Them was the good old days, in Davenport, Scott County Iowa . d, and,whin Johnny tuck the staimer to Quanestown, sure they werethat well plaised they tolt him hed be afther havin his twintypounds in goold sint him aich month whin he settled inAmeriky, So Johnny came to the garden-spot of the west, with hislove for fun and his taste for poteen. Light-hearted, theyoung gorsoon made friends quickly at Brophys boardinhouse—after the news of the monthly remittance had beenwhispered at the supper table. Now, in Tipperary, Johnny had never heard of the birdknown as the jack-roller. Neither did he hav
Them was the good old days, in Davenport, Scott County Iowa . d, and,whin Johnny tuck the staimer to Quanestown, sure they werethat well plaised they tolt him hed be afther havin his twintypounds in goold sint him aich month whin he settled inAmeriky, So Johnny came to the garden-spot of the west, with hislove for fun and his taste for poteen. Light-hearted, theyoung gorsoon made friends quickly at Brophys boardinhouse—after the news of the monthly remittance had beenwhispered at the supper table. Now, in Tipperary, Johnny had never heard of the birdknown as the jack-roller. Neither did he have a suspicionthat Johnny could sing like a thrush. Those things came asa surprise after the night of his first visit to Russells scoop-ery, when he sang The Boys of Kilkenny to the boys ofBucktown in a comealye voice that rippled dolefully throughhis adenoids: O, the boys o Kilkenny Were bowld Oirish blades,Whiniver theyd mate Anny pritty young maids,Sure, theyd kiss and cariss thim And trat thim so free O-ho! of all towns in Oireland Kilkenny for me. 129. THEM WAS THE GOOD OLD DAYS After Johnny crooned Larry OGaff and the Shan VanVocht, Mel Trotter and the boys told him he was a fineyoung bucko and that he could sing like a thrush—Johnnyhavin visited the bank to cash his twenty-pound note thatday. Johnny could sob as easily as hecould sing, and late that night, as histhoughts wandered to the Old Sod, hegrew melancholy and keened his grief andlamentation. Wurra, wurra, mother dar-rlin, hesobbed, as the big tears rolled down hischeeks, could ye but see yer poor byJahnny this avenin, with no wan to carefor him, at all at all, sure it would breakyer heart. Ochone! Ochone! Whin yerpoor by came to Ameriky, acushla, sure he thought the gooldgrowed on bushes. But the divil a bit of goold has he seenhide or hair of but the twinty-pound note from ould his head drooped, and his deep snorin gave signalthat the roarin Tip was all set for the jack-roller. Johnnyawoke the n
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidthemwasgoodo, bookyear1922
