SOME IRISH CUSTOMS 223 



The total mounted to sixty odd pounds and 

 the items principally consisted of tea and whisky 

 and batings. At Newcastle West down here, one 

 of the country people worked a truly clever trick 

 on a grasping landlady. She was well known in 

 the village as a " hard woman," one who must see 

 her money before she parted with anything, and 

 helped her income by letting lodgings to the men 

 who tramped through. 



Her charge was a shilling for bed and tea and 

 breakfast, ninepence for bed and tea alone. 



One bitter night a travelling tailor, white and 

 worn out came to ask for lodgings. Eightpence 



was all he could produce, so Mrs. refused him 



any butter for his tea and warned him plainly 

 that there would be no breakfast for him in the 

 morning if he could not pay. 



The neighbours expostulated, one woman paying 

 a penny, so that the weasel-faced weary little man 

 might have his butter. 



This he kept and ate dry bread, his hard-faced 

 landlady looking on unmoved. 



He then spent the penny on a candle and went to 

 his room, a tidy little attic looking out on the 

 village street. 



In the morning he came down, and unstrapped 

 his pack. No, he did not want to offer any pieces 

 of stuff but he had a couple of women's things 

 he'd bought cheap, and he was hungry, they might 

 pay for a breakfast. 



