r father, for bedad an
infant child 'ud do as much as he any day of the week. So I'll put him
on boys' wages,' he sez, 'that'ill be three shillin's, and every penny
as much as he's worth,' sez he. And sure I knew it was the truth he was
sayin', but 'twould break me father's heart.

"So nought better could I do on'y to make out 'twas he would be gettin'
the man's wages, and meself the boy's. Diff'rint raisons I conthrived,"
he said, with some natural pride in the details of his strategy, "but
mostly I let on 'twas because of me bein' such a fool about the horses
they couldn't trust me wid any except the ould ones. Anyway me father
was contint enough; faix, some whiles he seemed a bit set up like,
considherin' he had the pull over me, and he'd be sayin' what at all 'ud
we do without him, and I such an omadhawn. Niver a cross word we had
until last week I got laid up wid this mischancy could and the pain in
me chest, so sorra a fut could I go to me work; and I well knew the
whole thing 'ud come out, if he went when I didn't. Bedad I dhramed it
all the night asleep and awake, till I was fairly moidhered in me head."

"Tub-be sure," said old O'Beirne, "that's the worst of lettin' on. If
anythin' goes crooked, it's like the bottom bursted out of a sack of
mail; you're carryin' about nothin' at all before you know what's
happint you."

"Well, we done the best we could, me wife and me, to dispersuade him off
of goin' on Saturday. Bad wid the could too, we said he was; but och not
a fut of him but would go. So Barney McAuliffe was tellin' me wife, when
the men was payin' in the yard, me father he ups and says to Mr. Blake:

"'Beg pardon, sir, but you're after givin' me no more than me son's
money, and it's meself was workin' this week, not him.'

"And Mr. Blake sez, just goin' off in a hurry, 'What are you talkin'
about, man? Whethen now, you don't suppose I've been payin' you full
wages, that hasn't done a stroke of work worth namin' this half-dozen
year? That'ill have to contint you till Ned's back agin.'

"And Barney sez my father had ne'er a word out of him, but just went
home dazed like. And me wife sez when he come in, he sits down on the
form be the door, and niver opens his lips. So she knew right well what
ailed him, and she said iverythin' she could think of--how it's
disthroyed we'd be on'y for him now I was laid up, and the won'erful man
he was, and this way and that way. But niver a word he heeded, nor near
th