ep clean. The new agent, Mr. MacAdam, began to
negotiate. Pow-wows and palavers all ended in smoke, and as meanwhile
the charges on the estate were going on merrily, and no money was
coming in to meet them, writs were issued against six of the best-off
farmers; writs, not decrees, the writ being a more effective
instrument. One Malone was evicted. He was a married man, without
encumbrances, owed several years' arrears, had mismanaged his farm, a
really good bit of land, had been forgiven a lot of rent, and still he
was not happy. A relative had lent him nearly L200 to carry on, but
Malone was a bottomless pit. What he required was a gold mine and a
man to shovel up the ore, but unhappily no such thing existed on the
farm. The relative offered to take the land, believing that he could
soon recoup himself the loan, but Malone held on with iron grip,
refusing to listen to the voice of the charmer, charmed he never so
wisely. The relative wished to take the place at the judicial rent,
and offered to give Malone the house, grass for a cow, and the use of
three acres of land. Malone declined to make any change, and as a last
resort it was decided to evict him. On the auspicious day MacAdam
arrived from Limerick, accompanied by two men from Dublin, whom he
proposed to instal as caretakers in Malone's house. The Sheriff's
party were late, and MacAdam, waiting at some distance, was discovered
and the alarm given. Horns were blown, the chapel bell was rung, the
whole country turned out in force. Anticipating seizure, the people
drove away their cattle, and shortly no hoof nor horn was visible in
the district. A crowd collected and, observing the caretakers, at once
divined their mission, and perceived that not seizure, but eviction,
was the order of the day. They rushed to Malone's house, and, with his
consent and assistance, tore off the roof, smashed the windows, and
demolished the doors. The place was thus rendered uninhabitable.

This having been happily effected, the Sheriff's party arrived an hour
or so late, in the Irish fashion. Possession was formally given to the
agent, who was now free to revel in the four bare walls, and to enjoy
the highly-ventilated condition of the building. The crowd became more
and more threatening, and if they could have mustered pluck to run in
on the loaded rifles, Sheriff, agent, and escort must have been
murdered without mercy. The shouting and threatening were heard two
miles away. But the