Mr. Rufus Delancy, who owned half the borra, an' the whole ov the adjacent mountain ov Drumcarn, with the esthate of that name, immejitly isshued an address in the Protesthant interest, declaring himself in favour ov the National system of eddicashun, an' agenst Home Rule. There wasn't a sowl in the nabourhood, the O'Swagger bein dead, to oppose him, an' the reputashun ov the borra, afther the Slomore tragedy, was so hoigh, that no sthranger would venthur tə put his nose in it, so there was ivery chance of Delancy bein returned without opposishun. Father O'Swill was in a d- of a fury. He cursed Delancy from the althar in a way that made his own tinants thremble for his futur, let alone the time bein. He wrote to Dublin beggin the Amnesty Assoshiashun or the Home Rule Committee to sind down a jintleman an' a pathriot to contest the place on their own principles, but there wasn't wan ov them fool enough to come to the fore an' put his head or his feet in his grave, whativer the principle. Thin he wrote to London for an Englishman, knowin, from former exparience, that they were open to convicshun in cases like the prisent, an' niver rightly esthimated the dangers of Oirish society. But the place was too nothorious. Though he tried all the barristhers, even they would not risk a visit, "just to inspect it," as Father O'Swill had politely put the invitashun. 'Twas only wan day before the nominashun, when, as bad luck would have it, I was carryin in from the well a bucket or two ov pure wather, just to modhify the sthrength ov the potheen, which was too much above. proof for any Christhian to dhrink it, who should come up but his. riverence himself, an' says he

"Barney," says he, "this is a bad business. Here's this thraitorous (he imployed another word before that, but is it for me to be informing the Supreme powers ov the little wakenesses ov one ov their own sarvints?) here's this thraitorous land-scourge," says he, "puttin up for Parliment against me will, and to be returned tomorra forenoon, an' me for thirty years," says he, "the only man that iver venthured to nominate a candhidate for the borra of Rashkillen! Faix," says he, " I'd loike to see the bhoy ov yes will nominate him," says he, "that's all. But," says he, "look here, Barney, since there's no wan else, we must nominate you, and you must go to St. Stavens and advicate Home Rule and Catholic eddicashun."

For

"Faith," says I, "it's little I know ov wan or the other! Molly's the wan that rules within thim four walls, as yer riverence doesn't nade to be towld, an' as for Cathilic eddicashun, yer riverence, I've had enuff ov that same in the usual way ov niver bein troubled with any."

"Nonsense," says he; "I don't mane that. I'm spakin ov matters more sarious and importhant than yer quarrels with Molly Geoghegan an' the three R's. Just lave that to me. I'll put ye up

to what's required. Undherstan now, I'm going to propose ye tomorra to be returned to the House ov Commons, as mimber for Rashkillen, vice The O'Swagger, Esquire, desased-God help him !—— an' it shall be at small expinse if ye'll take my advice. Ye're pretty well acquainted with all the bhoys about here; indade," says he, "for that matter they're all ov them better acquainted with yer shebeen than with the parish church,-'tis a wakeness of the warm Oirish nater:--but just send down an' ask as many as can spare the time to meet me here to-night, an' I'll talk to them about it. An', look here, Barney," says he, "it'll be a dhry business discussin the political situation, so, Barney," says he, with a wink, "see ye have as much hot wather ready as there are pots to hould it, in case I see me way to proposin yer health," says he. "An', manetime, I'll step in an' have an intherview with Molly, an' make her all right, for mebbe she'd be expressin her ashtonishment in a disedifyin manner if we did it without notis. An' see, Barney," says he, " mix me a jhorum in the big thumbler on the top shelf, at the right han side, where Molly always kapes it ready for me, an' bring it till me to the small parlour doore, for I'm thinkin I'll nade all me wits about me for the intherview."

So in he went, an' called Molly to the small parlour, an' I mixed him a comforthable jhorum an' just stuck it in at the doore, for I heard Molly a screechin an' goin on like a wild tiger, an' his riverence to the fore! but I saw his hand take in the toddy, an' heard no more till, about an hour afther, Father O'Swill shouted to me from the parlour doore.

"Barney," says he, "ye may mix me another glass," says he, “an' don't be so squamish with the crather, an' if ye have iver a lemon in the house," says he, "just put a shlip ov it in, for I'm thinkin' I've a touch ov the bile. An' thin come in here," says he, "an' be inthrojuced to Misthress Molly Geoghegan, that to-morra night will be Lady Geoghegan, wife of the Mimber for Rashkillen."

