THE CURSE OF KISHOGUE. 283 



and, besides, to give the pres'ner an opportunity for sayin' an 

 odd word or so to a friend in the crowd, to say nothin' of its 

 behr mighty improvin^ to the throng, to see the man lookin' 

 pale at the thoughts of death, and may be an idification and 

 a- warnin' to thim that was inclined to sthray. But, however, 

 it happened, and the like never happened afore nor since ; 

 but as bad luck would have it, that day, the devil a fiddler 

 was ther whin Kishogue dhruv up in the cart, no ways dan- 

 ted at all ; but the minit the cart stopped rowlin* he called out 

 as stout as a ram, *' Sind me out Tim Riley here," — Tim Riley 

 was the fiddler's name, — " sind me out Tim Riley here," says 

 he, " that he may rise my heart wid the Rakes o* Mallow ;" for 

 he was a Mallow man, by all accounts, and mighty proud of his 

 town. Well, av coorse the tune was not to be had, bekase Tim 

 Riley was not there, but was lyin' dhrunk in a ditch at the same 

 time coming home from confissin, and when poor Kishogue 

 heerd that he could not have his favorite tune, it wint to his heart 

 to that degree, that he 'd hear of no comfort in life, and he bid 

 them dhrive him an, and put him out o* pain at wanst. " Oh, 

 take the dhrink, any how, aroon," says the Widdy Houlaghan, 

 who was mighty tinder-hearted, and always attinded the man 

 that was goin' to be hanged with the dhrink herself, if he was 

 ever so grate a stranger ; but if he was a frind of her own, she 'd 

 go every fut to the gallows wid him, and see him suffer. Oh, 

 she was a darlint! Well, — "take the dhrink Kishogue, my 

 jewel," says she, handin' him up a brave big mug o' mulled 

 wine, fit for a lord, — but he wouldn't touch it; — "Take it out of 

 my sight,'^ says he, " for my heart is low bekase Tim Riley de- 

 saived me, when I expected to die game, like one of o' the 

 Rakes o' Mallow! Take it out o' my sight!" says he, puttin' 

 it away wid his hand, and sure 'twas the first time Kishogue was 

 ever known to refuse the dhrop o' dhrink, and many remarked 

 that it was the change before death was comin' over him. Well, 

 away they rowled to the gallows, where there was no delay in life 

 for the pris'nerr, and the sheriff asked him if he had any thing to 

 say to him before he suffered; but Kishogue hadn't a word to 

 throw to a dog, and av coorse he said nothin' to the sheriff, and 

 wouldn 't say a word that might be improvin', even to the crowd, 

 by way of idification ; and indeed a sore disappointment it was 

 to the throng, for they thought he would make an illigant dyin 

 speech ; and the prenthers there, and the ballad-singers, all 

 ready to tqi<e it down complate, and thought it was a dirty turn 



