Search -
Tales, by the O'hara Family; Crohoore of the Bill-Hook (concl.). the Fetches
Tales by the O'hara Family Crohoore of the Bill-Hook the Fetches - concl. Author:John Banim General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1825 Original Publisher: Printed for W. Simpkin and R. Marshall Subjects: Ireland History / Europe / Ireland Travel / Europe / Ireland Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you bu... more »y the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER XX. The hour for Pierce Shea's execution on the gallows, or rather for his progress to it, sounded from the town-clock of Kilkenny. All was ready for the terrible procession from the prison-door to the gallows-green, at the extremity of the city, where he was to suffer. The guard of horse and foot, and the hushed multitude without, awaited the appearance of the doomed man: and in a few minutes, an universal murmur of commiseration, with audible prayers for mercy on his soul, and happiness in the life to come, announced his entrance into the street. He came forward, clad in a jacket of white linen, leather small-clothes, fitting tight to his limbs, white stockings, and shoes with buckles. His head was bare; and its long, fair locks, decently combed back, hung in curls around his Vol. n. D face and shoulders. At the instant of his appearance, the young man's face was flushed, even beyond its natural ruddy hue, to a scarlet blaze, the evidence of the burning fever of mingled emotions that reigned within him; of human shrinking from his horrible fate, and manly effort and religious zeal to brave it; but the moment his eye met the gazing crowd, it fell, and his cheeks rapidly became livid as death. This change was not however the effect of moral cowardice; and he was soon able to man himself again, and take a second and composed survey of the thousand living creatures that stared so strangely and so fearfully upon him. His countenance then assumed an expression in u...« less