Mr. James Boran; come, sir, you are the man to kill the Cromwellian Skerin.'

"Me!'

"You. An' look-your life is gone as Mary Ryan's, if the murdherer be not executed before to-morrow's midnight. I'll point the place―an' among the dead-I'll be there to watch you.'"-Vol. i. pp. 53-61.

Mr. Skerin is shot, but not by James Boran, and his assassin gets possessiou of a bond which will give its holder power to ruin the Moores. It gets into the hands of the land agent, Mr. Justice Snapper, Ailey's rejected suitor. Shaun a Dherk is determined to get that bond, and to do justice to a family Mr. Snapper is about evicting. With this view he visits Mr. Snapper, whom he professes to assist in pacifying and quieting the country.

"Mr. Joyce Snapper welcomed Shaun a Dherk very patronizingly, of course; and as he was in his best style,' he sat with the light full upon his face-upon his shirt-bosom, and upon his gray pantaloons and red slippers. Shaun a Dherk through humility, and because he wasn't in any style at all, would rather sit over near the windee,' if his honor pleased,' and as Mr. Snapper made no objection, this minor detail was arranged.

"Well, Shaun, how goes the world, as the saying is-eh? Gone regularly through that affair, and so on?' And Mr. Snapper smiled -a very meaning smile-and looked at least one hundred ways in one half-minute of time. He had an advantage in his eyes, the reader is aware.

"In troth, yer honor, I done a grate dale, an' I hope yer honor will considher me, fur I am a poor man, yer honor, you know.' "What does Shanahan say?'

"Och, by coorse, he made a poor mouth, an' he said his owldest boy was in the faver, God bless the hearers! an' his owld father was sick, he said; an' he hadn't the money, an' so he couldn't.'

666

Couldn't, and all that, Shaun, eh? Couldn't?'

"Faith, yis-he couldn't. The place looked poor, sure enough -an' 'twasn't like the house o' the Shanahans a bit, an' tellin' the truth!'

"Well, Shaun, is that your news?--confound it!--and he couldn't—couldn't!-I know-then he'll march, as the saying isthe rogue's march. He'll march, if he was to carry his father's coffin in the cart, and his son sitting upon it-he'll march-march,' cried Mr. Joyce Snapper, indignantly.

"I hinted that, yer honor,' returned Shaun a Dherk. 'And I tould him that 'twas betther fur 'im to offur, bekase yer honor couldn't ax id—but he shuk his head, melancholy-like, an he looked in sorrow.'

"Well?'

66

"So I said I was sorry for 'im; an' I was goin' away, when he called me back agin. Shaun," sis he, wur you spakin' to the agint?" ""Me?" sis I, "spakin' to the agint? Di ye think his honor 'ud spake to the likes o' me?" "6 Well," sis he, "Shaun, what'll I do -what'll I do?" an' his eyes was full o' tears like. "It'll take all my stock-every bit uv it-to pay all that money, Shaun; an' thin -och one!-not a dhrop o' milk to feed the owld or the young-an' the poor owld man that never shut his dure agin any one, he'll be hungry-the father that rared me, Shaun,"

666

well?'

Well, all that's very good, and so forth-we all know

"Arrah! yer honor, faith, I was near cryin' myself, so I was'case you know-Mich have the name of bein' a good son to th’ owld people, an' I'm growin' owld now,' said Shaun, with a sigh. 'But to make a long story short, yer honor, he looked round the owld house-he was born in the little room where's th' owld father yer honor-an' I saw he wouldn't fly from the nest. "My father's heart will brake," he said, "if I'm turned out; an' he hasn't long to stay wid us now." An' thin he paused, yer honor. "Yis," sis he, "buy the renewal of the lase, and the son of owld Paddy Shanahan will have enough left to berry his father; an' thin he can go out wud his childher an' his wife to beg." Yis-yis," he said, "my father shan't never know-never!" He'll be hare to-morrow, yer honor.' Shaun, you are "Solomon the Wise," as the saying is; Shaun, there's a golden guinea for you!'

