Part 10 (2/2)
”Shure no human bein' could live in that sea, sur. Did ye come on top of the wather er under?”
”Oh, drive on, drive on,” was the impatient response, ”never mind.”
Seeing one more than usually severe squall coming down on them from the sea, Paul, who was facing windward, thought he would be more comfortable if he would slip the rubber tunic over his head and shoulders. This he did without attracting the attention of Andy and he leaned forward pointing the comical shaped head-piece to the rapidly advancing squall. The head-piece not being inflated, the aperture for the face hung down like a great mouth. The car suddenly gypped and Paul felt his side sink a little. Turning around find the cause and pulling the head-piece from over his eyes, he saw the affrighted Andy about twelve yards away in a ditch. His eyes filled with terror, seemed to protrude from his head while he rapidly made the sign of the cross over his face and breast.
”What's the matter? What are you doing there?” thundered Paul. ”Come on, get up, get up. What's the matter with you?”
”Och, shure, it's well Oi knew that it was no christian Oi had wid me this mornin'.”
”Come on now, or I'll drive on without you,” angrily exclaimed Paul, ”don't you see that this is only a rubber dress that I put on to protect me from the rain.”
After considerable persuasion, Andy was induced to remount and they continued through the heavy rain in silence. Soon after Paul asked:
”Andy, how far is it yet to Skibbereen?”
”About fure miles, ye're honor, and Oi wish it was only fure feet,” In, added in an audible undertone.
Shortly after the houses on the outskirts of Skibbereen began to appear and Andy brightened up wonderfully and became quite communicative. He informed Paul that a friend of his had a hotel there and that it was a good one and that he would drive straight to it.
”Con Sullivan kapes the foinest hotel that mon er beast iver shtoped at,” he concluded.
There were few on the streets as they drove up to the hotel. Paul dismounted and taking his suit into the hotel, asked for a private room.
He then inquired of the landlord where the telegraph office was and started for it. He wrote a telegram, one to the captain of the Queen and one to the English office of the ”New York Herald,” Fleet Street, London. The lady operator scanned over the dispatch to London, then closely scrutinized Paul. Seeing her hesitation about accepting the telegram, Paul demanded to know what was the cause of it. ”Excuse me, sir,” said she, ”but we have to be very careful about the nature of the telegrams we send out from here. I must first call the superintendent, before I can accept this.”
When that individual appeared he looked it over and asked Paul if the contents were all true and correct.
”They a.s.suredly are,” impatiently exclaimed Paul, ”I want you to get it off as quickly as you can,” and he followed this up by several remarks not over complimentary to their methods of doing business.
Paul then returned to the hotel where he found Andy surrounded by a crowd to whom he was relating his adventures and giving a history of his eccentric pa.s.senger in his own way. When they saw Paul he was an object of the wildest curiosity. The crowd poured into the hotel after him and invaded the dining room, so he had to remonstrate with the landlord who unceremoniously shouldered-them out. The news of Paul's arrival on the coast seemed to have spread with the rapidity of a prairie fire all over Skibbereen, and people commenced gathering from all parts of the town around the hotel. One of the gentlemen who insisted on coming in was the superintendent of the telegraph, Mr.
Jolly. He apologized for his seeming discourtesy at the office and a.s.sured Paul that the dispatch he had written seemed so improbable that he could not in justice blame them for not receiving it. He proved to be a very friendly, sociable gentleman and gave Paul all the a.s.sistance and information he desired. He informed him that he would have to leave Skibbereen by stage which would depart in a couple of hours. This stage would convey him to the first railway station, some ten or twelve miles away where he could get a train in the afternoon for Cork. He urgently requested him to remain over for a few days and enjoy the hospitality of Skibbereen. Paul, being anxious to reach Cork, declined. He requested the landlord to send Andy in to settle up. As the hero was ushered in, it was easy to observe that the people had been filling him as well as pumping him.
”Here are your six s.h.i.+llings, I believe that is what you asked me.”
”That's roight, sur,” said Andy as he reached his hand, ”that's fur meself, but how about me mare?”
”What have I got to do with your mare?”
”Shure, sur, ye don't want the poor baste to starve to death.”
”Certainly not, she is yours and you ought to feed her.”
”But, sur, Oi niver had a traveller yet as didn't pay fur the mare's eatin' an' drinkin' as well as moine.”
Paul was amused at this new rule, but was informed by Mr. Jolly that such was the custom in that part of Ireland.
”Well, Andy,” said he, ”how much do you think it will take to keep your mare from starving until you get back to Baltimore? Here's your two s.h.i.+llings more.”
Andy accepted the two s.h.i.+llings with evident satisfaction on behalf of the mare.
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