dog.

Hen Cassidy came next. Hen's mother was a widow who lived on the edge of
want. Hen and I did a little barter and exchange on the side, while Anna
emptied and refilled his can. He had scarcely gone when the verdict was
rendered:

"Bacon an' nettles," Jamie said, "she's as hard up as we are, this
week!"

"Poor craither," Anna said; "I wondther if she's got aanything besides
broth?" Nobody knew. Anna thought she knew a way to find out.

"Haave ye aany marbles, dear?" she asked me.

"Aye, a wheen."

"Wud ye give a wheen to me?"

"Aye, are ye goin' t' shoot awhile? If ye are I'll give ye half an'
shoot ye fur thim!" I said.

"No, I jist want t' borra some." I handed out a handful of marbles.

"Now don't glunch, dear, when I tell ye what I want thim fur." I
promised.

"Whistle fur Hen," she said, "and give him that han'ful of marbles if
he'll tell ye what his mother haas fur dinner th' day."

I whistled and Hen responded.

"I'll bate ye two chanies, Hen, that I know what ye've got fur dinner!"

"I'll bate ye!" said Hen, "show yer chanies!"

"Show yours!" said I.

Hen had none, but I volunteered to trust him.

"Go on now, guess!" said he.

"Pirtas an' broth!" said I.

"Yer blinked, ye cabbage head, we've got two yards ov thripe forby!"

I carried two quarts to as many neighbors. Mary carried three. As they
were settling down to dinner Arthur Gainer arrived with his mother's
contribution. Jamie sampled it and laughed outright.

"An oul cow put 'er feet in it," he said. Anna took a taste.

"She didn't keep it in long aither," was her comment.

"D'ye iver mind seein' barley in Gainer's broth?" Jamie asked.

"I haave no recollection."

"If there isn't a kink in m' power of remembrance," Jamie said, "they've
had nothin' but bacon an' nettles since th' big famine."

"What did th' haave before that?" Anna asked.

"Bacon an' nettles," he said.

"Did ye ever think, Jamie, how like folks are to th' broth they make?"

"No," he said, "but there's no raisin why people should sting jist
because they've got nothin' but nettles in their broth!"

The potatoes were emptied out of the pot on the bare table, my father
encircling it with his arms to prevent them from rolling off. A little
pile of salt was placed beside each person and each had a big bowl full
of broth. The different kinds had lost their identity in the common pot.

In the midst of the meal came visitors.

"Much good may it do ye!" sai