Faith, sure enough, whin I enthered with the thumbler, Molly threw herself on me neck, an' cried, an' whined, an' bid me God speed, an' afther wipin her eyes in her petticoat, she runs away to make preparashuns for the business of the evenin.

Didn't the bhoys turn up in the evenin, mighty thrue to time, that's all ! Sure they were to the fore to the tune ov siveral huntherds, let alone frens an' acquaantances, who happened to be voisitin them from the surroundhin disthricts. Faith, if they'd only been dhrinkin at their own expinse, it's meself would be glad to see them ivery day ov the wake in the same numbers, an' conshuming the same quantities.

Father O'Swill came down, an' first ov all he took some ov the lading inhabithants into the kitchen, an' held a consultashun with them. 'Twas about six thumblers ov me best undiluthed he had before he could complate his negoshiashuns, an' they were all aiquilly

liberal. The bhoys was all over the place, an' by the time his riverence was ready to addhress them, they was ready for anythin. He called me till him, an' says he :

“Barney,” says he, in a loud whisper, "owin to the grate fatigue an' excitement, I'm as wake as a cat, an' me knees knockin together. Get Teddy Rourke," says he, " an' yerself, an' give me yer shupport while I addhress the electurs on their dewty to Mother Church and Ould Ireland."

Wid that, Teddy an' I seized him by the arms, an' got him up on his fate, an' 'twas wondherful how anxiety had taken his strength, an' we was about to lift him up on a table, arranged for the purpose, but, with a twinkle in his eyes, says he,

"No, Barney, none ov yer elevashuns ov the host for me in my prisent enfabled state," says he. "I'm more for mother earth than skywards at this moment."

So he held up his han an instant, an' the bhoys crowded roun, an' gave him three Irish hurrahs, that was loud enough to shake Misther Delancy in his bed.

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Bhoys," says he, "an' fellow-electhurs. I'm too excited and indignant to say much till ye to-night, but what I do say shall be to the point. Yer aware that in consequence of the death ov me good frind, The O'Swagger-pace to his ashes, that lie in the graveyard of Rashkillen, an' to his sowl, too, wheriver it is," says he, "an' that's an extremely doubtful an' delicate point-there's a vacancy in the representashun of this borra, an' ye'll be called upon to elect his successor to-morra! (Sensation.) Now," says he, "ye're all cognisant ov the intherest I've always taken in securing ye a fit and propher person to reprisent so respecthable, an' intelligent, an' God-fearing a community (cheers), an' seein' I'm responsible for the sowls ov ivery wan ov ye-an' there's some ov ye, like Arthur Sullivan there, little disposed to pay the praste his lawful dues, an' aise the weight ov the burthen yer sinful sowls impose upon me-Bhoys, there's niver a wan ov ye can say but I always selected a man afther yer own heart. (Thrue for ye.) Now," says he, "will ye believe it, bhoys, there's the elecshun comin' on to-morra, an' a candhidate before the consthituency, an' niver a word asked ov me whether I approbated him or not? Moreover, bhoys, ye know who he is, the land-scourge and tyrant ov the whole disthrict, a Sassenach an' a Protesthant "the bhoys was feroshus in their ejackilashuns-" the man," says he, "who places his iron heel on the neck of Ireland's sons, the heretic, the blasphamer of Holy Church, for he would deny her the right of eddicating her own children-a right I've maintained for ye this thirty years, and mane to vindicate, plaze God, to me dyin hour." The roars was tirrible, an' I thought if any ov Delancy's frinds was prisent, 'twould be wise they'd be to advhise him to be absent from the Court House to-morra. "Now, bhoys," continues his riverence, who

at the same time was laning very heavily on Teddy and me, "I'm in favour ov civil an' religious liberty, which is the watchword ov the hierarchy, an' the suppreshun, by ivery manes in our power, ov Protesthantism an' infidelity. Therefore," says he, "I'm determined this beggarly spalpeen shall never be mimber for Rashkillen, if he is returned to the House ov Commons in his grave. (Cheers.) An', in this emergincy, who'se the man, the only man, we can lay our hands on, to do justice to our principles an' represent us in the Parliment of the United Kingdom-before long, plaze God, it will be at College Green. (Here there was great cheering.) Who will advicate the cause ov Mother Church, an' Mother counthry, an' uphold, in the teeth of Sassenach oppressors, the cause ov civil an' religious liberthy? WHO, but my friend, BARNEY GEOGHEGAN!"—he let go ov me arm to slap me on the back, an' 'twas well at the same moment Teddy held fast till him to kape himself steady, for he swung round like the arm of a crane. The bhoys hurrahed an' roared out for me, an' was too excited to notis his wakeness, so we deposited him on a chair, while Molly prepared him a dhrop to recover him, and I stood upon the table among great cheerin an' some amicable fightin in the background. Says I:

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Bhoys an' fellow electhurs. I'm glad to see ye all, an' hope ye've been hospithally resaved," says I. "I'm a man ov few words. stan by all his riverence has said, an' more too. I'm prephared to reprisent ye, if required, to the best ov my ability, an' if ye return me to Parliment, I'll hope to see ye all here to-morra night undher the same circumstances."

