The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-03-15 00:00:00

PADDY'S STOB,Y ABOUT A FOX.

(From Lovers' Legends and Stories of Ireland.)
" Paddy," said the squire, " perhaps you would favour the
gentlemen with that story you once told me about a fox ?"
" Indeed and I will, plate your honour," said Paddy,
though I know full well not one word iv it you believe, nor
the gentlemen won't either, though you're axin' me for it ;
but only want to laugh at me, and call me a big liar, whin
my back's turned."
" May be we wouldn't wait for your back being turned,
Paddy, to honour you with that title."
" Oh, indeed, I'm not say in' you wouldn't do it as soon
forninst my face, your honour, as you often did before, and
will again, and welkim -"
" Well, Paddy, say no more about that, but let's have the

story."
" Sure I'm losin' no time, only telling the gintlemen be-
fore-hand that it's what they'll be calling it a lie, and indeed
it is uncommon, sure enough ; but you see, gintlemen, you
must remitnber that the fox is the cunnin'ist baste in the
world, barrin' the wren."
Here Paddy was questioned why he considered the wren as
cunning a baste as the fqx.
" Why, sir, bekase all birds builds their nest with one bole
to it only, excep'n the wren ; but the wren builds two holes
on the nest, so that it any inimy comes to disturb it upon one
door, it can go out on the other ; but the fox is cute to that
degree, that there's many a fool to him, and, by dad, the fox
could buy and sell many a Christhian, as you'll see W and
by, whin I tell you what happened to a wood-ranger that I
knew wanst, and a dacent man he was.
" Well, you see, he came-home one night, mighty tired,.*
for he was out-wid a party in the domain, cock-shootin' that IQ
day ; and when he got back to his lodge, he threw a few logs mu
o'wood on the fire to make himself comfortable, and he took
whatever little matther he had for his supper, and,' afther sT
that, he felt himself so tired that he wint to bed. But you're'
to undherstan' that, though he wint to bed, it was more for to
to rest himself, like than to sleep, for it was early ;• and- so he, ;tit
jist wint into bed, and there he diverted himself lookin' at,id
the fire, that was blazin' as merry as a bonfire on the hearth.
,:n
Well, as he was lyin' that-a-way, jist thinkin' o' nothin •
at all, what should come into the place but a fox ? But I ;,.:1
must tell you, what I forgot to tell you before, that the,la
ranger's house was on the bordhers o' the wood, and he had
no one to live wid him but himself, barrin' the dogs that he
had the care iv, that was his only companions, and he had a
hole cut on the door, with a swingin board to it, that the
dogs might go in or out, atcordin' as it plazed them ; and .
by dad, the fox came in, as I tould you, through the hole in
the door, as bould as a ram, and walked over to the fire, and
sat down forninst it.
Now, it was mighty provokin ' that all the dogs was out ;
they wor rovin' about the woods, you see, lookin' for to ketch
rabbits to ate, or some other mischief, and it so happened
that there wasn't as much as one individual dog in the place ;
and I'll go bail the fox knew that right well before he put his
nose inside the ranger's lodge.
Well, the ranger was in hopes that some o' the dogs id
come home and catch the chap, and he was loath to stir hand
or fat himself, afeared ov freigtenin away the fox; but he
could hardly keep his temper at all at all, whin he seen the
fox take the pipe aff o' the hob, where he lift it afore he went
to bed, and puttin' the bowl o' the pipe into the fire to kindle
it (it's as thrue as I'm here) he began to smoke forninst the
fire as nath'ral as any other man you ever seen.
Musha, bad luck to your impudence, you long-tailed
blackguard!' says the ranger, and is it smokin' my pipe you
are ? Oh thin, by this and by that, if I had my gun convay-
nient to me, it's fire and smoke of another sort, and what
you wouldn't bargain for, I'd give you,' said he.
So, with that, he watched until the fox wasn't mindin' him,
but was busy shakin' the cinders out o' the pipe whin he was •
done wid it, and so the ranger thought he was gom' to go im.
mediately afther gettin' an air o' the fire and a shaugh o' the
pipe ; and says he, Fails, my lad, I wont let you go so airy
as all that, as cunnin' as you think yourself; and with that,
he made a dart out o' bed, and ran over to the door, and got''
tr
between it and the fox ; and, now,' says he, ' your bread's
baked, my buck, and maybe my lord won't have a fine rutift
out o' you, and the dogs at your brish every yard, you T0`..10
