"moll roe rafferty was the son—daughter i mane—of ould jack rafferty, who was remarkable for a habit he had [pg 186] of always wearing his head undher his hat; but indeed the same family was a quare one, as everybody knew that was acquainted wid them. it was said of them—but whether it was thrue or not i won't undhertake to say, for 'fraid i'd tell a lie—that whenever they didn't wear shoes or boots they always went barefooted; but i heard aftherwards that this was disputed, so rather than say anything to injure their character, i'll let that pass. now, ould jack rafferty had two sons, paddy and molly—hut! what are you all laughing at?—i mane a son and daughter, and it was generally believed among the neighbours that they were brother and sisther, which you know might be thrue or it might not: but that's a thing that, wid the help o' goodness, we have nothing to say to. troth there was many ugly things put out on them that i don't wish to repate, such as that neither jack nor his son paddy ever walked a perch widout puttin' one foot afore the other like a salmon; an' i know it was whispered about, that whinever moll roe slep', she had an out-of-the-way custom of keepin' her eyes shut. if she did, however, for that matther the loss was her own; for sure we all know that when one comes to shut their eyes they can't see as far before them as another.
"moll roe was a fine young bouncin' girl, large and lavish, wid a purty head o' hair on her like scarlet, that bein' one of the raisons why she was called roe, or red; her arms an' cheeks were much the colour of the hair, an' her saddle nose was the purtiest thing of its kind that ever was on a face. her fists—for, thank goodness, she was well sarved wid them too—had a strong simularity to two thumpin' turnips, reddened by the sun; an' to keep all right and tight, she had a temper as fiery as her head—for, indeed, it was well known that all the rafferties were warm-hearted. howandiver, it appears that god gives nothing in vain, and of coorse the same fists, big and red as they were, if all that is said about them is thrue, were not so much given to her for ornament as use. at laist, takin' them in connection wid her lively temper, we have it upon good authority, that there was no danger of their getting blue-moulded for want of [pg 187] practice. she had a twist, too, in one of her eyes that was very becomin' in its way, and made her poor husband, when she got him, take it into his head that she could see round a corner. she found him out in many quare things, widout doubt; but whether it was owin' to that or not, i wouldn't undertake to say for fraid i'd tell a lie.
"well, begad, anyhow it was moll roe that was the dilsy. [38] it happened that there was a nate vagabone in the neighbourhood, just as much overburdened wid beauty as herself, and he was named gusty gillespie. gusty, the lord guard us, was what they call a black-mouth prosbytarian, and wouldn't keep christmas-day, the blagard, except what they call 'ould style.' gusty was rather good-lookin' when seen in the dark, as well as moll herself; and, indeed, it was purty well known that—accordin' as the talk went—it was in nightly meetings that they had an opportunity of becomin' detached to one another. the quensequence was, that in due time both families began to talk very seriously as to what was to be done. moll's brother, pawdien o'rafferty, gave gusty the best of two choices. what they were it's not worth spakin' about; but at any rate one of them was a poser, an' as gusty knew his man, he soon came to his senses. accordianly everything was deranged for their marriage, and it was appointed that they should be spliced by the rev. samuel m'shuttle, the prosbytarian parson, on the following sunday.
"now this was the first marriage that had happened for a long time in the neighbourhood betune a black-mouth an' a catholic, an' of coorse there was strong objections on both sides aginst it; an' begad, only for one thing, it would never 'a tuck place at all. at any rate, faix, there was one of the bride's uncles, ould harry connolly, a fairy-man, who could cure all complaints wid a secret he had, and as he didn't wish to see his niece married upon sich a fellow, he fought bittherly against the match. all moll's friends, however, stood up for the marriage barrin' him, an' of coorse the [pg 188] sunday was appointed, as i said, that they were to be dove-tailed together.
