es him, sure, me second cousin once
removed, though, faith, he's me soupayrior orfiser! But, as I were
a-tellin' ye, sor, in comes Bridget whilst I were talkin' to the
jintleman behoind the bar at the rendywoo. I were jist axin' what the
cap'en tells me to axe him; an' `Mike,' says she, cordial like, `have a
partin' glass wid me fur the sake of the ould country as ye're abut to
lave.'

"`Faith an' that's more nor I dare, Bridget,' says I. `I promist the
docthor, sure, I wouldn't touch another dhrop o' sperrits for the nixt
four-an'-twenty hours, as I'm a livin' sinner!'

"`But I don't want ye to dhrink sperrits,' says she. `Me an' me frind
Mistress Wilkins here is jist havin' a cup of tay, sure; an' axes ye to
jine us, that's all!'

"`Faith I'm not the bhoy fur to disobleege the ladies,' says I, `ye can
give us a cup, if that's all ye wants me fur to do.' Wid that, Bridget
ups with the taypot, a little brown one it wor, sure, by the same token,
an' pours me out a cupful in a mug that lay handy sure on the counther,
which I drinks to the hilth of her an' Missis Wilkins as wor standin'
by. It wor right-down beautiful tay; so I has another one to the hilth
of Bridget's husband the sarjint, an' thin another, that wor a little
one faith! to the hilth of the babby; an', begorrah, sor, I rimimbers no
more till this mornin' whin I fales so bad wid the rheumatics as I
couldn't lift me hid out of me hammock. The sarjint says I wor droonk,
but I worn't, sor; though somehows or t'other I thinks it must have been
rhum I wor drinkin' at the rendywoo an' not tay as Bridget telled me at
the toime, sayin' it wor good fur the stummick an' wud kape the cowld
out!"

"I don't believe a word of your story," I heard the doctor answer to
this long and circumstantial yarn. "Why, Macan, you're drunk now!"

"Me droonk now, sor?" repeated the other in a tone of mingled sorrow and
solemnity. "Faith I'm as sobher as a jidge this very minnit, as I'm a
livin' sinner!"

"Don't tell me any more of your lies!" cried out the doctor irascibly at
this juncture, interrupting what further asservation the corporal might
have made in support of his unblushing assertion. "You can go forrud
now and thank your stars I don't report you, as I had more than half a
mind to at first. If I did, you'd be put into the black list and lose
your stripes to a dead certainty."

"May the saints presarve yer honner," exclaimed Macan with effusion as
he was th