s of his life. His family were
not aware of the moral consequences which they were likely to produce
by conduct such as this, nor of the pains they were ignorantly taking to
lay the foundation of his future misfortune and misery.

"Art, my good boy, will you take your spade and clane out the remaindher
o' that drain, between the Hannigans and us," said his father.

"Well, will Frank come?"

"Sure you know he can't; isn't he weedin' that bit of _blanther_ in
Crackton's park, an' afther that sure he has to cut scraws on the
Pirl-hill for the new barn."

"Well, I'll help him if he helps me; isn't that fair? Let us join."

"Hut, get out o' that, avourneen; go yourself; do what you're bid, Art."

"Is it by myself? murdher alive, father, don't ax me; I'll give him my
new Cammon if he comes."

"Throth you won't; the sorra hand I'd ever wish to see the same Cammon
in but your own; faix, it's you that can handle it in style. Well now,
Art, well becomes myself but I thought I could play a Cammon wid the
face o' clay wanst in my time, but may I never sin if ever I could match
you at it; oh, sorra taste o' your Cammon you must part wid; sure I'd
rather scower the drain myself."

"Bedad I won't part wid it then."

"I'd rather, I tell you, scower it myself--an' I will, too. Sure if I
renew the ould cough an me I'll thry the _Casharawan_, (* Dandelion) that
did me so much good the last time."

"Well, that's purty! Ha, ha, ha! you to go! Oh, ay, indeed--as if I'd
stand by an' let you. Not so bad as that comes to, either--no. Is the
spade an' shovel in the shed?"

"To be sure they are. Throth, Art, you're worth the whole o' them--the
sorra lie in it. Well, go, avillish."

This was this fine boy's weakness played upon by those who, it is true,
were not at all conscious of the injury they were inflicting upon him at
the time. He was certainly the pride of the family, and even while they
humored and increased this his predominant and most dangerous foible, we
are bound to say that they gratified their own affection as much as they
did his vanity.

His father's family consisted, as we have said, of three sons and three
daughters. The latter were the elder, and in point of age Art, as we
have said, was the youngest of them all. The education that he and his
brothers received was such as the time and the neglected state of the
country afforded them. They could all read and write tolerably well, and
knew something of arithmetic