The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-22


an Bully for you, me boy he shouts to
that. It was a drink here wi him an two
there an withal one could see wi half an
eye that We couldn't please him better nor
by tellin' him we'd read his story an were
powerful proud of it an him. But not We;
och, not at all We jist kept our tongues
in our cheek, listened to his big talk an
his romancin' about the girls o. Dublin; jist
held our tongues, an winked at other, an
got ready for him.
AT last, one day, up marches Billy Brody,
him that was manager in the butter yard,
to me bold Jop, axes him to have drink,
an over the tumblers give out that some
o. the boys o. the town were anxious to
have spree with Jop, jist to meet him on
the quiet an crack a couple o. bottles an
make night of it. an show Jop how proud
they all were of him. They'd kept things
quiet up to this, says Billy. because-well.
because they'd like to give Jop a bit of
surprise; and twas only to give Jop a chance
to git ready bit of a speech, an all that,
that Billy was tellin' him this. Would Jop
come? asked Billy, in a aoostered kind O.
way; would Jop honor the company by
shown himself among them? Because if he
would they'd be waitin' for him at o'clock
that night in the barn over Mrs. Grogans
| to. an the hour was late, but sure they
were anxious to keep to themselves an to
keep from the noses O. the police. Would
| Jop come? Says Billy again. An at the
word Jop whacks the counter, let's fly big
| oath, says be this an that, but Billy was
a brick an the boys were darlints, an he'd
come like a shot, an dang their eyes but
| they'd have night of it.
'eWen, sir, o'clock comes an there we
! are, about thirty of us, in Grogans barn,
waitin for Jop. Twas a biggish place.
at the back o. the town, wi hay an straw
! along the walls an an odd sack of oats
here an there; an sittin about on the floor
an on sacks an stools an buckets were
the lot of us, wi Billy Brody all by him
self in a big chair in the middle Of the barn.
An there was no whisky, an no sign of
any; an half the pipes among US weren't
| goin' an we said little, an twas only to
snuff the candles that stood here an there
about the flure in bottles that one of us'd
| stir limb.
after while we hears the tramp tramp
O. Jop up the barn ladder; then his big head
shows above the flure, then his shoulders,
an before you'd wink O. the boys had
the trap-door closed behind him an was sit
| tin on it.
ITO, no, me SOHS! says JOp, TO
us, an rubin his hands; no, no, me sonsl
| Good evenin to We all. Bully boys; bully
boys!
"An next thing, two of the boys had Jop
by the arms an were twistin' them behind
his back. He was took by surprise, an for
| a second or two he stands dumfoundered;
then tries to turn round, an shouts What!
what What's this? Let me go, We foolsv
But the boys held him as If he was a child,
an Billy Broody shouts from his chair, 81
lence in court, Joseph Hanly! Silence your
SELF Billy Broody!' answers Jop, an strug
giles like blazes Let me CO., he shouts, an
froths at the mouth, Jaw, sweep We, let me
gor But he might jist az we'll ha' fought
| against a steam engine; an five minutes
after he was standin, pantin' like a mad
dog, an as white as chalk, before Billy an
the big chair.
There was scuffle O. feet as we all gath
cred round an silence roars Billy, then
buttons his coat, clears his throat, an, look
in for all the world as if he was the judge
at the assizes, begins his speech.
You'd be waitin' for your suppers," said
James, " if I tried to come to the end Of all
Billy Brody gave out in that speech Of his.
Twas as good piece O. work as ever came
to my ears an twas as good a piece o.
banter as ever Jop heard, that I'll swear to.
Not a word did Billy say about what was
comm. Och, not one. Not a word did Billy
say about Jops story, an the way the peo-
pie took it in Ciogheen. Och, not one. Not
a threat did Billy make not an oath came
from him, not an nagry word crossed his
lips. What he said, dang my eyes if 1 re-
mimber a syllable, an yet, somehow, we all
felt we'd rather be trampin' a treadmill nor
standin in Jop's shoes. Och, Billy had pow
erful gifts-powerfu1 gifts. It's wonderful
to think O. the way he said nothin' that
night an cut Jop to the quick wit it.
''At last out from his pocket Billy takes
one O. the books Jop had his name in, vets
his finger, turns over for q while, then
holds the book open before Jops face, an
says Billy: Joseph Hanly,' says he, dye
deny, or don't We, that your hand wrote
what We see afore your two eyes? Why O.
course wrote it, answers Jop, smart an
quick like that; dang We, can't We see I
did? Isn't me name 20 IT.? I know an
swers Billy. turnin round the book. Just
so says he; then takes a candle clears his
throat, an says ne: Joseph Hanly,' says
he, did we or did We not write these words?
An in big bulls voice Billy starts readin
what Jop had said about Clogheen bein' a
dirty little town, that was built on a hill an
hadn't sound stone in it's sidewalks, an all
the rest. Did We write those words, Jo-
seph Hanly? says Billy, loolkin' at him; or
did We not? Why. great king shouts Jop;
can't We see I did, off wi his coat says
Billy to the two boys that had grip of his
arms; an at the word off they peel the
coat from his back an filings it on the floor.
Billy crosses his legs again, an goes on
wi his readin' o. what Jop had wrote about
the whisky nearly runnin' down Cogheen
street, an the drunken men whackin' other,
an the women screechin' at their coat tails.
Did We write those words, Joseph Hanly?'
says Billy, at the end, or did ye not?' AK
me fut, Bully Knock-Knee.' Chat bein' Bill
lys nickname, you'll know, answers Jop,
SEEM how things were goin'; an at that
word out roars Billy: off wi the whelps
waistcoat' roars he; an true enough off it
comes an is pitched on top o. the coat.
BILLY crosses his legs again, clears his
throat, an falls to readin' what Jop wrote
in the story book about Clogheen men keep
in the walls from fallin', an their wives
clackin in their tatters, an the chider
pullin' the tails off the pigs. an all that.
Are these your words, Joseph Hanly?' says
Billy again; or are they not?' AK both
me feet, Billy, the hump, answers Jop,