"well, the day arrived, and moll, as became her, went to mass, and gusty to meeting, afther which they were to join one another in jack rafferty's, where the priest, father m'sorley, was to slip up afther mass to take his dinner wid them, and to keep misther m'shuttle, who was to marry them, company. nobody remained at home but ould jack rafferty an' his wife, who stopped to dress the dinner, for, to tell the truth, it was to be a great let-out entirely. maybe, if all was known, too, that father m'sorley was to give them a cast of his office over an' above the ministher, in regard that moll's friends were not altogether satisfied at the kind of marriage which m'shuttle could give them. the sorrow may care about that—splice here—splice there—all i can say is, that when mrs. rafferty was goin' to tie up a big bag pudden, in walks harry connolly, the fairy-man, in a rage, and shouts out,—'blood and blunderbushes, what are yez here for?'
"'arrah why, harry? why, avick?'
"'why, the sun's in the suds and the moon in the high horicks; there's a clipstick comin' an, an' there you're both as unconsarned as if it was about to rain mether. go out and cross yourselves three times in the name o' the four mandromarvins, for as prophecy says:—fill the pot, eddy, supernaculum—a blazing star's a rare spectaculum. go out both of you and look at the sun, i say, an' ye'll see the condition he's in—off!'
"begad, sure enough, jack gave a bounce to the door, and his wife leaped like a two-year-ould, till they were both got on a stile beside the house to see what was wrong in the sky.
"'arrah, what is it, jack,' said she; 'can you see anything?'
"'no,' says he, 'sorra the full o' my eye of anything i can spy, barrin' the sun himself, that's not visible in regard of the clouds. god guard us! i doubt there's something to happen.'
[pg 189] "'if there wasn't, jack, what 'ud put harry, that knows so much, in the state he's in?'
"'i doubt it's this marriage,' said jack: 'betune ourselves, it's not over an' above religious for moll to marry a black-mouth, an' only for——; but it can't be helped now, though you see not a taste o' the sun is willin' to show his face upon it.'
"'as to that,' says the wife, winkin' wid both her eyes, 'if gusty's satisfied wid moll, it's enough. i know who'll carry the whip hand, anyhow; but in the manetime let us ax harry 'ithin what ails the sun.'
"well, they accordianly went in an' put the question to him:
"'harry, what's wrong, ahagur? what is it now, for if anybody alive knows, 'tis yourself?'
"'ah!' said harry, screwin' his mouth wid a kind of a dhry smile, 'the sun has a hard twist o' the cholic; but never mind that, i tell you you'll have a merrier weddin' than you think, that's all;' and havin' said this, he put on his hat and left the house.
"now, harry's answer relieved them very much, and so, afther calling to him to be back for the dinner, jack sat down to take a shough o' the pipe, and the wife lost no time in tying up the pudden and puttin' it in the pot to be boiled.
"in this way things went on well enough for a while, jack smokin' away, an' the wife cookin' and dhressin' at the rate of a hunt. at last, jack, while sittin', as i said, contentedly at the fire, thought he could persave an odd dancin' kind of motion in the pot that puzzled him a good deal.
"'katty,' said he, 'what the dickens is in this pot on the fire?'
"'nerra thing but the big pudden. why do you ax?' says she.
"'why,' said he, 'if ever a pot tuck it into its head to dance a jig, and this did. thundher and sparbles, look at it!'
"begad, it was thrue enough; there was the pot bobbin' up an' down and from side to side, jiggin' it away as merry [pg 190] as a grig; an' it was quite aisy to see that it wasn't the pot itself, but what was inside of it, that brought about the hornpipe.
"'be the hole o' my coat,' shouted jack, 'there's something alive in it, or it would never cut sich capers!'
"'be gorra, there is, jack; something sthrange entirely has got into it. wirra, man alive, what's to be done?'
"jist as she spoke, the pot seemed to cut the buckle in prime style, and afther a spring that 'ud shame a dancin'-masther, off flew the lid, and out bounced the pudden itself, hoppin', as nimble as a pea on a drum-head, about the floor. jack blessed himself, and katty crossed herself. jack shouted, and katty screamed. 'in the name of goodness, keep your distance; no one here injured you!'
