There was a station published one time for Larry. That's when the priest comes and says mass in the
house for the neighbours, a function going back to the penal times when there were no churches.
Well, there was a station published one time for Larry. He was a connection of my own, a man that
lived to be nearly 90 years of age and was only one week sick in his life. That was the week he
died, of course. I don't remember this too well myself, the old people I heard talking about it.
And what kept it so fresh in their memories was something comical to take place the morning of
the station. The parish priest we had here at the time was a trifle hasty, a little impatient,
and stern of demeanour, and signs by innocent people were peppering and dreading him.
Although to go to the house you couldn't meet a nicer man, Jeremiah Hargan that was telling me.
Jeremiah was at the house for a letter of freedom.
He was marrying some bird from an outside community. He got the letter of freedom.
As things turned out, he'd be better off if he didn't. Well, came the morning of the station
and all the neighbours were in Larry's yard. The morning turned out wet, but country people don't
mind the rain. They say it never melted anyone. With that, a son of jury Dan Tygians put his head
around the corner of the house and said, he's coming. Well, all the neighbours,
belted off into the kitchen, and left Larry there to welcome the pee-pee. And Larry would
rather any other job. He'd rather be draining the Dead Sea with a silver spoon. He was very shy
and distant in himself. Well, he didn't have long to wait when Father John, the parish priest,
came sailing into the yard on a saddle horse, holding over his head a black round roof on top
of a walking cane. Larry nearly fainted, for that was the first umbrella.
That was seen in that part of the country. Larry took the horse from Father John and put him in the
stable. And Father John made off in towards the kitchen. And when those inside saw the doorway
darkening, every man turned around, trying to make himself smile behind his neighbour in case any
awkward question would be put to him. And when they turned around, secondly, Father John had
the umbrella open at the butt of the kitchen in a form that the rain would be running off of it,
and that it'd be nice and dry when he'd be going home by and by. That is, when confessions
would be heard, mass would be said, breakfast would be ate, and dues would be collected.
Well, the morning wore on, and all these things happened, and the grace of God, glory be to him,
was in the house. And Father John was in the parlour having his breakfast. And the women
were up and down, taking the legs of one another with excitement. And Larry's wife said in her
faces,
Well, says she, if you saw the look he gave me when he took the top off the egg,
were they too done, says Kate. Bullets, girl! And I wouldn't mind, but I told that daughter of mine
to watch him. But there you are the morning, you'd want a thing to go right for you. That's
the morning, everything had breaked, the melt in you. All the men were in the kitchen, around the
umbrella, same as if it was a German bomber. And they were saying that for such a simple,
simple thing, wasn't it a great wonder someone didn't think of it long ago, and how handy
it would be to prop it open over the mouth of a barrel in the yard, you know, where you'd
have a goose or a thing hatching, a wet day. Just then, Father John came up out of the
room. Well, men, he said, what is the morning doing? Tis clearing, says one forward sort
of a man. Oh, if that is the case, says Father John, I think I'll be going. I have many things
to attend to.
Good morning, Father, they all said, and this with great relief, for the bottle wouldn't be
opened until he was gone. A strict TT. Larry took the horse out of the stable,
and he conveyed Father John down to the main road. That is a very nice custom they do have
around the countryside here, that if they think highly of you, they'll convey you down to the
main road, down past the gander. If not, they'll only come to the half door and say in their own
mind,
that the road may rise with you and hit you a welt. Well, they wouldn't go far down when
Father John thought of the umbrella, and he says to Larry, he said, Larry, he said,
run back to the house and bring me out my umbrella. Well, he didn't have to say this
thing secondly to Larry. Larry ran back to the house and into the kitchen, breathless,
and he took a hold of the umbrella by the leg. It was open all the time, and he brought the
umbrella to the door after him. But the umbrella,
would not go out. So he turned around, and he tried to shove the umbrella out before him,
but the umbrella would not go out. He turned it sideways and upside down, but the umbrella
remained inside. And he looked at the neighbours, and the neighbours looked at him, and they had
pity for him. Well, he took the door off of the hinges, off of the book arms, that would give him
an extra inch, but the umbrella remained inside. And Larry,
there were beads of perspiration out in his forehead, and he was muttering to himself,
and he was saying, sure, if it came in, it must go out. Well, there was a little man there,
and trying to be of some help, he said, I wonder, would it be any value if we drove out the two
sides of the frame? Two sides of the frame were driven out in the yard, but the umbrella remained
inside. There's nothing for it now, says Larry, only knock the wall. A sledge was procured,
and Father John, when he had the umbrella, he said, I wonder if I can get it out of the frame.

He heard all the pounding below, and the boring, he doubled back to the house, and when he saw what
was happening, it was like a tonic to him. And he said, men, he said, what are we at? Well,
do you know, no, Father, says Larry, do you know, Father, I think myself now, if I got that big
cornerstone there down, the mushroom room would sail out no trouble. Move into the kitchen from
me, says he. So they all moved into the kitchen, and Father John took the umbrella by the leg,
it was open always, and he brought the umbrella to the door before him. Now, he was the fear,
big man overcoat and all on a wet day, so when he came to the door, they couldn't see what was
happening, and he shut the umbrella like lightning, and put an open to the outside, and walked out the
yard with the umbrella over his head, and left them all there speechless. When he was gone,
Larry turned to what was inside, and he said, say what you like, they have the power.