o his din. Well, this night Father
Mac was called out late. It was as dark as the caves down there by the
say av a winter's night. As he wint along the road, he began praying
softly to himself, for he knew the divil was watching him. All of a
suddint he was taken out av his saddle and pitched head foremost in a
brake of briars. When he recovered himself he looked around him and saw
at a distance--"

"I thought it was dark, Jer," said a young mason, who knew that Jer was
drawing the long bow.

"Av coorse it was, but couldn't ye see a light shining even on a dark
night, my fine young man?" said Jer, in a temper.

"Oh, was it a light?" said the mason.

"Ye ought to think twice before intherrupting yer elders," said Jer.
"Well, as I was saying, when he come to himself, he looked around, and
he asked, in a loud wice, 'Is there anny wan there who could sarve Mass
for a priest?' There was no answer. Thin he said a second time, 'For
the love av God, is there anny wan there who could sarve Mass for a
priest?'"

"Begor, I always thought that was the shtory about the priest that
forgot to say the Masses for the dead, and kem out av of his grave on
Christmas night," said an old woman.

"Thrue for ye, so it is," said another. "Many and many's the time we
heard it."

"Begor, Jer," said a young man, "ye 're getting mixed."

"There's a hole in the ballad and the song fell out," said another.

"Jer could tell that story betther, if he had a couple of glasses in, I'm
thinking," said the young mason, as they strolled away and left Jer
sitting on the monument.

"Yes; or if he had the clay in his mouth, and the pint on the dresser,"
said his companion.

So was this great actor hissed off the stage. It was a bad breakdown,
and there was no mercy. It turned the women's conversation back to their
curate.

"May the Lord stringthen and help him in his endeavor, our darlin' man,"
said one.

"Amin, thin, and may the Blessed Vargin put the words into his mouth
that he has to shpake," cried another. The children listened gravely.
All that they could conjecture was that Father Letheby was engaged on a
great and dangerous enterprise.

I never had a moment's doubt but that their prayers were heard and their
predictions verified, although when Father Letheby called the next day
he looked depressed and gloomy enough.

"Well," I said, "a great success, of course?"

"I'm afraid not," he said moodily.

"You broke down badly just in t