666

66

"Thank yer honor-yer honor desarves all I'm doin', an' I'll do inore, plase God.'

-is a great

"The remains of that Hynes family-and so onbother; but the vagabond always pays up.'

666

Och, sure, nothin' is asier than the way yer honor knows.' "What way?' asked Mr. Snapper, with quite a complacent

smile.

"Faith, thin, yer honor, 'tisn't I would be better than yer honor, I'm sure. But you know, yer honor, 'tis parties that way that disturbs the pace o' the counthry always. Little bits o' howldin's that can't stand; an' thin they want to get a change, somehow, an' all that; an' thin they join the "terries " an' the "boys," you see: whin all the time, if the land wus together, the place 'ud be full o' respectable people, an' we'd have pace an' quietness.'

666

Shaun, you speak like a man of sense.'

"Oh yis, yer honor; an' that's the raison you put the powdher in that beggar-woman's son's thatch, that he was transported fur.' "Me?-eh ?what do you mean? what do you mean, eh?' "Och, yer honor,' Shaun replied, in a low, confidential tone. 'Sure Grimes an' I wur hand-an'-gluv', an' I know'd all of it.' "Mr. Joyce Snapper looked full at Shaun, and Shaun looked as

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NEW YORK SERIES.-VOL. II. NO. II.

16

open and candid as the sky. Mr. Snapper was quite red this time, and he turned away from the candles a little, a very prudent

course.

"But Mr. Snapper said nothing, he felt as if the beggar-man knew every thing and every one. He could kill Shaun, and he might attempt it-the thought struck him; but to dispute with him was impossible. Shaun knew too much, and he looked like adamant, Shaun did.

"An' yer honor,' Shaun continued, as if nothing at all had occurred, I hard something about another that you know; faith, this house would look handsomer if a body I know was there! I hard something that brings home the foul murdher o' Mr. Skerin.' "Mr. Joyce Snapper absolutely stood up. He looked like a man blackening for death. Shaun spoke in so solemn a tone--it looked like accusation.

"Di you want any thing, yer honor?' said Shaun, very solicitously. 'Can I do any thing fur yer honor?' he asked.

"Nothing-nothing. Well, Shaun, you were saying something,

and so on.'

666

"I was, sir-yis I was. Gerald Moore can-'

"Mr. Joyce Snapper's heart beat like two horses racing. "Gerald Moore can be convicted by evidence.'

"Eh!' cried Snapper, entirely reassured. Eh!-what's that— tell me that again; Moore, the proud scholar-the-Moore-eh!' "Yis.'

"How? Speak, man!'

"I know a man that saw him spakin' to another; that other swore his book oath the same evening to murdher Skerin, an' appointed the place an' the hour to do it; it was done at the place an' the hour, an' there is witnesses that can sware it.'

"Glory to Shaun a Dherk! you are better than a dozen police and justices of the peace, as the saying is. Where are the people who help you?'

666

Och, sir, many a wan I have to help me, bekase I thravel the world wide, an' I sees the world's heart-the inside an' the outside, you know, Mr. Snapper, an' I know you're loyal-a loyal man, you know, an' I'm doin' my duty by a loyal man, in helping him to be a magistrate, an' to keep the pace.'

"Mr. Snapper was flattered by this speech; but still Mr. Snapper did not feel perfectly easy.

"Any more, Shaun?' demanded Mr. Joyce Snapper.

"Och, yis-a dale more, yer honor,' answered the beggar-man. I have, in a saycret place, something the dead man had about him that night, an' I got id from Mr. Moore's house.'

666 You have?-the d--!-eh?'

"Throth, I have, thin-and I paid well for it, too.' "What?'

"A bond.'

"A bond-to whom?'

"To Skerin, from owld Moore.'

"For how much?'

"For one thousand pounds.'

"Mr. Joyce Snapper burst out laughing: he laughed very heartily. Never before or since had, nor has, Mr. Snapper laughed so loudly. "Shaun looked very confounded.

"Is all your information like that, Shaun--as the saying is?' demanded Mr. Snapper.

666

Why, yer honor?'

