Evening star., 1899-07-29

guests, when tie doors of the dinin room
opens and in walks lne brave devil again.
sams Go9d oa mgrra S2s,o Wille" says he' with the
Good mora and good luck" says Willie,
as little as ever mfsmoved won't ye sit
down and have pick of dinner with us?''
me twicet, but yell never have it to say
that ye fooled me the third time. Come
along" says he.
That's mighty curt" says Willie.
down the knife andsfork now, and throt.''
So poor Willie had there and then to say
goodbye to HIS guests, an beg their par
don for his hasty departure, an walk of,
hungry as he was, with the devil.
1t was in the heat of summer and the
roads were dhry and dusty, and the sun
burning down on top of the two travellers.
Afther they'd been an hour or more walkin'
Willie complained he was mighty thirsty.
"Well," says the devil, says he, "the first
inn we come till. I'll let ye go in and have
a drink
Says Willie. But I haven't got silver
on me; me purse is as emp'y as Mlcky
MeehanS male-chst.''
Neither have l a stiver,' says the oeVll'
'what'n ye do?'
why, as for that" says Willie, says he,
you're such a nice, obligtn' feila that
know yen oblige me in this. All you've
got to do is to turn yerseif lhti soolo
piece whilst buy a thrait with ye.
'I'll do that, with heart and a half,
says the devil.
And the first il n they come up tlil, tne
devil transformed himself inti a goold
piece and Willie slipped rim Until his purse
and closed the purse on him. Then straight
back home with him Willie marched, ana
into his forge. He laid the purse down on
the anvil. and gettin' two other sthrong
Jumps of fella's along with himsel1, ne put
sledges in their hands and told them nre
away and not spare themselves. 50, ,is as
heavy and fast the three of them could,
they rained the blows down upon the purse
| on the anvil, and every blow come down
the devil he yelled. And they struck away,
and he yelled away; and he cried out ana
begged Willie to let him out. and he'd give
him more sparin's. And when Willie got
all the fun himself and his friends needed
for wan day out of him, Willie released
| him from the purse on his promisin' to give
him seven years more.
But poor Wilie's money, which had been
goin all this time like corn In a sieve, was
now run purity low. For six OF the seven
years he had gay time and as merry
as ever afore; but the money run out with
the sixth year, and poor Willie had no
means of maxim more-for he'd sooner
starve than work. His friends disappeared,
too, with the money; and him that thought
he could count friends by the thousand
couldn't find as much as one single one now
on lookin' round him. The seventh year,
then, was purity hard one with Willie; an
he was nc ways sorry to find the end of 1t
comm and with it the devil-for he had
got heartsick, sore and tired of the wurrP.
And when at the end of the seventh year
the devil come again he found Willie with
the stick in his fist waitn' him. And off
Willie started along with him this time
with a heart and half. And on ahead the
both of them thrudged and thraveled for
many a weary, ohreary mile, far further
For 1 could tell you, and twicet further nor
you could tell me, till al long and at last
they reached their journeys end, and the
devil knocked on the gates and had both of
them admitted In.
But behold you, Willie wasn't long In
here till he tired of it, and wished he
free again. So he set about maxim him
self as bothersome as he could, and cooked
to row with every body in it, till they could
stand him no longer, and put in a petition
to the devil to have him put out of here,
bekase thered never be no more comfort
whilst he'd be let remain. And the devil
himself too, found him troublesome
that he was only too glad to give in and
ak the request of Willie that he'd go quiet
ly and lave them in PAIGE. But Willie was
contrary, always he had been, and he
now refused to go till they had to join
and put him out by main force. And when
they got him out. and the gates slammed
on him, Willie kicked up racket outside,
and pegged on the gates for all he was
worth, and wouldn't go away till they'd
consent to hand him out torch, that he
might see his way by. So the devil,
through the bars of the gate, handed out
to him the torch and told him to begone
back to the wurrl he come from and spend
his time ever afther in leadin' good people
osthray.
to this he has continued wandhern' afore
him, over hill and dale, himself and his
TORCH and it's his great delight to atthract
the attention of good people that have
lost their way at night and lead them into
marshes and bogs and swamps, where they
get stuck and sunk and lost.
And from that day to this, OWN to the
torch or wisp he carries in his hand, he
has been called Willie-the-Whisp.
And on our friend Neil here tonight he
had evil Intentions; but, as Neil remarked.
he had some poor body's prayer on him,
and God reached till him a helpin' hand
and led him out of the bog.
Thank Cod" we all said fervently. And
Neil said, Thanks be to Him."