Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-07-19
"rm Mike Leury, an plase yer worship, I've


sacret that the whole parish knows"
"Qute thrue, yer rverince but I've trapped
the divll himself; he paid ME visit and I've tied
him up by his tall
"'Bad luck to ye, Mike Leary, for lynn thief!
Do you think to persuade Inc that the dyil would
lave his snug firesde in such wather as this"
"'Mlke Leary, divl as he has been, wouldn't be-
name himself by teln' we q lie; I've got him bag
an bone, head and horns and want yer riverinco
to come and oXcommuncate him, that we may have
pace in the PARISH
"'Ill tell ye what We bogtrottin' villin! if We
don't be ather gettin' back to yer den, it's yersilf
that I'll eXcommunicate and thin we may go and !
keep company wild the divil for long day."
Then its yer ryerince that won't come said
Mike; bad luck to the div for comm ut all but |
if must 90 back to him by mesf it's not walkin'
I'll go; III Jst borrer yer rverince's pony, und, as
like din' asy, I'll take saddle and bride well;
Pm sure yer rverince won't object, consderin' the
wather;' and wild this, Mike went towards tho sta
Bile.
"'Och! ye murtherin' vn only wait till get
down, and I'll tache ye to borrcr ponies! This
Mike Leary would stale the beard off the chin Of
the holy popen
mike knew well that the praste wouldn't let
the pony 20 without struggle TO save him. and the
praste was equally well assured that Mike would
do as he said, and he was perfectly acquainted also
with what he meant by borowin'
| "Thc lad had scarcely time to saddle and mount
when down came his rlvernce in his shirt and his
slippers, but in sch tundern' rage that he would
have felt warm packed up in ice He had seized
the first w'apon that came in his way which hap.
pened to be chopper that the ould crater who
waited on his rvcrncc used 10 cut up the sticks and
the mate wid, and fine thing it was for Mike that
he had the start, or his pate might have been made
into two. Mike rode away up the hill, and the
praste foared as fast he could, not rap cared
he for wind or watber; bat not word did he spake,
for the rage and the runnin' blew the breath clane
out of his body.
"Mike rode leisurely along, merely takin' care
to kaue out o reach OF his rivernces arm for we
must do the lad the justice to say that he didn't
want to stale his horse but only draw the praste
up the hill. In this there no difficulty, for his
rlvernce stuck to his work like brick, and Mike
laughed to himself when he considered how nately
he was takin him to the dlvil His rivernce went
on, determined to 90 there, or any where else, for
his pony. They had scarcely reached half way up
the mountain, whin they began to hear most dis
perate uproar, and as they got nearer to Mikes
house, there was SIGH an lnfarna clatter as nver
was heard on arth before The wind, and the rain,
and the tunder, made very respectable noise, but
all were drowned in noise of another sort. Some
would have ancied that the inner parts of the noun
tain wanted to come out to have look at the day
light. | forgot it was night; but niver mind, I'll
Just be aither tellin' we that SIGH roarln, hown,
n and scratchn, couldn't have been equalled by fit
/ teen hundred tousand womin dom their best and
\ it's jist mesilf that knows what one do whin
y her bloods up.
r "Alke stopped, and so did the praste.
"'Are ye aither hearin that? says Mike.
go am, says the praste.
4 "'That the oud haste himsilf' says Mike.
"'ls it? says the praste.
"'Yes, says Mike; and depind on it, can tell
yer rverince the cause o. the clatter; | hope yer
y rivernce will pardon me :; but time ago bor-
j ro'ced halter from yer rivernce and It's this same
that I've tied the ef up with, and the blessed rope
n cn,ut bis finuers
it atm into his tail like murther Yes, Misther Div
r. ii, yer in for 1t now
q "'rm afther thinking, Mike, that yer not so bad,
afther all. I'll 60 wild ye; but ist get off the po-
: ney and let me ride; and for the love O the Lord,
give me yer coat, for Pm gettin cold, and it won't
# be respectable at all, at ALL to make my APPEARANCE
> in this state before the divil. Yer sad rogue,
n Nike but | suppose must be ailher forgivin ye.
Pm sure l should if we had drop O. whiskcy.'
e "No sooner said than sarved,' cried Mike, as he
!. handed his riverince bottle, which he sell
dom widout and havin' got off the poney, and out
% of the coat his rverince took his place In both ca
ses and they pursued their Journey the praste mere
NJ ly remarkin'-
IS "'Of course, Mike, shall have the halter back !?
te "'Of coursep replied Mike, 'and the divil wild
l. it, if yer rlveriuce pases'
or "Whn they reached the house, very swate
In sane Of confusion they The chairs looked as
o. if they'd been havn' deadly battle wild one anod-
or er, Tor legs and arms were strewed Ill all directions
10 the table had gone cane mad, and had cut lis ca
no pers till 1t fell down all of heap whole side o.
bacon was brllln on the fire. and the dvil had bast
nj ed it with the trylnpan The tef had taken one
swate pig by his purity little tail, and broken it'
Nm nose against the wall, and had clawed the ear o
oh anoder and swallowed it whole; but, worse thar
as all, he had danced upon the whlskey-cask, ant
smashed it 10 smthereens; but the roarn' lion dix
or. MT torgt first of all to dhrnk the whskey, and
blind man might have seen that the haste was roar
rs. in drunk.
- "When Mike saw all this, he didn't spake
~ word; he only said to himself Pm thinkin', Mis-
ed Their Div that yen be afther payn' for yer sport
il, "I'he moment Mike and the praste inferred, h
,e was quiet any helpless lamb he skunk into tn
corner like well whipped cur, and would lav
to put his tail betwane his legs, only he couldn't
the "'Hol ye're here, are ye !" says the praste.
IA "Not a word did the dvil reply.
"'The divil's in it but we'll find means to max
10. ye spake and says he, mike, be aither gi,in m
se some wather; and Mike gave his riverince tn
,in wathe and his riverince blessed IL, and turned
lad to holy wathcr intrcly and thin his rvernce dill
ioh ped his hand into it, and gave the divi taste O.
and didn't it go into him like scaldn' broth be da
elf but it did and how he roared, and how he groane
as while Mike and the praste lared outright, and we
r a they might.
vor 80 Now, thin, We brimstone-stinkn' baste VIII,
have We 10 say for yerself"
an "The unfortunate divil could only groan. Wi
he that the prase gave him taste more OF the wahe
tbo "'Spake, and be - cried he. Its ye
ths sf that shall reminder comm to Ballyhaugh'
he "1'he poor div managed 10 squake out,-'L
or me 60! let me go! and lll be OH my oath niver
J;d come wdin fifteen miles Of yer rivernce again..
nd aye will 2 said his reverence Yes dare sa
nj we will but do you think Pm SIGH fool to tax
NV divll's oath not l. rll have yer bond; yes "
aj, bond, Mislher Dvil, and brake it if yer dare
81 "The divl signifed his Willingness to compl
n wild any farms to get free. Mike wanted to try IL
effects of the shilleagh on his skull, but the pras
n wouldn't have it at all; he had no objection to taz
his but he didn't like commttin murther; besides, h
had rvernce had an eye TO business for he knew tn
urn rootin' out the divi like ill wades made work.
up "Mde, by the prastes desire, produced ski
like and his verlnce sat himself down TO wrte ana
$500 an agramint as long as homily He til
ldy, the avn down In all SORTS Of WI
show his nose IN UallVhauQn; there was all Sol