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018 - Grace Conner · Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

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  Speaker 1: Section seventeen of Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: a public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Aubrey Bjorick. Fairy and
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  Speaker 1: Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, edited and selected by W. B. Yates,
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  Speaker 1: Section seventeen. Faddy and Grace Connor lived on the borders
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  Speaker 1: of a large turf bog in the parish of Clondevadoc,
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  Speaker 1: where they could hear the Atlantic surges thunder in upon
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  Speaker 1: the shore, and see the wild storms of winter sweep
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  Speaker 1: over the Muckish mountain and his record neighbors even in summer.
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  Speaker 1: The cabin by the bog was dull and dreary enough
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  Speaker 1: Thaddy Connor worked in the fields, and Grace made a
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  Speaker 1: livelihood as a peddler, carrying a basket of remnants of cloth, calico,
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  Speaker 1: drugget and freeze about the country. The people rarely visited
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  Speaker 1: any large town and found it convenient to buy from Grace,
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  Speaker 1: who was welcomed in many a lonely house where a
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  Speaker 1: table was hastily cleared that she might display her wares.
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  Speaker 1: Being considered a very honest woman, she was frequently entrusted
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  Speaker 1: with commissions to the shops and letter Kenny and Rammelton.
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  Speaker 1: As she set out towards home. Her basket was generally
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  Speaker 1: laiden with little gifts for her children. Grace Deer would
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  Speaker 1: one of the kind housewife say, here's a farrel of
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  Speaker 1: oat cake with a taste of butter on it. Gray
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  Speaker 1: Deer would one of the kind housewife, say, here's a
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  Speaker 1: farrell oken oat and cake with a taste o butter
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  Speaker 1: on it. Tack at Wi you for the weigh ins. Footnote.
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  Speaker 1: When a large round flat griddle cake is divided into
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  Speaker 1: triangular cuts, each of these cuts is called a farrell,
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  Speaker 1: farley or parley end footnote. Or here's half a dozen
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  Speaker 1: of eggs. You've a big family to support. Small corners
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  Speaker 1: of all ages crowded round the way. Mother to rifle
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  Speaker 1: her basket of these gifts. But her thrifty, hard life
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  Speaker 1: came suddenly to an end. She died after an illness
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  Speaker 1: of a few hours, and was waked and buried as
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  Speaker 1: handsomely as that he could afford. Thatty was in bed
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  Speaker 1: the night after the funeral and the fire still burned brightly.
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  Speaker 1: When he saw his departed wife cross the room and
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  Speaker 1: bend over the cradle. Terrified, he muttered rapid prayers, covered
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  Speaker 1: his face with the blanket, and on looking up again,
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  Speaker 1: the appearance was gone. Next night, he lifted the infant
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  Speaker 1: out of the cradle and laid it behind him in
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  Speaker 1: the bed, hoping thus to escape his ghostly visitor. But
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  Speaker 1: Grace was presently in the room and stretching over him
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  Speaker 1: to wrap up her child. Shrinking and shuddering, the poor
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  Speaker 1: man exclaimed, Grace, woman, what is it brings you back?
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  Speaker 1: What is it you want? Wi me? I want nahing
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  Speaker 1: thay you fatty? But to put them win back in
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  Speaker 1: her cradle, replied the specter, in a tone of scorn.
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  Speaker 1: You're too feared from me, But my sister rules willna
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  Speaker 1: be feared for me. Tell her to meet me tomorrow evening.
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  Speaker 1: In the old walsteads, Rose lived with her mother about
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  Speaker 1: a mile off, but she obeyed her sister's summons without
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  Speaker 1: the least fear, and kept the strange tryst. In due time,
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  Speaker 1: Rose dear, she said, as she appeared before her sister
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  Speaker 1: in the old walsteads. My mind's uneasy about them twared shells.
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  Speaker 1: That's in the basket. Mattie Hunter and Jane Taggart paid
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  Speaker 1: me for them, and I bought them with their money.
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  Speaker 1: Friday was eight days. Give them the shawls the morrow,
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  Speaker 1: an old Mosey mc corkle gaid me the price o'er
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  Speaker 1: wily coat. It's in under the other things in the basket.
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  Speaker 1: And now farewell I can get to my rest. Grace, Grace,
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  Speaker 1: buyde a wee minute, cried the faithful sister, as the
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  Speaker 1: dear voice grew fainter and the dear face began to fade. Grace, Darling, Thaddy,
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  Speaker 1: the children one word mar but neither cries nor tears
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  Speaker 1: could further detain the spirit hastening to its rest. And
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  Speaker 1: of section seventeen recording by Aubrey Byorke