E THIEVING IN EARNEST

While the postmaster went on with such provoking answers to these
appeals for despatch, Andy's eye caught the heap of letters which lay on
the counter. So, while certain weighing of soap and tobacco was going
forward, he contrived to become possessed of two letters from the heap,
and, having effected that, waited patiently enough until it was the
great man's pleasure to give him the missive directed to his master.

Then did Andy bestride his hack, and, in triumph at his trick on the
postmaster, rattled along the road homeward as fast as the beast could
carry him. He came into the squire's presence; his face beaming with
delight, and an air of self-satisfied superiority in his manner, quite
unaccountable to his master, until he pulled forth his hand, which had
been grubbing up his prizes from the bottom of his pocket, and, holding
three letters over his head while he said: "Look at that!" he next
slapped them down under his broad fist on the table before the squire,
saying:

"Well, if he did make me pay elevenpence, I brought your honor the worth
o' your money, anyhow."

Now, the letter addressed to the squire was from his law-agent, and
concerned an approaching election in the county. His old friend, Mr.
Gustavus O'Grady, the master of Neck-or-Nothing Hall, was, it appeared,
working in the interest of the honorable Sackville Scatterbrain, and
against Squire Egan.

THE TROUBLE THAT CAME OF ANDY'S
FAMOUS VISITS TO THE POST-OFFICE

This unexpected information threw him into a great rage, in the midst
of which his eye caught sight of one of the letters Andy had taken
from the post-office. This was addressed to Mr. O'Grady, and as it
bore the Dublin postmark, Mr. Egan yielded to the temptation of making
the letter gape at its extremities--this was before the days of the
envelope--and so read its contents, which were highly uncomplimentary to
the reader. As Mr. O'Grady was much in debt financially to Mr. Egan, the
latter decided to put all the pressure of the law upon his one-time
friend, and, to save trouble with the authorities, destroyed both of the
stolen letters and pledged Andy to secrecy.

Neck-or-Nothing Hall was carefully guarded from intruders, and Mr.
Egan's agent, Mr. Murphy, greatly doubted if it would be possible to
serve its master with a writ. Our friend Andy, however, unconsciously
solved the difficulty.

Being sent over to the law-agent's for the writ, and at the same tim