"the pudden, however, made a set at him, and jack lepped first on a chair and then on the kitchen table to avoid it. it then danced towards kitty, who was now repatin' her prayers at the top of her voice, while the cunnin' thief of a pudden was hoppin' and jiggin' it round her, as if it was amused at her distress.
"'if i could get the pitchfork,' said jack, 'i'd dale wid it—by goxty i'd thry its mettle.'
"'no, no,' shouted katty, thinkin' there was a fairy in it; 'let us spake it fair. who knows what harm it might do? aisy now,' said she to the pudden, 'aisy, dear; don't harm honest people that never meant to offend you. it wasn't us—no, in troth, it was ould harry connolly that bewitched you; pursue him if you wish, but spare a woman like me; for, whisper, dear, i'm not in a condition to be frightened—troth i'm not.'
"the pudden, bedad, seemed to take her at her word, and danced away from her towards jack, who, like the wife, believin' there was a fairy in it, an' that spakin' it fair was the best plan, thought he would give it a soft word as well as her.
"'plase your honour,' said jack, 'she only spaiks the truth; an', upon my voracity, we both feels much oblaiged to your honour for your quietness. faith, it's quite clear [pg 191] that if you weren't a gentlemanly pudden all out, you'd act otherwise. ould harry, the rogue, is your mark; he's jist gone down the road there, and if you go fast you'll overtake him. be me song, your dancin' masther did his duty, anyhow. thank your honour! god speed you, an' may you never meet wid a parson or alderman in your thravels!'
"jist as jack spoke the pudden appeared to take the hint, for it quietly hopped out, and as the house was directly on the road-side, turned down towards the bridge, the very way that ould harry went. it was very natural, of coorse, that jack and katty should go out to see how it intended to thravel; and, as the day was sunday, it was but natural, too, that a greater number of people than usual were passin' the road. this was a fact; and when jack and his wife were seen followin' the pudden, the whole neighbourhood was soon up and afther it.
"'jack rafferty, what is it? katty, ahagur, will you tell us what it manes?'
"'why,' replied katty, 'it's my big pudden that's bewitched, an' it's now hot foot pursuin'——;' here she stopped, not wishin' to mention her brother's name—'some one or other that surely put pishrogues an it.' [39]
"this was enough; jack, now seein' that he had assistance, found his courage comin' back to him; so says he to katty, 'go home,' says he, 'an' lose no time in makin' another pudden as good, an' here's paddy scanlan's wife, bridget, says she'll let you boil it on her fire, as you'll want our own to dress the rest o' the dinner: and paddy himself will lend me a pitchfork, for purshuin to the morsel of that same pudden will escape till i let the wind out of it, now that i've the neighbours to back an' support me,' says jack.
"this was agreed to, and katty went back to prepare a fresh pudden, while jack an' half the townland pursued the other wid spades, graips, pitchforks, scythes, flails, and all possible description of instruments. on the pudden went, however, at the rate of about six irish miles an hour, an' sich a chase never was seen. catholics, prodestants, an' [pg 192] prosbytarians, were all afther it, armed, as i said, an' bad end to the thing but its own activity could save it. here it made a hop, and there a prod was made at it; but off it went, an' some one, as eager to get a slice at it on the other side, got the prod instead of the pudden. big frank farrell, the miller of ballyboulteen, got a prod backwards that brought a hullabaloo out of him you might hear at the other end of the parish. one got a slice of a scythe, another a whack of a flail, a third a rap of a spade that made him look nine ways at wanst.
"'where is it goin'?' asked one. 'my life for you, it's on it's way to meeting. three cheers for it if it turns to carntaul.' 'prod the sowl out of it, if it's a prodestan',' shouted the others; 'if it turns to the left, slice it into pancakes. we'll have no prodestan' puddens here.'
"begad, by this time the people were on the point of beginnin' to have a regular fight about it, when, very fortunately, it took a short turn down a little by-lane that led towards the methodist praichin-house, an' in an instant all parties were in an uproar against it as a methodist pudden. 'it's a wesleyan,' shouted several voices; 'an' by this an' by that, into a methodist chapel it won't put a foot to-day, or we'll lose a fall. let the wind out of it. come, boys, where's your pitchforks?'
