The Irish standard., 1886-09-18

covered ye. Little ye thought who was
watchin ye this mornin, when ye went
to Ballymagahey with yer tracts. Little
ye thought who the old woman was that
passed for the widow with the three
twins-the poor, desarted crathur, that's
dyin with the curse OF herself and her
dead husband on yer back. Hah! hah!
Randall Barry, yell not have SO many
constables to guard ye the morrow, while
such high bred dame as Rebecca
Hardwrinkle's to be sought and found.
Ay, Robert, you'll want more peelere
than ye can spare, to guard your prison
er, or I'm far out Of my reckonin. Devil
as ye are. Ye have yer match for wunst.
And now do your best, ye black-hearted
villain; do yer best, and niyer fear, livery
time you play the Knave Ill strike
with the Flve-fngers.
Else was here interrupted in her soli-
loquy by the approach of footsteps, and
turning on her creepie, seemed some
what surprised to see the tall but stop
ping form of Roger 'Shaughnessy en-
tering the cabin.
''Humph! what now," she demanded
anything wrong at the lighthouse, that
yer here 80 soon?''>
'.No nothin to speak OFF, replied
Roger, fani]iarly taking a seat, and
s5coking down the few gray hairs that
remained, with the palms Of his hands.
:sNo. nothing in particular. Only th
constables are there after Mr. Lee," M
sponded Roger.
'<Humph! so they're come at last, al
they?"
"And So" continued Roger,
thought, as they oudn't do 10 harm
ti.e masters absence, I'd step up attn
leisure to Mn. Guirlde's, and see if he
buy this picthur. If it only bxins
only couple Of pounds atself you Ano
we might lay il a dozen or two OF chal
wine-Cape Maderia or so, to keep L
the credit Of the place.
AS the OLD man spoke, he drew fro
beneath his coat small oil painting
and laid it on the table beside him.
sWhat is this?'' exclaimed Elise, loo]
at it for q moment. "Roger, it is he
mothers portrait. You shall not Sc
it,"
"I know; but, ahem! it's only
copy"
"Copy or not, you can't sell it,
eve can't ssazve. either,'' said Esoge
apologetically.
''Starve!''
s;Of course, when there is nothir
left -
'sHoot! nonsense! yer always COM
plainin.''
:Beaad, then, maybe I've raison
enough to complain, when the bacon is
all gone. and not rs much as the smell
of wine or whiskey within the walls OF
the house. It's easy for you to talk,
Else; but if 70 had the credit Of the fam
ily to maintain and nothin to maintain
it with" !;
eyer not 80 bad off as that, Roger, al
together, ell? Have yer nothin at all
LETT after the bacon?"
sNothin to speak Of. There's some
chickens to be sure, but"
'Some chickens. Is there no
sheep?:"
'Ahem! sheep; we'll, ay, three weeny
wethers, but there's not bite on their
bones. Surely three poor, weakly
wethers is a small dependence through
the long winter. AS for the bits OF
picthurs, the poor child could do moth
ing at them since that weary cabin boy
came; and, in troth it went hard enough
Oh me, Else, to see the young creature
workin away, from morn tilt night, un-
beknown 20 her uncle, tyrin to earn
with her brush vhat'd buy little necess-
aries for the house, when she ought to
be ronlin in her coach, with her footman
behind her. Och hoch! Else, it's poor
day when I'm driven to make lyin ex-
cuses to sich gentry as the Johnsons
and Whatelys, in regard to the house.
God be good to us, it's little I thought
forty years ago, when I ust to announce
to Lady Lambton, and Lord Hammers
ly and Marq ais-''
ststop, Roger Shaughnessy-stop yer
claverin, +" interrupted else, lighting her
pipe; yer niver done braggin about yer
lords and ladies'
'sAhem! braggin-bedad, it's no
braggin, Else, but the truth, and not
the whole O. that aither, let me tell ye.
Ahem! may be, when I ust to get seven
teen pipes O. the best wine
.sHoot; hould yer tongue. Here, take
draw O. this till scrape up some sup
per. I have journey afore me, and |
can't delay minute longer"
"Well, ye may think as ye PLACE,
Else,' said Roger, taking the pipe from