Once Upon a Misty Bluegrass Hill (39 page)

Many of these old Scot/Irish traditions, as well as the Tsalagi traditions, both magical and
not magical
, were carried on in Appalachia
into the modern day
. Some songs, spells, and such have been passe
d down for many years that way, sometimes only by rote have lost their original meanings but still contain the magic.

They had flown into Dublin and were met by the family driver
named
Baxter.  He loaded them into the car with welcoming smiles and small talk and soon
they were on a narrow road that led to an area that
Patrick
called Wicklow.
  The
hour long
trip
south
was filled with
the
beauti
ful green countryside.  Sheep were often laying on the narrow roads and Baxter had to stop to get them to move or go off the road
to skirt them
. 

"
We are here.
"
 
Patrick
leapt from the back of the Jaguar and stood looking at the gian
t
white
palace with spires and tall windows
.  Jolene
'
s legs turned to cooked spaghetti. 

She stared at the house
trying to take in how this could be someone
'
s family home, let alon
e
Patrick
'
s
. 
"
It is the biggest house I have ever seen that I know someone who lives there!  How big is your family
?
"

Patrick
chuckled and reached out to help her from the car just as
Baxter
came around smiling and presenting the scene with a white gloved hand. 
"
I present to you Killruddery House
miss
.
"
  Then he turned his smile to
Patrick
. 
"
It is good to have you home again sir.
"

Patrick
sighed
. 
"
I have missed this place too.  How is mother and father?  I mean, really how are they
Bax
?
"

Baxter took off his hat to flatten out his course graying brown hair. 
"
They are the same as always….your mother with her charities and endless projects and you
d
a with his investments.
"
  He shook his head. 
"
But you know they are lonely with the girls and your brother gone off even though they do get frequent visits from all of them.
"

Patrick
shook his head with his own regrets.
"
I am going to try and get back more often and persuade them to come see me in Kentucky now that they have everybody out of the house.
"
 

Baxter smiled. 
"
I think that is just the thing for them.  Maybe I
'
ll just come along to do the driving.
"

Patrick
laughed and slapped Baxter on his back. 
"
I think that is a fine idea.
"

Baxter pulled out their bags and another man who has been standing in the doorway
walked on swift legs with a stiff back to retrieve
their bags. 
"
Mighty good to see you sir.
"

"
Hello Mr. Wiggs, this is Jolene.
"

"
Mighty good to meet you Miss.  We
'
ve been waiting a long time for Master
Patrick
to bring home a woman
for
us to meet.
"

Patrick
cleared his throat. 
"
Now Wiggs…there is no need….
"
 

"
Patrick
….sweetheart!
"
  A tall slender
woman in a
red
pantsuit appeared at the door.

Patrick
skipped the steps up and hugged her warmly. 
"
Mother…I
'
ve missed you.
"

Jolene slowly followed
Patrick
up the steps taking in Juliana McCabe
'
s snow white hair and striking features. 

Juliana turned eyes the exact color of
Patrick
'
s to Jolene. 
"
Now this must be Jolene.   We have heard so much
about you over the years Jolene.
I feel that I already know you.
"
 

Jolene smiled into Juliana
'
s radiant face.  It was h
ard not to immediately like her
, because s
he projected so much warmth and so much love for
Patrick
.  Jolene suddenly had the image of her own mother, always welcoming people who b
r
ought horses to their house. 
Her mother loved all people and Jolene immediately knew that
Patrick
'
s mother would love all people who came to her house, despite that it was so grand. 
"
Patrick
has also told me so much about you and his family…and Ireland actually.
  I knew
he was an Earl and
everything
and I knew something of this from my romantic novels…but I had no idea…
"

Juliana held out her hand and took Jolene
'
s into hers. 
"
Then come inside please.  I do
so
want to know you better.
"
   

"
Your house is so grand
,
"
Jolene said softly as they moved through the doorway. 
  It was impossible to take in the grandeur of the mansion
all at once
.  Endless marble floors
to continue through endless rooms
that
were
warmed by striking carpets scattered with an expert eye
.  Ele
gant
decorative
furnishing and accent pieces appointed this
Elizabethan
-Revival
mansion
with elegance and warmth
.  The entry
way boasted colossal paintings and
a
n
enormous
staircase curling out
with a red carpet
to invite the occupants to come above stairs. 

