wiping her face with her
apron. As she passed her master, he lifted the goose and hit her over
the head with it as hard as he could. The bird smashed to pieces, and
the woman, covered with gravy and seasoning, fled back, wailing, to the
kitchen.

On another occasion a neighbor, whose name happened to be Cook, came to
spend the day at Dualla. He brought with him his two children, a boy
and a girl, of whom he was inordinately proud. Old Rody and Cook were
sitting on the terrace, drinking punch; the children were playing on
the lawn.

"Now, Scully," said the proud parent, pointing to his boy, "isn't he a
regular Cook?"

"Oh! begor' he is," replied Old Rody, "and the other's a regular
kitchen-maid."

Near the close of a not at all reputable career Old Rody "found it most
convenient" to marry his housemaid. He survived the ceremony only a few
months. His widow, disappointed in her expectations of wealth for the
estate cut up very badly, indeed emigrated to Australia, where, I
believe, she soon married again.

There is a story told of Vincent Scully (father of the present owner of
Mantlehill House, near Cashel), who was a Member of Parliament for, I
think, North Cork, which I do not remember to have seen in print.
Another M.P., whose name was Monk, had a habit of clipping, where
possible, the last syllable from the surnames of his intimate friends.
One day, he met Vincent Scully in the House of Commons, and addressed
him.

"Well, Scull, how are you today?"

"Quite well, thank you, Monk," replied Scully; "but I cannot conceive
why you should snip a syllable from my name, unless you wish to add it
to your own."

My father quarreled with Old Rody, who went to Italy, where he had some
relations. He meant to remain for a few months only, but it was upwards
of six years before he returned. He then read law for a while. Getting
tired of this, he went "back to the land."

My mother was a Creagh, from Clare. Creaghs used to be plentiful in
both Clare and Limerick. The civic records of Limerick City show that
for many generations they took a prominent part in local municipal
affairs. My mother's father was a soldier too. The Creaghs have always
favored the army. A few years ago eight of my mother's first-cousins
were soldiers. At the Battle of Blaauwberg just before the capitulation
of the Cape in January, 1806 a Lieutenant Creagh was slightly wounded.
This was either my grandfather or my grand-uncle, Sir Michael Creagh.