' says he--an' with that he pulled an his hat an'
walked out iv the door.

Well, she never minded a word he said, for he used to say the same thing
all as one every time she dhrew blood; an' she had no expectation at all
but he'd come back by the time supper id be ready; but faix the story
didn't go quite so simple this time, for while he was walkin', lonesome
enough, down the borheen, with his heart almost broke with the pain,
for his shins an' his jaw was mighty troublesome, av course, with the
thratement he got, who did he see but Mick Hanlon, his uncle's sarvint
by, ridin' down, quite an asy, an the ould black horse, with a halter as
long as himself.

'Is that Mr. Soolivan?' says the by. says he, as soon as he saw him a
good bit aff.

'To be sure it is, ye spalpeen, you,' says Jim, roarin' out; 'what do
you want wid me this time a-day?' says he.

'Don't you know me?' says the gossoon, 'it's Mick Hanlon that's in it,'
says he.

'Oh, blur an agers, thin, it's welcome you are, Micky asthore,' says
Jim; 'how is all wid the man an' the woman beyant?' says he.

'Oh!' says Micky, 'bad enough,' says he; 'the ould man's jist aff, an'
if you don't hurry like shot,' says he, 'he'll be in glory before you
get there,' says he.

'It's jokin' ye are,' says Jim, sorrowful enough, for he was mighty
partial to his uncle intirely.

'Oh, not in the smallest taste,' says Micky; 'the breath was jist out
iv him,' says he, 'when I left the farm. "An", says he, "take the ould
black horse," says he, "for he's shure-footed for the road," says he,
"an' bring, Jim Soolivan here," says he, "for I think I'd die asy af I
could see him onst," says he.'

'Well,' says Jim, 'will I have time,' says he, 'to go back to the house,
for it would be a consolation,' says he, 'to tell the bad news to the
woman?' says he.

'It's too late you are already,' says Micky, 'so come up behind me, for
God's sake,' says he, 'an' don't waste time;' an' with that he brought
the horse up beside the ditch, an' Jim Soolivan mounted up behind Micky,
an' they rode off; an' tin good miles it was iv a road, an' at the other
side iv Keeper intirely; an' it was snowin' so fast that the ould baste
could hardly go an at all at all, an' the two bys an his back was jist
like a snowball all as one, an' almost fruz an' smothered at the same
time, your honour; an' they wor both mighty sorrowful intirely, an'
their toes almost dhroppin' aff wid the could.

And when Jim got