"the divle purshuin to the one of them, however, ever could touch the pudden, an' jist when they thought they had it up against the gavel of the methodist chapel, begad it gave them the slip, and hops over to the left, clane into the river, and sails away before all their eyes as light as an egg-shell.
"now, it so happened that a little below this place, the demesne-wall of colonel bragshaw was built up to the very edge of the river on each side of its banks; and so findin' there was a stop put to their pursuit of it, they went home again, every man, woman, and child of them, puzzled to think what the pudden was at all, what it meant, or where it was goin'! had jack rafferty an' his wife been willin' to let out the opinion they held about harry connolly bewitchin' it, there is no doubt of it but poor harry might [pg 193] be badly trated by the crowd, when their blood was up. they had sense enough, howandiver, to keep that to themselves, for harry bein' an' ould bachelor, was a kind friend to the raffertys. so, of coorse, there was all kinds of talk about it—some guessin' this, and some guessin' that—one party sayin' the pudden was of there side, another party denyin' it, an' insistin' it belonged to them, an' so on.
"in the manetime, katty rafferty, for 'fraid the dinner might come short, went home and made another pudden much about the same size as the one that had escaped, and bringin' it over to their next neighbour, paddy scanlan's, it was put into a pot and placed on the fire to boil, hopin' that it might be done in time, espishilly as they were to have the ministher, who loved a warm slice of a good pudden as well as e'er a gintleman in europe.
"anyhow, the day passed; moll and gusty were made man an' wife, an' no two could be more lovin'. their friends that had been asked to the weddin' were saunterin' about in pleasant little groups till dinner-time, chattin' an' laughin'; but, above all things, sthrivin' to account for the figaries of the pudden; for, to tell the truth, its adventures had now gone through the whole parish.
"well, at any rate, dinner-time was dhrawin' near, and paddy scanlan was sittin' comfortably wid his wife at the fire, the pudden boilen before their eyes, when in walks harry connolly, in a flutter, shoutin'—'blood an' blunderbushes, what are yez here for?'
"'arra, why, harry—why, avick?' said mrs. scanlan.
"'why,' said harry, 'the sun's in the suds an' the moon in the high horicks! here's a clipstick comin' an, an' there you sit as unconsarned as if it was about to rain mether! go out both of you, an' look at the sun, i say, and ye'll see the condition he's in—off!'
"'ay, but, harry, what's that rowled up in the tail of your cothamore [40] (big coat)?'
"'out wid yez,' said harry, 'an' pray aginst the clipstick—the sky's fallin'!'
[pg 194] "begad, it was hard to say whether paddy or the wife got out first, they were so much alarmed by harry's wild thin face an' piercin' eyes; so out they went to see what was wondherful in the sky, an' kep' lookin' an' lookin' in every direction, but not a thing was to be seen, barrin' the sun shinin' down wid great good-humour, an' not a single cloud in the sky.
"paddy an' the wife now came in laughin', to scould harry, who, no doubt, was a great wag in his way when he wished. 'musha, bad scran to you, harry——.' they had time to say no more, howandiver, for, as they were goin' into the door, they met him comin' out of it wid a reek of smoke out of his tail like a lime-kiln.
"'harry,' shouted bridget, 'my sowl to glory, but the tail of your cothamore's a-fire—you'll be burned. don't you see the smoke that's out of it?'
"'cross yourselves three times,' said harry, widout stoppin', or even lookin' behind him, 'for, as the prophecy says—fill the pot, eddy——' they could hear no more, for harry appeared to feel like a man that carried something a great deal hotter than he wished, as anyone might see by the liveliness of his motions, and the quare faces he was forced to make as he went along.
"'what the dickens is he carryin' in the skirts of his big coat?' asked paddy.
"'my sowl to happiness, but maybe he has stole the pudden,' said bridget, 'for it's known that many a sthrange thing he does.'
