The Press., 1893-10-19

sponded by like salutation and would have passed on, but Pat detained him.
 .sShtop d bit, misther-sure don't know your name-but whilst no ones by I'd like to thank ye for the bit of a love letther ye sint me last night"
 The man shrugged his shoulders. Loaf a-lettherg' ho asked with inimita- ble blandness. '.Me. I no write-a north een.'
 s"Mebbe ye don't call it Q love letther itself Now do think again, belave it's not heart wud dart, run through ut for bookay at the top O the sheet, but a couple O shinbones forninst a graveyard photograph wud company shmile on i'm. But sure what's left out av the crest is indicated in the text. Yeve hinted purity clear at the piercin O me pal tator at the end O the pom"
 Fumbling in his pocket he now brought out the two letters.
 .sPity ye cudn't get ould Socola to sci for Cupid aimin wud his bow an arre1 at me hearrt Ye see, Irish itherature is different ag'in from Italian. Sure an if bunch O Paddles wint into the finder correspondence like this, like as not they'd have me in picture, peg an all shlapin in the heart av rose, like they do be in some O thim cologne adver. l tizemints, an mebbe a bumblebee wud ould Socola's face on i'm threatenin the unconscious shlaper wud wan av his regular breechloaders! Ye see it'd be g bit cheerful, but aqually to the point Sure there's no life nor joy in bare shin bone lest ye'd have it raised like fear less sprig O shillelah."
 l By this time he had opened both let ters.
 ''Now," he continued, "droth an l don't know which O these two shtate doki hints ye sint me or whether ye're war O thim Scriptural chaps that kapes ye1 right hand in ignorance O the thricks o the left. an yer two hands unbeknowins to wan anither have sint me friendly warrnin, but r'a'ly and truly Pm very much obliged to ye."
 Pat had given him no chance to reply but now he saw that the Italians atti tude was one of protest. | ''Know northern 'bouth." he was say ing gently. | "Whutl Dye mane to say ye niver sin1 me nayther wan O dthese letthers?" "Know northern 'bouth," he repeated with an apathy of manner that was al most convincing.
 Pat scratched his head.
 'Mary Ann's mother-in-lawr he ex claimed, and after a pause: "Thin who in the name O Donnybrool fair done ut? Ye're the only mon who cud write ut. Sure none O thim chaps last night knowed nothin about the throuble ot Socola's marriage till towld ut, an faith -ye're the only mon there that knowed shpoke the truth"
 The old man shrugged his shoulders
 "Me, no know f ees-a thrue.'' This was too much.
 Don't know if ut's thruel The divi ye don'tl An didn't ye come the nigh O the marriage an explain to me worrt for worrd the way Socola put the Mafis curse on him that'd tellT'
 The Sicilian smiled. Me, l know northern 'bouth-a Signor Socola, north cen 'bouth-a Maia-northeen 'bouth-s northeenr'
 "An ye weren't at the Di Carlos thi. night twelvemonth past?"
 ''Scuza me, my fren, f you please M ina gread-a hoary Me ma allaway | fo' business"
 He hesitated here, and looking around cautiously lowered his voice as he tool | Pats hand.
 | "Tell-a you thrue," he said, with ; I %<> |, had yet shown, "tell-a you thrue, f was-a ged ledther ique thad me, would-a theng God haf time run quiz hide-a myselve. Well, goo'by! Hope-' you good lug" And he turned away.
 A sudden light came into the Irish mans face.
 "Howld on a bitI' he exclaimed ''Howld-on-a-bit! I've purity thicl shkull on me, but do begin to see tn dthrift # yer iloquence. Page to presin my complimints to the gintleman tha sint me the letthers if ye do chance t. run aground av i'm on the boulevard l an tell i'm I'll not run nor hide naytherl Gathering emphasis here by a mo ment's silence, he leaned forward ant looked the Sicilian squarely in the eye. There's a bit av song we do sing il the ould counthry. Perchance ye'v niver heerd ut, but Pm that interested 1 in the cultivation av yer mind I'll tell u out to ye partly:
 "S'int Patthrick was gintleman | And kem av dacent people. | He built a church in Dublin town | An on ut put shteeple. l His father was Gallagher. | His mother was Brady, | His aunt was an O'Shaughnessy | His uncle was O'Grady. | So success attind S'int Patthrick's fist, | For he was a saint so clever. l Oh, he gave the shnakes and toads twis
 That bothered thim forever. l ''Ye see, that's beautiful pom, mis ther-Misther Knownothin-wud solut Irish sintimints, an the whole moral lav jellied down into shtandin shape in tn chorus"
 He moved backward step here ant touched his own breast as he continued
 1.-The tumble person ye do see before y, is fractional descindant along tn bein namesake O the gintleman, S'int Pat | thrick himself, an up to the present mo ment sure success has always attindet his fist! We're av pedigree that has n' | use for toads norr shnakes norr anythinj | toadyin norr shnakin-beyant givin thin a twist that'll bother thim forever. Sur 1 kem down this mornin with the onera | ble intuition O latherin the bit av a var mint, Socola, wud me fist, but the wav'