went over to where his sister was, and
slipped a letter into her apron that told who he was. And then he
quenched the dip-candle over her, that was lighting the house, and he
made for the man that mocked him, and gave him a blow that sent him into
the hearth, and then he made away.

'And it was a long time before they could find the candle; and when it
was lighted, the man was found dead on the hearth. And the sister read
the letter; but she did not tell it was her own brother had come home.

'But after that he got a good place in the West Indies, and sent for
them all there.'

* * * * *

Then an old man said: 'I was minding a man in the hospital one time, and
he was lying quiet in the bed; and the priest came in to see him, Father
Kearns. And all of a sudden he made one leap, and was out of the bed,
and bade the priest to be off out of that. And the priest made for the
door; and I stood in the way of the man till he got out; and then I got
out myself, and shut the door. He was brought away to Ballinasloe Asylum
after. But if it wasn't for me, Father Kearns wouldn't have got safe
out.

'That's my story.'

* * * * *

The first old man said: 'There was a man one time went to the market to
sell a cow; and he sold her, and he took a drop of drink after; and
instead of going home, he went into a sort of a barn where there was
straw stored, and he fell asleep there.

'And in the night some men came in, and he heard them talking. And they
had a lot of silver plate with them, they were after stealing from some
house in the town, and they were hiding it in the straw till they would
come and bring it away again.

'And he said nothing, and kept quiet till morning; and then he went out;
and the people in the town were talking of nothing else but the great
robbery of silver plate in the night. And no one knew who had done it;
and the man came forward, and told them where the silver plate was, and
who the men were that stole it; and the things were found, and the men
convicted. But he did not let on how he had come to know it, or that he
had slept in the barn.

'So he got a great name; and when he went home, his landlord heard of
it; and he sent for him, and he said: "I am missing things this good
while, and the last thing I lost was a diamond ring. Tell me who was it
stole that," he said. "I can't tell you," said the man. "Well," said the
landlord, "I will l