

ll significantly, turning at the same time a piercing glance on the wa

mmer; "an' as to Sally, the nerra one o' me k

eech of him, or else I'll give your masther the name of the thief that stole his linen; ay! the name of the thief that resaved it

in the house unknownst to me. I'll try, any how, an' if

nnkeeper's son and the waiter returned to the hall, the former asked her what the nature of her business with him might be. To this she made no reply, except by uttering the word husht! and pulling the ends, first of

l; an' you may tell your father that he must get some one else to look afther his sheep. Ay! h

of wonder at the extent of her knowledge, and of the awfu

no object in bringing him far from the house, she availed herself of the first retired spot that presented itself, in order to disclose the purport of her visit. "Meehaul Neil," said she, "we're now upon the Common, wher

hat villain dare injure her that regards his life? My sisther! Ellen Neil! No, no! the man that 'u

f. It's one that you had better avoid than meet. It's the strong h

e communication she was about to make had been already known to him, though not, she wa

ince I gave him a caution to drop her, an' to look out for a girl fittin' for his station. Ellen herself knows what he

r turnin' round upon his poverty, that he swore an oath to them that I could name, bindin' himself to bring your sist

for his coffin, if he did; an' in the next, do you think so inanely of Ellen, as to believe that she would bring disgrace an' sorrow upon herself and her family? No, no, Nell; the old dioul's in you, or you'

hat it bore, to one of coarse glee, under which, to those who had penetratio

doin' wid yez? for I hadn't time to see her a while agone. I hope she'll never be ashamed or afr

she's honest an' behaves herself, there's no fear

re sharpness or sinse I might say-Meehaul Neil," she added, elevating her voice, "what do you think I could say, this sacred moment! Your sister! Why she's a good girl!-true enough that: but how long she may be so's

f it," said Meehaul calml

rchard! Ay! an' if you wish you may see them together wid your own eyes, an' sure if you don't b'lieve me, you'll b'lieve them. But,

" said Meehaul, asto

rry. That's their sate whenever they meet; an' a snug one it is for them that don't like their neighbors' eyes to be upon them. Go now an' sati

s ought to do, without troubling themselves about the idle nonsense of inquiring why they hate and maltreat each other. For this reason alone, Meehaul Neil was bitterly opposed to the most distant notion of a marriage between his sister and young Lamh Laudher. There were other motives also which weighed, with nearly equal force, in the consideration of this subject. His sister Ellen was by far the most beautiful girl of her station in the whole country,-an

motive for disclosure was not one of kindness or regard for him or for his family. Nell M'Collum had often declared that "the wide earth did not carry a bein' she liked or loved, but one-not even excepting herself, that she hated most of all." This however was not necessary to prove that she act

'll go directly and keep my eye on them; an' I'll have my fire-arms, Nell; an' by the life that'

looked after him with

lose a fall-I'll make the Lamh Laudhers the Lamh Lhugs afore I've done wid 'em. I've put a thorn in their side this many a year, that'll never come out; I'll

separated her from society, and marked her as a being to be avoided and detested, she also depart