"Because that's not true.'

"Not thrue?'

"Not true, Shaun.'

"And Mr. Joyce Snapper's heart dilated, and his chest stretched proudly forth, when he said to Shaun a Dherk

"Shaun, be easy on that matter-you're wrong-I have that

bond.'

"Shaun shook his head.

"I have, Shaun: I have that bond I say!' "Shaun put out his hands and shook them.

"A mistake,' said Shaun-' a mistake. Ax the people. Shaun a Dherk is always right. You have a copy, may be.'

"'No.'

666 Yis.'

"Mr. Joyce Snapper, more proudly still-a little indignantly, in fact-rose from his chair, and rapidly went to a desk-an old-fashioned standing mahogany desk. There stood the venerable piece of furniture, with all its brass handles up the front, and its broad polished breast. It was against the wall beside the mantelpiece. The bellpull hung just near it.

"Mr. Joyce Snapper slowly opened the desk; and having put in his hand, without any search, at once-but tenderly, ever so tenderly he took out a piece of parchment. The parchment was nicely rolled and taped-taped with red tape. Solemnly rather, he undid the knot and unrolled the parchment. He brought it over to Shaun.

666 'Now?' said he.

"Shaun looked at the parchment, and then at Mr. Joyce Snapper. “Well?' said Snapper.

"The copy,' said Shaun.

666

Why, you omadhawn, as attorneys-at-law. Look at the

they say, I'm one of her Majesty's names, and so on! Look at the names, Shaun! Look here!' And he spread the paper broadly

over the table.

"Shaun a Dherk rose. He stood right between the candles and the window-blind, until his figure was perfectly defined upon it;

and he struck his stick on the floor as he made a step towards the table.

"As Shaun looked over the parchment, there was a shriek from the kitchen which startled Mr. Snapper, and apparently very much

startled Shaun a Dherk.

666 What's that?' said Shaun. 'What's that?'

"Mr. Snapper, like a courageous man, rushed to the door; but, like a cautious man, he stood there. Shaun a Dherk, like a pious man, went on his knees to say his prayers. Having listened for a moment, and heard nothing below, Mr. Snapper was gaining courage, and really opened the door to go down stairs. But at the same moment the window of the drawing-room was raised as if by magic. "Mr. Snapper's heart sank--he rushed towards the end of the room, and cried Thieves !'

6

"Shaun a Dherk roared Murdher!'

"And the people below stairs were crying out any thing and every thing, but no one paid them any attention.

The barrel of a brass blunderbuss now made its appearance at the open window, and was soon followed by the owner or the bearer. Mr. Snapper's blood curdled in his heart-he thought his hour had

come.

"The burglar was a powerful man-a fellow of light step and proud bearing. He wore a shirt over his clothes. On his head was a woman's beaver bonnet, and his face was covered with a crape mask.

"He laid down the window, walked right into the middle of the room, and summoned Snapper to his presence.

"I'm only a poor man as looks for his bit, sir,' cried Shaun, ‘an' have mercy on me this night! Och, sure you wouldn't,' continued Shaun, sure you wouldn't injure a poor ould creathur!'

"Hould your tongue,' said the stranger peremptorily. "Hould your tongue, you old spy. Your gray hair saved you many a day an' night, or your ould carcass would be feedin' the crows long ago.' The fellow spoke quite majestically.

66

Again he summoned Snapper, and commanded him to go on his knees.

"The land-agent shiveringly obeyed, but cried for grace. Shaun a Dherk, in agony struck the table on which the bond lay, and cried 'Mercy!' The stranger placed the blunderbuss at Snapper's breast. "If you believe in God,' said the assassin, in a solemn tone; if you believe in God, pray.'

"Oh, mercy! mercy!' cried Snapper.

"Villain!" said the stranger; the graves an' the highways is full of the dead and the broken-hearted, that you tormented an' scourged, an' dhrove from home, an' happiness, an' hope. Oh, you dark, black devil, the curse o' the poor is upon you, day an' night: an' justice is come at last. Pray, if you have a prayer to say.'