Jolene could have stood in the foyer and stared all day.

"
And who is this lovely lady?
"
  A large booming voice echoed down the hallway of the
"
sitting room
"
.

"
Charles
, come and meet
Patrick
'
s friend Jolene.
"

A man who was built uncannily like
Patrick
but had brown eyes and red-brown hair sprinkled liberally with grey
walked into the room. 
"
Well then, a pretty girl you have brought home all the way from America.
"

Jolene blushed and took his extended hand.  He pulled her into a great bear hug. 

A memory of her father doing just that flitted through her head. 

"
Don
'
t maul her d
a.
"

Charles
laughed loud. 
"
Get over here and accept a hug from your
old d
a.
"

Patrick
embraced his father as fiercely as his father embraced him and soon it appeared to be a wrestling match. 

"
Now stop that both of you…next you
'
ll be rolling on the floor
knocking over things.
"

Charles
slapped
Patrick
hard on the back. 
"
Come on, now that Wiggs has taken your bags we can get you something to eat and take Miss Jolene around to see the house.  I
'
ve a mind to tell her all about Killruddery and especially the gardens.
"
 

Charles
threw his arm around his son and led them all to a dining room already set with red china that bore
the Meath
coat of arms and heavy silver. 

Juliana walked next to Jolene who was nearly overwhelmed by everything as she walked the long halls to the dining room. 
"
This house was built in 1651 and has been the family seat of the Earls of Meath ever since.
"

Patrick
helped her with her seat, which was an intricately carved high back chair. 
"
The gardens are one of the important features of the house…you will love them Jolene…they were laid out in the 1680s by Bonet…he was a man who was a gardener at Versailles.
"

Jolene leaned forward but remembered just in time not to put her elbows on the table. 
"
You mean in Kentucky?
"

Patrick
laughed and took his own seat next to her just seconds before two young wom
e
n in uniforms came out with dishes to place on the table. 
"
No, not that Versailles….but at least you learned how to pronounce it correctly…
"
 
Patrick
turned to his parents. 
"
They have a Versailles in Kentucky but you would not recognize the word
on the lips of the locals
.
"

Jolene immediately felt defensive…as she did with such things.  To look back at herself and others she knew
at home
was embarrassing now but it was not her or their fault they were not worldly.  They had a worldliness that was different than other people.  It was about a will of iron and a work ethic that was as old as the coal mines and beyond.
 
"
Patrick
, they don
'
t know French so they just pronounce it in English.
"

Patrick
turned to her, his eyes sincere. 
"
I know Jolene, I was not being critical.
"

His parents exchanged glances
.

Juliana smiled at Jolene. 
"
Tell us about Paris
and your life there
.
"

Jolene searched for things to say that would be small talk.  The notion of talking about Aunt Paula
'
s house, or her mother
'
s garden simply seemed inappropriate at this moment.  How to explain to this regal lady about cars standing on blocks?  Or one of Aunt Paula
'
s parties?

Even her father and mother
'
s farm seemed insignificant in the halls of such a palace with people who looked so …polished…so different
than anyone she knew except
Patrick
and Natasha's or Helen's family
. 
"
Actually, I wanted to ask you about those two Long Ponds outside.  Are there fish in there?  Do you ever fish
in there
?
"

Chapter
25

Though life in Ireland was cruel
and
, emigrating to America was
also very difficult. To some Irish it was
refe
r
red to as the American Wake
because some knew they would never see Ireland again
. Those who pursued this
new life in America
did so only because they
k
new their future in Ireland would only be more poverty, disease, and
o
ppression. America became their dream
and their escape
. They left
Ireland
in droves on ships that were so crowded, with conditions so terrible, that they were referred to as Coffin Ships.

T
hese immigrants
that came to
America learned that life in America was going to be a
fight
for survival
even as the boat was docking. Hundreds of runners
swarmed aboard the ship grabbing immigrants and their bags
in an attempt to force
them to their favorite tenement house
while
extracting
an outrageous fee for their services.
With
no means
of
escape
,
these immigrants
settled in the port of arrival. Almshouses were filled with these Irish immigrants. They begged on every street. One immigrant wrote home at the height of the potato famine exodus, "My master is a great tyrant, he treats me as badly as if I was a common Irishman." The writer further added, "Our position in America is one of shame and poverty." No group was considered lower than an Irishman in America during the 1850s.