"they immediately examined the pot, but found that the pudden was there as safe as tuppence, an' this puzzled them the more, to think what it was he could be carryin' about wid him in the manner he did. but little they knew what he had done while they were sky-gazin'!
"well, anyhow, the day passed and the dinner was ready, an' no doubt but a fine gatherin' there was to partake of it. the prosbytarian ministher met the methodist praicher—a divilish stretcher of an appetite he had, in throth—on their way to jack rafferty's, an' as he knew he [pg 195] could take the liberty, why he insisted on his dinin' wid him; for, afther all, begad, in thim times the clargy of all descriptions lived upon the best footin' among one another, not all as one as now—but no matther. well, they had nearly finished their dinner, when jack rafferty himself axed katty for the pudden; but, jist as he spoke, in it came as big as a mess-pot.
"'gintlemen,' said he, 'i hope none of you will refuse tastin' a bit of katty's pudden; i don't mane the dancin' one that tuck to its thravels to-day, but a good solid fellow that she med since.'
"'to be sure we won't,' replied the priest; 'so, jack, put a thrifle on them three plates at your right hand, and send them over here to the clargy, an' maybe,' he said, laughin'—for he was a droll good-humoured man—'maybe, jack, we won't set you a proper example.'
"'wid a heart an' a half, yer reverence an' gintlemen; in throth, it's not a bad example ever any of you set us at the likes, or ever will set us, i'll go bail. an' sure i only wish it was betther fare i had for you; but we're humble people, gintlemen, and so you can't expect to meet here what you would in higher places.'
"'betther a male of herbs,' said the methodist praicher, 'where pace is——.' he had time to go no farther, however; for much to his amazement, the priest and the ministher started up from the table jist as he was goin' to swallow the first spoonful of the pudden, and before you could say jack robinson, started away at a lively jig down the floor.
"at this moment a neighbour's son came runnin' in, an' tould them that the parson was comin' to see the new-married couple, an' wish them all happiness; an' the words were scarcely out of his mouth when he made his appearance. what to think he knew not, when he saw the ministher footing it away at the rate of a weddin'. he had very little time, however, to think; for, before he could sit down, up starts the methodist praicher, and clappin' his two fists in his sides chimes in in great style along wid him.
[pg 196] "'jack rafferty,' says he—and, by the way, jack was his tenant—'what the dickens does all this mane?' says he; 'i'm amazed!'
"'the not a particle o' me can tell you,' says jack; 'but will your reverence jist taste a morsel o' pudden, merely that the young couple may boast that you ait at their weddin'; for sure if you wouldn't, who would?'
"'well,' says he, 'to gratify them i will; so just a morsel. but, jack, this bates bannagher,' says he again, puttin' the spoonful o' pudden into his mouth; 'has there been dhrink here?'
"'oh, the divle a spudh,' says jack, 'for although there's plinty in the house, faith, it appears the gintlemen wouldn't wait for it. unless they tuck it elsewhere, i can make nothin' of this.'
"he had scarcely spoken, when the parson, who was an active man, cut a caper a yard high, an' before you could bless yourself, the three clargy were hard at work dancin', as if for a wager. begad, it would be unpossible for me to tell you the state the whole meetin' was in when they seen this. some were hoarse wid laughin'; some turned up their eyes wid wondher; many thought them mad, an' others thought they had turned up their little fingers a thrifle too often.
"'be goxty, it's a burnin' shame,' said one, 'to see three black-mouth clargy in sich a state at this early hour!' 'thundher an' ounze, what's over them at all?' says others; 'why, one would think they're bewitched. holy moses, look at the caper the methodis cuts! an' as for the recther, who would think he could handle his feet at such a rate! be this an' be that, he cuts the buckle, and does the threblin' step aiquil to paddy horaghan, the dancin'-masther himself? an' see! bad cess to the morsel of the parson that's not hard at peace upon a trancher, an' it of a sunday too! whirroo, gintlemen, the fun's in yez afther all—whish! more power to yez!'
