The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-01-16
IRISH CHARACTER SKETCHES.

the DdIlk anu THE tight dIIu S-'SS uuh IL
to the ground to where an old gun is
lying. The gun is raised to the shoulder
and pointed in a certain direction. 1
follow the direction, and there see a
rabbit nibbling at the shot grass on
the other side of the river. A report
rings out louder than that of an old
Russian cannon, and that poor rabbit
has run his earthly course. Mike lays
down the gun and makes his way to
the old bridge to cross the river to OBJ
tain his prize. While he is doing so,
and while he is in the shadow OF some
shrubbery near the bridge, Jim Scully
leaps out from a place of concealment
nearby and Selling the rabbit, makes
off as fast as he can. l watch, my very
body shaking with merriment, and Mike
appears again on the other side of the
river. -Four percheS or so bring him to
the place where the rabbit received his
quietus, and no words of mine could de-
pict the look of wonder and consterna-
ton on Mikes face when he found the
rabbit gone. He searched and searched,
aye, cast his eyes up to the heavens to
see if the rabbit could possibly have
gone there, and then taking the white
hat off his head he pulled at his matted
locks, muttering to himself:
I'm thinkin' 1 fired at the divil.''
1t was an eventful day in the village,
and it must be a very eventful one, in
deed, when even Peg the Barge forgot
her temper and was as mild as an April
shower. Everywhere in the village you
heard such comments as these:
Il tell yez, it bangs Banagher and
Banagher bangs the divil'' Mike Nc
Grath converted. arrah, whist wud yeh,
he'll never be converted until the divil
sweeps him body an bones.'' That's
what happened, l hear, the diviI did
come for him, came last night when
Mike was fishing, bud Mike got away
from him.
Here's Jim Scully, an he'll tell us
the truth"
Good morning, jim
Good morrow to yeh, boys"
so McGrath is convertible"
''Begorra he's converted Shure enough
iv the pious fit lasts, bud he's very
wake after his struggle wud the divil,"
and Scully'S eyes CLEAN with merri-
ment
Where did it happen, Jim, tell us all
about it?" and the men surround Scrlly
more closely We'll. you See, boys"
began Jim, filling his pipe, Mike went
"
er. He was eXpeCtin' a CRATE dale ov
fish, as he had the nets in the best part
ov the river just, beside Hanley's ouid
mill, which they tell me is haunted
Bud yeh know, boys. the ghost never
yet walked that could frisnten Mike.
He whit down at any rate about half
past II last night, an a bright night it
was He came to where his nets wur,
an he begins to drag them in. There
was someWan else near, too, that wasn't
afraid of ghosts, and they heard Mike
talk to himself as he pulled in to the
bank his nets.
Be the immorthal King Billy he
was sayin, bud 1 have 4 CRATE haul
I'll make good pfnny tomor-
row out of me nights work, an I can
trate meself to lashings and have Law
ings. begob, Mike McGrath, yer In
clover. Aisy now, Mike, or yer nets will
brake an
He had just said these Words re-
sumed Jim, when he lets a "2reach cut
ov him that would wake the dead, for
yeh wud never guess what came up On
the nets
Nos jim"
well, the divil himself" and SculIy
waved his hands tragically. ami contin-
'1ls, the divil himself, the head with
two short horns an long ears and blaz-
in eyes KEN first, an then the whole
body an there in the moonlight the
divil f1oated on the water waitin' to de-
YOUR Mike. / towld yez Mike screeched
an then tainted, an only for a holy
man that was near-I am not at ,iber-
ty. boys, to tell yeZ who ii ,vas-bud yeh
all know him, bud at all events he
frightened the divil off and carried
Mike home an this mOTnin' Mike
himself up to Father Tom an
repinted an now iv his farvor continues
I'm thinkin' we'll soon have a canon
lied saint amongst u.s."
An did yeh see the divil, jim. ,"
We'll, didn't exactly see him. boys,
bud l saw something very like him.
1eh know, boys, Mr.. Mannering missed
a black calf lately. The flies wor an
noyin' the calf an he wint into the riv-
er to escape thin, bud he wint III too
far an drowned. We Wor lookin' for
him high an low an saw him yester-
day in the river, an as 1 was strivin' to
get him out, 1 saw Mike McGrath COM
in an l hid. He began to set his nets
just above where the black calf was, an
whin he was gone L transplanted the
OieASh Sdll IIOili MIlGTS ne vas To Mike S
nets, an yeh know the rest" And Soul
ly leaned against the wall AMI shook
with laughter
After that eventful night Mike Nc
Grath became changed man. There
was no more exemplary or more Chris
tias man in the village than he was.
The tenants could do as they wished,
and Mike needed them not. The chill
dren began TO love him, and t was with
his fishing rod I caught my first fish.
and it was under his guidance I learnt
the haunts of the partridge and pleas
ant. From being the most hated he be-
came the most popular man in the viii
age. and Father Tom says he is proud
Of his convert. All. we'll and we'll
tbs an i'll wind that blows nobody
good, - -Ry Cabin
Next week; The Village Weaver"