radin' thief, and the divil mind you,' says he, ' for your =lt,
pudence ; for sure if you hadn't the impidence of a highway-1
wan's horse, it's not into my house, under my very nose, you
daar for to come ;" and with that, he began to whistle for that
dogs : and, the fox, that stood eyeing him, all the while hid
was spakin', began to think it was time to be joggin' whintri
he heard the whistle, and says the fox to himself, Throthk.,,,
indeed, you think yourself a mighty great ranger now,' say&
he, and you think you're very cute ; but, upon my tail, anel
that's a big oath, I'd be long sorry to let sich a malleti4
headed bog-throtter as yourself take a dirty advantage o' me,fi
and I'll engage,' says the fox, I'll make you lave the doo;
soon and suddent ;' • and, with that, he turned to where the ~
ranger's brogues was lying, hard by, beside the tire, awl,"
what would you think, but the fox tuk up one o' the briwls.'
and wint over to the fire, and threw it into it.
I think that'll make you start,' says the fox. r
Not a bit,' says the ranger ; ` that won't do, my brick,'
says he ; the brogue may burn to cindhers,' says he, but
out o' this i won't stir;' and thin puttin' his fingers into his
mouth, he gave a blast of a whistle you'd hear a mile off,
and shouted for the dogs.
So that wont do,' says the fox. Well, I must thry
another offer,' says he ; and, with that, he tuk up the other
brogue, and threw it into the fire too.
` There pow,' says he, you may keep the other company,'
says he, and there's a pair o' you now, as the divil said to
his knee-buckles.'
Oh, you thievin' varmint !' says the ranger, 'you wont
lave me a tack to my feet ; but no matther, says he; your
head'sworth more than a pair o' brogues to me, any day ; and
bmYini 3
emnogneerys in my pocket this
was in his mouth
uthr'e
fingers
again, and he was goin' to whistle, whin, what would yeti
the Eiger
says j o
ie ' , B
and,liss in
Ns g
it°thw n, Your
think, but up sits the fox on his hunkers, and puts his twot
fore paws into his mouth, makin' game o' the ranger. Well,
the ranger, no wondher, though in a rage, as he Wakilr.goUldo
help langhin' at the thought o' the fox mockin' him, and
dad, he tuk such a fit o' laughin' that he couldn't whittle,
and that was the cuteness o' the fox to gain time ; but `i+lien
his first laugh was over, the ranger recovered himself and
gev another whistle ; and so says the fox, By my sowl h!t
says he, I think it wouldn't be good for my health to stay
here much longer, and I mustn't be thriflin' with that Week-
guard ranger any more,' says he, and I must make Mu
sinsible that it is time to let me go ; and though he haslet
undherstan'in' to be sorry for his brogues, I'll go baill'l
make him lave that, says he, before he'd say sparables ;'
and with that, what do you think the fox clone ? Why, he
took a lighted piece o' log out o' the blazing fire, and rah
over wid it to the ranger's bed, and was gom' to throw It
into the straw and burn him out of house and home ; so whin
the ranger saw that, he gave a shout—
' Halo, hillo ! you murdherin' villin I' says he, `.you're
worse nor Captain Rock! is it goin' tohurn me out youare,
you red rogue of a Ribbonman !' and he made a dart betyfeen
him and the bed, to save the housofrom being burned ; tut,
my jew'l, that was all the fox wanted ; and as soon as the
ranger quitted the hole in the door that he was standin'
forninst, the fox let go the blazin' faggit, and made one jump
through the door and escaped.
But before he whit, the fox turned round and gave rthe
ranger the most contemptible look he ever got in hislife, and
showed every tooth in his head with laughin' ;' and at last he
put out his tongue at him, as much as to say, " You've
missed me, like your mammy's blessin' l' and off wid him—
like a flash o' lightnin' !"

THE NEW ART OF PAINTING BY SOLAR LI GHT.--This dis-
covery will, doubtless, make a great revolution in the art of
design, and in a multitude of cases will supersede old me-
thods, altogether inferior. The temporary interest of many
may at first be affected, but whatever has the true charaeter
of good cannot essentially do mischief. The inventienvbf
printing soon gave employinent to many more than were em-
ployed as copyists. Even in our own time, the substitution
of steel plates for, engraving instead of copper, although
fifty times as many copies may be taken from them, has, by
the substitution of good engravings for indifferent atm, so
extended the demand, that more steel plates are now required
than were formerly used of copper.—. Black. Mag. for Mar.