"the sorra's own fun they had, an' no wondher; but judge of what they felt, when all at once they saw ould jack [pg 197] rafferty himself bouncin' in among them, and footing it away like the best o' them. bedad, no play could come up to it, an' nothin' could be heard but laughin', shouts of encouragement, and clappin' of hands like mad. now the minute jack rafferty left the chair where he had been carvin' the pudden, ould harry connolly comes over and claps himself down in his place, in ordher to send it round, of coorse; an' he was scarcely sated, when who should make his appearance but barney hartigan, the piper. barney, by the way, had been sent for early in the day, but bein' from home when the message for him went, he couldn't come any sooner.
"'begorra,' said barney, 'you're airly at the work, gintlemen! but what does this mane? but, divle may care, yez shan't want the music while there's a blast in the pipes, anyhow!' so sayin' he gave them jig polthogue, an' after that kiss my lady, in his best style.
"in the manetime the fun went on thick an' threefold, for it must be remimbered that harry, the ould knave, was at the pudden; an' maybe he didn't sarve it about in double quick time too. the first he helped was the bride, and, before you could say chopstick, she was at it hard an' fast before the methodist praicher, who gave a jolly spring before her that threw them into convulsions. harry liked this, and made up his mind soon to find partners for the rest; so he accordianly sent the pudden about like lightnin'; an' to make a long story short, barrin' the piper an' himself, there wasn't a pair o' heels in the house but was as busy at the dancin' as if their lives depinded on it.
"'barney,' says harry, 'just taste a morsel o' this pudden; divle the such a bully of a pudden ever you ett; here, your sowl! thry a snig of it—it's beautiful.'
"'to be sure i will,' says barney. 'i'm not the boy to refuse a good thing; but, harry, be quick, for you know my hands is engaged, an' it would be a thousand pities not to keep them in music, an' they so well inclined. thank you, harry; begad that is a famous pudden; but blood an' turnips, what's this for?'
[pg 198] "the word was scarcely out of his mouth when he bounced up, pipes an' all, an' dashed into the middle of the party. 'hurroo, your sowls, let us make a night of it! the ballyboulteen boys for ever! go it, your reverence—turn your partner—heel an' toe, ministher. good! well done again—whish! hurroo! here's for ballyboulteen, an' the sky over it!'
"bad luck to the sich a set ever was seen together in this world, or will again, i suppose. the worst, however, wasn't come yet, for jist as they were in the very heat an' fury of the dance, what do you think comes hoppin' in among them but another pudden, as nimble an' merry as the first! that was enough; they all had heard of—the ministhers among the rest—an' most o' them had seen the other pudden, and knew that there must be a fairy in it, sure enough. well, as i said, in it comes to the thick o' them; but the very appearance of it was enough. off the three clargy danced, and off the whole weddiners danced afther them, every one makin' the best of their way home; but not a sowl of them able to break out of the step, if they were to be hanged for it. throth it wouldn't lave a laugh in you to see the parson dancin' down the road on his way home, and the ministher and methodist praicher cuttin' the buckle as they went along in the opposite direction. to make short work of it, they all danced home at last, wid scarce a puff of wind in them; the bride and bridegroom danced away to bed; an' now, boys, come an' let us dance the horo lheig in the barn 'idout. but you see, boys, before we go, an' in ordher that i may make everything plain, i had as good tell you that harry, in crossing the bridge of ballyboulteen, a couple of miles below squire bragshaw's demense-wall, saw the pudden floatin' down the river—the truth is he was waitin' for it; but be this as it may, he took it out, for the wather had made it as clane as a new pin, and tuckin' it up in the tail of his big coat, contrived, as you all guess, i suppose, to change it while paddy scanlan an' the wife were examinin' the sky; an' for the other, he contrived to bewitch it in the same manner, by gettin' a fairy to go [pg 199] into it, for, indeed, it was purty well known that the same harry was hand an' glove wid the good people. others will tell you that it was half a pound of quicksilver he put into it; but that doesn't stand to raison. at any rate, boys, i have tould you the adventures of the mad pudden of ballyboulteen; but i don't wish to tell you many other things about it that happened—for fraid i'd tell a lie."