Wid that they lifted me clane aff the table, an' carried me all roun the town at the imminent risk ov me life, for the excitement had made them all as wake as Father O'Swill himself, an' they was not particular which end ov me was uppermost.

They remained with me all night, to be ready for the rush into the court-house in the mornin. There niver was such a nominashun known in that part ov the counthry. Delancy an' his frinds was condhucthed into the place by the conshtabulary, but no one knows how they was condhucthed out agen, for the whole ov the inside of the court was gutted ov its contents and him among them, an' it was impossible to report the prosadings from the absence of power in any wan to see or know what they were. But 'twas generally undherstood that Delancy an' me was nominated. There was telegrams sent all over the disthrict for troops an' police, but there was sorra a want for wan ov them. D- a man appeared to vote for Delancy through the whole day, an' I was unanimously returned by acclimashun.

The last thing I remimber was me thankin' the crowd out ov winda, wid Molly houldin me round the neck an' shriekin at me like a mad Father O'Swill had been put to bed a couple ov hours before. The borra was full ov broken heads an' black eyes for several weeks,

woman.

but as they were all given an' taken in pure frindliness, the consequences was not as bad as they might have been had Delancy's frinds come to the fore.

Though the consumpshun ov whisky was ruinous, Molly was so proud ov the honour she'd resaved she said nothin about it, an' tied up my shirts an' breeches an' hose, an' the suit ov black his riverence recommended me to wear in the House ov Commons, and packed them all in a bran new portmantle, procured for the purpose.

Father O'Swill came over the day before I left for London to advhise me about me behaviour.

"Barney, me bhoy," says he, "ye've been returned by a confidin counthry till do yer dewty as a pathriot an' a frind of liberty. The watchword ov the prastehood, as I towld the bhoys the other night, is CIVIL AN' RELIGIOUS LIBERTHY, 'which manes,' says you when yer asked to explane it, 'the rights ov the church, the indipindence of the clargy, an' Home Rule for ould Ireland.' Now, Barney," says he, winkin at me over the thumbler he held in his hand, which by the same token was not empthy at the time, "it's the sacret ov political succhess to concale yer rale objec' undther another, for dacency's sake, just as ye concale the outlines of yer limbs in yer breeches; an' ye undherstan, ye'll require, in daling with thim Sassenach scoundhrels in the House, to avoid yer ushual candhour of spache, which is remarkable, espeshully afther ye've had yer evenin potashuns ; for I give ye fair warnin ye'll nade to be sittin up till all hours in St. Staven's, an' 'twill be many a glass ov yer favorite beverage ye'll require betwixt the hours ov ten an' three in the mornin to kape ye alive an' awake to yer duty. Now, undherstan me," says he, "ye'll stick to that wan tex an' no more, 'Civil an' Religious Liberty,' which says you is all that we ask for the prastehood an' people ov Ireland, an' it can only be secured to them by grantin denominashunal education in Irish schules, as you have already given it in English schules, a Roman Catholic university for the Irish Roman Catholic youth, an' Home Rule from College Green. If they ask ye for dethails, Barney, ye'll be betther just to say, that ye refer them for those to Cardinal Cullen an Mister Martin, who has studied the subjecs more intimately than you could do. Moreover, Barney," says he, "it won't do to let the borra ov Rashkillen and me own existhence be overlooked, so you must give notis to the Spaker that 'at an airly day it is yer intenshun to call the attenshun ov the House to the subjec ov the relashuns ov Ireland to Great Britain, an' to move resolushuns thereon,' an' I'll send ye the resolushuns. Will ye repate thim words now till ye know them aff by heart?"

Whin I'd larned aff the words by rote to his satisfacshun, he says"I'll also send ye the spache when the time comes, an' ye'll deliver it to the House with appropriate gestures ov yer own. An' here's success to ye, me bhoy, an' success to yer eloquence. Faith, it's